A Snowman Story

Chapter 1

Snow fell in great curtains, lit from behind by the four o’clock sun. It was officially a Nor’easter—wet, heavy snow churning in off the Atlantic. Thalia and Ryan watched it pile up out their front window, looking out on a quiet street. Nobody was going anywhere tonight, maybe not tomorrow, either. Schools in town had already been cancelled, not that they needed to care about that yet.

This was their first winter in their house together. Thalia took Ryan’s left hand in hers and felt his smooth, warm ring. First winter, first Nor’easter, first year as a married couple. And it was only a few days before Christmas, so even with climate change, this much snow was going to stick around. Add a ‘first White Christmas together’ to the list.

Thalia let Ryan’s hand fall and walked back towards the kitchen. They were mostly prepared in case the power went out—jugs of water, candles and flashlights, a crockpot full of beef stew that would stay warm. Frozen food might be an issue, but not if it’s just for a few hours, or probably even overnight.

She had wanted to bake cookies to bring to her office today. It was what she remembered most about Christmases as a kid—her mom spending two or three weekends doing almost nothing but baking cookies. Apricot thumbprints, molasses cookies, peanut butter kisses, sugar cookies, seven-layer bars. She made big platters, wrapped up in colored Saran Wrap. One for work, one to bring to her mom’s on Christmas Eve (all the grandkids called her Gan-Gan and nobody knew where it came from), dad’s side of the family Christmas day. A plate for her best friend Judy’s family, one for Father Patrick. One just for Thalia’s dad so he wouldn’t eat all the seven-layer bars. Thalia missed her mom a lot this time of year.

The snow and shadows completely transformed the backyard. Wind had blown a drift against the row of arborvitaes taller than a person—taller than Thalia, at least. It looked like a little ski slope. If she was a kid again, she would have already been out in her snowpants tunneling under that bank or packing it down to make a fort.

“Hey Ryan?” She turned to look at him as he watched out the front window for the plow that hadn’t come yet. Ryan spun around, his shape dark against the diffused and fading sunlight. “Hey, did you want to make snowmen? It’s wet snow, it’s perfect snow.” It was perfect snow.

He looked back outside and laughed, then realizing how dark it was, flipped the light switch next to him. Suddenly he was bright and the world outside nearly black. “Are you serious? It’s dark out. And it’s still windy. Plus, if the power goes out, we don’t want to be going in and out and sucking all the heat out of the house.”

Thalia wasn’t listening to any of that and marched towards the bedroom. “I’m getting my snowpants.”