30 Days of Prose: Day 16: The 47 Year Old Snowman

The 47 Year Old Snowman

Source: http://bit.ly/1cEdcix

Every winter, the time-bent man makes his way outside with a bag full of hats, scarves, and buttons. For 20 years, two snow-folk have been built in his front yard. One was tall and especially portly; I say especially portly because no snow-person will ever have the physique of photo-shopped, emaciated Victoria's Secret models. 

Yes, the one was tall and especially portly, he held a pipe in his mouth, and a bushy mustache made of an old comb adorned his top lip. Well, if he had lips, that's where his mustache would be. On his head sat a flat cap of gray wool, around his neck a Gryffindor scarf hung just tightly enough to grant warmth without being uncomfortable. His bottom half, as was so often the case, was bare, except for the handful of buttons that made to form a frosty jacket around his chunky, chilly frame, and the gnarly maple branches he used for arms. 

Next, the man turned to building the companion. She, like him, was curvy as could be, though her diminished height made her easier to build. For the last 20 years, this was the snow-person the man focused on. He knew exactly how the buttons were supposed to sit, exactly how her own Gryffindor scarf was supposed to be tied; delicately but tighter than her friend's. For her eyes, he used mother of pearl buttons that, with the blue-white sheen of the snow, took on a distinctly sapphire sheen. Gingerly, he sat the red beret atop her head, one of those cheap suckers they give at the doctor's in her mouth,  and placed her own slimmer, yet stronger, arms into place. She was perfect. 

He took a step back to look as he had for decades; he did so alone as he had for three years. She looked as she always had; strong and happy. Then, he looked to his own crystalline analog; pudgier around the mid-section, haphazardly wearing a scarf too loosely; he'd apparently lost his eyes. 

Sighing, he took a few black buttons from his pocket, roughly shoved them in the spots they should be, and stared into the opalescent circles for too long. At length, he turned away from the snow-folk, their arms linked hand-in-hand, as the man must have placed them absent-mindedly. Walking inside, he turned on the Christmas lights, warmed up a mug of cocoa, and turning on a showing of "It's a Wonderful Life" in the background, he sat and looked out the window, as he had for 20 years.