A Knock at the Window
There is a knock at the kitchen window. The mother looks up. Her son is outside. He holds a plate with a small snowman on it. He knocks again. The boy's hands are red. The snowman's eyes are black.
The mother opens the back door. Cold air comes into the kitchen. The boy comes in with his plate. He has snow on his boots. "I have a friend for breakfast," he says. "Can he sit with us?" His mother looks at the little face. "For a short time," she says.
The boy puts the plate on the table. The snowman has two white balls, one big and one small. Two little stones are its eyes. A short carrot is its nose. Two sticks are its arms. The boy puts a spoon beside the plate.
He takes off his coat and sits down. The mother puts bread on the table. "Milk?" she asks. "Yes, please." The boy looks at the snowman. "He has no cup." His mother gets another cup. The boy puts it beside the spoon.
Water on the Plate
The kitchen is warm. The boy's hands are warm now, too. He takes a piece of bread. Then he sees water on the snowman's plate. It is only a little water. He looks at the cup. The cup is empty.
"Where is the water from?" he asks. His mother points to the snowman. Its big ball is smaller now. The little ball on top goes down. "The snow melts in this warm room," she says. "Look. The snow is water now."
The carrot falls onto the plate. The boy puts it back into the snowman's face. But it falls again. One black stone falls, too. Now the snowman has only one eye. The boy puts down his bread. "Wait," he says. "I want you here."
He gets a towel. He puts it under the plate. The table stays dry, but there is more water on the plate. He looks at his mother's cup. Then he looks at the window. Outside, the garden is white. "My friend needs a cold room."
A New Place
The boy puts on his coat. His mother opens the back door. He carries the plate outside with both hands. The towel stays on the table. The mother watches from the door. "There is more snow by the wall," she says.
The boy puts the plate on the ground. He takes the carrot, the stones and the sticks off it. Then he puts the wet snow on the white ground. He makes a new big ball with fresh snow. This time, he presses the snow together well.
He makes a small ball and puts it on top. He puts the two stones in the face. The carrot goes below them. He pushes one stick into each side. The new snowman has two eyes and two arms again. The boy's hands are cold.
The mother comes out. "Where can he sit?" she asks. The boy looks at the garden wall. It is far from the house. Then he looks at the kitchen window. There is a wide shelf outside, under the glass. He puts the plate there.
On the Other Side
The boy lifts the new snowman onto the plate. Its face is towards the kitchen. He goes inside, takes off his coat and sits down. He cannot see the snowman's face from his chair. He can only see its white side.
He moves his chair to the end of the table. Now two black eyes look in through the window. He waves at the little face. The mother moves her chair, too. She puts the boy's milk beside his bread. "Is your friend ready?"
The boy looks at the third cup and the spoon. He puts them away. "He can watch us," he says. His mother gives him more bread. He eats. Outside, the snowman stands on its plate. Its nose stays in its face.
The mother lifts her cup to the window. Then she knocks twice on the glass. The boy laughs. "Now you want to go out!" She smiles and takes a drink. "After breakfast," she says. The boy takes another piece of bread.
