Winter had arrived, and this year the snow fell earlier than usual. The children were overjoyed—what could be more fun than rolling in the snow and throwing snowballs at each other, or building snow forts for an epic snowball battle?
Every yard had a snowman or snow woman. Children pulled out their sleds and toboggans and rushed in groups to the hill. Winter was a wonderful time of year. The winter holidays were in full swing. That morning, four children—Michael, Vera, Catherine, and Alexander—who lived on the same street, which had the grand name Frosty Lane, had agreed to go sledding on a hill at the edge of the village.
They all had breakfast, dressed warmly, armed themselves with sleds, toboggans, and snow tubes, and set off on their "grand expedition." At the edge of the village was a deep ravine, and the hill there was quite high. Usually, children from all over the settlement came here to have a good time. But it was still early morning, and the children found themselves alone.
This is brilliant!
Alexander cried out enthusiastically.
Good thing we came early!
Yes, we'll have a proper go at it!
Vera agreed.
And nobody will be pushing us about!
I'm going first!
Michael shouted and was already settling onto his sled.
We're right behind you!
The children cried out happily and each climbed onto their own transport.
After sledding down merrily, the children decided not to go back up just yet. They were always curious about what lay around the bend of the ravine and where the small path led.
Come on, while there's nobody about,
said Alexander.
Let's play spies!
Oh, I'm a bit scared!
Catherine protested.
You're such a scaredy-cat!
Michael said reproachfully.
You wait here then, and we'll have a look around and come back to sledding.
No, that would be even scarier.
Catherine whispered barely audibly.
Abandoning all their equipment, the children set off along the mysterious path. Turning around the protruding hill of the ravine, the children found themselves in a fairy tale.
How beautiful it was here! The willows looked as though they were frozen, all covered with a thin layer of ice. Even the tall sedge grass poking out from under the snow was covered in ice. On the flat surface sparkled an icy skating rink. Not far away stood a small cottage, and inside a faint light could be seen glimmering. Quietly, our little spies crept up to the cottage and peeped through the window.
Inside, at a small table, sat an old man and an old woman, and the children could hear what they were saying.
Sister, Icy Surface!
said the old man.
I'm getting bored staying indoors and in the yard. Shall we venture into the village and have some fun?
I agree with you, Brother Black Ice!
It's been ages since we caused mischief.
We should give the local residents an icy test! Tomorrow there's supposed to be a slight thaw, so we'll get to work!
The ice crackled outside the window, and the old man hurried to look out and see what was happening. The children managed to hide, and once everything had quieted down, they ran back to their hill.
Did you understand anything from their conversation?
Catherine asked anxiously.
I heard something about icy surfaces.
Michael replied.
Mum, when she's getting ready for work, Dad tells her to be careful because there might be icy surfaces on the street.
Is black ice the same thing?
Alexander asked.
Let's run home quickly. Peter should still be in the yard.
The children quickly gathered their things and ran back to their street. There were already more people in the yard now. It was a friendly neighbourhood, so all the elderly neighbours would come out for a walk and a chat as soon as it got light.
Out of breath, the children burst into the yard and rushed over to the caretaker, surrounding him from all sides.
Hello, Peter! We've found out that tomorrow there will be black ice and icy surfaces!
The weather forecast on the telly didn't mention anything about that!
the caretaker replied in an authoritative tone.
Believe us!
Catherine said.
We're telling the truth!
Peter, is there actually a difference between black ice and icy surfaces?
Michael asked.
I always thought they were the same thing!
Well, let me tell you.
The caretaker began his story.
Before I retired, I worked as an electrician at an office, and that black ice caused a lot of trouble. I remember one night it rained, and the rain froze immediately and settled on the trees, the walls of houses, and worst of all, on the power lines. The weight of the black ice broke many power lines around the village, and it took a long time to restore electricity to the houses. That's when I got to know Black Ice quite well. And how hard it is on tree branches under its weight—they all bend to the ground from the burden.
And icy surfaces?
Michael's grandmother, Claudia Nikitichna, who was sitting nearby on a bench, joined in the conversation.
Well, we elderly folk dislike those most of all. You can't get to the shop or the post office—it's far too slippery. So during icy conditions, we have to stay indoors all day until it thaws a bit or our caretaker Peter spreads sand on the paths in our yard.
What should you use on icy surfaces to stop them being slippery?
Vera asked with interest.
Salt, of course!
Alexander exclaimed.
I've seen the shop workers do it next door—they sprinkle salt on the steps of the entrance.
Salt does indeed work well against ice.
the caretaker replied.
But it causes a lot of damage. It ruins shoes and car tyres. And plants suffer from it too.
I know that in big cities they pour some special chemicals on the ice and it starts to melt.
Catherine said.
Maybe we could do that in our yard tomorrow?
No chemicals!
Claudia Nikitichna objected firmly.
Let them damage the environment in their cities, but we won't allow it here! We'd rather stay indoors than damage nature!
And all these de-icing agents are expensive anyway.
Peter added.
What about small pebbles then?
Michael suggested.
They'd stop shoes from slipping too, wouldn't they?
Fine gravel and stone chips are indeed a practical solution, but they're quite expensive. Although this method does the least damage to the environment. And you can reuse it.
Peter, why invent something new? You've always spread a thin layer of sand in our yard during icy conditions, and it works perfectly!
Claudia Nikitichna said to the caretaker.
I completely agree with you!
He turned to Michael's grandmother.
I also think this is the most accessible and effective way to protect the residents of our yard and the whole village from slipping on ice. It makes the ice rough, which reduces slipping. And it doesn't damage plants as much.
Do you have sand prepared for tomorrow morning?
Vera asked.
We know for certain there will be heavy icy conditions and even black ice tomorrow!
Since you children are so concerned about this, I'm happy to reassure you that I have two bins full of sand in the corner, so icy surfaces won't be a problem for us.
After the interesting conversation, everyone went home for hot tea and rest after their remarkable game of spies.
The next morning they looked out the window, and everything was covered in ice. So Black Ice and Icy Surfaces had indeed had their fun during the night. But caretaker Peter wasn't frightened of them. Early in the morning, he spread sand on all the paths in the yard so that residents could safely go to work and the elderly could go for their walks.
