staring into the darkness. Trying to catch my breath. Trying to slow
my pounding heart.
Clouds reflected in the glassy ice drifted rapidly to the right. They made
the cave appear to move.
Sharply pointed icicles stabbed down from the roof of the cave opening. They
reminded me of sharpened teeth about to close.
I stared into the black cave opening and waited. Waited to see if anything
would appear.
I didn’t have to wait long.
A rumble as loud as thunder made the ledge quake.
Afraid I might slip off, I dropped to my knees.
The rumble grew to a roar.
And a tall, white figure lumbered out from the blackness of the cave
entrance. An enormous snowman!
I gasped—and stared in horror as the mountain of snow moved toward me.
“Nooooo!” I wailed.
I forgot where I was. Forgot I was perched on a narrow ice ledge.
And started to back up, to back away from the tall creature.
And I slipped.
Slipped off the ledge.
And felt myself fall.
25
My hands shot up.
Shot up and dug into the ledge.
I gripped the icy ledge. Held on. Held on.
With a terrified groan, I scrambled back up to safety. Trembling. My entire
body shaking. My breaths escaping in short, frantic gasps.
I huddled on my knees on the icy ledge and watched the snowman as it glared
down at me. Its blood-red scarf flapped in the wind. Its round, black eyes were
as big as doorknobs. Its dark mouth turned down in a fierce, angry sneer.
And the scar. The scar cut deeply into the side of its round head, long and
curling, like a black snake.
“Ohhhhhh.” I uttered another moan as its tree branch arms reached for me.
I shivered in a sudden, deep cold. A cold I’d never felt before. I could see
frozen waves floating from the snowman’s wide body.
And then the big, round head tilted. The black eyes bulged even wider.
And the snowman bellowed in a deep roar of a voice: “WHO ARE YOU?”
I trembled in the waves of cold that floated off its body.
It talks!
The stories Rolonda and Eli told me are true. It’s all true.
Its round eyes locked on mine, the big snowman moved closer. Closer.
I wanted to stand up. I wanted to run.
But it had me frozen there.
I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t back up. I couldn’t escape from it.
“WHO ARE YOU?” the snowman bellowed again. And the whole mountain shook.
“I—I—” My voice came out in a quivering squeak.
“Please—” I managed to choke out. “Please—I didn’t mean to bother you. I—”
“WHO ARE YOU?” the huge snow creature thundered for the third time.
“My name?” I squeaked. “My name is Jaclyn. Jaclyn DeForest.”
The snowman’s tree branch arms shot up. Its dark mouth gaped open in
surprise.
“SAY IT AGAIN,” it ordered.
I shivered in the waves of cold. “Jaclyn DeForest,” I repeated in my tiny,
frightened voice.
The snowman stared down at me in silence for a long while. It lowered its
arms to its round, white sides.
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” it demanded.
I swallowed hard. The question took me totally by surprise. I opened my mouth
to answer, but no sound came out.
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” the snowman thundered.
“No,” I squeaked. “Who are you?”
“I AM YOUR FATHER!” the snowman cried.
26
“Nooooooo!” A long wail escaped my throat.
I wanted to get away from there. I wanted to run. To slide down the mountain.
To fly away.
But I couldn’t move.
The snowman trapped me in his icy grip. Held me there on the ledge. Froze me
in wave after wave of cold.
“Jaclyn—I am your father,” the snowman repeated, lowering his booming
voice. He stared down at me with those frightening, round glassy eyes. “Believe
me.”
“Th-that’s impossible !” I stammered. I hugged myself, trying to stop
my body from trembling. “You’re a snowman! You can’t be my father!”
“Listen to me!” the snowman roared. “I am your father. Your mother was a
sorceress. And so is your aunt. Your aunt practices all sorts of
my pounding heart.
Clouds reflected in the glassy ice drifted rapidly to the right. They made
the cave appear to move.
Sharply pointed icicles stabbed down from the roof of the cave opening. They
reminded me of sharpened teeth about to close.
I stared into the black cave opening and waited. Waited to see if anything
would appear.
I didn’t have to wait long.
A rumble as loud as thunder made the ledge quake.
Afraid I might slip off, I dropped to my knees.
The rumble grew to a roar.
And a tall, white figure lumbered out from the blackness of the cave
entrance. An enormous snowman!
I gasped—and stared in horror as the mountain of snow moved toward me.
“Nooooo!” I wailed.
I forgot where I was. Forgot I was perched on a narrow ice ledge.
And started to back up, to back away from the tall creature.
And I slipped.
Slipped off the ledge.
And felt myself fall.
25
My hands shot up.
Shot up and dug into the ledge.
I gripped the icy ledge. Held on. Held on.
With a terrified groan, I scrambled back up to safety. Trembling. My entire
body shaking. My breaths escaping in short, frantic gasps.
I huddled on my knees on the icy ledge and watched the snowman as it glared
down at me. Its blood-red scarf flapped in the wind. Its round, black eyes were
as big as doorknobs. Its dark mouth turned down in a fierce, angry sneer.
And the scar. The scar cut deeply into the side of its round head, long and
curling, like a black snake.
“Ohhhhhh.” I uttered another moan as its tree branch arms reached for me.
I shivered in a sudden, deep cold. A cold I’d never felt before. I could see
frozen waves floating from the snowman’s wide body.
And then the big, round head tilted. The black eyes bulged even wider.
And the snowman bellowed in a deep roar of a voice: “WHO ARE YOU?”
I trembled in the waves of cold that floated off its body.
It talks!
The stories Rolonda and Eli told me are true. It’s all true.
Its round eyes locked on mine, the big snowman moved closer. Closer.
I wanted to stand up. I wanted to run.
But it had me frozen there.
I couldn’t stand. I couldn’t back up. I couldn’t escape from it.
“WHO ARE YOU?” the snowman bellowed again. And the whole mountain shook.
“I—I—” My voice came out in a quivering squeak.
“Please—” I managed to choke out. “Please—I didn’t mean to bother you. I—”
“WHO ARE YOU?” the huge snow creature thundered for the third time.
“My name?” I squeaked. “My name is Jaclyn. Jaclyn DeForest.”
The snowman’s tree branch arms shot up. Its dark mouth gaped open in
surprise.
“SAY IT AGAIN,” it ordered.
I shivered in the waves of cold. “Jaclyn DeForest,” I repeated in my tiny,
frightened voice.
The snowman stared down at me in silence for a long while. It lowered its
arms to its round, white sides.
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” it demanded.
I swallowed hard. The question took me totally by surprise. I opened my mouth
to answer, but no sound came out.
“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?” the snowman thundered.
“No,” I squeaked. “Who are you?”
“I AM YOUR FATHER!” the snowman cried.
26
“Nooooooo!” A long wail escaped my throat.
I wanted to get away from there. I wanted to run. To slide down the mountain.
To fly away.
But I couldn’t move.
The snowman trapped me in his icy grip. Held me there on the ledge. Froze me
in wave after wave of cold.
“Jaclyn—I am your father,” the snowman repeated, lowering his booming
voice. He stared down at me with those frightening, round glassy eyes. “Believe
me.”
“Th-that’s impossible !” I stammered. I hugged myself, trying to stop
my body from trembling. “You’re a snowman! You can’t be my father!”
“Listen to me!” the snowman roared. “I am your father. Your mother was a
sorceress. And so is your aunt. Your aunt practices all sorts of
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