The revenge of the snowman

- Isn’t it beautiful?

Tim stopped to admire the masterpiece. It’s not every day that you can build an eight-feet tall snowman, especially not one from actual snow. This was not one of those cheap imitations that you can pick up from the stores for a few bucks: this was as real as it can get.

The snow began to fall on the 23rd. First, it was just a few flakes, dancing around in the morning sun, as if they were the lead artists at some glorious parade. By noon, they drew a white moustache on the face of Rachel’s car, just above its license plate, and from then, there was no stopping it. The snow just kept coming, covering everything in glowing white.

The neighbor girl, Ashley, carefully placed the carrot in the middle of the snowman’s face.

Done.

Tim’s mom made the snowman a little jacket, using an old, torn coat, held together by a few threads and a prayer. Even though it was a grown man’s clothes, the snowman’s belly remained uncovered, like a well-fed Turkish sultan after a rich lunch. Ashley brought chestnuts for his mouth, which, despite their best efforts, ended up being just a half-satisfied grim. And his eyes…

His eyes were two pitch-dark, shining rocks. Tim’s father used to be a collector, and had more than a few strange crystals and minerals, with names Tim didn’t care to remember.

- Looks like an Ethan to me – said Ashley, her lips turning blue from the cold.

- I knew an Ethan in kinder garden – said Tim. – He was always so mean, picking on me a lot.

- Really? Then we should punish him.

She suddenly lunged forward and hit the snowman’s arm. Before Tim even had the chance to scream Ashley was already holding the severed hand of Ethan.

- Why did you do that, are you insane? – cried Tim. – We spent hours on this, and you just ruin him like that?

- I don’t want Ethan to hurt you! – shouted Ashley.

- This is a snowman, stupid! – Tim grabbed Ashley’s hand. – You are being stupid and mean! Go away!

- But I… – Ashley started crying.

- Go! – Tim pushed Ashley. The girl stood there for a second, with eyes covered in tears. Then she turned around and ran.

Tim gently patted the snowman’s head.

- I’m sorry Ethan – he mumbled.

- Sweety, are you okay?

His mother appeared from the house, her hair gently waiving in the Christmas snow.

- Yea, it’s just that Ethan’s arm fell off.

- Oh, poor Ethan – her mother stepped closer. – Here, let me help you.

About 20 minutes later Ethan’s arm was as good as new. Tim’s mom even found a rake for the snowman to hold. As they went inside for dinner, Tim looked back and wondered if Ethan will hold a grudge against Ashley, but shook-off the feeling. He’s just a snowman – reminded himself as he went to sleep.

***

- No, you listen to me. We are perfectly fine as we are, we don’t need you to come here for Christmas.

- The kid needs his dad. He needs me, whether you like or not. Whether you… admire…. admin…. I mean admit it…. or not. Whether you…

- Chris, are you drunk again?

- No, Rachel… I just wanna talk, let us talk…

- Look, I had enough. Call me when you’re sober again, but do not, under any circumstances, dare to show your face at my house on Christmas Eve, or I’ll call the police!

- Hm… that sounds like… like you don’t even want me…

- I don’t. Stay away Chris! – and with that, Rachel slammed down the phone.

She took a second to breath, then panicked. Where is Tim?

She looked outside the window and sighed. Looks like him and Ashley were running around that snowman again. Ashley was a crazy child, but at least she kept Tim away in times where Rachel had to vent some of the stress from her system.

She stepped away from the window and poured a glass of wine. She deserved this much. After all, it was Christmas.

Before she could drink it, she heard shouting outside.

Rachel learned a long time ago that being a parent is a 24-hour job at which you can only fail and never succeed. Still, you have to keep trying the best you can, for your child. So, she chugged the wine (God, it felt so good), put on her coat and a smile, then stepped outside.

She first noticed the snowman; his arm, the one holding the rake, was missing again. Next, she saw something in the snow. Something looking just as red as the wine she just drank.

Ashley was on the ground sobbing, while Ethan stood above her attempting to pull out the rake that was buried deep within her arm. The snow was swirling around the two.

Rachel rushed forward and pushed her son away.

- Let me! – she kneeled before Ashley and examined the wound.

It was deep.

- What happened?

- It was Ethan! We were just playing then Ethan attacked me… it hurts, it hurts so bad…

Rachel glanced at her son. Tim didn’t say a word, but his face was pale. – Maybe I let them play together too often – she thought. – In any case, the rake was a bad idea, I should've known better. Her parents are going to kill me. Well, no time to unpack this now. Focus.

- Stay there. Tim, watch her, but do not remove the rake. I’m going to call 911.

They stayed with Ashley until the ambulance arrived. After the painkillers kicked in, her cries quieted down, but she kept mumbling about the evil in the snow.

As Rachel watched the ambulance leaving, she looked towards the half-armed snowman. – Am I going crazy, or did his smile really get wider since yesterday?

***

- Is she going to be ok?

Tim was expecting his mother to be furious. That she would scream his head off, for being so irresponsible, and for how he could let this happen. Instead, his mom seemed awfully quiet. Tim found this to be even more disturbing.

- Well, her parents don’t tell me much, but I have friends at the hospital. She’s going to be fine.

But she’ll have a scar for the rest of her life. Rachel didn’t think that this knowledge would benefit Tim in any way, so she kept it to herself.

- Will you tell me what happened?

Tim didn’t answer at first. What was he supposed to say anyway?

- It was an accident – he managed to squeeze out.

- Were you arguing? Did she hurt you?

- What? – Tim didn’t understand the question.

- I’m just trying to understand what happened – said Rachel gently.

- It was an accident – repeated Tim, but the words sounded empty. – He didn’t mean to hurt her.

- Who?

- Ethan.

Rachel took a second to digest this.

- You mean the snowman you built?

- Yes.

- Tim… what did I teach you about lying?

- That it’s a bad thing.

- That’s right. You shouldn’t lie to mommy. It’s ok if you’ve done something wrong, as long as you tell it to mommy.

- But I didn’t do anything wrong. Ashley slipped and then Ethan…

- Ethan, the snowman – added Rachel.

- Yes, him. He struck her.

- Snowmen can’t strike people – said Rachel. – Sweety, we all do bad things sometimes, but we have to take responsibility…

- I told you, I didn’t do it! – Tim started shouting.

- You will not raise your voice against me! You will go to your room and think hard about what you’re going to say to me. You will be grounded until you learn to tell the truth.

- But…

- Now!

Tim left the kitchen with a face red from the anger and the shame, slamming the door behind him.

Rachel wondered what she could do. Tim was a good kid, he had never done something like this before. - Maybe I should call my therapist and check if she can help – she thought.

Rachel looked at the clock. It was 9:33 pm.

She planned to release Tim from his room in about an hour. – That should allow us to have a little bit of Christmas amidst the awfulness.

Something tapped at the kitchen door. She looked up and saw a note appearing under the door.

- Tim? – she asked. She got up from her seat, bent down and unfolded the note.

The handwriting was strange, as it was written by a toddler still studying how to properly formulate letters.

Come play with me.

- Tim? Answer me this instant!

She opened the kitchen door and stepped outside on the corridor. – When did it get so cold? – the thought rushed through her mind for a second, but the stormy clouds of frustration didn’t leave room for any lingering thought.

Rachel rushed upstairs and inside Tim’s room. The boy was sitting on his bed, reading some book. Rachel gasped and held up the note in her hand.

- What’s the meaning of this?

- Meaning of what?

- Don’t play dumb with me!

- Mom, I don’t know what you are talking about.

- You don’t? Well…

The lights suddenly all went out. The room covered in darkness.

- Mom? What’s happening? – Rachel heard Tim calling out.

- It’s a blackout – she said but her voice was uncertain. – Come – she grabbed her son’s hand and lead him out of the room.

As they slowly walked downstairs, Rachel noticed that it even gotten colder than before. – Looks like we have no lights or heating. Wonderful – she thought.

They reached the bottom of the stairs. Then Tim suddenly stopped.

- What are you doing? – asked Rachel. – Come on, we need to restart the power…

- It’s Ethan – Tim whispered.

Rachel looked up and froze. Right in the door, there was the silhouette of a snowman, holding a rake in his hand.

- Mom, I’m scared – moaned Tim.

Rachel didn’t answer. This could not be happening. It was impossible. This was just a snowman. It had no feelings. It wasn’t alive.

Then they heard something. Something was coming from upstairs, right behind them, steps approaching fast.

Rachel quickly turned around and saw a shadow closing in. She pulled Tim away from the stairs, not taking her eyes off of the shadow.

Then the shadow tripped.

- Shit! – Rachel heard a man’s voice and saw him tumble down the stairs arriving right by their feet.

She immediately lunged forward and started kicking the man.

- Oh, Jesus, stop, for the love of God, Rachel!

She knew that voice.

Chris.

Rachel kicked him one more time before she started shouting.

- Have you lost your mind? What on Earth are you doing?

- You’ve changed the lock, haven’t you? Had to climb in upstairs – Chris slowly stood up. – God, you really did a number on me.

- What were you expecting? I thought I’ll have a heart attack. You are not being funny, you jerk.

- Yea sorry. I just had to see you all.

Rachel sniffed in the air.

- You’ve been drinking again. Chris, why did you come here? Told you, we don’t want you here anymore. Just leave us alone.

- I wanted to do right by you. By all of you – he said and tapped Tim’s head.

- Screw you – said Rachel.

She just remembered her phone was in her pocket. She grabbed it and began to dial.

- What are you doing? – asked Chris.

- 911 what’s your emergency? – asked a voice from the phone.

- Rachel, come on…

- Hello, my ex-husband broke inside our home, I think he is trying to hurt us. It’s Rachel Nevmore, my address is…

- Stop! – Chris twisted the phone from her hands and threw it away. – I’m not trying to hurt you!

- Of course you are not! You just turn off the power, sneak in that ridiculous snowman… And hey, how did you know about the rake, were you watching us yesterday?

- The rake? I don’t follow.

- The rake, Chris. We gave the snowman a rake but it… it fell on Ashley. And now… it’s in its hand again.

- Wait, what? – Chris seemed to just notice the snowman standing in the door. – Wow, that’s so cool, you built that, buddy? – asked from Tim, but the boy didn’t answer. – Good from your mother to let you carry that huge thing inside…

- I did not do this! Mom, you know that! – pleaded Tim.

Rachel looked at his son and husband. And then the terrible feeling started to settle in.

- We must go – she said. – Quickly!

- What, why? Aren’t we gonna turn the power back on? – asked Chris.

- Listen to me, do not go near that snowman. You understand?

Chris stared for a second then started laughing.

- Looks like I’m not the only one who has been drinking – he said as he stepped closer to the snowman. – Come on buddy, you are scaring my wife! Let’s take you outside.

- Leave Ethan alone! – screamed Tim.

- Ethan? Good name – Chris said and he took another insecure step.

Then he slipped.

The floor must have been icy from the cold and there was nothing to grab onto. Chris fell on his back, just under Ethan’s arm.

Just under the rake.

- Chris! – Rachel screamed but it was too late.

The rake started to move. It slowly but firmly began to slip through the snowman’s arm. The moment it got out of the snow, the rake accelerated and its sharp teeth bit down on Chris’ exposed neck. A fountain of blood sprinkled from him.

It took a few seconds for Rachel to realize she was screaming. For the life of her she couldn’t stop or compel her body to move.

Then she saw Tim running inside the kitchen and that finally made her understand that this was all real. She was not dreaming. And Tim ran inside a room with only one exit.

- Tim, wait!

She raced after him and saw him getting behind the curtains.

- Quickly – he whispered. – We can hide from him.

Rachel was not sure how, but a few seconds later she was holding Tim in her arms behind the curtains, desperately trying to cover their breathing.

It was quiet for a while. Then… movement. Someone… or something was slowly dragging itself inside the kitchen.

It was cold, so cold, Rachel could barely feel her own body. Tim couldn’t stop trembling in her hands.

Then the sound began to move towards the fridge, away from them. Rachel tapped Tim’s shoulder. This was their exit.

They jumped out of the curtain, and raced towards the door. Tim slipped, but Rachel caught him and dragged him outside. As she took a glance back, she could see the snowman standing in the kitchen; its merciless eyes, darker than night were staring them, and its face turned into a horrific smile, with a few drops of Chris’ blood on its cheek.

Rachel shut the door and turned to Tim.

- Hold the door! – she screamed and ran to turn back on the power.

BANG!

She could hear something hitting on the kitchen door, but she couldn’t stop to look back. The switch was just down the corridor. – Come on, come on… Yes! – she almost tripped on Chris’ body, but she managed to reach the switch.

The lights suddenly came back, and the heater was alive again. Oh, the warmth, it felt mesmerizing, Rachel couldn’t stop smiling from the feeling.

BANG!

She ran back and saw Tim crying, holding down the door with all his strength while something vengeful kept coming at it. She leaned to the door as well with all her force, trying to keep the evil inside, surviving one hit after the other, until it suddenly became all quiet.

For a while they just sat there, gasping for the air slowly turning nauseatingly warm.

They knew they had to go inside to make sure he’s gone.

- Are you ready? – Rachel asked and Tim nodded.

They slowly opened the door.

The kitchen was empty. No sign of a snowman ever being there, except for a small puddle on the floor, as if they accidentally spilled something.

It was gone.

Rachel hugged Tim and kissed his head. The two held each other for a very long time, not saying a word.

- I promise I’ll be good for next Christmas – said Tim, weeping.

- I know, sweety – replied Rachel. – Listen, I was thinking that… maybe we should move. I wanted to do that for a while now, but didn’t want to rush into anything without you also wanting to.

- It’s fine by me. Where are we going?

- Not sure. That’s something we’ll have to figure out. Together.

They slowly let go of each other.

- Wow, I haven’t realized how warm it was – smiled Rachel as sweat slowly poured down on their faces.

- Yea, very – said Tim. – I’ll grab a soda from the fridge, you want anything?

- No, I’m good – said Rachel, and she collapsed on a kitchen chair.

She stared at the stain the snowman left on the floor. She still wasn’t sure what they’ve just gone through. After all, this was just a snowman. A snowman with no organs. It wasn’t alive. It was made of water, chestnuts and a few rocks…

Rachel’s eyes suddenly opened wide.

Chestnuts. Rocks. Where are they?

And then she suddenly knew. She turned towards Tim, but it was too late.

The pitch-black eyes were staring back at them from the fridge.

By the time the ambulance arrived, the house was empty. They found nothing but three lifeless bodies and a snowman standing in the cold winter snow.