The Guardian

Billy dug tunnels in the huge piles of snow that filled his yard. On top of the longest tunnel, he placed a snowman.

“This is the Guardian of the Snow Kingdom!” He announced to Mark and Butch.

The three boys stood back and surveyed his work.

“I think he needs a sword,” stated Butch.

“A flaming sword, and a crown. All guardians have crowns.” Mark announced.

Billy thought, “A crown? I don’t know. How would we do a flaming sword? It’s freezing out here. We don’t have anything to make a sword that flames.”

“Why not make a sword out of wood, then paint it red or something that looks like fire. I could go get some tinfoil, make it shiny and spray paint might work.”

Mark spied a dog dish, half-buried in the snow. “Fill Fluffy’s dish with water. When it turns to ice, we could use it as a crown.”

“Okay Butch, you’re making the sword. Mark’s doing the crown,,” instructed Billy.

They scurried about to finish the job before sunset. Mark started the crown, Butch made a sword from a ski he found in his shed, Then Billy had an idea about a beard, and started pouring chocolate syrup down the front of the ‘Guardian of the Snow Kingdom’.

Work on the project continued til sunset. Reluctantly they separated for their homes. The ‘Guardian’ was left to watch until they met again in the morning.


Billy raced through breakfast, gobbling his crunchy cereal in two bites. He threw on a coat and raced outside to check the ‘Guardian’.

Mark and Butch had beat him there, stood dejectedly beside the ‘Guardian’.

The Guardian was a big pile of brown mush, a ski stuck out from its middle. The dog-bowl crown laid on bare concrete.

“Darn chinook.”