Why is it Winter?

This was written in response to a contest that requires you to use the phrase "Why is it winter" to start the story.

"Why is it winter?", the young boy asked looking up at his grandfather’s white bearded face. A smile slowly stretched from ear to ear as the grandfather became excited about the opportunity answer another of his inquisitive grandson's questions.

 

The glow on the granddad's face seemed to radiate from the activity of his brain as the old man considered just how to respond. After all he really believed that the answers he gave were formative for the boy and they would effect the boy's thinking for the rest of his life.

Not really knowing where it would lead the grandfather replied with a question of his own.

 

"Is it winter?"

 

The boy looked at him and smiled, the grandfather chuckled and his round belly shook.

 

"Yes it's winter!" The boy replied with his brown eyes squinted as if to say, ‘Don’t mess with me!’

 

"How do you know it is winter? Maybe it's spring?"

 

"Spring? If it was spring I'd be outside playing. I's be chasing butterflies, and I'd be watching birds. If it was spring I'd be playing in my tree house with my friends and we'd be throwing pinecones like grenades at girls when they walked by with their dolls." he said, almost out of breath from is excited reply. "It's not spring." He concluded, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

 

Enjoying the reaction he had gotten out of his grandson the old man looked down and said, "Well then maybe it's summer?"

 

"It’s not summer!" The boy said, laughing at his granddad's silliness.

 

"How do you know?" Said the old man, forcing a puzzled look, prodding him to respond.

 

"Because if it was summer I'd be at camp riding horses."

 

"Yeah?’", said the granddad. "What else?"

 

"Me and my friends would swim in the lake, and we would sit by the camp fire while one of the grownups told us scary stories right before we went to bed. Then we'd sneak out of the cabin and walk around the lake to where the girls sleep, and we'd bang on their windows until they screamed. Then we'd run back to our cabin before we got caught." His eyes were again wide with excitement.  "Summer time is so much fun! It's defiantly not summer time", he said as he half-heartedly pushed his toy truck back and forth on the floor.

 

The granddad smiled and looked at the fire crackling in the fireplace. The boy looked up at him and could see the fire reflecting in his granddad's eyes. He got up off of the floor and climbed into his lap. Granddad picked up the boy's cup of hot chocolate off of the table beside him and placed it into the boy's waiting hands. He took a sip of the warm sweet chocolate and pressed his head against his granddad's chest.

 

"Granddad."

 

"Yes son?", he replied.  

 

"I’m glad it’s winter."

 

The old man's heart warmed.  "Me too son."

Author's Note

I am thinking of adding a little more and making a picture book out of this. Let me know what you think. Thanks!

Reviews

[Shannon]

I love to learn about the minutia of everyday life, which creates this bold and varied world that we live in. Your story, even though it is fiction, gives me that feel. It is very description without being overly long, which is a pretty precise balance to maintain.