Snow

The fire was blazing now. It had taken a long time because old newspapers don’t burn very well, especially if they have not been kept in a dry place, but where could we find a dry place in Britain? I’d never felt so cold before. Paps said it was time it started snowing and then what would we do? Mama had told us before that if we wanted warm clothes, we’d have to ask the town people for some, however, for some strange reason, we’d rather bear the cold than go begging again.
I sat by the window. I could see frost particles playing games on the polyethene and I felt so jealous when I saw the rabbits outside, all warm in their fur coats. It would be snowing soon, but this time, I knew, it would be difficult to survive it. Paps had lost his job at the factory and Mama was always telling us how hard it was for her to keep body and soul together. Jeremy couldn’t walk yet and Carla was a scrawny little thing. I doubted they would survive the cold.
And then, just as if it was waiting for me to lose hope, the snow started. Lightly at first, it steadily increased til I could see nothing but white with specks of gray in between. Laurie excitedly jumped up and down, as Mama tried to fit him into my old coverall. He loved snow, and inexplicably, the snow loved him. Everything he crafted in it was beautiful. And he could dance well in the flakes, as if he belonged with them.
I saw Laurie dash out of the door and I heard his glees of pleasure. I could feel the cold sticking to my nose, but I thought, “ why not?” I wanted to be happy, for once, with the snow, like Laurie.
Laurie and I played for hours. He in a coverall, which was much too small for him; I in my old coat, which had been lined three times. We played like never before. And then I saw it, the small mouse that had died of the bitter cold. I went towards it and picked it up. I felt its tiny body, hard as ice. And nearby, in a small burrow, I could hear mousie chirps. I slowly stood up and pocketed it. I would give it a decent burial soon.
The cold didn’t kill us that year. We stayed alive in our little burrow and kept ourselves warm, and we didn’t let any of our members out to face the freezing snow and severe winds. I gave the mouse a small burial in our little house, right by the fireplace where it could stay warm forever.