The Snowman
For the Snow Micro Challenge
He knows, the moment his eyes open, something's different. A chilly edge to the light seeping through the curtains, magic on the edge of vision.
He rushes to the window. Yes! Snow! Lots!
Running through the house, he sloughs pyjamas, hopping foot to foot, pulling clothes from radiators. He's dressed by the time he reaches the kitchen door.
Mother fusses, "...breakfast!" but relents, tucking a woollen hat over his ears. Now he's off... out into the shining white, pausing to admire untouched smoothness brimming with potential.
He revels in that first footprint, then makes huge strides, as if a GIANT WOZ ERE. Mother stops him throwing snowballs, so he makes one huge one by rolling it round. Shovels more snow on top, crafts a smaller snowball for the head. Sculpts limbs and mouth. Gives it a hat, matching scarf, tangerine nose, and coal eyes.
Mother insists he come in to eat and thaw by the fire. He enjoys a satisfied glow every time he glimpses the Snowman's back from a window.
Long after bedtime, parents snoring, he steals another look. Starlight twinkles on the ice crystals.
It turns.
It's bigger, growing with each step that spiders out thick frost.
Massive now, ember eyes melting ghastly holes in its face, tears gouging tracks to its gaping mouth. Each stumpy arm grows a wicked icicle claw.
The front door splinters. The boy's frightened gasps are visible in the freezing air.
About the Creator
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More stories from L.C. Schäfer and writers in Fiction and other communities.
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CHAPTER 1 Life is more than unpredictable. One day you are sure you have everything in your life to worry about. The other day, everything changed, and changed in the blink of an eye. Emma thought she had finally found the love of her life in the person of her husband, but she was cheated on by her closest friend. Emma was weak and clueless on how to survive all over and don't think she will ever trust a man again. It took her a while to heal.
By Ibiam rita 6 days ago in Fiction
At the Sheltering Doors
The doors, they always scrambled for the doors first. When they arrive and always by night it was a race to desperately bar the creatures entry to the house in the slow crawl of numb feet that the dream would impose upon him. He never seemed fast enough and the creatures uninhibited by the same constraints always made the doors first. The houses in his dream-scapes vary night to night - Some are mansions, others shacks and some are distorted contortions of his childhood home which burned down when he was ten. But the doors are always the same – frail, loose hinged and never could be fully shut. The creatures too vary – twisted and corrupted forms of animals and people familiar to him: family dogs preternaturally swollen to twice their size with rotting coats of mange and slicked damp with dark liquids of decay. The people too were bloated vestiges of ones vaguely familiar to him but whose names escape him. Their eyes gorged wide with dark blood which streaked their mottled faces in crusted trails like lost rivers which hung from their chins swinging in ropy columns beneath paling yellowed teeth. To let them break through would mean death. This he knew with grave certainty. At the door was desperation and panic as their stench emanated forth, sickly and pungent like vomit and mold and ending in a gruesome exhalation like cancer, the stench sticky and clinging invading his nostrils and lungs never to be expunged. Then in the sudden waking he never knew if he repelled them or not.
By Kevin Rollyabout 14 hours ago in Horror
Comments (25)
This is fantastically horrifying and scary! Love it!
Oh boy. Sinister incarnate!
Blimey! What happened next??
Oh wow! What a shift. I loved it!
Was not expecting that shift. Wow. Great story.
I think something went awry here....
So long little boy! See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Why, he never knew he had it in him, be it nightmare or ghoulish power.
Oh wow, I did not expect that ending! So well done!
Revenge of the snowman right? Alway being crafted just to die slow melting deaths. Good job with this one really enjoyed it
It was…it was just so LOVELY! And then so very chilling. So, congrats on being able to bring out both wonder and terror in such a small space! I wish it could be expanded so we could get even more of that turn
Well, that took a turn. And here I thought that this was going to be just a nice comforting story about a boy playing in the snow. It was your story though, so perhaps I should have known better. It was good though.
Excellent build up! I love how much you were able to cram into this. Also I did not see that coming at all!
Whoa! I didn't see that coming. Nice work!
Wow. That sure took a turn. Well done!
Oh heck! The moments when childhood wonder turns into horror! I definitely thought this would happen a few times as a kid, over active imaginations are a devil aren't they? Really enjoyed this story, LC! Took me completely off guard but the build up was just perfect
Authors note: Thank you for reading! This is an entry for the Snow Micro Challenge: I've been writing a micro every day this year. This one *doesn't count* towards it. If you know me, you know I love turning a well-known story upside down 😁 Thanks, again!
This is great. Love me a good monstrous tale from LC! Quick, tiny editorial thing...You might wanna check the rules..."**In order to let the expert brevity of your compelling microfiction shine, please do not include author's notes or additional text before or after your story. If you would like to share a message with your subscribers, use the comments section.**" Wouldn't want them to be pernickity about this lovely piece of fun and terror!
Oooo that is good, excellent challenge entry
Aled Jones would not be singing about this one!
I was humming “walking in the air” in my head as I was reading this….. right up until the end! Great twist and I can’t believe this was only 250 words! That’s epic writing.
Great sense of description.
I concur with Celia on both counts. The joy of childhood imprinted on every sentence until the childlike terror of the night wreaks havoc! Great micro in only 250 words!
Wasn't expecting that twist! Loved the joy you captured in the boys encounter with the snow- brilliant!
Outstanding! Awesome story,