The Snowwoman Wears Prada

 Different from the I WRITE posts, this is a short story written for the Winter 24 hour writing contest. Writers are given a prompt and have 24 hours to write and submit a story based on the prompt with a limit for words.

Jill Wellington from Pixabay

WINTER 2024

The prompt: It was a cozy neighborhood where everybody knew everyone else and there was never a shortage of people to help when one was in need. There was also a lot of tomfoolery going on, which he and his wife had always enjoyed, until now. The winter snowman practical jokes had been funny over the years but, this time, their neighbor had taken it way too far…  (1,000 words)

Honorable Mention

The Snowwoman Wears Prada

After two days of heavy snowfall, Harry was struggling to get the family home from vacation driving slowly with caution on hazardous roads and dodging disabled cars and accident scenes.

He gave a deep sigh. “We’re not going to get home until midnight at this rate.”

“We’ll be fine,” Lisa answered, glancing over her shoulder, and seeing Spence sleeping.

At home, after managing to get down the unplowed back alleyway, Harry pulled into the garage. Lisa unhooked Spence’s seatbelt and Harry tried to lift him out of the car.

“Not happening,” he said quietly then walked his half sleeping son to bed. As Spence went to the bathroom, Harry threw the Indian blanket across the bed. He was able to remove Spence’s sweater, shoes, and socks and get him to lay down on the blanket. The boy was asleep before the comforter was tucked around him.

After the long drive and unpacking, it was time for bed. Lisa looked out the side window as the snow was letting up and moonlight cast deep blue shadows on the snow. Very tired and relaxed to be home, they both fell into a deep sleep.

The first early light woke Spence. He lay there thinking about all the things he did on vacation – hiking, learning fly fishing, going to restaurants, and movies. He managed to untangle himself from the comforter and, wondering if it was still snowing, he walked quietly to the living room window. Pushing the curtains aside, looking out on the front yard, he screamed.

His loud scream jolted both of them awake with Harry up first and running. Spence ran and clutched his father as he came into the room.

There was a nightmarish assembly of snowmen approaching the house. There was a hodgepodge of mismatched accessories, and all had large black eyes and frozen grins. The many protruding arms made with gnarled branches created a sense of movement coming toward the house. In the dim light, they appeared terrifying to a 10-year-old boy who had recently seen “The Snowmen of Wolf Mountain.”

Looking up, his voice quavering, he said, “Why are they here? Why did they come here?”

Lisa rushed into the living room. As Harry moved toward the window Spence broke away and ran to his mother.

“What is it Harry? Spence, whatever it is I’m sure it’s all right,” Lisa assured him as she tried to move to the window.

“No! No! Stay here with me!” Spence yelled. “Why are they here? Remember the movie - the killer snowmen? Do you think it could be true? Why are they here?”

Turning from the window, running his hand through his hair, Harry looked at Lisa. “He had a hard time sleeping the night he saw that movie. It really was more a M movie and not a PG one.”

“What is out there?” Lisa demanded, hurrying to the window.

In their absence neighbors had built a variety of snowmen to welcome them home. As the morning light increased it was easier to see them. The biggest one in front wore a straw hat with donkey ears and had a small Welcome Home sign around its neck written in red marker that had run down in streaks. There was a small one with a sand shovel taped to an arm and several with radish noses and short pine pieces protruding out of their heads instead of a hat. There were two wearing hoodie zip up jackets with hoods over their heads and sleeves hanging from long branches.

Lisa started laughing and her son was not amused.

“Mom, it’s not funny!” he cried, looking from his mother to his father. “Why are they here?”

“Well, it IS sort of funny. Come over and stand by me and look at them,” Lisa said. “The snowmen aren’t coming after us. That was just a movie. The snowmen aren’t going to hurt you. Or snowwoman, look at the one with Mrs. Moore’s fancy Prada scarf, isn’t going to hurt you.”

Spence moved cautiously to the window.

“I believe Josh and Danny and some of the parents made them to welcome us home,” his father explained, “See the welcome home sign.”

Spence said, “It looks like blood.”

“No, it’s just marker. I see Josh’s hoodie on that one and the little one has Connor’s T-ball cap on,” Harry said as he pointed them out.

“Now that the sun is coming out I can see them better. I’m sorry I was scared. I shouldn’t have watched that movie.”

Over breakfast it was decided to keep this morning’s excitement to themselves.

After cleaning up the kitchen, everyone dressed to go outside. The neighborhood was busy with snow blowing driveways and shoveling sidewalks. Down the street there was yelling at a snowball fight and Spence ran to join in.

As neighbors visited and helped each other, Lisa and Harry thanked them for the welcome home and commented on the creativity of the snowmen and snowwomen. Lisa left Josh’s favorite hoodie at his house and returned the Prada scarf to Mrs. Moore.

As the days began to warm, the hats and clothes were shed from the shrinking snow people. Lisa and Harry gathered them and invited the neighbors to claim their clothes and enjoy some hot cider and cinnamon buns.

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