A Midwinter Dream

The sky was a blinding white, like it had been bleached by the faraway sun, and as Jack let out a deep breath, he could see it against the cold air. He blew again, amused by the sight of it, before pulling his red scarf over the lower half of his face. That winter was colder than most, and as he walked hand in hand with his mother, the only thing that he could focus on was the thick glittery snow. It was beautiful to him.

He stood there for a long time, not realizing that the sight had held him there until he felt his mother’s hand tugging at his to continue walking. They were in a hurry to get home, though there wasn’t anything in particular that was happening. Because of the short distance from their house to the nearest grocery store, the two would usually walk instead of driving, and that was something that the harsh weather did not change.

As Jack held on to his mother’s hand, he allowed her to lead him as he stared at his surroundings. He didn’t care about where they were walking; he only cared about one thing, and as he continued to scan the trees of the nearby forest, he spotted what he was looking for. It was a green pond, all frozen over and polished in the cold. The sight of it made him stop in his tracks. He loved to play near that pond during summers, but during winters, he had only one desire, and it was to skate.

He had never before skated in his life; it was just something he had seen in movies. He didn’t even own a pair of skates to use, but if he could just go on the pond, even in just his regular pair of shoes, he would count it as a blessing and would be able to go home happy. He continued staring for a long time, then he felt a hard tug on his hand and was reminded not only that they were in a hurry to get home, but that the pond was also dangerous.

Jack was not the only child that was drawn to the pond. On days when it was cold enough to freeze over, numerous children flooded to the area with the same desire, but similarly to him, they were not allowed skate on it. One boy did, despite being warned, and he hadn’t even gone too far before the ice broke and he fell through to the freezing cold water. He drowned, and from then on, the parents of the neighborhood became even more terrified of the thin ice and of how tempting it was to their children. Jack was one of them. Even after that incident, deep down he still wanted go onto the pond, but fortunately he was an obedient child and never left his mother’s side.

It didn’t stop him from dreaming about it, though, and if he couldn’t go to the pond outside, then he would simply have to make his own. That night, he made space in front of his window, moving aside any books and toys that were in front of it, and after dusting off the wooden ledge, he filled a bowl of water and placed it onto it. He stared at it; one wasn’t enough. And so, he quickly made more. Bowls, cups, jars. He filled them all with water and placed them by the window. By now the glass was white with frost – he could feel the cold outside air from where he sat on the other side of it – but the clear tableware in front of him was still filled with water and not a single bit of ice.

He put his hand against the glass of the chilly window and carefully pushed the bowls and jars as close to it as he could, then he opened the window - just by a crack – before going to bed, where he snuggled into his many blankets. He fell asleep immediately that night, dreaming of sugarplums and presents, but it wasn’t long before he was suddenly awake again. He lay there curled up in his thick blankets, not knowing what could have awoken him, and as he stared at the light that shined against his ceiling, he was able to see shadows as the thin curtains swayed back and forth. It was really windy outside. He could hear the howling wind that was accompanied by… by the sound of bells?

Jack’s eyes grew wide, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. It was a strange thing to hear, but when another gust of wind came, there it was, the sound of tiny bells to accompany it. He sat up, pulling the blankets from his head, and as he stared at the window, he saw that one side had opened wide. A flurry of white came in as another strong gust came, and he was dazzled by the sight of the tiny snowflakes. They drifted through the air into his dark room, and as he continued to watch them, he noticed that they weren’t just moving aimlessly; they were gathering onto the large bowl that he had left. The cups and jars, too. They were floating down from the window and swarming onto the surface, and even when on it, they were continuing to move.

Suddenly filled with curiosity, Jack climbed off of his bed and walked over to the bowl. All of the water had frozen over; it really was like a small frozen pond. He leaned in closer to examine the snowflakes, and his eyes grew wide with surprise upon realizing that they were alive. They weren’t snowflakes, they were snow fairies! They were tiny beings gliding and leaping across the ice, and as the moonlight shined on their iridescent wings, he marveled at their grace and reached out to try to touch one.

The snow fairies parted and moved around as his finger touched the cold ice, but eventually, one did come up to him. It reached out its tiny hand and placed it onto him, and with just that one magical touch, Jack felt a rush of cold strike through him. The room spun around him, and before he knew it, he was their size, a miniature person sitting on the glassy pond that he had made. The fairies were still there, their icy clothes reflecting the moonlight in all colors of the rainbow as they approached him. The one that touched him came closer; he saw that it was a girl fairy. She got on one knee and helped him up, then she pointed at his feet and flicked her wrist. Something was growing on his socks. He looked down, and he was amazed to see a pair of beautiful skates. They were made completely of ice – a gift from the snow fairies – and like their clothes, they shined in his eyes like sparkling diamonds.

He looked up to thank the fairy, but she was gone. Instead, they were all gliding on the ice and doing figure eights. Jack reached out, trying to follow them, but he found himself struggling to move like a baby deer on its skinny legs. He fell onto his hands and carefully picked himself back up, and sensing his need for guidance, a different fairy came up to him ready to help. It was a young boy fairy, and after grabbing onto Jack’s arm, another one came up to grab onto his other arm. Together the three skated along the clear bowl, the moonlight shining blue on the rim of the glass, and soon enough, he was skating all on his own.

He was gliding, spinning, and leaping, and best of all, he was doing it all with nobody else helping him. It was the happiest he had ever been. Then as another gust of wind came by, he looked up to see a multitude of snow fairies drifting in from the window. They came down in glorious forms, spinning and dancing as their nimble feet landed on the ice, and Jack held his arms out to them, laughing as he welcomed them. They wasted no time as they joined the other fairies to skate, and as they all leapt in unison, it looked as though they had turned into dancing snowflakes.

They moved like the most beautiful ballerinas he had ever seen, and when he looked up, he was delighted to see that there were more fairies skating on the jars and cups. Everything he left had turned into ice and were now being used by the tiny beings. And they knew he had left for them, for whenever they’d pass by him, they’d express their gratitude by blessing him with smiles and showering him with glittery snowflakes. He’d catch it in his hands, smiling wide as he bowed to all of them.

Then when he looked back up, he noticed the bright horizon. The sun was rising! He looked to the fairies, surprised by how quickly the night had passed by, and right away, they knew that he had to be in bed. They restored him back to his rightful size, and before he left the miniature frozen ponds, they bid him goodnight, flying into the air like snow flurries brushing against his face.

He quickly got into his bed, pulling all of the blankets over him to fall asleep beneath the soothing weight, but his heart was still beating fast. He sat up, unable to fall asleep, and from where his bed was, he was able to see the sky and the perfect snow through the window. Just a little way from the house, memorized from their usual route, was the forest and all of its snow-covered trees. And just beyond those trees, a beautiful green color, would be the icy pond that he had yearned to skate on.

His glass bowls and jars shined in the light, and his eyes lit up as he allowed himself to fall back onto his pillows. He had skated, on his own frozen ponds, and with that realization in mind, he closed his eyes and fell asleep, feeling blessed that his dream had come true.