His Hands are Light

North Brim

Brim Village, Veradir

32nd day, Month of the Chilling Water

Year 433

"Reika, look what I built." I excitedly called her to take a look of the snow person I just made. The body is made of rolled snow, for the arms, I just stuck twigs at the side, for the eyes, I put similar shaped pebbles where real eyes should be, but it still looked... lacking. "Hmmmm."

"What is that?" Reika said loudly as she came out the door of the house.

"It's a snow person I made!" I responded loudly. "Come and take a closer look. I think it still needs something." I continued, waving both my arms at her.

"I will be there in just a little bit. I just can't find my scarf and gloves." She told me louder this time.

"Go on then! Hurry!" I told her enthusiastically. I heard her rummage inside the house. Hung pots clanked, everything in the house sounded like it was turned upside down. Then a moment later she emerged from the door, her scarf wrapped around her neck, and gloves larger than her small hands did protected her from the chill. She ran towards me, almost stumbling at the hurry.

"That is amazing. How did you make that? I want to make one too." She stood beside me as she stared with amazement dancing in her dark eyes.

"I can teach you and I can also help you make it. But first, you have help me with something first." I looked at her and she looked at me with excitement.

"Say it then, what do you need?" She asked impatiently as she folded her arms on her torso while tapping her right foot on the snow-covered ground.

"I think this needs something. I just can't point out what. What do you think it needs?" I asked, hand under my chin.

"Hmmmm." She merely responded, and took a step closer to the snow person, then circled around it, critically surveying it. "I think what it lacks is a hat." She paused. "And a scarf!" She continued.

"I guess those are what it needs, a hat and a scarf." I nodded in approval. "Can you find one that your mother and father wouldn't need?" I asked her cryptically.

"We do not own anything that we do not use or need. Everything old or damaged in the house is repaired to be used again. But I guess they won't be angry if we borrow it for a while though. We will put it back after we play with it."

"Well, maybe we can. But you should be the one to ask them." I said with a sly smile.

"No I won't. You do it. We will put it on your snow person, not mine." She stubbornly told me.

"Very well then, I won't teach you how to make one." I said as I turned my back to her.

"Fine then, don't help me. I can manage."

Ever the stubborn girl. I sighed. I can hear her walk back to the pile of snow, white flakes crunching every step. Maybe she wants to make her own snow person. I decided to go into the house and leave her but thought of it twice. Maybe all she needs is a little shove. I chuckled. I am so evil. I said to myself.

I turned back towards her direction and walked quietly behind her. Should I do this? Should I push her? She might catch a cold and don't want that to happen. I thought to myself. I realized she was not building anything, just continued squatting in front of the pile of snow.

"What are you doing? Building a snow person with your mind?" I asked. I merely heard her sniff. Annnd you made her cry. I rolled my eyes and walked to squat beside her. "Oh come on. Don't cry. I don't want your mother or father to think that I bullied you." I told her as I took a kerchief out to wipe her tears. "Your're such a softie, like a very squishy muffin." I jested.

She turned to me and stared at me in the eyes, tears rolling down her cheek. "What does a softie mean? Like a fat person?" She looked like she was about to burst into crying, and I don't want her parents to think that I am a bad child or they may throw me out. You have nowhere to go. You don't know where you live idiot.

"No, no. I didn't mean it like that. I meant is that, it is very easy to make you cry, even if I didn't mean to hurt you." I carefully said.

She stared for a very long moment and it was starting to get awkward for me, but then she nodded in response. I made her turn to me and wiped her tears away. "Please, stop crying now and I will help you make one." I stood and held out a hand to help her up.

"Thank you." She said as she sniffed then smiled at me. I handed her the kerchief so that she can clean herself up. She gladly received it and wiped her tear-streaked face. Then she ran towards the house. I started to follow her, but as I was halfway near the house, she came out with a hat and a scarf.

"I asked mother and she let me borrow these for us to put on the snow person you made." She beamed and gave the items to me.

"Go on. Put it on the snow person so that we can know what it would look like. But we should make sure not to dirty the stuff, or mother will make us wash it ourselves. You know how cold it is these days." She told me as she shivered as a soft chill breeze passed by.

I nodded and put the hat and the scarf to the snow person. I stared at it long and said, "It looks good. That is what it is missing, clothes."

She nodded in approval.

"Yes. I know that. Now help me with mine." She said childishly.

"Fine, fine. First-"

"No, no. Stop." She said as she shook her head.

"I change my mind. You make one for me. You're good at it. Your snow person looks good. And besides, I might catch a cold by playing with snow. You don't easily get cold. You don't even get cold at all! You're always warm. So you make it." She said. Her eyes sparkled with cleverness. What she said was quite logical though. Sigh. Again she defeated me with her clever reasoning.

"Very well then my lady. I'll make one for you. Where do you want me to build it?"

And we wasted the day playing outside, making snow persons.

And snow dogs. I think.

Little did I know I gave a part of my magic to them as they came to life and disappeared into the forest during that night.