Work Text:
Ayumu stood on the threshold, looking out on a white, still world. The first big snow of the year—“Over my knees!” Hauke had exclaimed, laughing, as he came inside from shoveling a path to woodshed.
In the capital city, it had rarely snowed, and if it did, only enough to cover the buildings and trees in a thin layer, like powdered sugar sprinkled over a confection. But here, further north, the drifts piled high against the buildings, the tree branches drooped under the snow’s weight, and the fields were a pure, smooth white, with only the tips of the tallest grasses peeking above the snow.
A weak sun, shining fitfully through scudding clouds, did little to warm the frigid air. A seat by the fire and a cup of hot tea sounded appealing, but Katlego, Yukiko, and Oleksiy were all pulling on their boots and coats and hats, eager to rush outside, and they were insistent that Ayumu join them.
“Kat’go says we’re going sledding, Papa! And Eksy is going to show me how to make snow foxes,” Yukiko said, clinging to his arm as Ayumu pulled on the pair of thick boots Katlego had given to him. He had never worn such heavy footwear and felt like an ox lumbering about when he was finally ready to go outside, swathed in a coat, hat, mittens, and two scarves.
Katlego was waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, grinning. “Is there an Ayumu underneath all that?” he teased.
“It’s cold,” Ayumu protested, squinting against the sun’s glare.
“You’d best follow Yukiko’s lead and run around, then, to warm your blood,” Katlego told him, and he lifted Ayumu off the stairs and plopped him right down in a snowdrift.
“Katlego!” Ayumu floundered in the soft snow, struggling to move his legs.
“If you catch me, you can pelt me with a snowball,” Katlego said with another grin and strode off, staff in one hand, to help Oleksiy pull the sled out of the woodshed. He moved fairly quickly despite his hitching, lop-sided gait, for his leg had improved much since last spring.
Ayumu began picking his way through the snow, finding it somewhat easier to walk in Katlego’s trail. After a few steps, he paused and scooped up a handful of snow. He raised it to eye level and watched as the crystals on the edge melted from his breath, then tossed the rest in the air. The wind took it, a glittering shower that rushed past his face, stinging his cheeks.
The four of them made their way to the hill by the lake, Katlego and Oleksiy taking it in turns to pull the sled.
Ayumu stopped by a clump of grasses. “What animal do you think made these, Yukiko?” he asked her, pointing at a garland of tiny, meandering footprints.
She chewed on the end of her mitten for a moment and then declared, “A mouse!”
Ayumu smiled. “I think you’re right. Look, you can even see where its tail dragged behind it.”
“Where did it go?” Yukiko asked him. “There isn’t enough grass for it to hide there.”
“It probably went into a burrow that’s hidden under the snow,” Katlego explained, stopping beside them. He exhaled and bent forward, resting his hands on his knees. “I haven’t hauled a sled up this hill since I was a boy—I’d forgotten how much work it is!”
“Your leg is all right?” Ayumu asked, concerned, knowing how Katlego would push himself too hard sometimes.
But Katlego smiled easily. “Yes. I think I can even manage a bit more weight—you want a ride to the top, Yukiko?”
Yukiko did, of course, crawling onto the sled immediately. Katlego set off again, slow but steady as he broke through the smooth drifts.
“Are you warm enough, Ayumu?” Oleksiy asked, coming along beside him.
“Yes, thank you, hala.” In fact, Ayumu was almost too hot and was glad the top of the hill wasn’t far to go now.
“And what do you think of it? Of the snow?” Oleksiy waved a mittened hand at their surroundings. “You said it never snowed a lot in the capital.”
“It didn’t. But this is beautiful.” Ayumu paused to catch his breath and look around. “How long will it take for it to melt?”
“It depends on if we get more storms. In the shade of the forest, the snow can linger until spring. But it won’t stay soft like this—a hard crust forms as it melts and freezes again. Sometimes you can walk right on top of it without breaking through.”
At the top of the hill, Katlego told Yukiko to wait with Ayumu while he and Oleksiy took the sled on a first run. “We won’t get too far this first time—not with all this snow in the way.” And indeed, they only made it about halfway down before too much snow built up in front of the sled for them to push through.
On the second run, though, the sled moved faster, and when Katlego and Oleksiy had climbed to the top of the hill once more, Katlego grinned at Ayumu. “Ready?”
“Me?” Ayumu said, startled, as Yukiko shrieked in excitement and clambered onto the sled.
“Yes, you,” Katlego said, laughing and reaching out to tug Ayumu’s hat back down over his ears.
Ayumu batted his hand away. “I’m perfectly content watching the three of you from here.”
“But that’s no fun at all,” Katlego protested, and Yukiko called from the sled, “Papa, come hold me!”
Ayumu looked doubtfully down the hill.
“Do try it, Ayumu,” Oleksiy urged. “You have to try sledding at least once!”
It was impossible to stand firm against all three of them, and so, despite his misgivings, Ayumu climbed gingerly onto the sled. He got Yukiko settled between his legs and hugged her tightly against him. Meanwhile, Katlego sat behind him and put his arms around Ayumu. “Don’t be scared. I’ve got you,” he murmured in Ayumu’s ear.
“But what if we—” fall off, Ayumu began to say, but Oleksiy was pushing them from behind, and Katlego was leaning forward, and the sled tipped and began hurtling down the hill.
The next few seconds were a blur of bright snow, the wind in his face, Yukiko’s shrieks and Katlego’s joyful yell. A noise built in Ayumu’s own throat, but before it could burst forth, the sled hit a tussock, bumped into the air, skidded sideways and then tipped over, spilling them into a drift.
Ayumu lay sprawled on his back, Yukiko a giggling, warm weight on his chest. The last of the clouds had cleared away, and the sky was a deep, brilliant blue above them. The lingering exhilaration of the ride lightened his heart, and he laughed, breathless.
They were all covered in snow and sat there a moment, collecting themselves. Ayumu nibbled on his lip, glancing at Katlego, and then he grabbed a handful of snow and flung it, catching Katlego right in the ear.
“Getting you back for earlier,” he said.
Katlego looked shocked and then delighted, and he laughed too, his nose crinkling.
Ayumu went down the hill twice more, and then coaxed Katlego, who was beginning to look tired, into sitting on a tree stump with him and watching while Yukiko and Oleksiy continued sledding. Then, when Yukiko’s energy to climb the hill finally flagged, they all made a snow fox. A very chubby fox, with crooked ears and twigs for teeth.
By now it was midafternoon, and Ayumu soon experienced the delight of returning home, quite tired out from all the sun and fresh air, to sit beside a crackling fire. Warmth returned to their noses and toes as they drank cups of hot fruit kompot, made from dried pears, apples, and spices. He leaned against Katlego, who put an arm around his shoulders and hummed a little tune.
“Did you have fun?” he asked Ayumu.
Ayumu thought of how long it had been since he had spent a day playing and remembered again how the bright, soft snow had felt and tasted and smelled.
He marveled at how a year ago, he could not have imagined living such a day as this. His life had been narrow, his years spent treading the same chambers, the same patch of garden.
How wonderful that he should now get to experience more of the world, its vast and varied natures and delights. To look forward to each day and season, each filled with their own beauty.
“I did have fun,” he said and smiled that each word was true.