CHAPTER I - "THE GRAND SNOWBALL"

A modern day children's short story.

THE GRAND SNOWBALL

The boy had wandered through the forest for days, without food, and eating snow for water. The glistening snow chilled him to the bones, and he could see his breath on the air. Falling asleep under a tree, he dreamt of great things, of a small people.

“Wake up, big person, wake up! The little people need your help!” Squeaked a little woman who appeared to be hardly 6 inches tall.

The boy jumped, surprised, and rolled away. He got to his feet, just as the woman tugged on his pant leg.

“Big person, please come with me. My people need your help!” She tugged again on his pant leg and then took off running. Curious, the boy followed.

“Ma’am, what are you? Where are you taking me?” The boy questioned.

The little lady giggled, “Don’t call me ma’am, I am not that old. I am Pammie of the snowball clan of the fairies. I am taking you to my people, and our home. May I inquire as to what your name is, and what clan you are from?”

The boy continued following, and answered, “Oh, sorry. I am Paul, and I am from the O’Cogan clan. I live with my family outside this forest, but I lost my way while playing in the woods.” A snowflake caught on his eyelash and he brushed it away.

Pammie forged her way through the snow, surprisingly fast for such a tiny creature. “I am sorry. My people will help you find your way if you help us.”

“And what, pray tell, am I helping you with?” Paul asked, as he tripped and fell face first in the snow as a large willow tree came into view. Pammie waved him onwards as he stood up.

“You will help us find the grand snowball. We need to find it so that we can restore order and protection to our great city. If we don’t, the Fire clan will attack us and capture our city. And my clan will melt against the fury of the fire clan!” The little fairy burst into tears, and Paul patted her on the back with his pinky, trying to not knock her over.

The fairy regained her composure and led Paul into the willow tree. Behind the deadened leaves lay a glistening city of ice and snow. Paul stood outside it, for he could not enter. “I will be right back, Paul of the O’Cogan’s. Stay right here!” And Pammie ran off into the city’s depths, returning quickly with a wizened old fairy, named Wizzy.

“Hickedy-mickedy-pockedy-roo, shrink to our size sir Paul, please do!” Suddenly, Paul started to shrink until he was eye-level with Pammie and Wizzy.

“Wha-a-at? How?” Paul questioned, frightened. He looked around and saw other fairies start to emerge. He looked up at the city, and saw that there was a spindle at the top of the castle, where something obviously belonged. Paul assumed that this Grand snowball belonged there.

“Well, Paul of the O’Cogan’s, Wizzy here is a wizard-fairy. He can do stuff with magic!” Pammie spoke excitedly. She grabbed Paul’s hand, and yanked him towards the gates. She drug Paul through the gates and the city, yammering on and on about the city. “Well, that’s the shrine of Snow, and there is the shrine of Wind. Oh! There is the gathering place…” She continued until she suddenly stopped outside another set of gates, which she pounded on in a sequence.

“Who goes there?” Squeaked a burly guard at the top of the gatehouse.

“It is I, Pammie, daughter of the Queen! And I bring Paul of the O’Cogan’s. Open the gates, I command you!” Pammie yelled un-princess-like at the guard.

“Yes, Pammie, we will let you in.” He sighed, and then yelled, “OPEN THE GATES FOR PRINCESS Pammie!”

Paul looked at Pammie, “You are a princess?”

“Yeah, don’t you have princesses in your clan?” She asked.

“Well, actually, no, we don’t. We have no royalty in the O’Cogan clan. We are just a family. Not a community like your clan is.” Paul followed as Pammie led him towards the biggest part, which he assumed would be the throne room.

They entered a massive room, with frosted pillars, and a throne made of ice. Pammie ran up to the elderly woman sitting on the throne, and hugged her. Pammie took her place on a chair of ice much smaller than that of her mothers. The Queen turned to Paul.

“Paul of the O’Cogan Clan, I presume? I am Queen Truth of the snowball Clan. How do you do?” She spoke nodding her head.

“Yes, ma’am,” Paul replied bowing deeply to her, “How may I be of service?”

The Queen smiled, “Well, you can infiltrate the fire clan and retrieve the Grand snowball.” The Queen had put it simply. Paul must do this, and they would help him home.

“Your will is my command, Your Majesty.” And with that, Pammie ran off with him, and dragged him back down through the city and led him to the Fire Clan’s city. Paul kept moving forward, but Pammie shied back.

“What’s the matter, Pammie?” He saw her look like she was sweating, and then realized, “You can’t go any nearer, can you? You will…..melt. Then I shall forge onwards!” Paul hugged Pammie, and ran off towards the Fire Clan’s City.

Paul paced a ways away from the city’s gates, and then ran up to it, yelling and hammering on the doors. “LET ME IN! LET ME IN! SOMETHING IS AFTER ME! HELP!!!!!!” He promptly faked a faint, and heard some guards shuffle up to him.

One of the guards poked him with the toe of his shoe, saying, “Do you think he is dead?”

“No, he is alive; let’s take him into the city. He isn’t a snowball, that’s for sure.” The guards lifted him and took him into the city. He heard the gates clang shut behind them and he wondered to himself, “How am I going to get out of this now?” But kept quiet. They set him on a hard, but warm, bed, and left him there. He opened his eyes and got out of the bed. He snuck out into the city streets and entered the castle. It seemed to be the same format as the snowball Clan’s city, except that in place of the snow, there was fire. He crept through the halls, and found himself in an empty throne room. Above the large fiery throne, was the snowball, miraculously not melted. He grabbed it right when another bunch of guards entered. Paul ran for it, and escaped the guards. He vaulted over a group of Fire Clan children, and dashed through the gates just as they closed.

“Pammie! Pammie! I GOT IT! I ACTUALLY GOT IT!” Paul screamed in his triumph. He handed the undamaged snowball to Pammie and started walking happily back towards the snowball Clan’s city. Suddenly, Paul felt a thump on the back of his head, and pain flooded his head as darkness fell over his eyes, and he saw Pammie for the last time.

Paul awoke, under the tree that he had fallen asleep under, and clenched his fists. “It was all a dream!” He whispered to himself, sadly. As he did, he clenched his fist, and found a small piece of paper in his hand. He unfurled it, and read.

Dear Paul,

Thank you for all your help in retrieving the Grand snowball. Your help is much appreciated. You will never be forgotten!

Forever yours,

Pammie, princess of the snowball Clan.

P.S. look straight, and head that way. You will find your way home.

Paul smiled, and headed straight forward, and thought of Pammie, a little princess.