THE LITTLE SNOWFLAKE
Once upon a time, a small snowflake lived in the sky. She wore a white long shirt and glittered like diamonds. Her hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, and her eyes were like two tiny glittering gems. When she smiled, danced everything around her. And she loved to smile. Unlike other snowflakes, she was small, tiny, and they liked to mock her and make fun of her that she didn’t grow up as much as they did, and that she was so small and different. The other snowflakes, therefore, didn’t want to play with her much and preferred to drive her away. Go, go play elsewhere they said. We don’t want you here. You are too small and we are already big. She couldn’t blame herself for being like that, so she was often alone. She never complained, she never asked why she was so small. She liked to just wander the sky, play with the clouds and look down. She watched as small green leaves were born on the gray and bare trees, as the snow fade away and small flowers peeked out from under its remains. First of all, the snowdrops with their white leaves peeked out, and as the first rays of spring fell on the last remnants of the snow around them, they glistened just like her. At least that’s how it seemed to her, and she wanted so much to be friends with them. Then spring snowflakes appeared, with their heads looking almost like little princesses with yellow crowns. Little Snowflake was a little scared of them. “But wait,” said one of the small Cloudlet, when you are going to meet them, they’re all kind and so much nice and you’ll definitely understand with them. Snowflake, but she didn’t understand how she would be able to meet them. “They are on earth and I live here in heaven.” Even the last remnants of snow were slowly disappearing on the ground, the sun was tickling it, first just lightly and then day by day more and more. The Snowflake watched from a distance and did not understand it at all. ”To give life to all plants, trees, bees, animals, and humans, the Cloudlet explained,“People? ”Snowflake asked. “Yes to people,” Cloudlet replied, who was her only true friend. Then strange flowers appeared, they were colorful, and there were more and more of them every day, and as they increased, the whole world began to dress in an inexhaustible mix of colors. It was so beautiful, little Snowflake thought. She was so happy and began to sing. “Look, Cloudlet,” the little Snowflake pointed. “Do you see that? See ?! Over there.” Cloudlet looked at the places where little Snowflake was pointing. “They’re tiny people, they’re tiny like me, like me I’m tiny. They play together and sing and dance. Oh, how I like to dance.” Little Snowflake was excited and shone like never before. Cloudlet began to laugh as well. He had never seen her so excited before, and he longed to see her more often like this. Then, but he became serious and said in a calm voice “Snowflake, you know, they’re not tiny people.” “They’re not,” Snowflake said,” so who are they?” “Actually, they are tiny people,” Cloudlet replied. “But differently than you think.” “How different,” Snowflake asked. “So they’re people, or aren’t they people?” “They’re kids,” Cloudlet said with a mischievous smile on his face. “They come into the world like little ones, and then, as time goes on, they grow and grow until they grow up.” “Ah,” said little Snowflake, “so when a lot of time passes, I’ll grow up too?” Until then, I’ll be tiny, Snowflake smiled. “I get it, Cloudlet.” Cloudlet blinked at Snowflake and preferred not to say anything. He didn’t want to disappoint her, everyone knew she wouldn’t grow up, that she would stay that little Snowflake forever.
In the summer, Snowflake liked to watch the fruit grow on the trees. She admired how many shapes and colors nature could just make it up. But still, most of all, she enjoyed watching the children how they climb the trees and shove the sweet fruit into their mouths until they had their whole faces dirty and their little hands grubby. In the evening, they secretly wash in a stream so that their mother does not scold them for being dirty, and then they immediately run home to her arms. She sat quietly in her favorite place and was all by herself, but she didn’t mind. She loved the inexhaustible diversity down there on earth. Sometimes she was surprised by something and squeaked out, then but immediately she try to close her tiny mouth with her hands. She was afraid she would reveal herself that somebody on earth might hear her, and she would then have to stop her favorite fun, and then she would be seriously left alone in that whole world. She didn’t realize she was too high and her voice is so soft that only the wind that fling sometimes around her or the rain as it fell to the ground would hear her. As she watched the human rush one day, she didn’t even notice that her most beloved Cloudlet had come to her across the sky. “Snowflake, what are you doing again? You look kind of saddened,” he asked her. That autumn is coming to earth. And she watched as the trees lost their leaves and as people reaped the final harvest from the fields and gardens. Everything was suddenly so gray and shrouded in mist and darkness. She was sad. She didn’t see much of the children anymore, she just saw them here and there how they are playing when coming back from school. Then she suddenly noticed that the old and giant tree no longer had any leaves. He had so many in the summer that she couldn’t even count them, even though she tried several times. And now that the last one was slowly falling to the ground. It looked almost like a falling snowflake as it fluttered in the wind. “It will be winter on the ground in a moment,” Cloudlet warned her. “Winter,” Snowflake replied. “It can’t come yet,” she shouted aloud. “Why not?” Cloudlet asked. “I’m not grown up yet, I’m still tiny.” Cloudlet thought, then answered slowly. “You know, but some snowflakes never grow, they stay tiny.” “Like me,” Snowflake repeated, “that’s weird.” Cloudlet but didn’t let it interrupt, and continued. “All the snowflakes, whether big or tiny, make people on the ground just as happy, especially children. They cover the ground with a white duvet and the children then play in it until they never know when to stop. And when they’re all frozen, moms have to get them home to their small beds.
The snowflake continued to watch from its hiding place what was happening down there on the ground and what it will be like when she’s found herself down there. And so the days slowly passed, and the little Snowflake suddenly knew that her time would soon come, and she, like everyone else, would be ready to descend on the ground and cover it like be the warm duvet that covers all the children when it comes time to go to bed. From time immemorial, all the flakes have been looking forward to flying to the ground and snowing it. It’s a lot of fun for them. But this little Snowflake wasn’t looking forward to it. She was sad and also afraid. She knew from the clouds that at the end of the winter it would melt and become a drop of water flowing into the spring streams, and she was very afraid of that.
And the winter came.
The flakes flew across the sky, in their heads were full of ideas where they can fall everywhere. There were so many that they covered the whole landscape with snow. Everywhere you looked it was only white color and how they shone in the distance. They glistened all over the country. As if they were smiling at everyone around them. And exactly after seven nights, at Christmas day, a small Snowflake also fell. She lay on a tree twig, looking up at the sky she had just come from. She remembered her Cloudlet, what he was doing. If he knows, where she where she fall down and how beautifully she shines. But she really wanted wish to go back. She was shaking with fear, wondering what would happen when until night replaces day and the sun shone. Suddenly someone tapped lightly on her small shoulder. The snowflake was startled. One little Spruce allowed himself to get her out of thought with his needle finger and immediately asked her. “Then why are you so sad, little Snowflake. Aren’t you happy you’re on the ground?” The Snowflake shrugged sadly and said. “I don’t know, but when I was still in heaven, I watched the earth all year and watched it change, how it could be colorful and fragrant, and how it tasted like the sweetest fruit. And how children play. And then when the trees lose their leaves, but in the spring,” she added in an excited voice,” they will grow new and even more beautiful.” Suddenly she was cheerful and full of life again, and Spruce listened to her and watched her be beautiful and glowing. And she talked about everything she saw and what her friend Cloudlet told to her, and she was as happy again as when she were watching the earth from heaven. And then she suddenly added quietly, “they told me I would melt in the spring, just like all the other flakes. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to be a drop of water, I want to be a snowflake forever. A small snowflake. Look, I’m all shining like a diamond. ”She replied, saddened again. But she was no longer afraid, she was no longer alone. Spruce kept her company and even talked to her. The little Spruce smiled at her, then thought for a long time and answered after a while. “Little Snowflake, don’t you know what tonight is?” “No, I don’t know,” little Snowflake replied. “Today is a magical night, the most magical of all nights. “Really?” little Snowflake wondered. “I’ve never heard of such a night.” “You should have a wish, Snowflake,” little Spruce whispered. “What is a wish,” Snowflake asked. So little Spruce explained everything to her. He told her everything he knew and heard about Christmas, and little Snowflake just listened quietly, feeling the same as sitting on a cloud in the sky and watching the earth change. So they talked all night. Then, as dawn slowly began, Spruce poked at the little Snowflake and alerted her that it was high time she wished for something.
Little Snowflake wrinkled her small nose, closed her sparkling eyes, and was ready to say her wish. She knew what she wanted to wish, but then she remembered what it was like to look out of the clouds at the windows and dormers and how many they were in the whole world. She realized that her wish is selfish, and she was after all a snowflake. Although tiny, still snowflake. She opened her eyes and said aloud, “I wish that all the people in the world would love each other today, be kind to each other, help each other, and smiles shone on their lips all day, just as we shine, like snowflakes.”
When the first ray of spring sunlight shone, the small snowflake closed her eyes. She was no longer afraid. She knew it would become a drop of water and would give life to trees and flowers. And suddenly something strange happened. Instead of melting like everyone else, she turned into a silver glitter snowflake. The little Spruce wished instead of her so that when the winter was over, the little Snowflake would not melt and would remain a glowing snowflake forever. He knew her wishes, and he knew why she had changed her dream on that magical night.
(06/12/2021)
