Snow Place Like Home

Tom’s story:  It was a pure cold and windy day.  When I awoke, fresh beautiful snow swirled around our heads.  I opened my eyes just as she was putting a hat, her hat, on my head.

I smiled at her, and said, “hi”.  Her face was so close I could feel the heat it generated.  It was a closeness that I loved, but it terrified me.  She almost pulled back, but didn’t.  I could hear her brain working.  She took a chance, smiled at me, and said, “Hi.  I’m Sarah.”

“I’m Tom,” I replied, not sure where that came from.  I could feel that I was full of many things - complete, but not knowing where they came from.   We stood in the shadow of her house, scarves flipping in the breeze, and got to know each other.  I had no idea anything could feel this good.  I felt like, before this moment, I never existed.  Now I was alive.  I wasn’t able to reach out and touch her, but I could talk and I could smile, and that seemed to be just what she needed.

I waited outside while she ate dinner.  Then she came out with her older brother, Roger, and introduced me.  When I said hello, he looked behind me, as if there must be wires or something.  I assured him that this was my real voice.  I have thoughts, feelings, undefined knowledge about people; enough to know this is not how it’s supposed to go.  I’m being accepted far too simply.  This is an amazing family, I think, or, as they say, my lucky day.

Roger asked if he could talk to me alone for a moment, and Sarah graciously agreed. 
“This is pretty amazing, Tom, “ Roger said.  “Do you know where you came from?”

“Well no,” I replied.  “Do you?”

“Well of course we made you, but you know what I mean.  Where did Tom come from?” he asked again.

“Where did Roger come from?” I asked.  Roger smiled.

“Good point,” he replied.  Then his face got serious.  “I don’t want to bring up anything distasteful or painful, but the reality is that you’re not going to be around very long are you?”

“No, not for long,” I replied.  I felt that I understood what he was saying, even that I learned what I knew from my mother, but I had no direct recollection of learning it.

“So, what if we try, like exactly a year from now,” Roger said, “to bring you back.  Does it work that way?”

I smiled.  “That’s a nice thought, but no.  I think when I’m gone I’m gone.”

“That sucks,” Roger said, and while I didn’t exactly know what that meant he had a look of hurt in his eyes.  “If there is anything we can do, tell us, OK?” he asked. 

I smiled and thanked him. 

The moon rose high above the house, as the sky and the glow from the windows grew dark.  A little while later the front door quietly opened and closed.  It was Sarah.  She came out with a carrot for me and smiled.  “How can I feel like I’ve known you for so long?” Sarah asked.

“You’re just a sweet girl,” I replied.  “But what are you doing out here so late?”

I heard a bump.  Then Sarah and I started to talk, really talk.  I thought Sarah had it all, lived a perfect life, but maybe no person does.  She confided in me so much about her life, her insecurities, and her problems at school.  It was like she had never had anyone else to talk to.  I looked into her eyes, and watched her lips as she talked.  I listened until she asked me what I thought, and then I didn’t hold back.  Funny thing is, I was pretty good at talking to her, even helping her.  I had a million stories at my fingertips, and while several times I said, “There is a girl named Norma …” (examples can be very informative) I was never able to say, “I know a girl named Norma …”.  I had information, and I used it for her.

I’d heard a bump.  Her father had quietly come out their back door and walked around to where he stood in the shadows and listened to us talk.  He said nothing, and she never saw him so I didn’t comment on him.  When she finally went inside, he approached me and we talked.  I remember the first word he said.  He called me Tom.  He never questioned who I was.  What amazing people. 

A nice little snow shower met the kids as they headed for the school bus, and as Mom headed out to work.  Dad said that he had to take the day off, and assured them he’d keep busy.  He did.  He jumped into his car as soon as the bus turned the corner, and was back in about 40 minutes with two framed doors and three big boxes.  He schlepped it all into the house.  After a few hours of hammering, with lots of noises I didn’t understand, he came out and dropped a sheet of plywood in front of me.

“Are you up for a little adventure today, Tom?” he asked.

I stared past him, not moving or making a sound.  I was inanimate.

He laughed.  “We don’t have time to play.”

I couldn’t hold the pose long.  Then I laughed.

He told me his name was Jay, but I could call him Dad.  Can you imagine anyone saying this to you so casually?

With his help, I got on top of the plywood.  He slid me across the lawn, and into the living room.  The warmth of the room hit me; I felt like I’d just run into a solid wall.  He pulled me into the next room.  It was, well it was like outdoors indoors. 

“I probably should have talked to my wife about this first, and we’re gonna need something different very soon, but for right now, this could work, “ he said as he rested his hand on my shoulder.  “Now this is a surprise, so work with me,” he said as he turned out the dining room light and closed the door.

He briefly opened the door, dropped two big buckets of snow on the floor, and looked back in at me in the dark.  “Oh, and welcome to the family,” he said.

Sarah’s Story:  I usually really dislike having to take the same bus as my older brother’s home every day, but he’s very cool and keeps out of my face.  Today I sat with him, staring out the window.  I didn’t tell him that I spent much of the night with Tom, and how important he was becoming to me.  How do you explain it?  We both knew we had met someone very special, but didn’t know what to do next. 

As the bus turned down our street, two of Roger’s friends pulled up beside the bus on their bikes, so he was occupied from the time he got off.  I left him standing with them in the street and turned up the walkway.  I looked up at the house.

Tom was gone.  Completely gone.  I ran over to where he last was.  There were marks all over the ground; all of the snow was smashed down.  This wasn’t good.  Something bad happened, I knew it. 

I heard the shrieking. I didn’t at first realize it was me.  I ran into the house.  “Dad! Dad!” I screamed.  “What did you do?  My god what did you do?  Daaaad!!”

The living room was a mess.  Where a space in the walls normally led to the dining room, there was a closed door.  Why would he do this?  I didn’t know where I was; it was all so surreal. I heard the whirr of fans in the dining room and opened the door to it.  Cold air blew out of the dark room.  I counted three air conditioners in the windows, on “full blast”, and could see another door isolating this room from the kitchen.

In the dark, I heard a voice.  “Sarah.”

My hand shot for the light switch.  There he was, standing in the corner.  It was Tom.

The door to the kitchen opened and my Dad walked in.  “Close that door, girl,” he said smiling.  I ran to him and hugged him tight. 

“What did you do?” I asked, barely able to talk through such a broad smile. 

“Well I did the right thing, hon,” he explained.  “I think we just adopted a snowman.”

“Adopted?” Tom said.  “Is that what this is?  Well I think I like that word a lot.  Thanks, Dad.”

Tom called him Dad!  It seemed so natural to him.  Dad let him so naturally. I regretted not being here today to have seen what happened, what happened between them.  They seem like old friends.

‘Please, please, don’t let this be a dream.  I won’t ask for anything again, ever, I swear,’ I silently prayed.

‘Please, please, don’t let this be a dream.  I won’t ask for anything again, ever, I swear,’ Tom silently prayed.

“What can I get you Tom,” I asked, giddy with happiness.  “What do you need?”

He smiled and said, “Well, I think I lost your hat.”

It turns out that it wasn’t a dream, and my life has never been the same since.  I’ll spare you the details on what happened when Mom came home!

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This is a good exercise for you to consider.  Create a world like ours where something magical happens - in this case, a snowman comes alive!  Perhaps it is something you always wish would happen when you were young.  Once you do it, just let things happen.  You don't need a plan, just let conversations begin and see where they go.  I think I often go back to all of the great things that Star Trek offered us.  In the future, people of different species live together in peace (mostly), do good things for each other, help each other, etc.  Every once in a while you meet a "Star Trek personality" in a story - perhaps here, the father.  Create a unique or "strange" situation and have fun with it.  Maybe we humans can learn something from a snowman!