Mouse and Mole, A Winter Wonderland (2 page)

"These are new boots," Mouse continued.
"This is my warmest winter coat."

Whoosh!
Another gust of wind sent a chill
through Mole. "It is still f-f-freezing,"
he chattered. "Bed is the place to be—
bed
is the place for you and me!"

"But what about sledding?"
squeaked Mouse. "What about
snowmen and skating on the pond?"
"What about getting back
to bed?" grumbled Mole.
And
that
is exactly what he did!

ZOOM!
Mouse shot down the hill
on her sled. The sled hit a bump.
It flew up in the air.
"Yippee!" yelped Mouse.
"
Bumping-jumping on a sled,
better here than stuck in bed!
"
Mouse sighed. "Sledding is fun,"
she said, "but it would be more
fun if Mole were here."

She headed for the pond.
Mouse laced up her skates.
Left, right, left, right!
Mouse skated across the ice.

Mouse whirled!
Mouse twirled!

She made perfect figure eights,
forward and backwards.
"
Across the ice I zip and glide,
better here than stuck inside!
"
Mouse sighed. "Skating is fun,"
she said, "but it would be more
fun if Mole were here."

Mouse took off her skates.
Mouse dragged the sled back to
the oak. She stared at the tracks
in the snow. They were all from
her boots. "I am alone; alone is me."
Mouse made a snowball:
pat-pat-pat!
She threw it against the trunk—
SPLAT!
"Hmm, not too wet
and not too dry."

ZIP
!

Mouse tapped her boot.
Mouse twirled her tail.
She came up with a plan!
It began with another ball of snow.

Mouse rolled it around the oak.
The snowball got bigger...
and BIGGER.

Mouse pushed it on the sled.
Then she went to work on the middle.
Push and roll, roll and push!
Mouse set the middle part on
top of the bottom part.
"Whew!" she huffed.
"Now for the head."

Plink!
Mouse knocked an icicle
off the branch with a twig.
"Just the thing for a nose,"
she proclaimed.
Crack!
Mouse
snapped the twig in two.
"Now I have arms as well!"

Mouse used acorns for eyes and
pebbles to make a mouth.
She took a step backwards.
The snowman looked familiar.
The snowman reminded Mouse
of someone she knew. "I shall call
you
Sno-Mole,
" she snickered,
"because you look just
like my friend!"

Mouse tapped her boot.
Mouse twirled her tail.
Something was still missing.
She headed back to the oak tree.
Mouse crept down the stairs ...
and snuck into Mole's hole.