EPISODE EIGHT: SNOW WHITE

(Revised Version - 2018)

Winter had finally come, and Jack was having a ball. He had nothing to eat, nor any money to buy food with, but that did not seem to phase the lad one bit. Everyday seemed like a new adventure, whether it be tobogganing, skiing, or just playing in the snow! On Tuesday, Jack thought it would be funny to run around town and hide in the snow as he threw snowballs at the townspeople. He awarded himself extra points for every person he seriously injured. This was truly the best season ever!

But with no food or money, Jack was completely unprepared for disaster, and on Thursday, disaster is exactly what struck the little town. While the people all slept in their nice warm beds, a blizzard occurred outside. Jack awoke the next day and found that it was too snowy to see anything outside, which he was delighted to know. That day, he went out to enjoy the snow once again, until he became cold and had to go inside. The storm continued for 3 days, and on the third day, the snow had gotten so piled up that it was higher than his own house. Jack was completely snowed in.

"What are we gonna do, Ruff?" He looked down at his clueless companion. The dog seemed to have no ideas of his own either.

There had to be some way for Jack to get outside and play in the snow, and perhaps find some food while he was at it. The first job was to somehow get from his home base to the tool shed so that he could get a shovel, but he was in desperate need of one at this moment. Then the boy remembered that when he had his house rebuilt, the generous townspeople made an escape passage on the roof for the youth to climb out of… but the ladder was also left in the tool shed.

Picking up his dog, Jack set him into place and stepped on the poor animal as he tried to gain leverage. Not liking this, Ruff walked away, and Jack fell to the ground with a loud thump.

"Miserable little…" Jack fumed. Getting up again, Jack moved his bed into place and got on top of it. With ease, he grabbed the cord that hung from the ceiling and pulled on it. The escape passage had been opened. Now it was time for Jack to do what he did best: jump on the bed. He jumped, over and over, forgetting the task at hand almost completely until he jumped so high that his head fit itself through the escape pass. It was then that Jack grabbed hold of the roof and hoisted himself up.

Victory! Jack was on the roof, and it seemed that the snow had settled itself right at the edges. That is a lot of snow, Jack marveled. Now it was time for him to make his way to the tool shed. Only the roof of the shed could be seen as well. Without another thought, the boy launched himself forward and off the roof. He then landed in the snow before him, DEEP in the snow.

Stunned and cold, he turned his head and looked upward. Jack was stuck in the 7 foot high pile up of snow. Instead of thinking about how he was going to get out, Jack decided to start digging towards the front door of the shed… or at least, where he thought that would be. It seemed that the more he dug, the less progress he was making and the more snow that fell on top of his back. It took a few moments, but Jack finally realized that the situation was hopeless, and he would have to think of how he was going to get anywhere.

Perhaps the only thing for him to do was to wait until the storm stopped, and the sun could come out and melt the snow. This might have worked, if that process did not require a few days to happen. Jack was already feeling very hungry, and his skin was beginning to feel the repercussions of the cold.

"I need… comic book fire powers!"

Intermission

Jack attempted to stand. It took a few tries, but he finally managed it. The snow below his neck all caved in and pinned him completely. It seemed that every time Jack tried something, it only got worse for him. He looked up, two feet of snow still towered over him all around his head.

Feeling there was nothing else he could do, he made a meal of the snow. It was not very satisfying, and he still wanted some real food. With all his might, he tried to wiggle his arms and legs free. The rest of the snow collapsed on top of him.

With no way of breathing, and the cold snow freezing his face, Jack panicked and waved his limbs around like never before. It was difficult, but Jack slowly progressed his way up to the top of the snow and stuck his head out in the cold wind.

"Freedom!" he yelled. He hadn't gained any distance, but he was alive. It was then that he decided that jumping into the snow would have bad consequences, and he wouldn't try it again.

Swimming in a pool of heavy snow, he forced his way closer to the roof of the tool shed. By the time he got there, he was frost bitten and shaking. Swallowing hard, he dove once again down to the depths of the snow, using the wall of the tool shed as a guide. Jack's bottom landed on the doorknob on the way down, and being as frozen as it was, it broke off.

"Uh oh…"

With almost no room to move once again, Jack tried to use his feet to recover the broken knob below. He was too numb to feel anything, and he considered the knob a lost cause. How was he ever going to open the door now?

Feeling for the place where the knob had been, Jack's finger found its way inside. The snow began to cave in once again with the movement, but with a push of his strength the door opened and Jack fell inside the tool shed in a heap of snow. He had succeeded!

Still half frozen, Jack pushed on with his mission.

The determined farmer grabbed hold of a shovel and began to dig at the snow blocking his doorway. Of course, there was nowhere to actually put the snow except for piling it up in the tool shed, so that is what he did.

In an hour, Jack had gained around 7 feet of distance, and his tool shed was full of snow.

"I should be in town in a few short hours!" Jack said to himself with a proud smile. The boy continued to dig, long and hard. It was not long before he felt himself too tired to go on any longer. The lack of energy could have been blamed on the lack of food he had in his body, but putting the blame on something or someone was not going to help his situation at all.

Weakly, Jack hacked at the snow in front of him. He fell to his knees and began to claw at the end of his tunnel as best he could. It seemed hopeless.

Intermission

Four hours had passed by, and Jack had lost all hope. He sat in his pathetic tunnel of snow wondering how he was ever going to survive this ordeal. The poor boy could now see he was getting a runny nose, and his health was being put at great risk.

"Ahh-chooo!" He sneezed.

Most of the tunnel collapsed behind him at the loud sound. Jack now sat in a tunnel that was not even four feet high, and 5 feet long. With nothing else to do, he began to dig once again.

Suddenly, he hit something hard. At first, he couldn't believe it, but the shovel smacked against it once again and he celebrated with joy. He had reached town at last! He dropped the shovel and clawed at the hard surface, in time revealing a door.

Proudly, Jack took hold of the knob and let himself in.

Inside the house was very strange, there seemed to be no one inside the small building at all. There was an open hatch in the ceiling and a cruddy bed in the middle of the room. Perhaps the people who lived here were crazy.

"I've entered a new dimension…"

He looked under the bed cautiously to examine the odd placement of such an object. Ruff was underneath.

"Ruff? What are you doing here?" The sleeping dog ignored him coldly.

Jack looked around once again. This was his home.

"The storm must have blown my house all the way into the town while I was sleeping!" Jack whispered in surprise.

He crawled into bed, promising himself it would only be for a moment or two so that he could get warm. Unfortunately, the tired boy fell fast asleep.

Yeer:1 Munth: 4 Day: 7

THE END