PEG'S TALES

The story I have to share with you is about one of my friends, Kelsey, her dog, Jasper, a bunch of her friends, and what happens to them one winter day.

"WINTER ADVENTURE"

Kelsey pressed her forehead against the frosty window pane. The excitement of having school closed for two days, due to a huge snowstorm, was wearing off. Boredom was becoming a problem.

The snowstorm had passed. The sun had come out, blindingly bright. Big drifts of snow packed the front yard and the road. Down the street, she saw the Raymond kids, Bill, Betty and Barb, having a snowball fight in their front yard.

"Hey, Mom", Kelsey called. "Is it okay if I go outside? The Raymond kids are out."

"Go, Kelsey, go," Mom called back. "Take the dog with you. She's slept for two days. She could use the excercise."

Kelsey was eleven, the same age as her friend Betty. It would be good to see her, and get out of the house.

"Come on, Jasper, you lazy mutt," Kelsey said, shaking her awake.

Jasper was a female dog. Her name did not fit her. But when Kelsey's dad first saw her as a pup, he said, "I've always wanted a dog named Jasper." Neither Kelsey, nor her mother, could say Jasper was a female and disappoint Dad, so the name stayed with her. Jasper was half husky, one quarter German Shepherd, and one quarter Collie. This mixture of breeds left Jasper with a thick, heavy coat of fur, perfect for winter weather.

Jasper got up slowly from her nap, yawned, stretched, and wagged her tail. She pranced around Kelsey as she bundled up to go outside.

Kelsey did not put Jasper on her leash because she rarely left her side, and there were few cars on the road. The two of them bounded through the snow toward the Raymond's house.

Kelsey called to the Raymonds, "Hey, guys, watcha' doing? What a snowfall!"

"Kelsey," Betty called back, throwing a snowball at her. "Come on, let's think of something to do. The snow is great for making a fort, or a snowman. It really packs."

Jasper jumped around greeting each Raymond. She was a super, friendly dog.

Kelsey picked up a handful of snow and made a snowball. Betty was right, it was perfect for making anything. She threw the snowball at Barb. Betty and Bill pelted snowballs back at Kelsey. Jasper ran around the kids barking. She didn't like snowball fights.

The packing, throwing, ducking, and running stopped when Mrs. Raymond called to them from an upstairs window.

"Quiet, quiet," she called. "Do something useful, kids. Go look in the shed behind the garage. There's a big bag of birdseed in there. The bird feeders are empty. Put the seed in a bucket and fill the feeders for me."

"Come on, guys." Bill said. "Mom is a bird fanatic. We better fill the feeders. I know where she put the bag of seed."

They trudged through the snow, throwing a few snowballs on their way to the shed behind the garage. Once in the shed, they filled two buckets with seed. Betty and Barb carried them, and Kelsey lifted the bird feeders from the trees. The birds cheeped and chirped flying around them waiting to be fed.

"Where's Bill?" Kelsey asked.

"Oh, he's good at getting out of a job," Barb said.

"Yeah, he's probably making a pile of snowballs, getting ready to let us have it," Betty said.

They took their empty buckets back to the shed. As they turned to leave, a snowman's head came bobbing around the corner. It had Bill's cap on, his scraf around its neck. It had bulging brown eyes, and ugly, spiked teeth. It was grinning in a scary way.

The girls screamed all at once. Then they began to laugh. Bill burst into the shed shaking the snowman's head, which he had managed to anchor to the end of a long handle.

"Bill, that's the coolest, wierdest head," Kelsey said, "How'd you make it?"

"I just packed the snow in a ball all around the head of a shovel, found a couple of tulip bulbs for the eyes, and nails for the teeth. I scared ya', didn't I?" Bill laughed and shook the head at them.

Jasper growled and got between Kelsey and the head. She wasn't going to let anything happen to Kelsey.

"Hey, let's build a body for the head in the front yard," Kelsey said. "We can stand behind it and move the head. It could be an animated snowman."

"Neat idea," said Betty. "Wish we could make a pair of arms that move."

"We'll think of something," Bill said. "Let's get going."

For a solid hour the four builders worked on the snowman's body. To each side of the body, they piled snow, like the snowman was leaning against a wall. The wall helped to hold the snowman up while they scooped out the back of the body. One person was able to stand inside the body and turn the head without being seen. But they all agreed, moving arms would make him even better.

"I just remembered seeing two limbs down under one of the trees that held a bird feeder," Betty said. "Maybe we could find some branches on them to use as arms."

Again they trekked to the back yard. They found two skinny branches, perfect for a pair of arms.

"I know," Barb said. "I'll get Dad's garden gloves out of the shed. We can fill them with snow and stick them on the ends of the branches. The snowman would look as if he's waving."

They stuffed the gloves with snow until they were fat and lifelike. Three of them hid behind the snowman. Bill moved the head on the shovel, and Betty and Barb each waved an arm.

Kelsey stood in front of the snowman watching its arms wave and its head turn.

"That's the world's greatest animated snowman," she said. "Let's take turns so each of us can see him move."

While Bill was watching the snowman, the snow plow headed down the street.

"Here comes the snow plow, guys," he called. "Keep him moving."

As the snow plow neared, it slowed, then stopped in front of the Raymond's house. The window went down and the driver hollered to Bill.

"Hey, kid. That's the best snowman I've seen all day. If I had a prize, I'd give it to ya'." He waved, rolled up the window and moved on.

"Did ya' hear that?" Bill asked. "We're the best!"

"We heard," Betty yelled. "Come on, Bill, move the head so we can watch."

Betty watched the waving snowman. "He's a riot, but kind of scary, too," she said.

Mrs. Raymond interrupted their fun, calling from the front porch.

"Betty, come get Paulie. He woke up from his nap and saw you out there. He wants to see the snowman. Keep a close eye on him for awhile, then bring him in the house."

Kelsey popped out from behind the snowman. "Your little cousin, Paulie, is here?" she said. Kelsey was very fond of Paulie. He had just turned five.

"Mom is baby sitting him. His mom and dad both work and his sitter was snowed in and couldn't come. We've had him for two days," Barb said.

Betty helped Paulie down the snow-covered steps.

"Paulie, close your eyes and don't open them till I tell you. We have a surprise for you," Betty said.

Paulie put one mittened hand over his eyes and held on to Betty's hand with the other. Betty led him to the front of the snowman.

"Okay, Paulie, I'll count to four and then you can open your eyes. Ready?", Betty said.

On the count of four, the three kids had the snowman moving. His head turned, his arms waved, and Bill said in a deep voice, "Have you been a good boy, Paulie?"

Paulie's eyes opened wide, his mouth flew open, he began waving his arms. At first Betty thought he was going to scream. Then Paulie began to laugh. He laughed so hard he almost lost his breath.

"Paulie, didn't the snowman scare you?" Betty asked.

"No, no," Paulie was able to say when he stopped laughing. "Look, he only has one eye. He looks so funny."

"Sure enough, one of the tulip bulbs has fallen out of the snowman's head. He does look silly." Betty laughed.

Kelsey and Jasper ran to see Paulie. She pretended to throw snowballs at Paulie, and Jasper tried to protect him.

Paulie stopped throwing snow. "I want a snowman of my own," he said. "I want him to move like your snowman. Make me a snowman, Kelsey."

Betty, Bill, Barb and Kelsey began building a snowman for Paulie. They worked for some time when they were interrupted by Mrs. Raymond. She stood on the front porch looking very frightened.

"Kids, kids," she called. "Where is Paulie? I don't see him anywhere. Hurry, look for him."

They stopped working and began looking.

"Where's Paulie?"

"Paulie is missing."

"Quick, find him."

It was Kelsey who noticed their big snowman had fallen over backwards. Jasper was whimpering and squeeling as she dug at the pile of snow that was once their snowman.

Kelsey rushed to Jasper. "What is it girl? What are you after?" Jasper stopped digging to bark at Kelsey, then began pawing at the snow again.

"Hey, come over here," Kelsey yelled. "Jasper is after something in the snow."

Bill arrived first. "Look, I think I see the snow moving. Quick, dig carefully right here. Paulie may be trapped under the snowman."

They began to move the snow carefully. Jasper circled around them barking and whimpering.

Very shortly Paulie's red cap appeared, then his red, snow-covered face.

"Paulie, say something," Betty cried.

"Paulie. open your eyes. Are you okay?" Kelsey cried.

They cleaned the heavy, wet snow from his face. Paulie opened his eyes. He blinked several times, took a deep breath and whispered, "Bad snowman fell on me."

They got Paulie out of the snow. Mrs. Raymond arrived and picked Paulie up. She hugged him tightly, her eyes full of tears. Betty, Barb and Kelsey were crying and laughing at the same time.

Bill, still on his knees in the snow, called Jasper over to him. She ran to him, wagging her tail, and licking his face.

"Jasper, old girl," Bill said, patting her, and holding her. "You showed us where Paulie was. We might not have found him in time if it hadn't been for you."

Everyone turned to Jasper, patting her, hugging her and calling her a good girl. Paulie ran over to her and pressed his mouth to her head.

"Paulie loves you, Jasper," he said. "You saved me from the bad snowman."

And that's the happy ending to a winter adventure. Have fun in the snow, but be careful.

See ya...'bye,
Peg


Read another Peg Tale	Click to Return to Peg Tales	To Top of Page