Building a snowman isn't as easy as it sounds. First, you need to work everything out properly. Decide how many balls the snowman will be made of, where it's best to put it so that everyone in the courtyard, passing by, would say admiringly: "Those lads, Kolya and Ivan, are brilliant! What a great snowman they've built, it's a real treat for the eyes!"
We didn't decide on the location quickly. Kolya wanted to put the snowman on the children's playground, but I know that something as beautiful as our snowman wouldn't last long there. So I tell him:
Kolya, come on, don't be silly. Where would we put it on the children's playground? By the sandpit? The kids will come with their shovels and buckets and quickly take it apart for spare parts, they won't even leave the carrot!
Fair point, Ivan, you're talking sense. So where do you reckon we should put our beauty?
It's simple really — by our front entrance. We'll even give him a shovel in his hand, he'll be just like our caretaker, Uncle Tolya.
Brilliant! But how can we put the snowman by the entrance, he'll be in everyone's way, and nobody will thank us for it!
Anyway, Kolya and I argued for ages, but finally we came to a compromise: they'd recently put up a big Christmas tree in our courtyard, you can see it from any window, so that's where we'd put the snowman. And anyone who decided to admire the tree would notice our creation.
Do you know what's the hardest part about building a snowman? You think it's rolling a big snowy ball? Or hoisting it on top? Not at all. The hardest part is working together. That's exactly what happened with Kolya and me at first.
I tell him: "Kolya, you roll the first ball, I'll roll the second, and we'll roll the third together, so it's all fair and square." But he won't have it, he keeps going on about how the first ball is the hardest to roll and that it's the biggest of the three. We managed to agree that I'd roll the first ball and Kolya would do the rest.
But even that didn't work out. Kolya's second snow ball turned out bigger than my first one! Well, it's not for nothing that we've been mates since primary school. We got the hang of it and started helping each other. We rolled such a big first ball, as wide as the tree, no smaller!
Then Kolya hoisted me onto his shoulders, and I somehow managed to place the other balls on top. I mean, I'm a bit bigger than Kolya, lifting those balls isn't difficult for me, I go to the gym on weekends, I train. But Kolya is taller than me by two heads, so we decided that he'd hoist me onto his shoulders and I'd place the snow balls.
Though there was one moment when our whole structure nearly collapsed! I got scared then, I shouted to Kolya:
It's falling! Watch out! Be careful!
Hold it, hold it, don't let go, we'll think of something, — he shouts back at me.
To be honest, we couldn't have done it without help from outside. And who would have thought that Natasha, my neighbour from the first floor, would turn out to be so nimble. When she saw the ball falling, she rushed over to us, caught it, steadied it. Anyway, we managed! And Natasha is two years younger than me.
There was nothing for it, we had to bring her into our building team. She was out walking her dog, a little one called Ginger. He helped us out a lot too, he kept our spirits up!
And Natasha, clever girl, didn't panic, she says:
Right! What kind of snowman is this without a bucket on his head?
Where are we supposed to get one? Mum won't give me a bucket for anything, — I told the truth. I'd asked Mum for a bucket before I left the house, but she wouldn't hear of it.
I know where to get a bucket! Wait here! — said Kolya and ran off in an unknown direction.
Natasha, Ginger and I didn't waste time. We stuck a carrot in for a nose, I'd brought it from home. And Natasha pulled out a few big buttons from her pocket. Not matching ones, of course, but so what! The eyes turned out great. We quickly rolled a couple more little balls for arms and legs. We put them in place and realised that without a bucket the snowman really did look unfinished. And Ginger confirmed it by loudly saying: "Woof-woof".
We were lucky that Kolya managed it quickly. He found a big red plastic bucket somewhere. We put it on the snowman's head and stood there for ages admiring our creation.
It's a shame if he melts, — Natasha said sadly.
Winter's mild this year, but the snow lasts a long time. So he shouldn't melt quickly, — Kolya answered her.
I looked at our beautiful snowman for a long time. He looked like he'd come straight out of a Christmas card. While we were working, it got dark outside. In winter it gets dark quickly, and we were so absorbed in our work that we only noticed when the coloured lights on the tree next to us came on.
Shall we take a photo to remember this by? — I suggested to the lads.
I so wanted to capture this happy moment of childhood. This Christmas miracle, created not by Father Christmas, but by us, Ivan, Kolya, Natasha and, of course, Ginger. I didn't mind using my last film frame for such a moment.
My dad gave me the camera and said: "Learn to find beauty around you, but don't waste frames, film is expensive". But I knew Dad would like my shot.
The lads supported my idea. Though it was dark, we managed to position ourselves so we could be seen, with our Snowman in the centre of the frame. Yes, yes, with a capital S. We gave the camera to Uncle Tolya, the caretaker, and he happily took our photo.
Then we went home. I looked out the window at the snowman for a long time that evening. And when I woke up in the morning, I saw that he'd tilted during the night and the wind had blown the bucket away. But strangely enough, I wasn't upset at all, it didn't matter anymore. The real Christmas miracle had happened the day before — when we worked together and created something beautiful.
