There was something magical about snow. Crutchie always thought that the first snowfall of a season was somehow enchanted, like it promised wishes being granted and hopes being fulfilled. Nothing could go wrong while it snowed; for a moment the world was safe and happy and pure.
But just because his heart felt that way, didn't mean his body agreed. Every time it snowed, or got too cold for that matter, his leg ached terribly, as if something were pounding on it or trying to rip it apart. You wouldn't hear him complaining, though, and he would always sell his papers like nothing was wrong, until it reached the point that he physically couldn't move. On the first snowfall of the season, he found himself in that very predicament, his leg too stiff to pull himself out of bed. It was a depressing start to what should have been a perfect morning.
Groaning, he sat up in bed, looking out the closest window and watching as the snow fell. He could hear the other boys downstairs yelling about the snow, the older boys with sounds of distaste and the younger with cheers of excitement.
He heard running footsteps coming up the stairs, and in a matter of moments Jack emerged into the room, his face beaming with delight. "Hey, Crutchie!" he called. "Snow's real thick today and the morning bell ain't rung. They must not be any papes to sell today!"
Crutchie smiled brightly. "That's great!" he said. "We get a day off!"
"Course, that means a day without pay," Jack added, a little more dejectedly. "But that's okay, one day won't kill us, right?"
Crutchie nodded. "So, what is you gonna do today?" he asked.
"Make sure none of these kids die in a pile of snow playing too hard," Jack said, laughing. "What about you? Don't tell me you'se gonna sleep the day away?"
Crutchie frowned, looking down. "I uh," he started. "Ain't feeling so hot today."
"You ain't getting sick, are ya?" Jack asked, coming over to sit by him.
"Nah, nothing like that," Crutchie assured him. "It's just the cold. Leg's seizing up pretty bad."
Jack frowned. "Can you walk on it?" he asked, concerned.
Crutchie nodded. "Yeah, sure," he said. "But I ain't gonna be getting far today."
"Guess that means you don't want to play in the snow?" Jack asked, sounding disappointed.
"Sure, I'd like to," Crutchie said. "But it don't mean it's particularly feasible."
Jack nodded in understanding. "If you could do anything today, what would it be?" he asked.
"Huh?" Crutchie questioned, looking at him in confusion.
"Just answer the question," Jack said. "If you could do anything today, what would it be?"
Crutchie thought about that. "I don't know," he admitted. "I'd like to build a snowman, I guess."
Jack nodded. "I hear ya," he said. "Well, I gotta make sure the younger kids don't do nothing stupid. You need anything?" he asked, getting up.
Crutchie shook his head. "Nah, I think I might just go back to sleep for a bit," he admitted. "Get some extra rest while I can."
"Alright," Jack said. "Well, see you around, I guess."
And with that, Jack left the room, heading back down the stairs.
Crutchie lied back down, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the screams of delight from the other newsies outside. He wanted so badly to join them, to just be normal for once and have a fun day outside like any other person, but he was stuck here, taking a nap with leg pain like some old guy. It was embarrassing to admit, and it hurt a little that Jack had gone and left him so quickly. But he couldn't argue with it; he couldn't expect Jack to stay with him the whole day, just because he wasn't feeling one hundred percent. He shouldn't expect people to wait on him, it wasn't fair to them, after all. He would be fine on his own, he always was.
Sleep came quickly, but it didn't last. Before he knew it, Crutchie was being woken by the sound of several footsteps making their way noisily up the stairs, accompanied by several groans and loud shouts of protests and complaints. Sitting up, Crutchie tried to listen more carefully to the commotion, wanting to discern what was being said.
"Watch where you'se putting your feet!" he heard Albert snap.
"I'se not on your foot, now stop shoving!" Elmer retorted.
"Would you two stop fighting before you drop the box?" Race exclaimed.
"Why is this so heavy?" Romeo complained.
"We'se almost at the top, keep moving," Jack's voice commanded.
When they reached the top of the stairs, Crutchie saw several of the boys carrying a large cardboard box, hefting it towards the bathroom. When they disappeared inside, he heard a loud thunk, as if something heavy had been dropped on the floor.
"This is gonna make a huge mess," he heard Race complain.
"So, we'll clean it up," Jack told him.
"Someone go get Crutchie," Specs said eagerly.
A few moments later, Jack came running out of the bathroom and into the room where Crutchie still sat on his bed, completely confused at this point.
"Get up and come into the bathroom," Jack said, sounding breathless. "We got a surprise."
Crutchie looked at him in confusion, but didn't argue. Carefully, he got to his feet, grabbing his crutch and slowly making his way after Jack, heading towards the bathroom. When he got inside, he found a handful of the boys all crowded around a large pile of snow in the center of the bathroom floor. Crutchie looked down at the pile, and then back up at Jack and the other boys, still not following.
"What's this?" Crutchie asked, completely at a loss.
"Well, you said you can't go out and play in the snow today," Jack said "So, we thought we'd bring the snow to you!"
"Yeah, and it was a bear to carry so you better enjoy it," Race said.
"There's plenty here!" Albert added. "You can even build a snowman, just like Jack said you wanted to!"
Crutchie looked back at Jack, his face filled with surprise.
"Well, we gonna build a snowman or not?" Jack asked, smiling. "We better hurry before it melts."
Crutchie grinned, immediately throwing an arm around Jack, pulling the older boy into a tight hug.
"You'se the best," he said, smiling broadly.
Jack smirked. "Nah, I wouldn't say that," he said, pretending to be modest for once.
"Come on, stop messing around before the snow melts!" Elmer cried impatiently.
The two pulled away from each other, and Crutchie looked down at the large pile of snow, sitting patiently on the floor, waiting for him. Mr. Kloppman was going to have their heads when he found out, but for now they could play without consequence.
It was one of the best snow days Crutchie ever had.