"Salty The Snowman"

This little girl lived on a lane.  It is not important her name.  There are lots of little girls like her.  She loved playing in the snow with her friends.

One snowy day they built a snowman in her front yard.  They found some sticks for arms.  They found some rocks for eyes.  They asked her mom for a carrot.  They couldn't find an extra hat and her mother told her she couldn't use hers because it was the only one she had.  She thought about it and she decided to use some more sticks and make a crown for her snowman.

She looked at her snowman and smiled.  Her friends smiled.  Her Mom and Dad smiled.  She even said her dogs smiled as they ran around the snowman barking and playing with each other.  That is what snowmen do she said,  "They make you Happy!"

What are you going to call your snowman?  Her mom asked.   She thought and thought and couldn't find the right name.  "I don't want to call him Frosty", she said very assured.  "Another little girl has already done that.  I will think about it and let you know Mom!"  Her Mom laughed and continued to make some delicous, warm hot chocolate for her daughter and her friends.

Days went by and the temperature stayed cold......Every morning the girl would look out her window and see her snowman.  She started to go out and talk to him.  Everyday it seemed their conversation got longer and longer.  Her mother was curious and asked,  "What do you talk about?"  The little girl looked sad and said,  "He told me he can't be with me forever, he is going to melt like Frosty."  Before she could finish her sentence the tears started to flow.  Her mother, (Who just lost her Mom)  tried to comfort her and said,  "He is right."  "He has to go away but  you know what?"   "What?" her daughter asked.  "Maybe every year you can make a new one and remember him? "  Wanting so bad to help her daughter but realizing this was not quite the best answer she started to hug her.  Her daughter became very distraught and cried, "There will never be another!  I don't wan't another one!  I want the same and I don't even want to name him anymore!"

A few days went by and the temperature started rising a little bit each day.  The girl would wave to her snowman friend as she went on the bus to school.  This one day,  her science teacher started teaching about clouds and the ocean.  He told them that water from the ocean evaporates and rises and forms clouds.  Then he told them when enough water droplets get together they fall back to the ground as rain if warm and snow if cold.

She came home so excited and ran to her Mother. "You were right mom,  it is the same snowman "We have to get him in Dad's truck and bring him to the ocean and next year he will come back!"

What else could her mom and dad do they said to each other.  Hey let's help her with the loss she must still be feeling with her grandmother leaving this earth.  So they packed up the snowman and headed to the beach which thankfully they lived near.  They placed him down carefully on the sand.  They took a picture of him.  They watched their daughter talk to him alone for a few seconds to explain to the snowman the science.  She told him when he felt like he was melting to walk into the ocean.  She gave him a note that had her address and she told him to wait until it was really cold and to fall in her yard next winter!  She hugged him gently and cried.  She looked back one more time and waved.
Then she left.

On the way home the little girl was very peaceful and happy.  " I have a name for him! " she said. "What is it?" her Mom asked.   "Salty!"  "Salty the Snowman who lives by the Sea!"  They had a wonderful laugh as a family.

And yes....this is a happy ending.  The next winter on a night in January it started to snow.  The little girl could hardly wait for enough snow to fall so she could meet her friend again! - Deb Israel