The storm had started. All of the snowflakes had planned their courses carefully. One snowflake, the Littlest Snowflake looked down at the cottage, warm and glowing inside. He saw the boy, and the glowing windows. That was where he was going to land.
A sudden gust of wind brought more snowflakes than the Littlest Snowflake could count. Everywhere he looked, the flakes seemed to be bigger, and better, and stronger than the Littlest Snowflake. They pushed and they shoved.
Before he knew it, the Littlest Snowflake was miles from the warm cottage, and quickly approaching the ground.
The Littlest Snowflake landed with a poof on the already snow covered ground. Other snowflakes landed on every side, and even began to land on top of him! If he stayed here, he would soon be covered up, and any chance of reaching the warm cottage would be lost.
He began to roll.
And roll.
And roll.
Soon he came to a field of tall grass. There was something out there. Maybe it was the warm cottage! The Little Snowflake slowly began to roll through the grass.
“Is this what a warm cottage looks like up close,” the Littlest Snowflake thought. He was not sure. “Excuse me,” he timidly began, “you’re not the warm cottage, are you? You looked different from the sky.”
The gruff old tractor, for that is what he was, was startled at the voice that seemed to come from nowhere. When he saw the Littlest Snowflake, he began to laugh. “Don’t you know anything, you silly Little Snowflake? You can’t even tell a tractor from a cottage. I don’t have time for someone so small, like you.”
The Littlest Snowflake began to roll away through the grass. He rolled and rolled leaving the gruff old tractor behind.
Soon he came to the edge of the field. Here was a sight to be seen! Hundreds of big things; big black and white things, were tearing the grass up, and making terrible noises. “This is not the warm cottage,” thought the Littlest Snowflake. But maybe they could help him. Slowly, he began to roll towards this new curiosity.
“Excuse me,” he timidly began. The nearest thing turned her head in surprise.
“Moo!” she replied. The Littlest Snowflake began, “Excuse me, but do you know where the warm cottage is? The one that I saw from the sky?”
“Moo, moo, moo,” she laughed, “Why, Little Snowflake, you went and got yourself lost? You just roll yourself straight on through here. This is no place for such a little one like you.”
The Littlest Snowflake could see why. He had to do some fancy rolling to get through all those cow legs, for that was what all those things really were; cows.
Before long he was through the cows, and had left field of tall grass behind. The Littlest Snowflake did not know where he was. All he knew was that there was a long blackish thing cutting across his path. Roll straight on through, he thought.
So that is what he did. Before he got even half way across the blackish thing, a four wheeled machine whizzed behind him. The Littlest Snowflake bounced with fright. Then another machine whooshed right in front of him. The Littlest Snowflake froze in his tracks and looked to his left, then to his right. Machines as were coming towards him from both sides.
As the next machine approached him, the Littlest Snowflake called out, “who are you?!”
“I’mmm a carrrrr….” Yelled the car. It was gone before it could tell the Littlest Snowflake anything else. The Littlest Snowflake worked up his breath to call out to another approaching car, “Where’s the warm cottage?!”
“Crosssss the roaddddd…”
Cross the road? Road? The word had a familiar sound to it…
Yes! That was it! “The long black thing must be the road!” Thought the Littlest Snowflake. He was going the right way. He looked to his left, then to his right. He began to roll. He rolled across the road.
He rolled and rolled. He rolled past trees, and he rolled through rivers.
He rolled down hills of powdery white snow. He rolled and rolled and rolled.
And all the while the Littlest Snowflake rolled, he changed. He grew lumpy. He grew larger. He grew bigger and stronger.
After a long time of rolling, the Littlest Snowflake came to a town. The town was full of buildings. There were big tall ones, and short stumpy ones. Buildings with letters, and buildings with stairways. There were buildings with more windows than the Littlest Snowflake could count. He felt he was getting closer.
The Littlest Snowflake came to a place in the town where the buildings became fewer. They were friendlier. They were cottages.
He rolled and rolled to the very end of the town. Not far off he could see two glowing windows. He rolled faster than ever. When he reached the yard, he was suddenly afraid. This was it. This was his place in the world. What if he was too small? What if he was sent away?
A little boy was playing outside in the yard. He called to the Littlest Snowflake, “why, hello there.” He smiled. “Who are you?”
The Littlest Snowflake looked around. Could the little boy be talking to him? “I, I, I, I’m the Littlest Snowflake, and I think this is my home.” He blurted out.
The boy laughed. “Of course it’s your home! But you are not such a Little Snowflake.” The Littlest Snowflake looked down at himself. For the first time he saw the change that had started the minute he first started rolling.
He was not so little! He was not nearly the littlest! In fact, he was not even a snowflake!
“A little snowball like you is just what I need,” said the boy. “Won’t you stay and live with me?”
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Of course I will!” The Littlest Snowball smiled. He rolled for the last time towards his home.
The boy lifted the Littlest Snowball in his arms, and placed him atop a snow mound where he had been playing. He wrapped a cozy red scarf around the Littlest Snowball and put a thick woolen cap on his head. “Now you are really a part of our family. Welcome home, little snowball.”
Last page: picture of the boy hugging the Little Snowball on his new snowman home (blushing snowcheeks). No text.
The End.
