Make Room for Snow
Tap, tap, tap. Gus heard snow on the window. Sunny sat by the door. The kitchen smelled like warm bread. Gus pulled on his red boots. Outside, big slow flakes came down and down. Sunny smiled her closed-eye smile. "Make room, make room, the snow is coming."
Firewood sat in a little stack. Snow was landing on top. Gus moved the logs under the porch. One. Two. Three. Sunny carried one too. The wood smelled like pine and rain. Snow filled the empty place where the logs had been.
The bench by the gate was white. Gus brushed it with his mitten. Swish, swish, swish. Sunny sat down on the clean part. Then more snow came and covered it again. Gus laughed. The air smelled cold and sweet, like clean sheets.
Two goats stood at the fence. Gus opened the small shed door. The goats walked in, slow and shaggy. Inside smelled like hay and warm goat. Gus made room for Sunny too. "Make room, make room, the snow is coming."
Lamps came on, one by one. Snow covered the lane like a blanket. It covered the sled. It covered Gus's boot prints. Sunny caught a flake on her nose. Gus caught one on his mitten. The whole village went soft and quiet.
Gus opened his own blue door. Warm air came out to meet him. It smelled like milk and honey. Gus hung his wet mittens by the stove. Sunny shook the snow off her gold fur. They made room on the bed for both.
Gus lay down. Sunny lay down beside him. Outside, the snow kept coming, soft and slow. "Make room, make room, the snow is coming," Gus whispered. Sunny breathed slow. Gus blew out the little lamp. The room went dark and warm.
