Frosty

It was a hot time in the old town and Shelly wanted to cool it.

Contest Prompt

{Post:"The Writer's Cramp" "Start with and bold “It’s winter time now!”''

“It’s winter time now!” Shelly danced under the hot Texas sun in her Frosty Halloween costume. She licked the air like it held falling snowflakes.

I decided to play along. “Brr,” I shivered, crossing my arms and shaking like a leaf. My eyes widened as I realized the action actually was cooling myself. “Cool!”

That, and the breeze Shelly’s antics provided, was turning the climate changing heat into something more livable against my skin. I didn’t want it to stop. “Let’s build a snowfort!”

Shelly started singing that familiar Christmas carol, ‘Frosty The Snowman’. I joined in as Matt, my husband opened our french doors. “The house air conditioning blew a gasket again.”

Shelly threw an imaginary snowball at him and yelled, “I got you. Throw one back.”

The smile replacing a frown was a beautiful thing to see. I went over and kissed it in place. “Play with us,” I whispered, nibbling on his ear. Matt has a tendency to be compulsive. When something breaks down he has to get it fixed or die trying.

I picked up some imaginary snow, made a ball of it, and pressed it into his hand. “Go ahead. Throw it.”

When Matt’s hand twitched, Shelly ducked, “Missed me.”

Marsha’s nose popped over our adjoining backyard fence. “I heard you over there.” She pointed up at her twinkling Christmas lights and decorations she’d turned on. The Mathews never take them down. They’ve slowly gotten the whole neighborhood turned into a Christmas Village come that time of year.

Holiday music rose in volume from their outdoor speakers. “Do it!” Marsha pointed to our Santa, his sleigh, and Rudolph’s red nose waiting for Christmas to start on top of our roof.

Shelly ran in and turned our holiday displays flashing an SOS of on’s and off’s. Like magic, one home after another blinked theirs into lively recognition.

I looked up at a passing news helicopter which had stopped to record the scene. Marsha gave a thumb’s up. The next thing I knew, she had her frozen snowball machine making tasty colored treats in her backyard. “All right!,” Shelly screamed as Matt lifted her over his head and onto his broad shoulders to get a good view.

“Red Rover, Red Rover, coming right over,” Matt sang out. We joined a gathering throng of neighbors and curious onlookers attracted by the live online news about us.

The tinkling sound of an ice-cream truck appeared out of nowhere down the street. It welcome cold confectionaries drew a crowd. “All I want for Christmas is a chocolate covered ice-cream cone,” sang out Shelly.

Our neighborhood holiday choir took notice, formed, and began traditional chorals. “Joy To The World was echoed back to them as we all joined in.

What happened next seemed to start spontaneously. White elephants wrapped in hastily found paper grocery bags were swapped with hilarious delight. The idea spread, and food donation signs sprang up by empty garbage cans as gifts for the needy arrived.

“Look, Mom.” Shelly pointed. Reverend Thomas was leading a donkey with Mary holding baby Jesus and Joseph in a bathrobe and towel covered head walking at her side. “Can’t forget him,” he laughed as Mary slid down to let kids take turns getting a ride.

It drew quite an attraction of families gathering around him. A chair appeared. He sat down, opened his bible, and began reading the Christmas story.

“All this from one child’s playtime fun,” I whispered to Matt, nudging his elbow.

“Where there’s a need, there will be found a way.” Matt gave me a hug that was filled with the right kind warmth.

I hugged him back. “It’s getting kind of crowded around here. What say we cool things down a bit by staying at a hotel tonight.”

“A Swimmingly good idea,” Matt chuckled, snapping the waist band of Shelly's swimsuit inside her Frosty costume.

“Oh, Dad,” Shelly wiggled, already headed to get her sit in rubber ducky.

Fake snow fell on our heads as we made our way back home. Marsha threw me a thumbs up. She cupped her hands and yelled, “Christmas comes earlier every year! This time we beat the big box stores!”

We missed the reporters coming to our door after we left for the night. They’d wanted to know how we’d planned the thing. It was hot news how many donations for the needy had come in just when the government had stopped paying for things like ‘Meals on Wheels’. The donations wouldn't replace what the Fed's had taken away, but it would make a difference, at least, in our local scene.

The stay at the hotel lasted until our home air conditioning was fixed. The repair people who finally came out said it was the solinoid. “You know how bad the Texas power system is. Must have triggered it. Power gets you just when it's needed most.”

So, we’re back home now. I’m watching Shelly play outside. I’m curious to see what happens next. She's put on her Halloween Frosty costume. Her friends have put their holiday costumes on, too.

"Matt? Come here, honey." There were only one or two Halloween's. Others featured home made popular holidays from a New Year's baby to a Thanksgiving turkey. It sounded like a best holiday popularity contest might be in the offing as families joined together in our backyard. "Shelly's going to be needing more pillow stuffing in her Frosty suit and be needing another judge besides Marsha. Here she comes now with the ribbons."

"Just when I got the air-conditioning working." Matt sighed as it clicked furtively, hissed at him, and went out again.

WC 939