Winter Season

Let’s play

“This might be a small town but we still have crime.”

She bounced, bounced he told his shocked mind through the yard to shut the door. He had turned away from her looking up the street thinking about where to show her around too. This adventure would take about thirty minutes at best. It would take longer to get to town than it would to show her around it.

Something pelted him on the back. He turned to see a clump of snow behind him. “What the?” She was bent over in the yard making another snow ball. Automatically he formed one from the snow on her jeep. They had gotten just enough snow to cover the grass. When she rose up he hit her on the shoulder.

“You,” she hissed. “How could you? I’m a girl.” She pouted as if she was going to cry.

He was shocked, hadn’t she just hit him? Did he not have the right to fight back? He thought for a moment almost getting defensive. “You started this. I’m just defendin’ my honor.” He turned his nose toward the sky. A snow flake landed right in the middle of it. He smiled in spite of himself before hurling another snow ball at her.  

She started laughing. It was the greatest laugh he’d ever heard. It was deep and pure, coming from somewhere that he wasn’t sure a laugh could come. Before long he was laughing and a six year olds snowball fight ensued.

They played for hours; neither keeping track of the time. She went running through the yard and fell. His heart skipped a beat. “Are you okay?”

She started laughing, “yeah, I’m fine.” When he walked over to her, he found her making snow angels. He lay down beside her and did the same. Her laugh grew stronger, “aren’t we just neotenous?” She sat up, “have you always lived in that house?

“No,” he answered setting up as well. “My aunt and uncle lived there. I spent most of my summers living with them. When I came back from college, I lived with them until they passed away and they left me the house? Why do you ask?”

“When I was ten, my grandparents brought me to a family reunion here. I wanted to stay in the house and be where the adults were. But gram wouldn’t let me. I sat on the porch watching all the cousins play.  I just felt out of place with kids my own age. A sandy haired boy from that house,” she pointed across the street, “came over and asked me if I wanted to play?”

“Oh my stars, I remember that. We played hide and seek ending up at the lake.”

“I remember you couldn’t swim.”

“Still not very good at it.”

“Wow that seems like a life time ago.” She lay back in the snow.

“It was.” Snow had started gently falling again.  When Oscar stopped to look up, it was dark.

She noticed the expression on his face. “What?”

“Notice anything?”

“Oops,” she giggled. “It’s dark.”

“Yelp and the dollar store is closed.”

She got up as did he, “don’t ja have ah Wal-Mart?”

“Doesn’t everyone?”

“Ellic,” she grinned.

He dropped a hand full of loose snow on her head. “Point?”

“So you admit that you’re an ellic?”

“Whole heartedly. My mother says sarcasm is my only characteristic.” He couldn’t help but stare at her through the pale glow from the pole light. Her nose and cheeks were quite red from their hours of playing in the snow.

Winter Season