Building a snowman isn't as easy as it seems. First, you have to calculate everything carefully. Decide how many snowballs the snowman will be made of, where it's best to set it up so that everyone in the courtyard, passing by, would say admiringly: "Those guys, Kolya and Ivan, are great! What a nice snowman they built, it's a real joy to look at!"
We didn't decide on a location quickly. Kolya wanted to put the snowman on the 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 even think about it. Where would we set it up on the playground? By the sandbox? The kids will come with their shovels and buckets and quickly take it apart for spare parts, they won't even leave the carrot!
You're right, Ivan, you're talking sense. So where do you think we should put our beauty?
It's so simple — by our building entrance. We'll even put a shovel in his hands, he'll look just like our janitor, Uncle Tolya.
Wow! How can we put a snowman by the entrance, he'll be in everyone's way, nobody will thank us for that!
Anyway, Kolya and I argued for a long time, 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 we'll put the snowman there. And anyone who decides to admire the tree will notice our creation.
Do you know what's the hardest part about building a snowman? Do you think it's rolling a big, snowy ball? Or placing it on top? Not at all. The hardest part is working together. That's how it was with Kolya and me at first — things didn't go smoothly.
I tell him: "Kolya, you roll the first ball, I'll roll the second, and we'll roll the third together, so everything's fair." But he won't hear it, he keeps saying that the first ball is the hardest to roll and that it's the biggest of the three. We finally agreed that I'd roll the first ball and Kolya would do the rest.
But that didn't work either. Kolya's second snowball turned out bigger than my first one! Well, it's not for nothing that we've been friends since kindergarten. 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 rest of the balls on top. I mean, I'm a bit bigger than Kolya, it's not hard for me to lift those balls, I go to sports on weekends, I train. But Kolya is taller than me by two heads, so we decided that he would hoist me onto his shoulders and I would place the snowballs.
Though there was one moment when our whole construction almost collapsed! I got so scared then, I shouted to Kolya:
It's falling! Watch out! Be careful!
Hold it, hold it, don't let go, we'll figure something out, — he shouts back to me.
Here, I won't lie, we needed help from outside. And who could have imagined that Natasha, my neighbour from the first floor, would turn out to be so nimble. When she saw the ball falling, she immediately ran over to us, caught it, steadied it. Anyway, it worked out! And Natasha is two years younger than me.
There was nothing to do but take her into our construction team. She was walking her dog, a little one, they call him Rusty. He helped us a lot too, he really lifted our spirits!
And Natasha, bless her, didn't lose her head, she says:
So! What kind of snowman is this without a bucket on his head?
Where would we get one? My mom won't give me a bucket for anything, — I told the truth. I asked my mom for a bucket before we left the house, but she wouldn't hear it.
I know where to get a bucket! Wait here! — said Kolya and ran off in an unknown direction.
Natasha, Rusty, and I didn't waste time. We put a carrot in for a nose, I brought it from home. And Natasha pulled out a few big buttons from her pocket. Not matching, of course, but so what! The eyes turned out great. We quickly rolled a couple more balls for arms and legs. We put them in place and realized that without a bucket the snowman really did look unfinished. And Rusty confirmed it by loudly saying: "Woof-woof."
We were lucky that Kolya managed quickly. He found a big red plastic bucket somewhere. We put it on the snowman's head and stood there for a long time admiring our creation.
It's a shame if he melts, — Natasha said sadly.
Winter is warm 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 New Year's postcard. 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 it when the coloured lights on the tree next to us came on.
Hey, should we take a photo to remember this? — I suggested to the guys.
I so wanted to capture this happy moment of childhood. This New Year's miracle, created not by Father Frost, but by us — Ivan, Kolya, Natasha, and of course, Rusty. I didn't mind using the last frame in my camera 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 my dad would like my shot.
The guys supported my idea. Even 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 the janitor, Uncle Tolya, and he happily took our photo.
And 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 during the night he'd tilted and the wind had blown the bucket away. But, strangely enough, I wasn't upset at all, it didn't matter anymore. The real New Year's miracle had happened yesterday — when we worked together and created something beautiful.
