FanStory.com - Snowman 1by Realist101
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A young boy loves the snow
Snowman 1 by Realist101
Christmas Story contest entry

Timmy McElroy was bundled up so tight, he could barely move. During the night the temperature had fallen, gradually turning the rain into fluffy flakes that now gently muffled the world.

The little boy stood just inside the front door of his home, squirming with the sort of impatience that only doing something would calm.

"There! You're ready to go. The bus'll be here any minute now. You wear everything to recess too, okay?" With that, Mrs.. McElroy clutched her son's chubby cheeks and kissed his furrowed brow.

"Yes, Momma." Timmy was beginning to sweat, all he wanted to do was go outside. He wanted to start a snowman before the bus arrived and while the snow was fresh and clean.

"Here's your lunch, honey. And don't you give your food away, okay?"

"But I didn't, Momma, Jimmy took it."

"Oh, well. If it happens again, we'll go see Miss Perkins."

"Okay, bye Momma!"

"I love you, baby!"

The little penguin would not have time on this morning to make his snowman, the sound of the bus approaching told him it would have to wait. So he trundled of to stand next to the well manicured mailbox that stood as a marker for 1551 Maple Drive and he looked wistfully back, wishing he could just stay home and play. But Bus #3 slid slowly to a stop, idling just long enough for Timmy to labor up the steps and be whisked off to go learn about the world.

With a sigh of contentment, Timmy's mother watched the big yellow diesel roar away, to disappear into the fog and she uttered one more "good-bye" before returning to the warm kitchen to wash the morning dishes. After the daily chores, she would settle down in the sofa with her cat and watch the daytime soaps until her beloved son once more returned to her.


On the long, arduous ride to school, the little boy sat scrunched up against the bus window, watching the familiar scenery and houses gliding by and every so often, the bus would jar to a stop, seemingly devouring more children into its bowels, taking them away to endure varying degrees of learning and humiliation. And it would hit the infernal potholes too, sending it's passengers bouncing up off the deep green vinyl seats just like little Mexican Jumping Beans.

Timmy finally lost his math book, and it, along with his lunch, slipped to the floor of the aisle, where it was promptly snatched up by a girl with fancy blonde hair, who was much older than Timmy and prone to bullying him.

"Hey, McElroy! Hey, Pumpkinhead! Old Pumpkinhead! You dropped your stuff!" She laughed a shrill and cruel laugh, causing Timmy to hang his head in embarrassment and shame. He knew the tears were not far behind, as the torment came on stronger and grew more hateful. Debbie Jones was a fifth grader and had many friends who couldn't resist joining in. To the little boy who was all alone, the torment seemed to never end.

"Pumpkinhead! Pumpkinhead! We wish you were dead!" Their laughter sounded like demon shrieks, the noise causing his head to pound with humiliation. He stared down at the slushy floorboard of the bus as his crying commenced in earnest, his face flushing red, as he wished he could rise up, big and strong and make them all go away.

Timmy knew his ears stuck out and his head was too round. He knew it had the appearance of being a bit too large for his small frame and he cringed inside, wishing he didn't look so. As these thoughts roiled around in his mind, the butterflies of anger and fear raged and he wanted oh so desperately just to get back home.

Finally someone tossed his things back to him, begrudgingly and with force. The book hit his arm, hurting just enough to encourage more tears. He looked up at his antagonizer, but could not say the words he wanted to, so little Timmy McElroy swallowed his pride once more and faded back into the oblivion of the unpopular.


Class droned on, first math, then English class and finally, it was first recess. Timmy McElroy grabbed only his topcoat and hat and mittens. The snow beckoned the small boy; he wanted to be the first to make tracks in it and he wanted to make the biggest snowman on the playground. Checking his pockets, he felt the carrot he had snuck out of the refrigerator, along with two plums for his snowman's eyes.

Out on the playground the snow was nice and deep, just wet enough for snowballs too. Timmy went out as far as the children were allowed to go and began rolling the snow. The first ball was clean and round. Perfect. He stood and admired his handiwork, but glancing around, he saw Debbie Jones and her friends looking his way. He pretended not to notice and kept on working. Presently, there were three stacked snowballs and the little snowman stood, waiting for it's eyes and nose to be added.

"Oh, WOW! Pumpkinhead made a stupid snowman!" Snickering broke out, Timmy was once more surrounded by the bullies.

"Leave me alone." He stood next to his little snowman. He knew they would knock it down if he didn't stop them.

"What'sa matter, Pumpkinhead? 'Fraid your stupid snowman won't keep standing up?" More laughter. Timmy stood still. The teacher was too far away and he couldn't leave his snowman to be destroyed.

"Leave me alone. I'm gonna tell Miss Perkins." He tried to sound defiant. But inside, Timmy was quaking in fear.

"Come on, Pumpkinhead, let us help you with your snowman." With that, Debbie shoved Timmy down and with one swipe, took his snowman's head off.

Laughing, the group returned to the swings and stood pointing at Timmy as he sat crying in the snow.

After a time, he got up and put the little snowman back together. Sniffling, he put the carrot and plums onto the top ball, giving the thing a face of sorts. He smoothed the lumps and made a smiling line beneath the carrot nose. Over at the edge of the playground, over where the woods loomed dark and foreboding, Timmy found two similar limbs of proper size and snapped them off to resemble little arms and hands.

He turned to go back to his frosty creation when there came from the forest, a strange sound. It was a whistling, blowing sort of noise ... a whooshing through black, bare limbs. Fear gripped Timmy and he couldn't move. He watched as a snowdevil danced across the playground, straight for Debbie Jones and her friends. It seemed to Timmy that it took on the shape of a huge snowman. He even thought he could see it wearing a black tophat and a red and white scarf, like the one his mother had made him wear that morning.

Timmy watched in wonder as snowballs were hurled at Debbie. The barrage lasted just seconds, but it was long enough that the bullies were scared inside, much to the consternation of Miss Perkins, who could only stand and wonder where all the snowballs had come from.

She rang the bell, the ringing loud and crisp in the cold December air. Timmy ran then, or started to. Something grasp him around the waist and he was whisked across the playground in a whirl of snow. Squealing with delight, he felt himself deposited gently in front of the school doors by icy, cold hands wearing green woolen mittens.

Still giggling, he watched as Frosty the Snowman winked, waved, and tipped his top hat to the little boy that nobody liked.














Recognized

Author Notes
My son was bullied all through school...this is a problem that so many kids face and just never get real help with. I thank you for reading and to Photobucket.com for loaning me the cute pix...

     

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