A. L. Kaplan

Tag: snow

  • SNOWBALL SAVES THE DAY

    20150129_133654Everywhere that Snowball looked he saw sad faces and drooped shoulders. Sally at the salon pat his head and gave a halfhearted smile. Even Happy Harold from the hardware store looked dejected.

    All the gloomy faces made Snowball’s big brown eyes feel as blue as the clear sky. Snow Town hadn’t had any precipitation in months. Now it looked like there wouldn’t be a white Christmas. Tourists didn’t want to visit a snowless Snow Town. Some had already turned around to head for damper locations, making the town’s future look dim.

    Snowball shivered, but not from the biting cold or the wind that whipped his fur up into a demented pom-pom. Five years ago he’d been a frightened, scrawny, half-starved pup. The people of Snow Town rescued him and gave him a loving new forever home. Now it was his turn to help them. If only he could make it snow.

    The smell of Peta’s meat pie from the pizza place made Snowball’s mouth water. He had to stop and shake the delicious smell from his mind so he could focus on finding snow. Pizza couldn’t help. Or could it? Snowball jumped onto the counter and grabbed a jar of parmesan. With bounding leaps he spread the stuff around town, covering it with a layer of delicious white cheese. It didn’t take long for his people to understand his plan and join in the sprinkling. A few Facebook posts later, tourists flocked to see the best smelling ‘snowdrifts’ ever.

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  • AWAKENING

    Winter's Icy Grip

    In winter’s icy grip

    Life Begins

    Life begins

    Struggles for PurposeStruggles for purpose

    Against All Odds

    Against all odds

    TriumphantTriumphant

  • Freedom’s Landing

    Still propelled from his cliff leap, Ramone smacked face down onto a snowdrift only to look up into a maelstrom of flakes. Nothing but swirling white met his eyes. The sweat on his body froze into an icy sheen that fell in crackling shards as he moved. Ramone’s belly twisted. At least in that dreadful island prison he hadn’t frozen. Fifteen years, wasted, imprisoned for opening a portal into the wrong world. All he wanted was to go home.

    Beneath him the ground lurched, tossing Ramone into the air before dumping him back into the snow. Earthquakes and freezing cold. What hellish world had he landed in this time? He brushed away as many flakes as he could and trudged forward. There were no more spell components, but he’d come too far to give up now. Eyes down and half closed against the biting wind, he continued moving. It was all he could do. All he had left was hope.

    Something hard smacked his forehead, nearly knocking him over. Ramone looked up, his brow wrinkled in confusion. Behind him the storm raged, but in front, a bright open space. There was no rock, no wall, only an invisible barrier. He pushed against the smooth surface, moving along its length while his heart galloped. Step by step he broke trail through the snow drifts, stopping only when he reached a set of prints identical to his own. Tears streamed down his face, freezing as they fell. A rat, caught in a crystal cage.

  • Run of Luck

    “You in or out?” asked the dealer.

    Jeff slammed his cards on the table. Every eye in the room turned. The last of the billions he had inherited disappear into the dealer’s box. This riverboat gig had been his last hope. All his dreams were blown to hell. Now he had no family, no home, and no way to buy his next meal.

    Real gamblers don’t like it when you owe them money, especially these. A sharp wind practically tore Jeff’s shirt off as he landed on the river bank miles from the next town. The landscape lay eerily silent under a blanket of snow as the boat floated away. His only chance now was to walk and pray he find shelter before freezing to death.

    It was a glowing light that caught Jeff’s eye an hour later, drawing him into the woods with the promise of a warm campfire. Hours passed before he realized his footprints had vanished. Tired, numb, scared, and ready to give up, Jeff stopped. Instantly, a blinding white light surrounded him. Warmth permeated his body.

    “It’s about time you got here,” said a woman. “I’ve been waiting all night.”

    Jeff only stared, too stunned to think.

    “You’ve had everything thing you wanted, Jeff, now it’s time to have what you need, a purpose. It’s time to give back some of the luck you’ve enjoyed all these years. I’m here to teach you to be a Dream Guardian.”

    ***

    Sunlight flickered across Jeff’s eyes and he jumped up, blinking at the brightness. Nearly a foot of snow surrounded the ten foot patch of clear dry grass where he had slept. Had it all been a dream? The gold band with the small emerald on his finger seemed to disprove that. He fingered the ring, remembering the woman’s words from last night.

    “The ring cannot be sold or traded,” she had said. “It’s ethereal. Only another adept can see it.”

    That was one way to keep him from blowing it again. But could he really be a Dream Guardian. Jeff still didn’t understand what that meant, or how he wasn’t frozen solid. The air certainly felt frigid enough. In the distance he heard the roaring of an engine and took off at a run. He was still lost in the wilderness.

    Or so he thought. Only a couple dozen yards away he stumbled into a road. For the second time in less than a day Jeff was too stunned to speak. Not just at the nearness of the road, but at the woman behind the wheel of the SUV sitting on the shoulder.

    “Want some coffee and a ride, or are you going to keep me waiting again?”