Ukies--17. Snowy Day

Snowy day

The snow fell steadily and heavily throughout the night and still kept snowing when the morning eased into the day. My mother let me sleep; had heard it twice on the radio that school was cancelled. When I awoke I was ecstatic that the blizzard had caused this and outside people were shoveling as they tried to move their cars around but got nowhere.

It was great, today was a Friday and that meant another day off for the weekend. Anyway, I hated school and was very lucky that meant a day off from that hellhole. I was ten years old and when you’re a kid a day off is an eternity but why shouldn’t it be?

By noontime the worst was over, little flecks still came down, but the sun had revealed itself and it showed that hope still existed. I trod out there, all bundled up in boots and scarves and hat, ready to meet the end of the snowy day.

Mountains and mountains had been piled up along 1^st Avenue and people struggled down a slim path from store to store picking up any goods or produce. A few slipped and fell as they trod down the street and were helped up and went on their way. I made it to Avenue A and with some difficulty to Tompkins Square Park, stretching from 7^th street to 10^th street. Usually the park was like an unexplored forest of crooks and crags but now it was a snowy white puzzle of mysteries…who knew what would be revealed there?

With each step into the park I took I felt as if I was going deeper and deeper into the Artic, an unknown snow-filled realm but I had played and ran in this park like it was my own playground, and in a way it was….

After a few hours of walking back and forth, pretending I was in the snowy Himalayas, near 10^th street I saw a kid just like me, all covered up in his coat and scarf and hat, slowly walking, heedlessly climbing, recklessly falling until he started all over again. Maybe 10 years old, just like me but I saw that he was from another school in the neighborhood -- never had seen him in mine. Then I noticed he had spotted me as well. Somewhere in that moment a look of recognition fell upon us, as if we were alone in this park and no one could tell us what to do.

I saw the boy bending down and making a snowball; I did the same.

For a moment we looked at each other, as if judging the other’s power and strength, then let the snowballs fly. With a nervous look I watched the two missiles fly across the air, pass each other in space, then fall without striking the other target.

It was fun, as he made another snowball and let it fly at me; I did the same to him. Some found their mark, others didn’t, until I had made so many snowballs and flung them at him that the snow around me had cleared somewhat and almost reached the black dirt beneath me…

That’s was when I saw it…a rock wet with snow but pretty thick.

I smirked to myself, this’ll show him, I thought, making a snowball with the rock embedded in the center.

I stood up, he still was making another one, and I flung the rocky snowball in his direction. I saw it tear through the air…and come down…heedlessly falling…right in his face!

In the desolate silence of that snow-filled day I heard a cry, as if tearing through me. If this had been a contest there is no way on earth my missile would have found its mark as it did but this was not a contest my rock had soared through the air and landed in a face, a face now shattered and broken….

I watched him fall to his knees and cry and moan -- at least I think he did. I saw a man close to the boy look in my direction as he approached the fallen boy…

I turned around and bolted through the snow to get out of there…I ran….

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