Ella bit her lip, and winced at the pain. She wasn’t dreaming. Something fantastical was happening and she didn’t know how to process it. All she could do was look around in awe, occasionally glancing back at Jack’s smiling face to reassure herself this was real.
Jack’s family continued cheering in silence. They were shouting, smiling, and clapping, but she could hear nothing.
Jack looked so happy and hopeful. His charming smile stretched from ear to ear. He nodded her on. “Will you, my love? Will you be my queen?”
“Queen?” Ella croaked. Her eyes widened even more as the diamond on her left ring finger began to glow and tick like a clock. The ticking grew so loud that the sound of the piccolo was drowned out by it.
Jack closed the ring box and the music abruptly stopped. He came to his feet, kissed her gently on the lips, and pulled her away at arm’s length. “Yes, Ella. I’m asking you not only to marry me, but to be my queen.”
Ella’s brows furrowed. She swallowed a lump in her throat. “Queen of what?”
Jack chuckled. “Your innocence and purity is what drew me to you.”
Ella shook her head. “I don’t understand, Jack.”
Jack turned her toward the wall of wind that encircled them. The faces of his family began to swirl away and vanish. Their images were replaced by a castle made of ice. “Have you ever heard the name, Jack Frost?”
She shot a look at him. “No…you’re not telling me you’re the Jack Frost?”
He nodded and pointed to the ice castle. “That is my home, where I rule over winter. I need a queen, someone to help me with that task and to watch over the children of the world.”
Ella covered her mouth with her hands. The glow of the ring drew her attention again. It continued to tick. “Why is the ring ticking?”
Jack stroked her cheek. His smile faded. “It has a timer. You don’t have much longer to make your choice.”
Ella paled. She hated decisions. She hated pressure. But, she knew she loved Jack.
“Tell me, my love. Will you chose to go back to your life before me, where you’ll forget you ever met me, or, will you join me in my kingdom? Together we can change the colors of the leaves in autumn, create art and wonder for people to enjoy. We can spread winter snow and joy to the people of the world. Doesn’t that sound glorious?”
Ella glanced at him. Her eyes examined his face. His white skin was perfect. His white hair was soft and flew around his face as the wind continued to sweep around them. Ella couldn’t help but smile. His happiness was infectious. Jack was as cheerful and happy as a little boy.
She couldn’t remember seeing him that happy before. Not even she could make him as joyful as he was when he spoke of spreading winter and creating art with the seasons.
Ella pulled her hand from his and took a step toward the vision of his castle. It was a grand sight. The beauty of its towers and gardens of blue and white flowers captivated her. She touched the image before her.
She winced. The air stung her with its chill. Like water, it rippled. Ella yanked her hand back and put it in her pocket. She frowned at the vision. Its beauty somehow made her sad.
“Will I be able to see my family?”
Jack was silent.
Ella glanced back at him. He shook his head. Ella filled with sadness. She couldn’t imagine a life without her mother, father, and two brothers. Then, she thought of being a queen.
She smiled. She’d be able to live with Jack in happiness.
In a cold ice castle, Ella thought. Her smile faded and she looked down at the ring. The ticking made her shudder. Her time was running out. She could feel it.
Ella made her choice.
She took the ring off and handed it to Jack. Tears filled her eyes when she saw the hurt in his face. The look of devastation morphed his features. She was almost too afraid to look at him any longer. She put her glove back on and looked down at her feet.
“I’m sorry, Jack. I love you, but I could never leave my family.”
Once again, Jack fell to his knees but this time he held his hands in prayer. His eyes were wide with hope. Tears froze on his cheeks. “But, Ella. What if I brought your family to my castle as well? There are many rooms. They’d be happy there. You’d be happy. Right?”
There was the slightest thud of snow as Ella knelt before him and took his hands in hers. She kissed them and used them to cup her face. She closed her eyes, savoring the feel of his palms on her cheeks and his fresh, evergreen smell for the last time. She wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Darling, you cannot bring my entire family. Even a life with them in your castle would be a lonely one. Take my brother, for example. You bring him along, but what about his wife’s friends and family? Could you bring them too? Can you bring my entire family tree…and their friends and extended family?”
Jack’s shoulders slumped. “I suppose not.”
She smiled sadly, and wiped a frozen tear from his cheek. “I love you, but I cannot live the life of a queen in your world.”
He nodded. “I understand.”
Ella kissed him. She held back a sob as she whispered in his ear. “I’ll love you forever. And I will never forget you. I will remember you with each snowflake and winter wind. You’ll be with me every time I jump in a pile of orange leaves with my nieces and nephews, or when I drink hot chocolate and watch as the kids in the neighborhood build snowmen.”
Jack laughed softly. “You’re right, Ella.”
Ella gasped as he vanished.
She was all alone in the snow, confused unsure of what had happened. Was it real, or was it all just a dream? Then, she heard a soft voice on the wind.
“I’ll always be with you, Ella… Always….”
The End
THE SNOWPERSONS
Lorna Dounaeva
His body was much too tall and lean, and his head sat like a boulder on his shoulders. Sam tutted his disapproval as two twiggy arms appeared, followed by a carrot for a nose. These children had no common sense. If it were the other way round and snowmen built children, he was certain he’d make a better job of it. For a start, he’d give them legs.
“Tom! Sarah! Time for tea,” the children’s mother called from the doorway.
Sarah plonked a hat unceremoniously on his head and they ran inside, arguing noisily about whose turn it was to set the table.
“I’m glad they gave you a mouth,” Sam called from the neighbouring garden, as the door slammed behind the children. “The poor chap across the road can’t say a word. It’ll be nice having another snowman to talk to.”
“It’s snowperson, actually,” she said, removing her sunglasses to reveal long dark lashes.
Sam stood up a little straighter. “Beg your pardon, love, but I’ve got peas for eyes. What’s your name? Mine’s Sam.”
“I’m Penelope,” she said, surveying her surroundings. She shivered violently. “Is it always this cold?”
“Well, we are made of snow,” he reminded her.
Penelope wrapped her scarf a little tighter round her neck. “Can’t we sneak inside for a little bit?”
“We’d melt!” he said in horror.
“Don’t be so melodramatic!” she laughed. “Surely a few minutes wouldn’t kill us?” And with that, she began hopping down the garden path.
“Careful!” he called after her, but it was too late. Her head disconnected from her body and fell to the ground with a thud.
“Don’t worry, I’m coming!” he yelled and, checking there were no children looking, he vaulted over the fence.
Penelope felt around in the icy snow for her lost head, but her body was much too thin to bend properly and she couldn’t see what she was doing.
“Here,” he said, scooping it up in his hands. It felt heavy, so he patted it into a more manageable size before placing it back on her body.
“Thanks,” she said, but instead of going back to her place, she ventured a little closer to the house.
“Hmm, what’s that smell?”
Sam sniffed. The delicious scent of apple and cinnamon wafted out of the kitchen window. They peered inside. A steaming hot pie had been left out to cool.
Penelope licked her lips. “I wonder what it tastes like?”
“I don’t know if snowmen can eat food,” Sam said doubtfully.
“Why not?”
“Well, for a start, we don’t have digestive systems.”
“Oh don’t be so silly.” She reached in through the open window and broke a piece off. She brought it to her mouth and licked the hot, sticky substance with her tongue.
“It’s delicious! You should try some.”
Sam shook his head.
“I’m really thirsty now.” She reached for the teapot and poured herself a generous cup.
“Penelope, I don’t think you should…” he began, but she tilted her head back and drained the cup.
He watched nervously to see what would happen.
“Oh, that’s better!” she cried “I feel lovely and warm now. Although…”
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I feel a bit strange.”
“You’re not melting,are you?” he asked, anxiously.
“No, it’s not that.” She blushed slightly. “I think I need the loo.”
“Snowpersons don’t pee,” Sam objected.
But from the way she was fidgeting, he knew she was right.
“I bet if I push this window open a little more, I could squeeze through,“ she said.
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea!“ he protested.
But she was already inside.
“Penelope!”
He almost got wedged in the window as he climbed in after her. “Are you crazy?”
“I need to pee!”
“Can’t you do it outside?”
“Outside?” Penelope looked horrified. “We’re not savages, you know! They’ll be a perfectly good lavatory in the house.”
“But it’s so warm inside! And they might see us.”
“Don’t be such a spoilsport.”
There was no reasoning with her. “Oh, go on then,” he sighed.
They bounded softly down the hall, leaving an icy trail behind them.The family were eating their tea in the living room. No one suspected the house had become overrun by snowpeople.
* * *
Penelope could hear Sam bouncing up and down on the spot waiting for her to come out of the bathroom.
He knocked on the door. “Are you ready?” he asked, anxiously.
“Nearly,” she called back. She couldn’t resist opening the bathroom cabinet and taking a peek inside. There were lotions and potions of all kinds. She picked up a jar of hand cream and examined the label. ‘For very dry skin’, it read.
She looked down at her twiggy fingers.
Couldn’t hurt.
She massaged a glob into her hands and enjoyed the soothing sensation. They felt softer already.
Hey what’s this?
She pounced on a tube of bright red lipstick and drew a big cupid’s bow around her lips. She pouted at her reflection in the mirror. She was about to add blusher when Sam knocked urgently on the door.
“Quick! Someone’s coming!” he hissed. “Let me in!”
Penelope opened the door, but the gap was too narrow for a snowperson of his stature.
“Help, I’m stuck!”
She clasped her spindly hands around his substantial waist and pulled.
He came free and crashed down on top of her.
“Pardon me,” he said, clearly embarrassed as they struggled to their feet. Just in time, he pushed the bolt across the door.
The door handle rattled. Whoever it was muttered something and walked away.
“Come on, we’ve got to get out of here,” he told her as the footsteps retreated.
Penelope ignored him.
“What’s this?“ she asked, reaching for a bottle of brightly coloured liquid. She gave it a squeeze and a few rainbow coloured bubbles floated out.
“Bubble bath,” he said, sounding impatient. “Now come on, we’ve got to go.”
“I’ve never had a bubble bath,” she said, wistfully.
“Nor have I, being a snowman.”
“Snowperson,” she corrected him.
“Look, we have to go. You’re melting.”
“Don’t be such a worry wart. I’ll be as good as new once I’ve had a roll in the snow.”
But she put down the bubble bath all the same.
* * *
Checking the coast was clear, they snuck out of the bathroom and hopped back to the kitchen. Sam was almost at the door when Penelope picked up a booklet lying on the table.
“What’s that?” he asked.
“A bus timetable. Look, the number 88 goes to Westminster! We could go to Buckingham Palace and meet the Queen!”
“Meet the Queen? We’re snowpersons. They won’t even let us on the bus!”
But Penelope was not to be put off. “We just need disguises. No one will even know.”
To Sam’s horror, she turned back. He followed her as she hopped up the stairs to the bedroom and opened the wardrobe. There were all sorts of clothes hanging there. She pulled out a black cocktail dress and held it against herself. Before Sam could stop her, she’d pulled it over her head.
“Penelope!”
But Penelope was too busy admiring herself in the mirror to notice the disapproval in his voice.
“Aren’t you going to try anything on?” she asked.
“No.”
But she pulled out a top hat and stuck it on his head. He moved to take it off but then he caught his reflection in the mirror. A smile crept onto his face. He looked rather dashing.
“Here, you’ll need this too,” she said, pulling a long winter coat around him. She wrapped a warm stole around her own shoulders and her smile widened.
“Come on,” said Sam. “We have to leave before the family come up here.”
He took off the splendid hat.
“No, leave it on,” said Penelope. “It’s part of your disguise.”
“We can’t take these clothes,” objected Sam. Having been built by a policeman’s daughter, he had a strong sense of right and wrong.
“We’re just borrowing them,” Penelope insisted. “We’ll bring them back later, I promise.”
“Well, I suppose…”
“Come on,” she said, taking him by the arm. “We’ve a bus to catch.”
* * *
Penelope found it hard hopping down the garden in clothes, but luckily the bus stop was just in front of the house. It was snowing again; fine glistening flakes fell from the sky and cleaved to their shoulders. Penelope stuck out her tongue. She loved the way the ice tasted.
“Here comes the bus!” she cried as a red double decker rounded the corner.
“It’s never going to stop for us,” Sam grumbled. As if to contradict him, the bus pulled to a halt right in front of them. Neither the bus driver, nor the passengers looked up as the two snowpersons jumped on. This was London after all. They’d probably seen everything.
“We haven’t got any money for tickets,” Sam worried as they sat down.
“Will you stop fussing?” Penelope said. “No one’s even noticed us.”
She watched in fascination as they passed a long row of shops. People walked quickly, last minute purchases tucked under their arms as they hurried home for Christmas.
“Do you even know what Buckingham Palace looks like?” Sam asked.
“It’s a palace,” Penelope said. “How hard can it be to find?”
“It’s starting to get dark,” he pointed out. “Maybe we should ask someone?”
He looked around the crowded bus, but no one would catch his eye.
“Look!” Penelope gasped. “That’s it! That’s the palace! Right in front of us.”
* * *
Penelope was right. It was unmistakable. The p
alace was covered with a thick layer of snow that made it look just like a giant Christmas cake.
“Stop!” she called to the driver. “Stop, we need to get off!”
But either the driver didn’t hear her, or he chose not to stop.
Sam pressed the bell, but to no avail. They were halfway up the road before the bus finally pulled to a halt and they could get out.
Sam looked down the tree lined mall in despair.
“We’ll just have to hop all the way back.”
The hop proved a hard slog. The snow was falling fast now, and it was difficult to see where they were going. More than once, Sam bumped into a tree.
“Here,” Penelope took his twiggy hand in hers. “It’ll be worth it, I promise.”
“She might not even be in,” he said. “Doesn’t the Queen usually go away for Christmas?”
“She might not have left yet,” Penelope said, hopefully.
But Sam couldn’t help but wonder if they’d come all this way for nothing. They trudged on in silence.
“Look!” she suddenly cried.
“What?”
“Just look!”
Then Sam saw it too. “The flag! The flag’s flying from the palace. That means the Queen’s at home, doesn’t it?”
“Only one way to find out,” Penelope said as they reached the gate. “But how do we get in?”
“Why don’t we just vault across?” Sam said with a smile. Now that they were so close, he was more than a little curious about meeting the Queen himself.
“Great idea,” Penelope said, and the next moment she had landed neatly in the Queen’s garden.
Sam hesitated.
“Come on! It’s easy!”
He wasn’t as agile as Penelope, but he took several hops backwards and gave it a running jump, landing on his head.
“Oh, Sam! Are you okay?”
“I think so,” he said, stumbling to his feet. He patted down his stomach to make sure it was all still there. “Now what?”
“Now we meet the Queen.”
And before he could stop her, Penelope had rung the doorbell.
* * *
To Sam’s surprise, the Queen opened the door.
“Hello?” she said, gazing at Penelope through her thick glasses. Several small dogs yapped at her feet. “You must be Queen...”
“Penelope,” Penelope said, extending a gloved hand.