by Anna Alter
Ahead of her was a frozen pond filled with ice skaters. Had she walked all the way to the park? She slowed her pace and turned to go when someone called her name.
“Mili!” cried a skater gliding toward her, dressed in a plaid snowsuit. Mili put her mittened paw over her brow to block the falling snow. She narrowed her eyes. Fernando flew toward her. “Happy New Year, Mili! Are you here to skate?”
“I don’t know how,” said Mili. “Can you tell me how to get back to 24 Sprout Street? I seem to have lost my way.”
“Sure thing,” said Fernando. “Just turn around and follow your footprints back to the hedge at the next block. Then go left.”
“Thanks,” said Mili, turning to go.
“Will I see you tonight?” called Fernando.
“Maybe,” shouted Mili over her shoulder.
She tried to find her footprints, but all she could see was a soft white blanket covering the sidewalk. Mili walked on, looking for the hedge.
The more she walked, the heavier her clothes became. At the top of a hill, she set her bag in the snow and sat down to rest. The sun hung low on the horizon. She began to worry. “What if I never find my way home?”
Mili stood up again and reached for her bag. But it wasn’t there. Looking ahead, she saw it sliding down the icy hill. Mili lunged, but her feet were not steady on the ice below. THWISH! She sailed down the hill after the bag.
Snowflakes flew past her face like falling stars. Buildings reached into the sky above her, whirring past like bowling pins knocked loose by a high-speed bowling ball.
SMACK! Mili hit something hard, then stopped sliding. She pressed her mittens into the ground and pushed herself to standing. A small gray nose poked out of a pile of snow at her feet.
“Happy New Year to you, too,” said Henry.
“Henry! Are you okay?” Mili found his paw in the snowbank and helped him up.
“Yes,” said Henry. “This isn’t my first tumble.”
“I’m so sorry,” Mili went on. “In Hawaii, the sidewalks are never covered in ice.”
“It sounds lovely there,” said Henry, dusting off the snow.
Mili looked over Henry’s shoulder and realized they were standing right in front of 24 Sprout Street. Then she looked at the ground. Her bag lay in a snowdrift, with her groceries sprinkled around it. Henry helped her gather them up, then walked her inside.
Mili returned to her apartment. It had been a long day and her head hung heavy. She took off her soggy clothes, put away her groceries, and drew a hot, steamy bath. She sat in the water until she felt as warm as a sea lion lying on a sandy beach. Then she got up and put on her robe.
Settling into her reading chair, she picked up a book about sailing and let her mind float away. Before she knew it, the sky was dark behind her windows and the clock struck eight. Violet’s party was about to begin. But Mili didn’t feel like going. Maybe it was better to start this new year at home, where she was safe and snug. She turned up the heat and went into the kitchen for some tea.
On her way, she passed the photo on the fridge. Her old friends were gathered around her by the ocean. The sun was setting behind them, sending brilliant orange-and-red sunbeams across the clouds. Their faces glowed with happiness.
Mili thought of Violet, Emma, Fernando, Henry, and Wilbur. There might not have been any sunshine outside, but there was plenty inside 24 Sprout Street. Suddenly she felt warm all over. So she walked to her closet and put on a party dress.
Mili knocked on Violet’s door. Giggles spilled out from behind it. “Come in!” someone called.
Mili opened the door and gasped. A vase full of purple orchids sat on an orange-striped tablecloth. Mango and macadamia nuts were arranged in little dishes around it. Ukulele music floated through the air while Wilbur and Emma danced the hula in a corner.
Violet walked over and put a lei around her neck. “Happy New Year!” she cried. “We thought we would ring in the New Year in Hawaiian style.”
Mili melted. She popped a piece of mango in her mouth and spun around to the music. She stepped and swayed late into the night. And as each hour passed, she was more and more certain it would be a very happy new year after all.
