The Snow God

Like every year, the Snow God was born the moment the first snowflake fell from the sky. Then another flake fell, and another. They all had the freedom to choose where they wanted to land. Often, they looked at the wide world from the clouds high above and contemplated where to fall. It was very important to them, where they fell that is.

This is because they were created with the sole purpose of purifying everything by touching it. And they had but one chance, for the life of a snowflake was very short. The moment it touched something, it absorbed all the impurity and sin and evil and sadness associated with that object, and died. It was an honorable death, a death every snowflake wanted to achieve.

This is how a snowflake fell: it began a quick descent from the cloud that created it, and rushed towards earth faster and faster. Then as it began to close in on earth, almost as an afterthought, it began to slow down, to sway from side to side..to pause, to think, and finally, light as a feather, settled on a tree top, or a lady's lilac hat, or a birds wing, or on the barren grass, whichever it chose.

So it is in this way that the tiny snowflakes fell from the sky, like little white blessings being scattered all over humankind.

The humans of course, did not know of this, and they brushed away any tiny flake that happened to touch them. Unknown to them, they were brushing away a chance to be clean and pure again. The trees, and the grass and the earth all happily welcomed the snow, and it happily gathered on them till you couldn't see anything of the trees, or the grass, or the earth.

Soon everything was covered with snow, all evil was dead, everything was white and pure and happy again. The snowflakes had met their destiny, and lived worthy lives.

The Snow God was the last to go. Eventually he chose the window sill of a tiny cottage in which lived a little girl with her mother. The girl's father had died during the summer and the tiny cottage was full of sadness. This is a worthy place to bless, he thought.

As he neared the window, a tiny outstretched hand darted out from within. "Look mama, I caught a snowflake!" said the little girl running in from the window to her mother.

"Alas...this year I shall die in vain, for I have touched the most innocent" ...thought the snow god as he melted into water under the warmth of her soft kiss.