by BobA. Troutt
*****
Giggle’s Holiday Book
The Three Brothers
“Oooooo,” whistled the wind as it shifted its way around the little community of Hidden Meadow. The colorful fallen leaves of autumn stirred on the ground, as some danced about in the sky, flipping over and over, spinning around and around, and gliding gracefully this way and that. “Ohhhh,” howled the wind as it made its way about 3019 Barefoot Road on the corner of Autumn Wood Drive.
Carefully, the cool breeze brushed against the face of a little girl sitting in the grass. Her name was Tomorrow. There were tears running from her eyes as she looked about so sad and troubled.
“I wish I had someone to play with,” she said. “A sister would be good.” She shook her head, “Oh, no. I am Daddy’s little girl. I know. I know,” she laughed and clapped. “I wish I had a brother. That’s it, a brother. But—but—where would I get one?”
Wendell and Wendy happened to come by. They were twin winds. The brother and sister had come from the same breeze. Wendell twisted this way and that and so did Wendy. The twins loved to play around on a beautiful day. Wendell was the oldest, just a breath away from Wendy.
“Hiccup,” went Wendell as he rushed to place his hand over his mouth.
“What was that?” Tomorrow asked as she quickly looked around.
“Shhh,” Wendy whispered to Wendell. “Be careful or you will give us away.”
The wind stirred, causing the leaves to rustle and sweep the grounds. All Tomorrow could do was wish for a brother to play with. Wendell was a cool wind and Wendy’s wind was warm. When they got together, they could conjure up about anything, even a brother. Gracefully, the twin winds stirred about, twisting together and shooting up toward the sky.
“Tomorrow,” yelled her mother. “It’s time to come in.”
“Okay, Mama,” she replied as she stood up and headed toward the house.
“You better get in here, child,” warned her mother. “There’s a bit of a chill in the air.”
“Mama,” replied Tomorrow.
“What is it?” asked her mother.
“I wish I had someone to play with,” she sighed. “I wish I had a brother.”
“But, Tomorrow, what about your friends in the neighborhood?” she replied.
“They’re okay,” she answered.
“Well, take your coat and boots off and get into the kitchen. I’ll fix you some hot chocolate,” said her mother.
“Oh, goody,” cried Tomorrow. “Hot chocolate, my favorite. That will warm me up.”
Quickly, she removed her coat, slung one boot to the right and one to the left. As she danced across the floor in her stocking feet, she slid to the kitchen table and stopped right smack dab in front of the hot steaming cup of chocolate. Meanwhile outside, high up in the sky, Wendell and Wendy were butting heads to see what on earth they could do to help Tomorrow. The more they thought, the more they butted heads.
Then all of a sudden, they couldn’t believe it. It couldn’t be. Oh, no it can’t. But, yes, it was. It had started to snow. As the snow slowly fell, it glided through the air twirling around and around, flipping over and over. As the wind stirred, it placed each flake of snow on the ground causing it to turn white. The wind suddenly shifted and Wendell dove down into a nearby snowdrift. All of a sudden, a hiccup worked its way out through the snow—“Hiccup.” Up, up, up he went as he gasped for a breath of air, then before his eyes stood a snowman in the drift of snow.
“Very good!” shouted Wendy. “Very good.”
As the wind shifted again and again, with two more hiccups, two more snowmen and two cheers from Wendy.
“You have done it,” she cried.
Wendell slowly dropped his head, tilted it a bit and with a small hiccup, he smiled.
“Watch this,” said Wendy.
She danced about the three snowmen, moving in and around them.
“Now for the finishing touch,” she giggled.
With a warm breath, she breathed into the snowmen’s faces bringing them to life by touching their cold hearts with her warm breeze.
“Not too much,” said Wendell. “You don’t want them to melt.”
Wendy touched each heart of the snowmen. Slowly, their eyes began to open and they began to smile.
“What about that?” asked Wendy.
“You got it,” replied Wendell. “Hiccup,” he went again.
The snowmen began to stretch and yawn as they looked about.
“Not yet,” said Wendy to the snowmen. “You need a good night’s sleep for you have a big day tomorrow. Don’t they Wendell?”
“A very, very big day,” replied Wendell. “Hiccup! Excuse me, a very big day.”
Wendy blew some snow dust into their eyes, causing them to go back to sleep.
As the snowmen drifted off to sleep, the snow continued to fall and the little community of Hidden Meadow snuggled in for the night. The cold dark night began to fade away as the bright morning sun glittered across the crust of the snow. One by one, lights began to click on across Hidden Meadow, especially one house in particular, Tomorrow’s.
“Tomorrow,” yelled her mother. “It’s time to get up.”
“Oh, Mama,” she mumbled.
“You might want to look outside,” she said.
She sprang to her feet, bounced not once but twice off the bed and darted toward the window.
“Mama, Mama, it snowed,” she cried.
As her little eyes raced about the yard, they suddenly stopped dead still at the three snowmen across the yard.
“Look, Mama. Look,” she shouted as she jumped up and down. “Snowmen, three of them!”
Her mother raced to the window to see.
“My goodness,” she said. “But how, but when, but who?”
Hurriedly, Tomorrow jumped into her clothes. She slipped on her coat and hat, shoved her feet into her boots and shot for the door.
“But, wait,” her mother cried. “You haven’t eaten your breakfast.”
Tomorrow never heard a word. All that was left was the slamming of the door. As Tomorrow eagerly ran toward the three snowmen, she stopped in her tracks. Her mouth fell open and her eyes grew big in surprise.
“Oh—oh—me,” came a sound from in front of her.
“Did you stretch and yawn?” she asked one of the snowmen.
“And whom would be asking?” he replied.
“Did you just talk to me?” she questioned.
“Why, yes I did,” he said. “And may I ask who are you?”
“My name is Tomorrow,” she replied. “I don’t believe snowmen can yawn, stretch or talk.”
“Why not,” he asked.
Then the other two eyes popped open and they too began to move.
“Well, Tomorrow,” the first snowman said. “My name is Jackie and these are my two brothers, Jessie Lee and Larry David.”
“Why, hello,” she said. “I’m glad to meet you but how—how can this be?”
“Well, isn’t this the first snow of the season?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Well, child, from the first snowfall of the season we were made, all three of us out of the same snowdrift. That means we are brothers.”
“But—but—I don’t understand,” questioned Tomorrow.
“She doesn’t understand,” cried Jessie Lee.
“She has forgotten her wish,” whispered Larry David.
“Shhh, brothers,” scolded Jackie. “Why she is just a child.”
“Don’t understand—wish,” she cried. “What wish?”
“Don’t you remember? Yesterday you wished you had a brother to play with. Now, today, you have three,” they said.
“All right,” she shouted. “I have three brothers. Let’s play!”
“Let the good times roll!” they shouted as they got down into a break dance. Jessie Lee slid around on his belly as Tomorrow rode on his back.
Larry David spinned as Jackie flipped and rolled.
“Whoopee,” they cried out as they played about the yard. They danced a jig, shouted and slid from one end to the other.
“This is great!” she yelled.
“It is fun! Fun! Fun!” laughed Jessie Lee.
“Watch this, Tomorrow,” cried Larry David as he spun around on his head.
“Look out,” cried Jackie. “I have a mean move.”
About that time, Larry David slid into a tree.
“Are you all right?” they asked as they ran over to him.
“I guess so,” replied Larry David. “Look on my head. Is it a knot or a snowball?”
They all began to laugh.
“Look,” said Jackie. “You have lost some of your snow off your belly.”
Quickly, Tomorrow, Jackie and Jessie Lee began to pack snow on him.
“There you go,” said Tomorrow. “Good as new.”
The day went on, Tomorrow and her brothers played. They had the time of their lives. Her dad was at work and her mother was so busy in the house. Day after day, they played. Day after day, Tomorrow kept the secret of her three brothers, hoping they would stay with her forever. But on the third day, the weather began to change.
“It’s getting warmer,” cried Jackie.
As big lumps of snow crystals lodged in their throats, they knew it wouldn’t be long.
“What are we going to tell Tomorrow?” asked Larry David.
“She’s going to be so disappointed,” said Jessie Lee.
“I don’t know,” replied Jackie. “All we can do is tell her the truth; we have to go away.”
The snowmen began to melt, water began to run down their faces and their bodies began to get smaller.
“Hey, guys,” said Tomorrow. “What’s up?” As she looked at them, she knew. “Jackie, Jessie Lee, Larry David, please don’t leave me.”
The wind began to stir up and up popped Wendell and Wendy.
“Is there anything we can do?” asked Wendy.
“No, I’m afraid not,” replied Wendell. “Nature calls.”
As the three brothers slowly melted, Tomorrow’s eyes filled with tears.
“I’m going to miss you,” she cried. “You were the best brothers I could ever have.”
“Maybe next year,” said Jackie.
“Yeah, that’s it, Tomorrow,” cried Larry David. “Wait for us next year.”
“But that is a long time,” she said.
“Oh, no, my child. It will be here before you know it,” they exclaimed.
“That’s right,” she shouted. “We’ll be together again next year, and we’ll have the time of our lives. You’ll see.”
As the wind shifted and turned, Wendell and Wendy shot about the yard and disappeared high into the sky.
“Hiccup, hiccup, hiccup,” sounded Wendell.
“Huh! There goes that strange sound again,” said Tomorrow. “It must be in the wind.”
*****
Other children’s titles by Bobby A. Troutt
Giggle Book One
Giggle Book Two
Giggle Book Three
Leftover from the Holidays
Tickle Box
Socks Without Matches
Bobby’s Math
Bobby’s Math Two
Bobby A. Troutt is a southern writer who writes a variety of short stories and children’s books
