Jaune Arc: Goosebumps Storyteller

by vanquish356

Jaune always did love telling stories, especially to his younger sisters. He even had a book filled with cheesy horror stories that his sisters loved. But after coming to Beacon, he thought he would never tell stories again. However, that wasn't the case when Ruby began asking him for stories, soon followed by Nora. Little did he know that this would cause a domino effect.

6. Chapter 6

Jaune Arc: Goosebumps Story Teller

Chapter 6: Beware, The Snowman

"IT'S SO HOT!" Ruby and Yang shouted.

"We know. You don't have to yell." Blake said, enjoying the slight breeze the desk fan gave her, even if it wasn't much.

We were currently in my team's dorm, trying our best to keep cool and beat the heat. It was a week since we met with Grady, the Werewolf of Fever Swamp. And because it was a weekday, we were supposed to have classes with Oobleck and Professor port and a few tests from Peach. However, Glynda canceled all classes and meetings due to the heat, as it was the hottest day Vale had ever experienced. Typically Vale temperatures average around twenty-seven degrees celsius. But today, the temperature was forty-four degrees celsius. As a result, because of these high temperatures, everyone sought a way to beat the heat. And with us were Nora, Ruby, Yang, Blake, Velvet, and Weiss. Pyrrha and Ren were still out but were due to return soon.

"How much longer is this heat wave supposed to last?" Velvet asked. Despite how hot it was, she was still sitting relatively close to me.

"The rest of the day." I answered after checking my scroll.

"Great." Yang said as she fanned herself with a makeshift fan.

"At least Ozpin canceled classes and all assignments until the heat wave ends." Ruby said, thankful for that as she had a few assignments that she still had to finish.

"Yeah, 'cause it's too hot to do anything, even read." Blake agreed as she downed another water bottle.

"What should we do in the meantime, then?" Yang asked.

"I don't know. It's too hot to think."

"Times like this make me wish I was back in Atlas, where it never reached these temperatures due to the near-constant snow." Weiss said, remembering the cold temperatures of the Atlas Kingdom.

"But if it got too cold?" Nora asked, curious.

"It rarely gets that cold in general. But when it does, we typically get some warm drinks and stay inside."

"That sounds nice." Velvet said, moving closer to me and blushing for some reason.

"Maybe when it's not face-melting hot." Blake countered.

"Ugh. I wish we were back in Patch. They have some of the best ice creams in all of Vale." Ruby said.

"Too bad we're stuck here in Beacon." Yang said.

"An ice cream does sound good about now." Weiss agreed.

"But we don't have any on hand." Nora reminded.

"And it would be too hot to make some. That is if we had the ingredients." Velvet added.

"Well, while we don't have the ingredients to make some, we could go out and get some." I suggested.

"Really funny, Arc. While getting the ice cream sounds wonderful, I don't want to stand around in the blazing sun with the ice cream making a sticky mess." Weiss said. She would have also tossed me a glare but didn't have the energy to do so.

"I know it's too hot to stand outside and eat the ice cream. But the place I know of allows us to eat inside the store, which is massive, and the owners keep it at a cool twenty-two degrees Celsius." I clarified.

"What's the name of this place that sounds like heaven?" Yang asked.

"And where is it?" Blake asked.

"The name of the place is called Amber's Glacies Crepito. And it's located in Downtown Vale."

"What kinds of ice cream do they sell?" Nora asked.

"Almost every flavor imaginable and some experimental ones. I think I even remember seeing them serve some pancake ice cream."

"PANCAKE ICE CREAM!" Nora shouted, jumping to her feet. Knowing what she was supposed to do, the rest of us stood up. But I made sure to grab my book as I wanted to write down another story. "LET'S GO!"

"NORA! WAIT UP!" The others shouted when Nora grabbed my hand and dragged me to the bullheads.

One Hour Later

"JAUNE! So good to see you again." The owner, Azure, an older lady, said smiling.

"Good to see you too, Azure." I said as we entered the store.

"Are these you friends?"

"From Beacon, yes."

"Well, then, they are friends of the store. What can I get everyone?"

"DO YOU GUYS REALLY HAVE PANCAKE ICE CREAM?" Nora excitedly asked.

"Yes, we do. What kind would you like?"

"What flavors do you have?"

"We have buttermilk pancake ice cream, banana pancake ice cream. Cinnamon pancake ice cream, and butter pecan pancake ice cream."

"Cinnamon pancake ice cream."

"Alright. And what about the rest of you?"

"Do you have taiyaki?" Blake asked.

"Yes, we do."

"Then, I'll have one, please."

"Alright, how about you, little red riding hood?" Azure asked, causing Ruby to pout.

"I'll have a strawberry and cookies ice cream if you have one."

"Two scoops or three?"

"Th-"

"Two. She'll have two." Yang interjected, knowing that Ruby didn't need that much sugar.

"Alright. And what will you have?"

"Stout Chocolate Pretzel Crunch."

"Excellent choice." Azure said, smirking before turning to Weiss. "And what will you have?"

"I will have a frutti di bosco gelato. Thank you."

"Great choice, as we just received a fresh shipment of fruits." Azure said before turning to Velvet and me. "And what will the couple have?"

"Uh." I began, unsure of how to respond.

"We're not a couple." Velvet said, sounding sad. And I could have sworn I heard her say, 'not yet, at least.' "Anyway, I'll have a carrot ice cream. Two scoops, please."

"Okay. And what about you, Jaune? I'm guessing the same." Azure said, smirking.

"Yes. But only one scoop."

"Got you. Okay. One cinnamon pancake ice cream. One taiyaki. One two-scoop strawberry and cookies ice cream. One stout chocolate pretzel crunch. One frutti di bosco gelato. One two-scoop carrot ice cream. And one one-scoop Pumpkin Pete's ice cream. I'll have your orders ready in about ten minutes." Azure said before heading into the kitchen.

"When did you out about this place, Jaune?" Nora asked as we sat down at a nearby table.

"I was about six or seven. My family used to come to Vale for various business reasons. And every time before we left for home, we came here as a treat." I answered.

"I'm glad you did, as this place feels like an oasis." Weiss said, glad to be out of the heat.

"It truly does." I agreed as I pulled out my book and a pen.

"Are you writing a new story?" Blake asked.

"Yes."

"Can you tell us what it's about?" Ruby asked.

"Nope."

"How about some hints?" Yang asked.

"Or simply the name?" Velvet added.

"Alright. I call this story: When the Ghost Dog Howls. It's about two kids who brought a fake hound's tooth necklace. But they soon discover that the tooth can grant wishes. However, little did they know that the tooth was haunted by the ghost of a huge hound. A ghost that's got a mouthful of sharp teeth—but wants this one back. How does that sound?"

"Sounds cool." Ruby answered.

"Sounds interesting." Velvet said.

"But I am curious as to who or what sells a fake hound's tooth necklace." Weiss said.

"You'll just have to wait and find out." I answered, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Um, Jaune." Velvet said, getting my attention.

"Yes?"

"I-I was wondering. If-" She began, but Azure cut her off.

"Order up." She said as she reached us while carrying a large tray.

"That was quick." Nora said with a mouthful of pancakes.

"Well, you can thank the new hires for that. Enjoy." Azure explained as she finished handing out our orders before leaving.

"Wow. This is good." Ruby said as she tried her ice cream.

"Indeed." Weiss agreed, surprised at the flavor and how good her ice cream tasted.

"So, Velvet. What were you saying?" I asked, turning to her.

"Uh, I was wondering if you could read us another story." She answered.

"Are you sure? I feel like you were asking-"

"I'm sure. I really want to hear another story." She cut me off, albeit a bit too quickly.

"Alright." I relented, not wanting to pressure her. I reached into my bag and pulled out the book. "What type of story do you want to hear?"

"Wait. Your published, Arc?" Weiss asked, surprised.

"No. This book is just various stories I wrote throughout my life."

"If you want, and if the stories are good, I could get in contact with some contacts I have and perhaps get you published. Again, if you want."

"Thanks, but no." I answered, surprising her.

"Your call. But anyway, do you have a story relating to the cold?"

"Yes. But you're going to have to be more specific as that's pretty broad."

"How about a monster story that revolves around the cold?" Yang suggested.

"But please don't tell us a story about the abominable snowman. I heard so many iterations about it that it's starting to get stale." Blake said.

"The abominable snowman?" Ruby asked, confused.

"The actual name of the snow creature that lives in snowy mountains. But most simply call it the yeti." Velvet explained.

"Oh, the yeti." Ruby said, realization dawning upon her. "Yeah, it's getting stale."

"Alright. There goes that story. Oh. I just remembered this other story." I said, rapidly flipping through the book to the correct page.

"What's it called?" Nora asked.

"It's called: Beware, The Snowman. With the tagline being: He's got a heart of cold."

"What's it about?" Blake asked.

"It's about this girl named Jaclyn who used to live with her aunt Great in a fictional place called Chicago. But not anymore. They moved to a place called Sherpia. It's a tiny village on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Jaclyn can't believe she's stuck out in Nowheresville. No movie theaters. No malls. No nothing. Plus, there's something really odd about the village. At night there are strange howling noises. And in front of every house, there's a snowman. A creepy snowman with a red scarf. A deep scar on his face. And a really evil smile. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a good story to have while we enjoy our ice cream." Yang answered, with the others agreeing.

"But what is the Arctic Circle, or is it fictional like the Chicago place?" Weiss asked, curious.

"It's fictional."

"Can you describe it a bit so we have a better image of the place?" Blake asked.

"Think the most northern but still hospitable land of the Atlas Kingdom. And right on the edge of the Arctic Circle is a small village with enough supplies for everyone to survive relatively comfortably. As for the homes, think cozy, suburban homes resembling cabins in the woods."

"Why would they move there?" Ruby asked, curious.

"Pay attention, and you'll find out." I answered before clearing my throat. "When the snows blow wild. And the day grows old. Beware, the snowman, my child. Beware, the snowman. He brings the cold. Jaclyn wondered why this rhyme her mother told her suddenly came to mind."

Story

'Why did that rhyme return to me?' Jaclyn wondered.

It was a rhyme her mother used to whisper to her when she was younger. She could almost hear her mother's soft voice, which she hadn't heard since she was five...

Beware, the snowman.

He brings the cold.

Jaclyn's mother died when she was five, causing Jaclyn to move to live with her aunt Greta. Now, Jaclyn was twelve, and her aunt never read that rhyme to her. As Aunt Greta and Jaclyn climbed out of the van and gazed at their snow-covered new home, Jaclyn wondered why that rhyme returned to her.

"Jaclyn, you look troubled," Aunt Greta said, placing a hand on Jaclyn's shoulder. "What are you thinking about, dear?"

Jaclyn shivered, not from Aunt Greta's touch but from the chill of the steady wind blowing down the mountain. She then stared at the flat-roofed cabin that was to be their new home.

Beware, the snowman.

'That's the second verse to that rhyme.' Jaclyn thought, wondering why she couldn't remember it. 'Maybe we still have the old poetry book mom used to me.'

"What a cozy little home." Aunt Greta said with her hand still on Jaclyn's shoulder. Yet, while Greta seemed happy, Jaclyn felt sad. But she forced a smile to her face.

"Yes. Cozy." Jaclyn murmured, noticing how snow clung to the windowsills and filled the cracks between the shingles while a mound of snow rested on the low, flat roof. She then looked toward her aunt and saw her usually pale cheeks were red from the cold. While Greta wasn't that old, she had white hair for as long as Jaclyn could remember. Greta wears it long and tied behind her head in a single braid that falls nearly all the way down her back. She is tall, skinny, pretty, and has a delicate round face with big, sad, dark eyes.

Jaclyn always wondered where she got her looks since she didn't resemble her aunt in the slightest. She has wavy, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Jaclyn is tall and athletic and was the star basketball player on the girl's team at her school back in Chicago. She doesn't remember her mother that well and never knew her father. When Jaclyn asked her aunt, Greta said he left soon after she was born. One thing Jaclyn always noticed that further confused her was her personality. While she loved talking, singing, and dancing, Greta could go for days and barely say anything. Jaclyn loved her aunt, but Greta was so stern and silent. She often wished it was easier to talk to her aunt.

'I'm going to need someone to talk to.' Jaclyn thought dejectedly.

Despite only leaving Chicago yesterday, she already missed her friends and wondered how she would make friends in this tiny village on the edge of the Arctic Circle. Letting out a sigh, Jaclyn helped her aunt with the bags from the van. As her boots crunched over the hard snow, she looked toward the snow-covered mountain. There was so much snow that she could not tell where the mountain ended and the clouds began. Looking around, Jaclyn felt like the little square houses along the road weren't real. It seemed like they were gingerbread houses. It was as if she had stepped into some kind of fairy tale. Except it wasn't a fairy tale. It was her life, her totally weird life.

Jaclyn still wonders why she and her aunt moved from the United States to this tiny, frozen mountain village. Greta never explained and only ever muttered, "Time for a change" or "Time to move on." It was difficult for Jaclyn to get her aunt to say more than a few words at once. She knew her aunt and mother grew up in a village like this one. But why did they have to move here now? Why did she have to leave her school and all of her friends?

'Sherpia.' Jaclyn wondered. 'What kind of a name is Sherpia? Can you imagine moving from Chicago to Sherpia? Lucky, huh? No way.'

It isn't even a skiing town. The whole village is practically empty! Jaclyn wondered if she could find someone her age. But before she could dwell on the thoughts, the sound of Greta kicking the snow away from the front door of their new house drew her attention. Greta tried to open the door but struggled to do so.

"The wood is warped." She grunted before lowering her should to the door and forcing it open. Greta might be thin, but she's tough. Jaclyn started to carry the bags into their house, but something standing in the snowy yard across the road caught her eye. Curious, she turned and stared at it and gasped as it came into focus. It was a snowman. A snowman with a scar. And as she squinted across the road from it, the snowman started to move.

Jaclyn blinked a few times before looking at the snowman and seeing that it wasn't moving. The only thing that was moving was the red scarf fluttering in the swirling breeze. And as Jaclyn moved to examine the snowman more carefully, her boots loudly crunched in the hard snow.

'What a weird snowman.' Jaclyn thought. And she was right. The snowman had slender tree limbs for arms, with one arm poking to the side while the other stood straight up as if it was waving to her. Each tree limb had three twig fingers poking out from it. For its face, the snowman had two dark, round stones for eyes, a crooked carrot nose, and a down-turned, sneering mouth of smaller pebbles. Yet, Jaclyn couldn't stop looking at the scar. It was long and deep and cut down the right side of the snowman's face. 'Why did they make it so mean-looking?'

Real World

"Yeah. Why would they make it a snowman mean-looking?" Ruby asked.

"And why a scar?" Velvet added.

"Yeah. Snowmen are supposed to be happy and smiling like Frosty." Nora agreed.

"You'll find out." I said, remembering the experience my friend had in Sherpia before finding where I had left off. "After examining the snowman, Jaclyn said it was weird-looking, and nothing about it seemed normal. But she then remembered that her aunt always told her that weird was Jaclyn's favorite word. However, Jaclyn would argue that no other word adequately describes the sneering snowman with a scar on its face.

Story

"Jaclyn! Come help! " Aunt Greta shouted, getting Jaclyn's attention and making her turn back to her home.

Casting one last glance at the snowman, Jaclyn ran back across the road to her new home to help unpack the van. It took a long time to unpack everything. And when they lugged the final carton into the cabin, Aunt Greta found a pot, which used to make them some hot chocolate on the little, old-fashioned stove in the kitchen.

"Cozy." Greta repeated a few times while smiling. Yet her gaze remained fixated on Jaclyn's face as if trying to determine if she was unhappy. After a moment, Greta wrapped her bony fingers around the handle of the white hot chocolate mug. Her cheeks were still red from the outside cold. "At least it's warm in here."

Jaclyn nodded sullenly, wanting to cheer herself up, but she couldn't. She kept thinking about her friends back home, wondering if they were going to a Bulls game tonight. Like herself, her friends were all into basketball. Unfortunately, she won't be playing much basketball here.

'Even if the people here play basketball, there probably aren't enough kids in the village for a team!' Jaclyn thought.

"You'll be warm up there." Aunt Greta said, snapping Jaclyn from her thoughts. She pointed up to the low ceiling. The house had only one bedroom, which was Greta's room. Jaclyn's room was in the low attic beneath the roof.

"I'm going to check it out." Jaclyn said, standing up with her chair scraping on the hardwood floor.

The only way to reach the room was by using a metal ladder that rested against the wall. Climbing the ladder, Jaclyn pushed the flat board in the ceiling away before pulling herself into the low attic. Greta had picked the right word as it was cozy. However, the ceiling was so low Jaclyn couldn't stand up. Crouching, Jaclyn made her way to the only window in the room as pale, white light went through it. While snow speckled the windowpane, she could still make out the road and the two rows of little houses curving up the mountainside. Yet, she didn't see a single soul out there.

'I'll bet they've all gone to Florida.' Jaclyn thought. It was midwinter break, and the school here was closed. Aunt Greta and Jaclyn had passed it on their way through the village. It was a small, gray stone building, not much bigger than a two-car garage. But as Jaclyn looked through the window, she wondered how many kids would be in her class. Only a handful or will it just be her? Would they even speak English? The thoughts made Jaclyn swallow hard. But she scolded herself for being so downtrodden. 'Cheer up, Jaclyn. Sherpia is a beautiful little village. You might meet some really neat kids here.'

Real World

"Hopefully, she does meet some good friends." Ruby said. "Like you and me, Jaune."

"Yeah, moving can be tough, and making new friends even tougher." Yang agreed.

"Especially if they're not friendly to outsiders or people with unique traits." Blake sadly said but let out a small smile when Yang placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry. She will." I assured.

Story

Sighing, Jaclyn returned to the ladder. She decided that she was going to cover the ceiling of her room with posters. While it would remain bleak and cold, the posters would brighten the room. And perhaps it could cheer Jaclyn up as well.

"Can I help unpack?" Jaclyn asked as she climbed down the ladder.

"No. I want to work in the kitchen first. Why don't you take a walk or something? Do a little exploring." Greta suggested after pushing her long, white braid off her shoulder. A few minutes later, Jaclyn found herself outside, pulling the drawstrings of her parka hood tight. She adjusted her fur-lined gloves and waited for her eyes to adjust to the white glare of the snow.

'Which way should I walk?' Jaclyn wondered.

Jaclyn had already seen the school, the general store, a small church, and the post office down the road. After a few minutes, she decided to head up the road toward the mountaintop. But as Jaclyn walked, she noticed how hard and crusty the snow was. Her boots hardly made a dent in it as she leaned into the wind. Spotting some twin ruts that a truck probably made as it drove through the village, Jaclyn decided to walk in one of them to make traveling easier.

As she continued to walk, Jaclyn passed a couple of houses that were about the same size as hers. They both appeared dark and empty. One of them was a tall stone house with a Jeep in the driveway. There was a kid's sled in the front yard next to an old-fashioned wooden sled. Inside the house, a yellow-eyed, black cat stared out at Jaclyn from the living room window. Jaclyn raised her hand to wave at the cat, but it didn't move. At this point, Jaclyn realized she hadn't seen any other humans. And as she continued to climb, the wind whistled louder, and the temperature dropped. The road grew steeper as it curved, with the house now farther apart.

'It's so pretty.' Jaclyn thought, seeing the snow sparkle as the clouds rolled away from the sun. It was beautiful. She then turned to gaze at the house she passed and noticed how they looked like little gingerbread houses nestled in the snow. Jaclyn even thought that she would like Sherpia in time. However, Jaclyn let out a cry when she felt icy fingers wrap around her neck. "Ohh!"

Spinning around to free herself from the icy grip, Jaclyn came face-to-face with a grinning boy wearing a brown sheep skin jacket and a red-and-green wool ski cap.

"Did I scare you?" He asked with his grin growing wider. But before Jaclyn could answer, a girl about her age stepped out from behind a broad evergreen bush. She was wearing a purple down coat and purple gloves.

"Don't mind, Eli." She said, tossing her hair off her face. "He's a total creep."

"Thanks for the compliment," Eli grinned. After seeing their interactions, Jaclyn decided they must be brother and sister. They both had round faces, straight black hair, and bright, sky-blue eyes. Eli then turned to Jaclyn and squinted at her. "You're new."

"Eli thinks it's funny to scare any new kids." The girl explained, rolling her eyes. "My little brother is a riot, isn't he?"

"Being scared is about all there is to do in Sherpia." Eli said with his grin fading.

'What a weird thing to say.' Jaclyn thought. Deciding it would be best to introduce herself, Jaclyn did so. "I'm Jaclyn DeForest,"

"I'm Rolonda Browning, and this is my brother Eli Browning." Rolonda introduced before pointing to a nearby white house. "We live there."

"Where do you live?" Eli asked.

"Farther down." Jaclyn answered, pointing down the road. She was about to ask them something else but stopped when she noticed the snowman they were building. It had one arm out and one arm up, a red scarf wrapped under its head, and a deep scar cut down the right side of its face. "That s-snowman. It looks just like one I saw across the street from me."

"Really?" Eli muttered as he lowered his eyes to the snow while Rolonda's smile faded.

"Why did you make it like that? It's so strange looking. Why did you put that scar on its face?" Jaclyn demanded. Eli and Rolonda glanced at each other tensely and didn't reply. But after a few moments, Rolonda finally shrugged.

"I really don't know." She murmured, blushing.

'Is she lying? Why didn't she want to answer me?' Jaclyn wondered.

"Where are you walking?" Eli asked, tightening the snowman's red scarf.

"Just walking." Jaclyn answered. "Do you guys want to come with me? I thought I'd walk up to the top of the mountain."

"No!" Eli gasped with his blue eyes widening in fear.

"You can't!" Rolonda cried. "You can't!"

"Excuse me?" Jaclyn gaped, shocked. She wondered what their problem was. "Why can't I go up to the top?"

Real World

"Okay. This is getting interesting." Yang said, leaning forward while she continued to eat her ice cream.

"I'm still curious as to why they would make a snowman like that." Ruby said.

"Perhaps it's because they are bored. They did say there wasn't much to do in Sherpia. And when you are this bored, you tend to do things out of the ordinary to pass the time. After all, I did so when I was back at Atlas." Weiss suggested.

"True." Nora agreed.

"But it's obvious they are hiding something. But what?" Blake asked.

"Well, if we let Jaune continue, we'll find out." Velvet said before motioning for me to continue.

"Right, Anyway. After a moment, Jaclyn saw the fear in their eyes quickly fade away. Rolonda tossed back her black hair while Eli pretended to be busy with the snowman's red scarf."

Story

"You can't go because it's closed for repairs," Eli finally explained.

"Ha, ha. Remind me to laugh later." Rolonda sneered.

"So, what's the real reason?" Jaclyn demanded.

"Uh ... well ... we just never go up there, "Rolonda stammered, glancing at her brother. She waited for him to add anything, but he didn't. Seeing that he wasn't going to help, Rolonda continued while avoiding looking at Jaclyn. "It's kind of like a tradition, I mean ... well ... just don't go up there."

"It's too cold," Eli added. "That's why. It's just too cold up there for humans to survive. You would turn to ice in thirty seconds."

Yet, Jaclyn knew he was lying, as that wasn't the real reason. However, she decided to drop the subject as they suddenly seemed tense and worried.

"Where are you from?" Rolonda asked while digging her gloved hands deeper into her coat pockets. "The next village?"

"No. Chicago." Jaclyn answered. "We lived in an apartment right on the lake."

"And you moved here?" Eli cried. "From Chicago to Sherpia? Why?"

"Good question." Jaclyn muttered, rolling her eyes. "I live with my aunt, and she decided to move here. So..."

Jaclyn was unable to keep the sadness from her voice. They talked for the next few moments, with Jaclyn learning that Rolonda and Eli lived in Sherpia their entire lives.

"It isn't so bad. You get used to not seeing many people." Rolonda said.

"And it's nice if you like snow. Lots and lots of snow." Eli added, causing everyone to laugh.

"Alright. See you guys later." Jaclyn said before walking up the road.

"You're not going to the top-are you?" Eli called, sounding frightened.

"No." Jaclyn called back while pulling her hood tight. "It's getting kind of windy. I'll just go a little farther."

As Jaclyn headed continued forward, the road curved higher. Soon she crunched her way past a wide, woodsy lot filled with pine trees nearly as thin as pencils. Looking around, Jaclyn noticed that the trees were tilted at all angles, with none of them standing up straight. She then saw animal tracks not too far from her.

'Racoon or squirrel? No, too big. Deer tracks? I can't tell.' Jaclyn wondered as she examined the tracks. Standing, Jaclyn raised her eyes and cried out in surprise when she saw another sneering snowman staring back at her with its twisted carrot nose and coal-black eyes. Its red scarf fluttered in the strong wind. Jaclyn stared at the long scar cut deep on its face as its twig arms waved in the wind as if greeting her.

"Why do they build these creepy snowmen?" Turning around, Jaclyn saw another snowman in the front yard across the street. Same tree-branch arms. Same red scarf and the same scar.

'It must be some kind of village decoration.' Jaclyn thought. 'But why didn't Rolonda and Eli want to tell me about it?'

Heavy gray clouds rolled over the sun. The snowman's shadow appeared to stretch until it swept over me. Suddenly, Jaclyn felt a sudden chill going down her back, causing her to step back. Looking at the sky, she saw that it was quickly turning evening dark. Turning back to the mountain top, Jaclyn saw clumps of pine trees hide the top from view.

'Should I head back or keep going?' She wondered. Jaclyn then remembered the fear on Eli's face and Rolonada's cry when she said she was climbing to the top. But that only made her more curious.

'What were they afraid of? What was up there?'

Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Jaclyn decided to keep going to the mountain top. She soon saw a can in the next driveway buried under a thick sheet of snow. It looked as if it hadn't been driven all winter. Following the road, as it curved away from the houses, Jaclyn noticed that the snow had become deeper and softer. Her boots deeply sank as she walked. She felt as if she was walking on another unexplored planet.

The road became steeper after a few seconds, with large white rocks jutting out from the snow. Clumps of slender pine trees still tilted in every direction. Jaclyn realized there were no houses up this high, with only trees and snow-covered shrubs in sight. Jaclyn rubbed her cheeks and nose to warm them as the road curved again while the wind whistled. Leaning into the wind, she continued trekking forward. Soon Jaclyn stopped when a small log cabin came into view. Although, she had to shield her eyes with a gloved hand to see it.

'A cabin way up here?' Jaclyn thought, shocked. 'Why would anyone want to live this high up, away from everyone?'

The cabin stood in a square, cleared-out area, surrounded by scraggly, tilting pine trees. Jaclyn saw no car, sled, or boot prints in the snow. Creeping closer to the cabin, she saw that the windows were steamed over. Jaclyn couldn't tell if the lights were on or not. But as she made her way closer, she felt her heart pounding. Leaning her arms on a windowsill, Jaclyn pressed her not against the glass but couldn't see inside.

"Anyone home?" She called. But all she got was silence. The only sound was the wind whistling around the corner of the cabin. Knocking on the door, Jaclyn tried again but got no reply. "Weird."

Jaclyn tried to open the door but failed. She then decided to push gently. Something told her she shouldn't have, but she did so anyway. The door slid open with a rush of warm air hitting her.

"Anyone home?" Peeking beyond the door, Jaclyn noticed that it was pitch-black inside. "Hello?"

Stepping inside, Jaclyn decided to take a quick look. She noticed that snow had been so bright outside that she had to take a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dim light. But before she could focus, a large white blur leaped onto her while growling. Its hot breath was on her face as it snarled.

Real World

"That's what she gets for trespassing." Weiss said.

"Who would someone choose to live in such a remote area of an already remote area?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah. I can't imagine living in such a lonely place." Yang agreed.

"Well, some people prefer the solitude." Blake answered.

"And others want to do something in peace or just be left alone." Velvet added. "Or they could be a hermit."

"What's a hermit?" Nora asked, curious. Ice cream and pancakes remain covering her face.

"Someone who lives alone due to religious reasons." I answered. "Anyway, back to the story. As the creature continued to snarl at Jaclyn, a voice suddenly ordered it to cease. The creature moved away with the voice saying down Wolfbane."

Story

Gasping for breath, Jaclyn wiped the hot saliva off her face. Then, she realized she was staring at a white-furred wolf. The wolf was breathing hard with its jaws open, tongue snaking down nearly to the cabin floor. Its head lowered as if preparing to attack again with its round, dark brown eyes locked on her suspiciously.

"Down, Wolfbane. It's okay, boy." The voice ordered. Jaclyn rolled away from the panting creature and climbed to her knees. Two hands reached down, grabbed her hands, and tugged Jaclyn to her feet. Looking up, Jaclyn noticed that the person was a man with round, silver-gray eyes. He was tall, thin, and dressed in denim. "Are you okay?"

"Is that... really a wolf? "Jaclyn asked, sweat rolling down her forehead. The man nodded, his expression stern, his eerie eyes not moving or blinking.

"He won't hurt you. Wolfbane is well trained." The man assured.

"But he-"

"You startled us." The man explained, still not blinking nor not looking away. He then motioned to the doorway in the back wall. "We were in the back room."

"Sorry." Jaclyn murmured. "I didn't know anyone was in here. I thought-"

"Who are you? "The man angrily demanded as his silvery eyes narrowed at her. And behind the bushy white beard, his slender face reddened."

"I didn't mean to."

"Who are you?"

"I was taking a walk." Jaclyn struggled to explain as her heart was pounding, and her mouth wasn't so dry. The white wolf uttered a low as it stood tensely, head lowered, eyes locked on her, almost as if waiting for a command to attack.

"Why did you break into my house?" The man demanded, taking a step toward Jaclyn. She realized at that moment that he was dangerous, but something was off about him.

"I didn't break in. I just-"

"You broke into my house. Don't you realize how dangerous that is? Wolfbane is trained to attack strangers."

"S-sorry!"

The man took another step toward Jaclyn. He still hadn't blinked those weird, round eyes. Jaclyn's chest tightened in fright.

'What did he plan to do?' Jaclyn wondered but did not want to find out. Taking a deep breath, she spun around and attempted to run out the door. Behind her, the door slammed hard against the cabin. Glancing back, Jaclyn saw the man burst through the cabin and run after her.

"Where are you going?" He cried. "Hey-stop! Where are you going?"

"Up to the top!" Jaclyn shouted while pointing to the mountain top.

"No, you're not!" He furiously shouted back. "You will not go up there!"

'He's crazy.' Jaclyn realized. He has no right to shout at her like that! She can go anywhere she wants! He's crazy. It had started to snow with large wet flakes, blowing hard in swirls of wind. Jaclyn brushed off a snowflake from her forehead before running to the road. But to her horror, the bearded man continued to chase after her, half-walking, half-running over the deep snow.

"Beware, the snowman!" He warned.

"Huh?" Jaclyn turned back to face him. "What did you say?"

The old rhyme flew through Jaclyn's mind for the second time that day …

When the snows blow wild, And the day grows old. Beware, the snowman, my child. Beware, the snowman. He brings the cold.

'I don't believe this!' Jaclyn thought. She hadn't thought about that rhyme since she was five. And now it has run through her mind twice in one day!

We stood staring at each other from opposite sides of the road. Jaclyn saw the man shiver and noticed he wore only a denim work shit. Big Snowflakes clung to his hair and shoulders.

"What did you say?" Jaclyn asked.

"The snowman lives in the ice cave." He shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to be heard over the wind.

"Huh? A snowman?" Jaclyn asked. 'He's really nuts! Why am I standing here listening to him? The man lives in a cabin on a mountaintop all by himself except for a white wolf! And now he's yelling insane things about a snowman!'

"Beware, the snowman!" He repeated. "You cannot go up to the top! You cannot!"

"Why not?" Jaclyn demanded, her voice coming out higher and shriller than intended.

"You do not want to meet the snowman!" The man answered. The big snowflakes covered his beard with his silvery eyes glowing eerily. "If you meet the snowman. You will never return!"

'He's totally nuts. That's why he lives all alone up here.' Jaclyn realized. Knowing she had stayed too long, Jaclyn spun around and ran away, slipping and sliding through the deep snow. Cold snowflakes hit her face with her heart pounding. She was panting as she ran down the curving mountain road. But after a few seconds, she heard something breathing hard. 'Was that me breathing so hard? Were those my thudding footsteps?'

Glancing back, Jaclyn saw the white wolf chasing her, which was gaining fast. Its teeth bared and head lowered to attack.

"Noooo!" Jaclyn wailed. The big snowflakes stung her eyes as she ran. She soon began to stumble as the ground tilted. It felt as if she was trapped in one of those glass balls that snow inside when you shake them. After a few seconds, Jaclyn tumbled downhill, with the whole mountainside appearing to quiver and shake.

'The road! Where was the road?' Jaclyn wondered as she lost it while tumbling in the snow. But that did not stop her. She got up and kept running with the steady thud of the wolf's heavy paws in her ears. Glancing back, Jaclyn saw it gaining on her, moving rhythmically, easily over the snowdrifts. Its teeth bared, and puffs of steam rose from its open mouth. But because she looked back, she didn't see the smooth rocks jutting up along the side of the road.

"Ohhhh!" Jaclyn screamed in pain as she landed hard on her stomach in the deep snow. She gasped for breath as the fall knocked the wind out of her.

Scrambling to her knees, Jaclyn watched helplessly as the white wolf closed approached her. But to her surprise, it stopped a few feet away. It lowered its head and stared, breathing hard. Beneath the thick, white fur, its chest heaved up and down. Snowflakes melted on its tongue. Staring at it in fear, Jaclyn pushed herself to her feet, brushed her hair back, and brushed snow off the front of her parka.

"Go home, boy." Jaclyn whispered, worried it might attack her. Her voice barely carried over the wind and snow. "Go home."

She started to back but was too afraid to take her eyes off it. One step and then another. The wolf watched her but didn't move. Jaclyn's boots soon crunched onto the road, filling her with relief as she found the road again.

'Yes! I had found the road!' She thought as she backed up. The wolf stood taller, lowered its tail, and tensed its back. Its brown eyes followed her. But when Jaclyn saw its eyes, she realized they appeared vaguely human. She then began to wonder what it was thinking and why it chased after her. Was it just making sure that she went down the mountain? Did the strange man send it to keep her from heading to the mountaintop? Taking another step back and then another, Jaclyn saw that the wolf remained in place and did not move. Soon, she was out of the creature's sight.

"Whew!" Jaclyn uttered a sigh of relief. She then turned around and continued walking toward the village and her new home. But she glanced back every few seconds to ensure the wolf did not follow her.

The snow had started to come down hard now. Jaclyn pulled her parka over her hair and held it with both her hands as she began to trot along the road. She wondered if Aunt Greta would be worried about her as she had been gone a lot longer than she had planned. Looking toward the sky, she noticed it had become nearly black as night. Soon she started to pass houses on both sides of the road. She could even make out the light in some of them. One even had a blazing fire going in a fireplace. Black smoke curled up from the chimney. Jaclyn passed one of the strange, scar-faced snowmen and saw its tree limbs trembling in the wind. It almost appeared as if it was waving at her. Feeling the anxiety in her growing, Jaclyn broke into a run. But each time she rounded a curve, she came face to face with another snowman.

'I hate this village!' She thought. 'It's too weird. Too weird! I'm never going to be happy here. Never! Why did Aunt Greta bring us here?'

A thudding sound behind her snapped Jaclyn from her unhappy thoughts. She then realized someone was following her. For a moment, she wondered if it was the wolf but dismissed it as it sounded different. They sounded almost like human footsteps. Jaclyn then realized that the crazy breaded man had followed her.

"Ohhh!" Jaclyn said, scared. Taking a deep breath, she spun around to face him. However, to her surprise, it was Rolanda, not the crazy man or his dog. And as Jaclyn stared at Rolanda, she realized that Rolanda had jogged across the road to her with snowflakes dotting her black hair.

"Jaclyn. Hi! You ran right past our house." She said, panting while pointing to her yard. Jaclyn glanced over Rolanda's shoulder and saw her brother, Eli, waving to her from their driveway. "Didn't you see us?"

"No. I... uh... the snow was falling so hard, and..."

"Are you okay? " Rolonda asked.

"Well ... " Jaclyn hesitated, unsure of what to say. "A white wolf and a crazy man chased me. He has a cabin near the top. "

"You ran into Conrad?" Rolonda said, shocked.

"Huh? Conrad?" Jaclyn asked, confused as the wind blew her hood off. "Is that his name?"

"Yes. He has a cabin that he built himself. And he keeps a white wolf named Wolfbane. I meant to warn you before, Jaclyn - "

"Warn me?"

"Yeah, to stay away from him. He and that animal he keeps - they're both really strange. "

"Tell me about it!" Jaclyn groaned while rolling her eyes. "Is that why you and Eli never go up to the mountaintop "

"Well ... it's one of the reasons." Rolanda answered, lowering her eyes.

Jaclyn waited for Roland to continue, but she didn't. She continued to stare at the snow while kicking a few clumps of it around. Eli stood behind Rolanda, watching them with his hands in his coat pockets.

"Well, why does Conrad live up there so far away from everyone?"

"No one knows for sure." Rolanda said after a moment of hesitation. "He — maybe he works for the snowman. I mean..."

"Excuse me?" Jaclyn cried, unsure if she heard Rolanda correctly. "What did you say, Rolonda? He works for the snowman. What do you mean? What does that mean?"

But Rolanda didn't answered. She instead glanced back to her brother as if worried about something.

"Come on, Rolonda. What do you mean? What do you mean he works for the snowman?" Jaclyn insisted.

"I've got to go inside. It's almost dinner time." Rolanda said after brushing the snowflakes from her hair and taking a step back.

"But first, you have to explain." Jaclyn demanded, following Rolanda.

"I can't." Rolanda whispered. "Because of Eli. He's too frightened."

"But, Rolonda- " Jaclyn began, noticing Eli watching them from the driveway.

"Go home." Rolonda snapped. "Just go home, Jaclyn."

"Not until you tell me what you meant."

"Okay. Okay." Rolanda whispered, glancing toward Eli. "Meet me tomorrow night, okay? Meet me tomorrow night at the church - and I'll tell you everything."

Real World

"Wow. Talk about being stubborn." Yang said.

"Yeah." Ruby agreed.

"And it seems like she might blow her only chance at making friends with the only two kids in Sherpia." Velvet said.

"Speaking of which, I wonder why the hermit is living in the mountains and how everyone knows that rhyme." Nora said.

"Hopefully, Jaclyn knows the old proverb about wanting to know too much, and some things are better left unknown." Blake said.

"So what happens next, Jaune?" Weiss asked.

"After Rolanda agreed to tell Jaclyn everything, Jaclyn ran back to her house. But instead of gently opening the door, she burst into her home, causing her aunt Greta to spin around quickly." I resumed.

Story

"Is it snowing? " Greta asked.

"The biggest flakes I ever saw." Jaclyn answered while nodding furiously, snowflakes falling from her hair.

"I've been so busy in here; I didn't even look out the window." Aunt Greta said, upset. Jaclyn took off her coat and was about to hang it up but saw there were no hangers in the closet yet. So she tossed her parka on top of a stack of cartons. Jaclyn then walked into the kitchen while rubbing the sleeves of her sweater.

"Aunt Greta, do you know anything about a snowman? " Jaclyn asked, causing Greta to let out a gasp. But when she turned around, Jaclyn noticed that Greta's face was blank.

"Snowman?"

"Do you know anything about a snowman on top of the mountain?"

"No. No, I don't, Jaclyn. " Greta's voice trembled as she bit her lip.

'Why did she look so tense?' Jaclyn wondered as Greta bent down to pull more mugs from the carton. Jaclyn then moved across the room to help Greta unpack the mugs.

"Someone told me I shouldn't go to the top of the mountain because of a snowman. A snowman who lives up there." But Greta didn't say anything in response. All she did was hand Jaclyn two mugs for her to store, which she did. "This man told me that if I met the snowman up there, I would never return."

"Village supersttion." Greta muttered after letting out a short, dry laugh. However, Jaclyn was unconvinced as she squinted at her aunt.

"Really?"

"Of course. These tiny villages all have their scary stories. Someone was just having fun, giving you a little scare."

"Fun? I don't think so." Jaclyn said in disbelief. That weird, white-bearded guy, Conrad, had screamed at Jaclyn that she shouldn't go up to the mountaintop. Jaclyn knew he wasn't joking and that he was dead serious. It was almost as if he was threatening her to stay away. "Aunt Greta, do you remember a rhyme about a snowman?"

"Rhyme?" She asked, stretching while pushing her hands against her back.

"I remembered a rhyme today. From when I was little. It just popped into my head."

"I don't think I remember any rhyme." She said, chewing her lip while avoiding Jaclyn's eyes.

"I only remember the first verse." Jaclyn said before reciting the rhyme.

When the snows blow wild

And the day grows old,

Beware, the snowman, my child.

Beware, the snowman. He brings the cold.

When Jaclyn finished, she looked up to find the strangest expression on Aunt Greta's face. Her eyes were watery, her chin trembled, and her cheeks were paler than usual.

"Aunt Greta, are you okay?" Jaclyn asked, worried. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Greta replied sharply, turning to look away from her niece. She began nervously fiddling with her long, white braid. "Nothing at all, Jaclyn. But I don't remember that rhyme. I don't think I've ever heard it before. "

"Are you sure?" I asked timidly.

"Of course, I'm sure." Greta snapped. "Now, come on. Help me finish up here so I can begin dinner."

'What is wrong?' Jaclyn wondered. 'Why is she suddenly angry at me? And why do I have the feeling that she isn't telling the truth? Aunt Greta has never lied to me before. Why is she acting so strange now?'

Real World

"Wait. How old is Jaclyn, Jaune?" Yang asked.

"She's twelve." I answered.

"Oh, okay. I was about to say how she didn't see that her aunt was clearly lying."

"Yeah. But since she is twelve, we can let that go as it's understandable." Weiss said.

'Try telling that to the rest of my hometown. You would be laughed at for thinking you can spot these things easily, like the Cuckoo Clock of Doom or that Magic Mirror.' I thought, slightly annoyed. "After finishing helping her aunt with unpacking their belongings, Jaclyn went to her room to try and sleep. But she couldn't. For some reason, her bed felt hard, and the low ceiling was sinking, dropping down to her."

Story

As Jaclyn shuddered underneath her blankets, the snow clouds drifted away, the half moon appeared low in the sky, and the moonlight flowed into her room, casting shadows all over. It was all so new and strange to her that she wondered if she would ever be able to sleep in the attic. Jaclyn closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep by thinking of nice, soothing thoughts. Soon, her thoughts turned to her friends in Chicago, calling up their faces. She wondered what they were doing while she had a frightening adventure on the mountain.

'I wondered if they missed me.' Jaclyn thought, feeling sleepy. But before it could take her, the sounds of something howling woke Jaclyn up. 'Wolf howls?'

Climbing out of her bed, Jaclyn went over to the window. Down below, the moonlight made the snow sparkle almost as brightly as during the day. The bushes trembled in the soft breeze while the wind carried another frightening howl. Jaclyn looked toward the mountain but could only see the dark and silent houses along the silvery road that curved its way to the top.

Jaclyn's whole body tingled. She knew she couldn't fall asleep. It was chilly in her room, and the air felt heavy and damp. Seeing as she wouldn't get any sleep, Jaclyn decided to take a walk, hoping it would help her relax. Grabbing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, she put them on before creeping downstairs, trying not to wake up her aunt. She quickly found her parks and boots and put them on as well. Stepping out into the night, Jaclyn silently closed the front door while her eyes swept over the glittering snow of the small front yard. Jaclyn then made her way to the road, her breath streaming up in whisps of fog.

"Wow!" Jaclyn murmured, surprised at how good the cold, fresh air felt against her face. The wind had stopped with the whole world seemingly gone still and silent. Jaclyn then realized there were no cars, no buses, no horns honking, and no people laughing or shouting on the street.

"I'm all alone out here. The whole world is mine." Jaclyn whispered, enjoying the sensations. However, a long, frightening howl brought her out of her crazy thoughts. Jaclyn shivered while raising her eyes to the mountain top and wondered, 'was the white wolf howling up there? Did it howl like that every night? Why did it sound so human?'

Taking a deep breath of the cold air, Jaclyn held it in and began walking along the road. Her boots crunched on the hard, crusty snow. She kept walking, passing a few houses, and only stopped when a shadow slid over her path.

Jaclyn gasped, initially thinking someone was following her. But then she realized she was staring at a long shadow of a snowman. The shadow tilted over the road. The tree branch arms, one raised, one out to the side, appeared long and menacing. Shaking her head, Jaclyn stepped over the shadow and crossed the street. But another shadow fell over her.

Like the previous time, this shadow belonged to another snowman, an identical snowman. The shadows of the strange snowmen fell over each other. Jaclyn suddenly felt as if she was walking in a black-and-white world of shadowy heads, fluttering scarves, and sticklike arms-all saluting, all waving.

'Why were there so many of them? Why did the people in this village build them all alike?' Jaclyn wondered. But another howl made her raise her eyes from the crisscrossing shadows over the snow. This time the howl sounded closer, but it also sounded human, causing a chill to go down Jaclyn's spine. Her heart now pumping, Jaclyn turned around. 'Time to head home.'

Real World

"Hey, Weiss?" Ruby said, snapping me from the book.

"Yes?" She asked.

"How many animals howl?"

"That would depend."

"On what?"

"If you're talking about howling in general, then too many to count. But if you're talking about at night, then only a couple. Most are canines, with some felines and primates. Why?"

"I was just wondering if Jaclyn was hearing an animal howling."

"Whose to say it's even an animal? Or even something 'normal?'" I interjected, remembering the scarecrows and haunted mask. "Anyway. Back to the story. The howl had really frightened Jaclyn. She started walking as fast as possible, swinging her arms as she walked while leaning into the gusting wind."

Story

After a few minutes, Jaclyn stopped when she noticed the scar-faced snowman in the driveway up ahead. She gasped when it nodded its head toward her.

"Noooo!" A low cry escaped Jaclyn's lips.

It nodded. The snowman nodded! Then its head rolled to the ground and cracked apart with a soft thud. But a moment later, Jaclyn realized it was only the wind causing the snowman's head to nod and fall off the body.

'What am I doing out here? It's late, and it's cold. And it's weird.' Jaclyn thought as some kind of creature was howling its head off nearby. She then turned to the headless snowman. Its head was a shattered clump of white on the floor, while the scarf remained on top of the body, fluttering in the cold gusts of wind. Feeling another shiver go through her, Jaclyn turned and ran home. She ran through the blue-black shadows of snowmen as her boots crunched over the shadows of their waving arms and scarred heads. There was a snowman in each yard, lining the street like night watchmen.

'This walk was a crazy idea.' Jaclyn thought, feeling her chest tighten. She wished to be home, back in the safety of her new home. A snowman waved its three-fingered limb at her and sneered its coal-dark sneer as she ran past them. As Jaclyn scrambled for home, the rhyme forced its way back into her mind...

When the snows blow wild

And the day grows old,

Beware, the snowman, my child.

Beware, the snowman. He brings the cold.

Jaclyn's house soon came into view down the road. She sucked in a deep breath and ran harder. The old rhyme had been haunting me ever since I arrived in the village. The old rhyme had followed Jaclyn from her childhood, following her to her new home.

'Why did I suddenly remember it today? What was it trying to tell me? Why had the cold words returned after being forgotten for so many years?' Jaclyn wondered. She had to find the rest of it. She needed to find the second verse of the poem. An eerie howl, rising like an ambulance siren, sounded so close to Jaclyn, causing her to spin around. She searched the road and the frozen yards but didn't see anyone. No wolf or human in sight. Another howl sounded even closer.

'Was someone following me?' Jaclyn wondered. She held her hands over her ears to keep out the frightening sounds, and she flew over the snow, flew the rest of the way home. Soon, she reached the narrow front door as another long howl sent a chill down my body.

'Closer. It's so close.' Jaclyn realized. Someone was following her. Grabbing the doorknob, she twisted and made a horrifying discovery.

She had locked herself out.

Real World

"And this is another reason why you should always keep your keys and scroll on you. So if you accidentally lock yourself out, you're not stuck outside." Weiss said.

"I don't recall you ever locking yourself out of the dorm." Blake said.

"Oh. I wasn't talking about myself."

"Who then?" Ruby asked.

"Winter. My sister. She locked herself out of the house or wherever we are staying many times."

"Anyway. As Jaclyn wondered how she was going to get inside her house, she heard another frightening howl. This time it was so close. It seemed like it was coming from the side of her home. Her whole body trembled, panic tightening around her throat. She stumbled back from the front door."

Story

But as Jaclyn moved back, she noticed the front window - the only window on this side of the house was open a crack. Snow streaked the windowpanes and clumped on the narrow sill. Jaclyn stared at the tiny opening at the window bottom, took a deep breath, and hurtled herself to the window. Grabbing the frame, Jaclyn uttered a groan and pushed it open with all her might. And to her surprise, it slid up easily.

Jaclyn pushed the window all the way up, grabbed the sill with both hands, and hoisted herself up as another howl rang through the night air.

'So close. So close and frightening.' Jaclyn thought as she tumbled headfirst into the house and landed hard on her hands and knees on the wooden floor. With a gasp, she scrambled to her feet, grabbed the window, and closed it.

Afterward, Jaclyn stood there, leaning against the wall, waiting to catch her breath. But she wondered if she had awakened Greta. No. The house stood dark and silent. The only sound she could hear was her rapid, shallow breathing. Another howl, distant this time. But Jaclyn was more focused on something else. Was it only her imagination that she was being followed? Were the terrifying howls rolling down from the mountaintop carried by the wind?

Still breathing hard, Jaclyn stepped away from the front wall and slowly made her way through the darkness to the little backroom, where they had poled all of the packing cartons. Her books were still in one of the cartons. Jaclyn was sure she had packed the old poetry book her Mom used to read to her.

As the white moonlight flooded in from the window, Jaclyn found the book carton on top of a stack and pulled it to the floor. Her hands were trembling as she struggled to pull off the heavy packing tape and open the box.

'I have to find that poem. I have to read the second verse of that rhyme.' She told herself.

Jaclyn tugged open the carton and began pulling out books. She had packed a bunch of paperbacks on the top. Underneath them, she found some textbooks and anthologies she had used at school. But as she pulled them out and stacked them carefully on the floor, she heard a cough followed by a footstep.

'Someone else is in here!' Jaclyn realized. "Aunt Greta? Is that you?"

But the voice that replied wasn't Aunt Greta's.

"What are you doing?" A strange voice demanded in a raspy whisper as the lights flashed on. Jaclyn blinked before swallowing hard when she stared up at aunt Greta.

"You frightened me, Jaclyn!" She croaked as Jaclyn jumped to her feet, waiting for her heart to stop pounding.

"You frightened me, too!" Jaclyn replied. "What happened to your voice?"

"I've lost it. Horrible sore throat. It must be the cold. I'm not used to the cold of this village yet." She rasped, rubbing her pale throat. Her straight, white hair hung loose behind her. She tugged it off the collar of her flannel nightshirt, brushing out tangles with one hand. "What are you doing, Jaclyn? Why are you down here in the middle of the night?"

"That old poem. I want to find it. I can't remember the second verse. I -"

"We'll unpack the books tomorrow." Greta yawned, suddenly appearing so thin and frail. "I'm so tired. And my throat hurts so badly. Let's try to get some sleep."

"I'm sorry." Jaclyn said, following Greta from the room. "I didn't mean to wake you up. I couldn't sleep, so ... "

"YOU WENT OUT!" Greta cried, spinning to face Jaclyn after she spotted the parka on the floor. Jaclyn could see the alarm and fear on Greta's face.

"Well ... yes. I thought maybe a short walk ... "

"You shouldn't go out in the middle of the night." Greta scolded before rubbing her sore throat as her eyes narrowed on Jaclyn.

"Sorry. What's the big deal, anyway? What's so terrible about going out at night ?" Greta hesitated, chewing her lower lip the way she always does when she's thinking hard.

"It's just dangerous. That's all." She whispered. "What if you fell in the snow or something? What if you broke your leg? There is no one outside to help you."

"I'd roll home!" Jaclyn joked but stopped when Greta didn't join.

Real World

"Of course, it's not a joke. The Grimm could have gotten her." Ruby said, momentarily forgetting it was a story.

"Are there Grimm in the story, Jaune?" Nora asked.

"No. But Ruby is technically right in a sense. Other wild animals could have attacked her, and there would be no one around to help her." I answered, mentally stopping myself from remembering some not-so-pleasant memories of the Barking Ghost; my sisters encountered a while ago. "Anyway. After seeing her aunt's somber expression, Jaclyn wondered what Greta was keeping a secret. Did it have to do with the howls, or possibly, did she know the truth behind the mountain and Conrad? Perhaps it was the village superstition about the snowmen."

Story

'What's bothering you, Greta?' Jaclyn wondered with a yawn. But she was too sleepy to think about it anymore. Jaclyn put her arm around Greta's slender shoulders and walked her across the hall to her room. "Sorry I woke you. Good night."

Jaclyn then went to the ladder and climbed into her room. Yawning, she pulled off her jeans and sweatshirt and tossed them on the floor. She then jumped into bed and pulled the quilt up to her chin. Thankfully, there were no howls outside, or any sounds at all, for that matter. Shutting her eyes, Jaclyn snuggled into her soft pillow with her new bed still feeling hard. But she was too tired to care. Yet before she could drift off to sleep, whispered words floated into the room.

"Beware, the snowman, Jaclyn... Beware, the snowman..."

"Huh? Who's there?" Jaclyn choked out as she sat straight up. She stared across the room at the window, the unfamiliar shapes of her furniture appearing silvery, ghostlike in the white moonlight.

"Beware, the snowman... Jaclyn, Beware the snowman."

Who are you? How do you know my name?" Jaclyn cried. Sitting up in the strange bed, she grabbed the quilt's end, gripped it tightly in both hands, and squeezed it. And she listened, but there was only silence now. Jaclyn asked again in a tiny and shrill voice. "Who are you? Who are you?"

Silence ...

Jaclyn didn't know how long she sat there, waiting for a reply, but after a while, she somehow drifted off to sleep. The following day, Jaclyn told Aunt Greta about the whispered warning. Greta took a sip of her coffee before reaching across the table, squeezing Jaclyn's hand, and replying.

"I had bad dreams, too, last night." She said, still whispering because of her sore throat.

"Dream? Do you think it was a dream?" Jaclyn asked. Greta nodded and took another long sip of her coffee.

"Of course."

Afterward, Jaclyn spent the entire day helping her aunt unpack the cartons and arrange their new house. She searched every carton for the poetry book but couldn't find it. Jaclyn didn't realize how much stuff they had brought from their apartment in Chicago. Their new home was so small that it was a real struggle to find a place for everything.

As they worked, Jaclyn found herself thinking about Rolonda. She had promised to let her in at the little village church after dinner. Rolanda said she would tell her the truth about the snowman tonight. The truth... Jaclyn pictured Rolanda's brother Eli's frightened expression as he stood in the snowy driveway, watching them. And she remembered how scared they became when she told them she was walking to the mountaintop.

So much fear here in this village. Was it all because of silly superstitions?

After Jaclyn washed and dried the dinner dishes, she pulled on her parka and boots and prepared to meet Rolonda. She told Greta the truth. She was meeting a village girl her age that she met during her walk.

"It's snowing really hard." Greta whispered. "Don't stay out late, Jaclyn."

Jaclyn promised her aunt that she'd be home before nine. She then pulled up her hood, tugged on her gloves, and stepped outside.

'Does it snow here every day?' Jaclyn wondered, shaking her head. She might have always liked snow, but this was too much.

The snow came down hard, in sheets driven by a strong wind. Jaclyn lowered her head and trudged down the road toward the church. Snowflakes blew into her face and stung her eyes, making it difficult for her to see.

'What a blizzard! I wondered if Rolonda would show up.' Jaclyn wondered. The little stone church wasn't far from Jaclyn's house and was across from the post office. However, the piling snow made it appear miles away. Keeping her head down, Jaclyn stepped into a deep drift. The cold snow seeped into her boot and soaked her socks. She let out a shuddering groan at this. "Ohhh. I'm going to freeze!"

There was no one around to hear her cries. There was nothing. After a bit, Jaclyn passed a brightly lit house, but she couldn't see anyone inside. The snow blew against her face and coat as if trying to push her back. It was almost as if it was trying to make her turn around.

"This is crazy. Crazy. No way Rolonda will meet me tonight." Jaclyn murmured. Squinting into the gray evening light, she saw the church's steeple, white against the falling snow. "I hope it's open."

Ducking her head, Jaclyn ran across the road - and thudded into something hard and icy. Evil black eyes glared into hers, causing Jaclyn to scream.

"Jaclyn. What's wrong?" A voice asked after hands jerked Jaclyn away. Her scream caught in her throat as she stumbled back, her boots slipping in the slick, wet snow. Turning around, Jaclyn saw Rolanda tugging on her coat sleeve. "I saw you run right into that snowman. "But why did you scream?"

"I - I-I - I just freaked." Jaclyn sputtered as she squinted at the snowman's dark eyes and the scar on its face. She then scolded herself for acting so stupid. 'Now Rolonda must think I'm a real jerk. What is wrong with me, anyway? Screaming because I bumped into a snowman!' "Why did someone build a snowman like that in front of the church?"

"Are you okay?" She asked, her dark eyes peering into Jaclyn's eyes.

"Yeah. Fine. Let's get out of this snow." Jaclyn took one last glance at the sneering snowman before following Rolonda to a wooden door and stamped the snow off our boots on a straw mat on the side of the small church.

"Does it ever stop snowing here? " Jaclyn grumbled, pulling back her hood and unzipping her parka.

"Sure. It stopped once for ten minutes. We all took a summer vacation!" Rolonda joked as she took out her long, black hair.

Glancing around, Jaclyn noticed they were in some kind of waiting room that had a wooden bench on the back wall. Two lights shaped like old-fashioned gas lamps hung on the wall beside the bench, giving off a soft glow. They dropped their coats to the side and sat down. Jaclyn rubbed her hands, trying to warm them as her cheeks burned.

"It's nice and warm in here." Rolonda said, keeping her voice low. " The pastor keeps the heat up really high. He doesn't like to be cold."

" Who does?" Jaclyn murmured, rubbing her ears, trying to return some feeling to them.

" It's a nice, quiet place to talk. Especially about things that are ... kind of scary. "

"Scary? " Jaclyn asked, curious. Rolanda glanced around the small, white-walled room. For some reason, she suddenly seemed tense and uncomfortable. "Did your aunt tell you anything about the village? Anything about the history of the village?"

"No." Jaclyn said, leaning closer to Rolanda as she was whispering so softly. She wondered why Rolanda was so nervous since they were the only ones in the entire church. "Not a thing. I really don't think Aunt Greta knows much about this village at all ."

"Then why did you move here?" Rolonda demanded.

"Beats me. Aunt Greta never explained. She said it was time for us to leave Chicago." Jaclyn answered, shrugging. Rolonda leaned forward tensely and brought her face close to Jaclyn's face.

"I'll tell you the story." She whispered. "The history of this village is very strange. People don't talk about it much."

"Why not?"

"Because it's so frightening. My brother, Eli, is terrified all the time. That's why I met you here at the church. He doesn't like for me to talk about any of this. He doesn't like for me to talk about the snowman."

"Snowman? " Jaclyn asked, curious. "What about the snowman?"

Rolanda shifted her weight, with the wooden bench groaning in protest. She took a deep breath before beginning.

"Years ago, two sorcerers lived in this village. One was a man, and the other was a woman. Everyone knew they were sorcerers but left them alone.

"Were they evil sorcerers?" Jaclyn interrupted with Rolonda shaking her head.

"No. I don't think they were evil. At least, I don't think they were." She said before glancing around the room. Jaclyn leaned back against the bench, waiting impatiently for Rolanda to continue.

"One day, the two sorcerers were fooling around, having fun. They cast a spell on a snowman. And the snowman came to life."

"Really?" Jaclyn asked, shocked.

"Please, don't interrupt, Jaclyn. Please let me tell the whole story first." Rolanda said, narrowing her eyes at Jaclyn.

"Sorry." Rolanda leaned closer to Jaclyn before continuing in a whisper.

"The sorcerers used their magic to bring the snowman to life. But then they lost control of it. The snowman was powerful, and it was evil. The sorcerers had given it life. But they didn't know what they were doing. And they didn't know that the snowman would try to destroy the village and everyone in it. The sorcerers tried to use magic to put the snowman back to sleep, but they weren't powerful enough. The villagers all gathered together and somehow managed to force the snowman up to the top of the mountain. There is a big cave at the very top of the mountain. The cave is cut in ice, and everyone calls it the ice cave. The villagers chased the evil snowman there. Then most people moved away from the village as no one wanted to remain in place with an evil snowman. The two sorcerers probably left, too. No one really knows what happened to them. And that's when Conrad comes into the story."

"Conrad? The weird guy with the white beard?" Jaclyn asked with Rolonda nodding.

"After the evil snowman was chased into the ice cave, Conrad moved up there. He built a cabin just beneath the ice cave. No one knew why."

"Is Conrad trying to protect the town? Does he work for the snowman? Does he help the snowman? Or does he think living so close to the evil snowman will keep him safe?" Jaclyn asked.

"No one knows. Conrad very seldom comes down from the mountaintop. And when he does come into the village, he doesn't talk to anyone. No one knows for sure who he is or why he stays up there. No one has anything to do with Conrad. We don't know if he's crazy or evil." Rolonda sighed. Once again, her eyes darted around the room. She seemed so nervous, as if she didn't want anyone else to know that she was telling me about the village's history. "Some nights, we can hear the snowman up there on top of the mountain. Some nights we can hear him roaring and bellowing with rage. Some nights, we can hear him howling, howling like a wolf. We've all built snowmen that look like him. Everyone in the village builds them."

"So that's why I see those weird snowmen everywhere!" Jaclyn shouted. Rolonda raised a finger to her lips before motioning for Jaclyn to sit back down.

" Why do you build the snowmen?" Jaclyn asked as she sat back down. "Why is there one in just about every single yard?"

"To honor him." Rolonda answered.

"Huh? Honor him?" Jaclyn asked, shocked and confused.

"You know what I mean. People hope that if the evil snowman comes down from the ice cave, he'll see the little snowmen that look like him. It will make him happy and keep him from doing any harm." Rolonda said sharply before squeezing Jaclyn's hand. Rolonda's dark eyes burned into Jaclyn's eyes. "Now, do you understand? Now, do you understand why we're all so afraid?"

Jaclyn stared at Rolonda for a moment before laughing.

Real World

"Wow. Talk about a dick move." Velvet said, surprising everyone as we had never heard her say something like that before.

"Uh. Yeah." Yang said, still shocked but snapped out of it a second later. "Rolonda just told Jaclyn the village's history when she was clearly scared beyond belief."

"She could have just stayed home or done anything else. Something she loved to do. But she chose to tell her, but Jaclyn laughed." Blake seethed.

"Yeah. I was hoping for Jaclyn to make some friends, but now I'm hoping the snowman captures her." Ruby said.

"Same here." Weiss added.

"What happens next, Jaune?" Nora asked.

"After Rolonda finished, Jaclyn laughed. She thought Rolonda was a smart girl but didn't think she would believe a story like that. For a moment, she thought it a was a joke the villages told to scare newcomers. But Jaclyn stopped laughing when she noticed the startled expression on Rolonda's face."

Story

"Hey, come on. You're kidding - right?" Jaclyn asked. Rolonda shook her head solemnly with her dark eyes glowing in the dim light. "You don't really believe that a snowman can walk, do you? You don't really believe that a snowman can be alive!"

"I believe it." Rolonda said in a low, trembling voice. " It's not a joke, Jaclyn. I believe it. And everyone in the village believes it."

"But have you ever seen it?" Jaclyn asked, shifting her weight. "Have you ever seen the snowman walk?"

"Well ... no. But I've heard him late at night, Jaclyn. I've heard his howls and his angry cries. " She said before climbing to her feet. "I won't go close enough to see him. I'm too afraid. I won't go up to the ice cave. No one will ."

"But, Rolonda- " Jaclyn started but stopped when she noticed how Rolonda's chin trembled and how much fear was in her eyes. Just talking about the snowman frightened her. Jaclyn wanted to tell her that the story couldn't be true and sounded like a silly superstition. A fairy tale. However, she didn't want to insult her further.

'She might be my only friend here.' Jaclyn thought.

Jaclyn stood up and put on her coat. The two of them then exited the church. Luckily, the snow had stopped, but the gusting wind blew down from the mountain, causing the snow to swirl and dance around their boots. Jaclyn pulled her hood over her hair and lowered her head into the wind.

'No way I could ever believe such a wild story.' Jaclyn thought.

'Why doesn't Rolonda see how crazy it is?'

They made their way up the road, their boots sinking into the powdery, fresh snow. However, both of them were silent as their voices wouldn't carry over the loud rush of the wind. Jaclyn walked with Rolonda until they reached her home and stopped at the bottom of her snow-covered driveway.

"Thanks for telling me about the snowman." Jaclyn said.

"You had to be told." Rolonda said solemnly, locking her eyes onto Jaclyn's eyes. "You've got to believe me, Jaclyn. It's true. All of it. "

But Jaclyn didn't say anything. She simply said "Good Night" before turning and walking to her home. She was nearly there when she heard a sound over the roaring wind. A heavy THUD THUD THUD was coming up rapidly behind me.

Hearing the thuds, Jaclyn froze. For a moment, she thought it was her imagination. She pictured an enormous, evil snowman, as tall as a house, lumbering after her.

"No!" Jaclyn murmured before spinning around and seeing Rolonda's brother, Eli, running up to her. His heavy workboots thudded over the snow. His sheepskin coat was open, flapping out as he ran. "Eli-it's late! What are you doing out here?"

But he didn't reply. Breathing hard, his chest heaving up and down under his sweater, he eyed me suspiciously.

"She told you, didn't she?" He asked.

"Huh?" Jaclyn asked as they moved behind a tree to be out of the wind. "Eli, what is your problem?"

"Rolonda told you, didn't she? She told you about the snowman. " He repeated, pointing toward the mountaintop.

"Well... yeah." Jaclyn answered, brushing away a clump of snow that landed on her parka. But she then noticed something. "Eli, are you crazy? It's freezing out here! Zip up your coat."

"Rolonda doesn't know one thing." Eli said, ignoring Jaclyn. "She doesn't know that I saw it. I saw the snowman. "

"You saw the snowman? You saw the living snowman!" Jaclyn asked with Eli nodding.

"Yes. I saw him. But that's not the scary part."

"Eli. What is the scary part?"

Eli stared at Jaclyn with the wind ruffling his dark hair. But his eyes remained steady and hard.

"What is the scary part?" Jacyln repeated.

"The scary part is that the snowman saw me!" Eli answered. Feeling the wind howling around the tree, Jaclyn dragged Eli to the side of the nearest house and pressed themselves against the well. Shivering, he finally zipped up his coat.

"Eli, the story is crazy." Jaclyn insisted. "I really don't think-"

"Just let me tell you what happened. Then you can decide if it's crazy or not." He pleaded, shivering again. "It saw me, Jaclyn. The snowman stared at me. It knows who I am. It knows that I saw it. And that's why I'm so afraid of it. "

"But, Eli- " Eli raised a gloved hand to silence Jaclyn.

"Wait. Please." Eli said before taking a deep breath. "It happened a few weeks ago. My two friends and I climbed up the mountain. We wanted to see the ice cave. So we sneaked around Conrad's cabin."

"I don't get it. What does Conrad have to do with it?" Jaclyn asked, confused.

"He won't let anyone near the ice cave. He keeps everyone away. Conrad is so weird. Some people think he works for the snowman. He protects the snowman by keeping everyone from the village away."

"But you sneaked past Conrad ?"

"Yeah. My friends and I. And we climbed up close to the ice cave. I had never seen the cave before."

"What does it look like?"

"It's a huge cave cut into the side of the mountain. It's made of ice, all smooth and shiny. It looks like glass. The cave entrance is wide and totally black. And it has huge icicles hanging down all along the front with points as sharp as knives." Eli answered while making a sweeping motion with both his hands, outlining the shape of the cave for Jaclyn.

"Wow. It sounds kind of pretty."

"Yeah. In a way." Eli agreed. "But we didn't think it was pretty when the snowman came out."

"You really saw a snowman walking?" Jaclyn asked, staring at Eli hard.

"We heard a rumbling sound. The ground started to shake. My friends and I were scared. We thought it was an avalanche or something. My friends started to run down the mountain. But I stayed, and I saw it. The snowman poked his head out of the cave. He was as big as a grizzly bear, and he had a scar cut deep into his face. His eyes searched around for a bit before stopping on me. He then opened his mouth and let out an angry roar." Eli stopped and took a deep breath before starting again. "The snowman stepped out of the cave. The ground shook as snow blew all over the place. The snowman stared at me. And he roared again. I took off. I ran past Conrad's cabin and all the way down the mountain. And I never looked back."

"What about your friends?"

"They were waiting for me down at the bottom. We just went to our houses and never talked about it."

"Why not?"

"Too afraid, I guess. We never talked about it. We never mentioned it. I never even told Rolonda. It was just too frightening to talk about." Eli then raised his eyes to match Jaclyn's eyes. "But now I have dreams. Bad dreams about the snowman. Every night."

Jaclyn stared at him, unsure of what to say. She noticed his whole body was trembling.

'From the cold? Or from being so afraid?' Jaclyn wondered. Eli gazed back at her, waiting for her to say something. "Eli, you didn't tell Rolonda about this. Why are you telling me?"

"So you will believe the story." He answered solemnly. " You're new, Jaclyn. You probably think it's all silly. But you have to stay away from the ice cave."

"But, Eli- "

"You didn't believe my sister - did you!" He accused. "You didn't believe her story."

"Well..."

"That's why I waited for you. I waited to tell you my story. Do you believe me, Jaclyn? Do you believe that I saw the snowman?"

"I-I don't know." The wind swirled around the wall of the house. Jaclyn touched her nose and cheeks and felt they were numb. "I've got to get home."

"Jaclyn, don't go up to the ice cave. Please, believe my story. It's true." Eli begged, grabbing Jaclyn's parka sleeve.

"Go home, Eli. Go home before you freeze." Jaclyn said, pulling her arm away before jogging toward her home. She always felt good while running and not thinking about anything. Jogging on fresh, powdery snow was difficult. Her boots kept slipping on the slick, hard surface underneath. By the time Jaclyn reached her home, her legs were aching.

Breathing hard, Jaclyn pushed open the front door, and to her surprise, the house was totally dark. She pulled off a glove and squinted at my wristwatch. It was only nine o'clock.

'Did Aunt Greta go to bed so early?' Jaclyn wondered since Greta usually stays up until at least midnight. Turning on the ceiling light and glancing around the small living room, Jaclyn noticed an open magazine on the couch. And aside from that, nothing else was out of place.

Leaning against the front door, Jaclyn pulled off her wet boots and stood them in the corner. Then she tugged off her parka and dropped it onto the couch. After a moment, her eyes stopped at the door to Aunt Greta's bedroom. The door stood open with darkness beyond the door. Worried, Jaclyn ran across the room and peeked into Greta's room.

"Aunt Greta?" Jaclyn called softly but got no response. She stepped into the room. "Aunt Greta? Are you in here?"

Jaclyn fumbled with the lamp on the dresser and managed to click it on after a few seconds.

"Aunt Greta?" Looking around the room, Jaclyn saw no trace of her aunt. Thinking she was in another part of the house, Jaclyn exited the room and called out loudly. "Aunt Greta, are you home? Ohh!"

Feeling her feet wet, Jaclyn looked down and noticed that she had stepped in something. Her sock was soaked. But as she lowered her gaze to the bedroom floor, Jaclyn saw a wide puddle of cold water.

"How did that get there?" Jaclyn murmured, worried. She then ran back to the living room. "Aunt Greta? Aunt Greta? Where are you?"

Real World

"Talk about karma." Yang said.

"Hopefully, the aunt is okay." Velvet said.

"Hopefully. But I'm curious as to why the snowman grabbed the aunt and not Eli." Blake said.

"After seeing the puddle and not getting a response from her aunt, panic started washing over Jaclyn. She wondered where her aunt was. She was about to run to the kitchen when she heard rattling at the front door. Jaclyn thought someone was trying to break in."

Story

As sweat ran down Jaclyn's face, she waited for the door to open. However, to her relief, it was her aunt bustling in, brushing the snow off her coat. Once Greta finished, she turned and smiled when she saw Jaclyn. However, her smile instantly died when she saw Jaclyn's expression.

"Jaclyn. What's wrong?" Greta asked

"I-I-I-Aunt Greta, where were you? I got so scared." Jaclyn sputtered while Greta took off her coat.

"Didn't you see my note?"

"Huh? Note?"

"I left it for you on the refrigerator. I met a nice couple this morning at the general store. They came by and invited me over for dessert and coffee."

"Oh. That's nice." Jaclyn choked out, her heart still pounding in her chest.

"Why did you get scared?" Greta asked, hanging her coat in the front closet. She then straightened her long, white braid behind her sweater.

"Well, I was in your room, looking for you. And I stepped in a cold puddle on the floor."

"Puddle? Show me." Greta demanded. Nodding, Jaclyn led Greta to the bedroom and pointed to the wide wet spot on the floor.

"Maybe the roof leaks." Greta murmured, gazing up at the ceiling. "We'll have to examine it tomorrow morning."

"I-I thought it was the snowman. I know it's crazy, but I thought he had been here. I thought he'd broken into the house and- " Jaclyn began but stopped when she saw the shock on my aunt's face. Her mouth dropped open, and she uttered a silent gasp.

"Jaclyn. What are you talking about? What have your friends been telling you? More nonsense about a snowman?"

"Yes. Rolonda and Eli, the two village kids I met. They both told me a crazy story about a living snowman who stays in an ice cave at the top of the mountain. They said-"

"It's all superstition."

"It's all old tales that have been handed down. None of it is true. You're smart enough to know that, Jaclyn."

"Yes. But Rolonda and Eli seem so frightened. They really believe the story. And Eli begged me not to go up to the ice cave."

"Probably good advice." Aunt Greta said, crossing the room to place a hand tenderly on Jaclyn's shoulder. "You probably shouldn't go up to the mountaintop, dear."

"Why not?"

"There must be some kind of real danger up there. Not a living snowman. But something else dangerous. That's how these old stories get started. Something bad happened on the mountaintop. Then the story changed each time it was told. Years later, no one remembers what really happened. And now everyone believes a crazy story about a living snowman."

"Have you seen all the strange snowmen in this village? All the snowmen with scars on their faces and red scarves? Don't you think they're spooky?"

"It's a strange village tradition. Very quaint. I think they're very interesting looking."

"Interesting?"

"Well, make me a promise." Greta said, yawning.

"Promise?"

"Promise me you won't go running up to the mountaintop to explore the ice cave. It probably is a very dangerous place. "

"Well..."

"Promise." Greta urged sternly.

"Okay. I promise." Jaclyn said, rolling her eyes. Yet, not even a few moments later, Jaclyn decided to go back on her promise. As she lay in her bed, she kept her eyes tightly shut, listening to the strange howls from the mountaintop. Jaclyn wondered if they were human or animals. She hated mysteries and always wanted to know the answer to things. 'I'm going up there. I don't care what I promised my aunt. I'm climbing up to the ice cave. Tomorrow.'

Real World

"Reminds me of Yang." Ruby said with Yang rolling her eyes.

"How so?" Weiss asked with a smirk.

"A few years before coming to Beacon, she got into trouble for staying out late. Dad grounded her for three weeks. But she was so curious about what some older kids were doing that she snuck out to find out. Only to get more than she bargained for, and dad had to save her. Once he brought her back, he gave her the grounding of a lifetime. Her grounding only ended a week before coming to Beacon."

"I admit, I let my curiosity get the better of me." Yang said.

"Yet, you didn't learn anything from it." Weiss said.

"Oh, I did."

"Like what?" Blake asked.

"How to party like your supposed to."

"We should have seen that coming." Velvet said, leaning into me, causing me to blush.

"And by how you're supposed to, you mean until the police or Glynda shows up." Nora said, rolling her eyes.

"Yup." Yang said.

"Anyway. So what happens next, Jaune?" Velvet asked.

"Jaclyn didn't sleep of the snowmen that night. She dreamt of dozens of fluffy white kittens with sky-blue eyes. The whitest kittens she had ever seen. They began climbing over one another. Silently at first. But they soon started to screech and hiss. It was a frightening, ugly sound. Suddenly they all wore red scarves around their necks. They clawed at each other, arching their pure white backs, hissing, and screeching. It lasted until she woke up."

Story

Yellow morning sunlight poured through the round window at the other end of Jaclyn's bedroom. She could smell bacon frying downstairs, telling her that Greta was already up. After getting up and dressed, Jaclyn decided to climb the mountain after eating. She didn't want to think about the snowmen anymore; all she wanted was to get some answers. Jaclyn knew that Conrad and his wolf were a problem. They would try to stop her if they saw her. But she had a plan to take care of them. However, it would only work if Eli and Rolonda were willing to help. Unforuntutly, Jaclyn couldn't leave the house until after lunch. Greta needed her help to hang curtains and the paintings and posters they brought from Chicago. Yet, despite the additional time, the place started to feel more like home.

"Where are you going? " Greta asked as Jaclyn put on her parka and gloves before opening the door.

"Uh ... nowhere really. Just going to hang out with Rolonda and Eli." Jaclyn answered. But as soon as she said this, she saw them walking up her front yard. Jaclyn closed the door and hurried to meet them. Eli was carrying a snow shovel while Rolonda dragged two slender tree branches. "What's that for? What are you guys doing here?"

"We have to build your snowman." Rolonda replied solemnly.

"Excuse me?"

"You won't be safe until you have a snowman in your yard." Eli explained.

"Listen, guys..."

"The snow is very wet." Rolonda said.

" Good packing snow. It shouldn't take long . El and I brought everything we need."

"But I don't have time to build a snowman. I want to climb up to the ice cave this morning." Jaclyn said, causing Eli and Rolonda to gasp.

"You can't!" Eli cried.

"Jaclyn, I warned you- " Rolonda said.

"I have to see it for myself." Jaclyn said. "I want you to come with me."

"No!" Eli shouted.

"You know we won't go up to the ice cave, Jaclyn. And we don't want you to go, either." Rolonda said, shaking her head.

"But if we all go together..." Jaclyn urged.

"No!" They both shouted. Jaclyn could see real fear on their faces. But after a moment, she gained an idea.

"Okay. Okay. I'll make a deal with you. " Jaclyn said.

"What kind of deal?" Rolonda asked suspiciously.

"I'll stay here and build the snowman, and you both will help me when we're done."

"No. We won't go with you." Rolonda insisted.

"You can't get us to go up to the ice cave, Jaclyn. No deal." Eli added.

"You don't have to go up to the ice cave. You just have to keep Conrad busy so that I can sneak past him." Jaclyn said.

"Huh? How are we going to do that?"

"We'll think of something when we get up there. If you can keep him talking to you, maybe I can sneak past and get up to the cave."

"But we don't want you to go to the ice cave!" Rolonda insisted.

"I'm going to do it one way or the other. With or without you. So are you going to help me or not?" They glanced at each other before whispering to each other.

"Will you build the snowman first?" Rolonda asked.

"You won't be safe without the snowman." Eli added. Jaclyn wanted to tell them that building a snowman wouldn't protect her against anything, and doing so was silly. But she needed their help as she could not get past Conrad and his wolf without them.

"Okay. Fine. First, we'll build the snowman." Jaclyn said.

"Then Eli and I will help you." Rolonda said.

"But we won't go any farther than Conrad's cabin." Eli added.

"Great! Let's get started." Jaclyn said, not caring that she was using the only two kids she knew in this village.

Bending down, they started gathering snow to create the snowman's body. Absentmindedly, Jaclyn noted that Rolonda was right about snow. But as they made the snowman, Jaclyn had a creepy feeling about it. She thought she had become part of the superstition. It was as if she was taking part in some kind of ancient tradition based on fear. The people of the village all built these snowmen because they were afraid, and now Jaclyn was making one.

'Should I be afraid?' Jaclyn wondered, glad they finished building the snowman. Rolonda pulled a red scarf from her coat pocket, and they wrapped it under the scarred head. The snowman's dark eyes seemed to glare at Jaclyn with its mouth in the shape of an angry sneer while the arms bobbed softly in the wind.

"Okay. Good job. Now let's get going. " Jaclyn said, motioning toward the mountaintop.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Eli asked, scared.

"Sure, I'm sure!" Jaclyn declared.

But as they started making their way along the road, Jaclyn didn't feel as sure as she pretended. Soon the houses ended as the road curved up the mountain and led them through the snowy woods. Yet, none of them uttered a single word. They kept their eyes straight ahead. The afternoon sun was slowly lowering itself behind the trees with Blue shadows stretching over the snow. And with each step they took, the air grew colder. When Conrad's low cabin came into view, Jaclyn's heart began to pound. She tried to keep my mind calm and clear. But questions after questions whirred through her brain.

'Was Conrad inside the cabin? Where was the white wolf? Would my plan work?' Jaclyn wondered.

Real World

"Talk about a crap, friend." Yang said, with the others agreeing.

'Yeah, she was.' I mentally agreed.

"Is everyone okay?" Azure asked, walking up to us.

"Yes." We answered.

"Would you all like another round?"

"Sure."

"Okay. It will be out in a few moments." Azure said before leaving.

"Okay, back to the story. After a while, all three of them stopped and stared at the cabin up ahead. The late afternoon sun had fallen behind the trees. The snow billowed in front of them in shades of gray."

Story

"I'll hide behind those shrubs." Jaclyn said, pointing to the snow-covered shrubs next to the cabin. "You run up to the cabin and keep Conrad and the wolf from seeing me."

"This isn't going to work." Eli muttered with his eyes on the cabin.

"It's getting kind of dark." Rolonda fretted. "Maybe we should come back in the morning."

"Maybe we should forget the whole idea." Eli suggested with his chin quivering.

"Hey - you promised! A promise is a promise - right?" Jaclyn exclaimed, furious that the others were thinking about leaving. Rolonda and Eli didn't reply as they stared across the gray snow at the cabin up ahead. "I came this far. I'm not going back. Are you going to help me or not?"

But Jaclyn gasped when she heard a low growling coming from the cabin. The wolf must have heard or smelled them.

"Come on!" Jaclyn whispered, knowing the wolf would be coming out for them any second before taking off for the snow-covered shrubs. And just in time as Conrad and the wolf burst out of the cabin.

"Hello!" Rolonda struggled to say.

"Hi!" Eli added.

Jaclyn watched as Rolonda and Eli ran up to Conrad. The wolf lowered its head, watching them carefully. Rolonda and Eli began talking to Conrad simultaneously.

'They're doing it!' Jaclyn thought, feeling her heart pounding. 'They're keeping his attention. Time for me to move.'

Jaclyn could hear Rolonda talking to Conrad as she glanced over the bush. Conrad was scratching his hair, listening to Rolonda while the wolf had its back to Jaclyn. While she couldn't see his expression, she knew he was very confused and surprised as he probably wasn't expecting visitors.

'He must be wondering what Rolonda and Eli were doing up here.' Jaclyn thought before taking a deep and crouching.

Then, after a moment, Jaclyn ran as fast as possible. Her legs felt like Jell - O with her boots sinking into the deep snow. Ducking her head, she darted up the steep mountainside. It was only when she passed the bushes did she hear Conrad's angry shout.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted. Jaclyn stopped so suddenly that she fell over backward hard. Snow flew up and landed on her face, sweeping over and surrounding her.

'I'm caught, I realized. My plan didn't work.' Jaclyn thought as she stood up. But to her shock, Conrad wasn't coming after her; instead, he and his wolf were chasing Rolonda and Eli down the mountain. The wolf let out a high growl as they disappeared from sight. Jaclyn stood frozen in place, staring at where they had just been.

'Should I run after them and try to help them? No. I had to keep going.' Jaclyn thought. 'This was the plan. This was my chance.'

Taking another deep breath, Jaclyn turned and ran up the mountainside. However, it proved more challenging as the climb was incredibly steep. So steep, Jaclyn wasn't sure she would make it. But the ground soon leveled off, with Jaclyn finding herself on a wide ledge. The ledge was slick, though, with her boots occasionally slipping on the ice. Jaclyn pressed her back against the mountain wall and gazed up at the ice cave.

'Yes!' Jaclyn thought. The cave stood above her, as tall as a building and smooth as glass. Its wall reflects the clouds in the sky above. While she couldn't see the entrance, she could make out one of the sides.

The ledge narrowed as it curled up to the cave. Jaclyn kept her back pressed against the wall and slowly - step by step - inched her way to the top.

"Don't look down!" Jaclyn murmured.

But as soon as Jaclyn said that, she had to look down. It was a deep drop from the ledge to the ground far, far below. If she slipped and fell ...

'I'm not going to slip and fall!' She told herself as a deep, rumbling sound made her jump. Jaclyn grabbed the mountainside with both hands to keep herself from falling while the ledge trembled beneath her. Another low rumble made her cry out in fear as the ledge trembled again. It was as if the entire mountain was shaking. But after a moment, she realized the sound had come from the cave.

'Is something moving up there? Or is it the normal sound of a mountaintop in the wind?' Jaclyn wondered.

Gathering her courage, Jaclyn moved forward inch by inch. She had come this far and refused to go back now. As she continued, the ledge grew narrower, slipperier as it curved around. Another rumbling noise made her gasp. Jaclyn gasped and somehow managed to hold on while following the edge around. It seemed to go on forever, but eventually, the cave's opening came into view.

And right after it did, Jaclyn saw the most terrifying thing she had ever seen in her life. She didn't see it at first as the layer of solid ice that covered the ledge. The glassy cave rose up behind the ridge. The gaping entrance to the cave was blacker than the darkest night. Jaclyn stood staring into the darkness, trying to catch her breath and slow her racing heart.

Clouds reflected in the glassy ice drifted rapidly to the right. They made the cave appear to move. Sharply pointed icicles stabbed down from the roof of the cave opening. They reminded Jaclyn about the wolf's sharpened teeth that came so close to her. She stared into the black cave opening and waited to see if anything would appear. But Jaclyn didn't have to wait for long as a rumble as loud as thunder, making the ledge quake, soon came out.

Afraid she might slip off, Jaclyn dropped to her knees as the rumble grew to a roar. And a second later, a tall, white figure lumbered out from the blackness of the cave entrance. An enormous snowman! Jaclyn gasped in horror as the mountain of snow moved toward her.

"NO!" She wailed, forgetting that she was on a narrow ice ledge. She backed up to get away from the tall creature and slipped off the edge as a result.

Jaclyn's hands shot up ad dug into the ledge. With a terrified groan, she scrambled back up to safety. Her body trembled and shook as she let out breaths in frantic gasps. She huddled on her knees on the icy ledge and watched the snowman as it glared down at her. Its blood-red scarf flapping in the wind. Its round, black eyes, big as doorknobs, and dark mouth turned into a fierce, angry sneer. But it was the scar that cut deeply into the side of the head that caught Jaclyn's attention.

"Ohhhhhh." She muttered as the snowman's tree branch arms reached for her. Jaclyn felt a sudden, deep cold, a cold she had never felt before, enter her body. She could see frozen waves floating from the snowman's wide body. Its giant round head tilting as its black eyes bulged even wider. But it then bellowed in a deep roar of a voice.

"WHO ARE YOU?"

Jaclyn trembled as the waves of cold floated off its body. It talks!

The stories Rolonda and Eli told her are true. It's all true. Its round eyes locked on Jaclyn's eyes, and the big snowman moved closer and closer. Jaclyn wanted to stand up and run, but it held her in place. She couldn't stand or back up. She could not escape.

"WHO ARE YOU?" The snowman bellowed again, with the whole mountain shaking.

"I - I-" Jaclyn said, quivering in fear. "Please-Please-I didn't mean to bother you."

"WHO ARE YOU ?" The snow creature thundered for the third time.

"My name? My name is Jaclyn. Jaclyn DeForest." The snowman's tree branch arms shot up, with its dark mouth gaping open in surprise.

"SAY IT AGAIN!"

"Jaclyn DeForest." She repeated, trembling. The snowman stared down at her in silence for a long while. It lowered its arms to its round, white sides after what felt like eons but was probably only a few seconds.

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM ?" It demanded. Jaclyn swallowed hard, not expecting the question. She tried to answer, but nothing came out. "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM ?"

"No." Jaclyn squeaked. "Who are you?"

"I AM YOUR FATHER!" The snowman shouted.

Real World

"WAIT! WHAT!" Velvet, Nora, and Ruby asked, shocked.

"Yup. The snowman told Jaclyn that it was her father." I answered.

"Wow. I have to admit. I was not expecting that." Weiss said.

"Even though the whole 'I am you Father' trope has been done to death, this one actually has me hooked." Yang said.

"I wonder if it is one of the soccerers." Blake wondered.

"Could be. The aunt is clearly hiding something." Velvet said.

"Alright. Order up." Azure said as she returned with our food.

"Thanks." We said.

"What happened next?" Ruby asked.

"After the snowman told Jaclyn this, she let out a long wail. She wanted to get away, run, fly, slide, whatever it took to get away from the mountain. But she couldn't move. The snowman had her trapped above the ledge in his icy grip.

"Jaclyn. I am your father." The snowman said, lowering his voice. He stared down at her with his frightening, round glassy eyes. "Believe me."

"Th - that's impossible!" Jaclyn stammered, hugging herself in an attempt to stop her body from trembling. "You're a snowman! You can't be my father!"

"LISTEN TO ME!" The snowman roared. "I am your father. Your mother was a sorceress. And so is your aunt. Your aunt practices all sorts of magic."

"No!" Jaclyn shouted, the lies granting her courage. She then climbed to her feet. "That's not true! I've never seen Aunt Greta do any magic. You're lying!"

The snowman bobbed from side to side. The ledge shook beneath Jaclyn so much that she nearly lost her balance.

"I do not lie, Jaclyn." He insisted while raising his arms as if pleading with her. "I'm telling the truth."

"But-but-"

"Your mother did this to me. She used her magic and turned me into a snowman. You were only two years old when this happened. Your mother tried to turn me back but failed. Then she and your aunt Greta took you and ran away from the village."

"Your story doesn't make any sense! If what you say is true, why did we move back here? Why did Aunt Greta bring us back to the village?"

"Your aunt had a good reason for coming back. She knows that after ten years, the magic spell starts to fade."

"I - I don't understand." Jaclyn stuttered. Her head felt frozen, making it hard to think and make sense of what the snowman was telling her.

"After ten years, the spell fades. Your aunt came back to renew the spell. She wants me to stay a snowman. She wants to keep me, prisoner, up here forever. She wants to ensure I don't tell the world what happened to me. And she wants to keep you to herself!"

"Aunt Greta is not a sorceress! I've lived with her most of my life. And I've never seen her do any kind of magic. She doesn't-"

"PLEASE!" The snowman bellowed, raising a tree branch arm to silence Jaclyn. "There isn't much time. I'm your father, Jaclyn. Your real father. You've got to believe me."

"But, I—I." Jaclyn didn't know what to say since she couldn't think straight. It was all too ... crazy.

"You can get me out of this." The snowman pleaded. "You can save me. But you've got to hurry. Your aunt Greta will renew the spell soon. If you don't save me, I'll be a snowman for another ten years."

"But what can I do? I'm not a sorceress. I can't do magic. What can I do?"

"You can save me." The giant snow creature insisted. "But I cannot tell you how. If I tell you how to save me, it will only strengthen the spell. You've got to figure it out for yourself."

"Huh? But how?"

"I can give you a hint. I cannot tell you how to save me. But I can give you a hint."

"Okay." Jaclyn said softly, hugging herself tightly. And as she listened, the snowman's deep rumble of a voice recited the familiar poem.

When the snows blow wild

And the day grows old,

Beware, the snowman, my child.

Beware, the snowman.

He brings the cold

"You-you know the poem!" Jaclyn asked, shocked.

"That is your clue. That is the only hint I can give you. Now you must figure out how to rescue me."

Jaclyn already knew how to rescue him. She instantly knew when he recited the poem. It was the second verse. The secret to helping her supposed 'father' was in the second verse. But she couldn't remember it.

"Please, Jaclyn. Please. Help me. I'm your father, Jaclyn. I'm your father." The snowman pleaded. Jaclyn stared back at it, trying to decide if she should help him. Should she believe him? Should she help him? Yes, Jaclyn decided. She'd run home, find that old poetry book and read the second verse.

"I'm coming back!" Jaclyn shouted to the snowman as she spun around and ran down the ledge. However, she gasped when she nearly ran into her aunt. "Aunt Greta!"

"I tried to warn you! I tried to scare you, Jaclyn. To keep you from coming up here." Greta said.

'So it was Aunt Greta who whispered up to my room late at night, who warned me to beware of the snowman!' Jaclyn realized. Greta's dark eyes were wild; her normally pale face was bright red! Her long, black coat was open and flapped behind her in the wind. She then raised her hand to reveal a large, black book.

"Jaclyn. Is this what you're looking for?" She asked.

"The poetry book?" Jaclyn said. Greta nodded while keeping the book high above her. Jaclyn glanced back at the snowman. "Aunt Greta. Is it true? Is he really my father?"

"Huh? Your father?" Greta asked, her face twisting in surprise. "What a lie! Is that what he told you? That he's your father? It's a lie. A horrible lie!"

"NOOOOOO!" The snowman boomed, causing Jaclyn to jump. But Aunt Greta ignored the thunderous cry.

"It's a lie, Jaclyn. He isn't your father. He's an evil monster!"

"NOOOOO!" The snowman bellowed again, causing the whole mountain to shake.

"Your mother and father were sorcerers. They practiced their magic night and day. But they went too far. They created him accidentally." Aunt Greta pointed to the snowman, her face bitter. "He's an evil monster. When your parents saw what they had done, they were horrified. They froze the monster inside the snowman body. Soon after, your father disappeared. Your mother and I took you and ran from the village. We ran to be safe from the monster's horrible evil!"

"YOU ARE A LIAR!" The snowman raged, waving his stick arms wildly in the air. His scarf blew out at his sides like hawk wings.

"Jaclyn, don't believe her! Save me. Please! I am your father. Please. I know it is hard for you to believe. But your aunt is the evil one. She is a sorceress. She and your mother and I - we were all sorcerers. I am not evil. I am not a monster. Please." The snowman pleaded, reaching his arms out to her.

"Liar! I know no magic! I know no spells! I am not a sorceress! I'm not a sorceress. But I brought this book because I know its secret. I know what I need to do to make sure you stay frozen in that snowman body forever!" Aunt Greta shrieked, gripping the book tightly as she frantically shuffled through the pages.

"Jaclyn, save me. Save me now." The snowman pleaded. Jaclyn turned to her aunt and back to the snowman, wondering who she should believe. But after a second, she had an idea to find out.

"What are you doing?" Greta shrieked when Jacyln swiped the book.

She moved to try and grab the book back, but Jaclyn didn't let go. However, the book's cover soon cracked with pages flying out. Greta made a desperate swipe at it, but Jaclyn pulled it away from her. Then she backed up against the wall of the ice cave. Aunt Greta took a step toward her and gazed up at the snowman and decided not to come that close to him.

"Jaclyn - you're making a big mistake!" Aunt Greta warned, leaning against the smooth cave wall.

"I'm going to find the poem. I'm going to read the second verse. It's the only way to know the truth." Jaclyn said, flipping frantically through the pages of the old book.

"THANK YOU, DAUGHTER!" The snowman bellowed.

"I'm telling you the truth, Jaclyn! I have taken care of you all these years. I would not lie to you." Aunt Greta shouted. But Jaclyn had already made up her mind. She had to read the second verse. It was the only way she could find out who was lying and who was telling the truth. "He's a monster!"

The snowman stood still and silent, watching Jaclyn shuffle through the pages.

'Where was that rhyme? Where?' Jaclyn wondered. Hearing snow crunching, she looked up and saw that Greta had picked up a paper and was now smiling. "Aunt Greta?"

"Jaclyn. I can't let you read the rhyme." She said with the wind blowing her coat behind her as the page fluttered in her hand. Her eyes were wild.

"You-you have it in your hand?"

"I can't let you read it." Aunt Greta repeated before tossing the page over the ledge. Jaclyn let out a shriek as she watched the page float over the edge.

'It's lost.' Jaclyn realized.

The second verse is lost forever. The swirling wind will carry it down the mountain, down the steep drop. It will never be seen again. However, to Jaclyn's shock, the wind carried it back to her hand. Jaclyn grabbed it and stared in amazement. And before Aunt Greta could grab it back, she raised the page and read the second verse of the rhyme out loud:

When the snows melt

And the warm sun is with thee,

Beware, the snowman

"Noooooo!" Aunt Greta wailed before diving to swipe the paper from Jaclyn. She was successful and tore the paper to shreds. The snowman uttered a horrified groan as he bent over to reach and grab Greta. It was too late. The Jagged strips of paper fluttered to the snow.

"Aunt Greta. Why?" Jaclyn choked out.

"I couldn't let you do it. He's a monster, Jaclyn. He's not your father. I couldn't let you free him." She answered.

"She's lying. She does not want you to know me, Jaclyn. She doesn't want you to know your own father. She wants to leave me trapped in this frozen cave forever." The snowman insisted. Jaclyn turned to her aunt and noticed her face had grown stern and hard.

"Aunt Greta, I have to know the truth." Jaclyn said.

"I've told you the truth." She said.

"I have to know for myself. I - I saw the last line of the poem before you grabbed it and tore it up. I know the whole poem, Aunt Greta."

"Don't-" Great pleaded, reaching out to Jaclyn. But Jaclyn backed up against the icy cave wall and recited the rhyme from memory:

When the snows melt

And the warm sun is with thee,

Beware, the snowman

For the snowman shall go free!

"No, Jaclyn! No! No! No! No! No! No!" Aunt Greta wailed, pressing her hands to the sides of her face and repeating her cry. Jaclyn turned to the snowman and saw him begin to melt. The white snow oozed down his face and body like melting ice cream.

The black eyes dropped to the ground while the face melted into the body. The snow poured off the round body while the tree branch arms fell to the ground. Soon, his real face came into view while his body emerged from the snow.

But as Jaclyn stared at what was happening, she opened her mouth and let out a shrill scream of horror. Instead of a person, it was a monster. An ugly, snarling, red-skinned monster stomped out of the snow. Aunt Greta had told the truth that a monster was trapped inside the snowman. Not her father. Not my father.

A monster... such a hideous monster!

Crusty red scales covered its head and body; its yellow eyes rolled wildly in its bull-shaped head. The monster's purple tongue flapped from its jagged-toothed mouth.

"No! No! No! No!" Aunt Greta chanted, still pressing both hands against her face. Tears ran down her cheeks and over her hands.

"What have I done?" Jaclyn wailed. The monster let out a throaty laugh as it picked up the book with his three-fingered hands before tossing it over the side of the mountain.

"You're next!" He roared at Jaclyn.

"No, please!" Jaclyn begged. She grabbed Aunt Greta by the shoulders and tugged her away from the ledge. They pressed selves against the icy wall of the cave.

"Goodbye." The monster grunted. "Goodbye, all."

"But I saved you! Is that my reward? To be thrown over the side of the mountain?" Jaclyn pleaded. The red-scaled beast nodded with an ugly grin revealing more jagged teeth.

"Yes. That is your reward." He said before picking Jaclyn up by her waist. He squeezed her so tightly that she couldn't breathe. He then picked Aunt Greta up in his other hand and raised both of them above his head. He let out an ugly raspy groan before moving to hold over the side of the mountain.

The monster's powerful hands swung us out over the cliff edge. Jaclyn peered down at the sheer drop to the snowy ground that appeared to be miles below. Yet, to her surprise, the monster didn't let go. He swung around and dropped them back onto the ledge.

"Huh?" Jaclyn gasped. For some reason, the monster stopped paying attention to them and was staring down the ledge. Struggling to catch her breath, Jaclyn turned and followed his gaze. And saw what had startled the monster and saved their lives.

It was a parade!

A parade of snowmen.

All of the snowmen of the village were marching up to the ice cave in a single line. Their red scarves waved in the wind with their sticklike arms bobbing up and down as they rumbled up the mountainside.

Like soldiers, they came marching up to them, bouncing, thudding, rumbling forward. All of them were identical. All were scarred, stern-faced, and sneering.

"I—I don't believe it !" Jaclyn stammered, grabbing onto Greta's arm. They watch the marching snowmen in horror.

"They're all coming to serve the monster. We're doomed, Jaclyn. Doomed." Greta whispered as the snowmen rumbled up the icy ledge. The steady thud thud thud grew louder as they neared. The sound echoed off the snowy mountaintop until it sounded as if a thousand snowmen were marching to attack them.

Aunt Greta and Jaclyn shrank back against the glassy cave wall. They had nowhere to run. The monster blocked the cave entrance with the marching snowmen cut off any escape down the ledge. Closer and closer, the snowmen came. Soon they could make out the anger in their round, black eyes and the snakelike scars on their face. Aunt Greta and Jaclyn couldn't move as fear paralyzed them. They raised their hands as if to shield themselves.

But they gasped in surprise when the snowmen marched past them and rumbled up to the monster. They bounced fast, thudding over the ice, arms waving while their dark eyes glowed. They bounced to the startled monster and pushed him back. The snowmen then piled onto the monster, crushing him. First one, then two, ten. Soon, hundreds of snowmen covered the monster.

They crushed against his scaly, red body, pushing him back and back. The monster let out an angry roar, but the snowman silenced him by rolling over his head. Aunt Greta and Jaclyn gasped in amazement as the snowmen overwhelmed the monster and pushed him against the cave wall.

They saw the monster's powerful arms flail in the air, thrashing wildly but helplessly. And then the monster disappeared behind a crush of snowmen. The snowmen pushed forward silently like a silent avalanche. And when they finally stepped back, the monster stood frozen; arms stretched out as if to attack. It was now a prisoner in the ice wall. The snowmen had pushed him into the wall, trapping him forever. Aunt Greta and Jaclyn stood trembling beside the cave entrance. They were still holding on to each other. Jaclyn's legs felt weak and rubbery, and she could feel Aunt Greta trembling beneath her coat.

"What brought all the snowmen up here? Did you do it, Aunt Greta?" Jaclyn asked. She shook her head, her eyes still wide with amazement.

"I didn't bring them here, Jaclyn. I told you the truth. I have no magic. Your mother and father were sorcerers. But not me." She answered.

"Then who made them climb the mountain to rescue us?"

"I did !" A voice cried. They turned to the ledge and saw Conrad standing there. His gray hair blew wildly in the wind while the white wolf stood at his side.

"You made the snowmen march? You are a sorcerer, too?" Conrad nodded as he gazed at the monster trapped in the ice, and a smile spread over his face.

"Yes. I sent them to rescue you." Conrad said. Aunt Greta narrowed her eyes at Conrad as she studied his face for a moment before her mouth dropped open.

"You! It's you!" Aunt Greta cried.

"Yes." Conrad said, smiling.

"Who-who is he?" Jaclyn asked. Aunt Greta turned to had and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Jaclyn. I moved back here because I thought he might still be here. And yes, I was right. He is here. Conrad is your father." Aunt Greta whispered, tears in her eyes as she grabbed Jaclyn's shoulder. Conrad and Jaclyn both cried out at the same time before he rushed across the icy ledge and wrapped Jaclyn in a hug. His long beard scratched Jaclyn's face as he pressed his cheek against hers.

"I don't believe it!" He cried, stepping back with tears in his eyes. "It's been so many years I didn't recognize you, Jaclyn. I'm so glad that Greta brought you back to the village."

"You-you're really my father?" Jaclyn stammered. Conrad didn't have a chance to answer as Rolonda and Eli came running up to them.

"Are you okay?" They cried.

"They saved your lives!" Conrad said, pointing to Rolonda and Eli. "They told me that you planned to climb to the ice cave. As soon as I heard that, I worked my magic. I sent the snowmen up to rescue you."

"Wow!" Eli exclaimed, seeing the monster frozen in the ice. "Look at that!"

"That was the evil snowman. He'll never threaten the village again." Conrad explained to them. Rolonda and Eli stepped closer to view the frozen monster closely.

"I don't understand. Why did you stay behind in the village when Mom and Aunt Greta left? Why do you live up here near the ice cave?" Jaclyn said, turning to her father. He scratched his beard and sighed.

"It's kind of a long story. When you were little, your mother and I practiced powerful magic. Our magic got out of control. We accidentally created this monster. We froze the monster inside the body of a snowman. Your mother-she wanted to leave. She was so frightened and upset. She wanted to move as far away from the village as she could. She wanted to forget it ever happened."

"And why did you stay?" Jaclyn asked.

"I stayed because I thought I owed it to the people of the village. I owed it to them to keep the snowman in his cave. To keep him from harming people. And so I stayed up here, close to the monster we created. But...but ... leaving you, Jaclyn, was the hardest thing I ever had to do!" Conrad answered before wrapping his arm around Jaclyn's shoulders. "I always dreamed that someday I could leave the mountain and go find you. And now the monster is dead. The horror is finally over. And Greta has brought you back. Perhaps... Perhaps ... we can try to be a family again."

"Hey!" Jaclyn cried out. Before she could answer her father, she noticed that the snowmen had moved to block their path. In all the excitement of finding her father, they'd completely forgotten about all the snowmen! Now they surrounded them, staring at them with their glowing cold eyes. "Wh-what are they going to do?"

Before Jaclyn's father could answer, one of the snowmen came thumping out of the group. He rumbled up to them, arms twitching, eyes flashing. Jaclyn grabbed her father's arm as she realized they had nowhere to go or escape. The snowman stopped inches from her father and opened his mouth to speak.

"Can we go back down now ?" The snowman asked, startling everyone. "It's really cold up here!"

Real World

"With a laugh, the father said, "Yes," and they all returned home, where Jaclyn spent the rest of the day with her father, aunt, and new friends. The End." I said, closing the book.

"Nice story, Jaune." Weiss said as they all clapped.

"It was a great story." Ruby said.

"And I do like the twist where the snowman was, in fact, a monster, and the strange man was Jacnlyn's father." Blake said.

"But I did find it funny how the snowmen complained about the cold." Velvet said, earning a chuckle from everyone.

"Yeah. Well, they might be made out of snow, but even snowmen can get cold." I said, chuckling at the memories of the snowmen shivering.

"Anyway. This was a fun time. How about we order one more round before heading back to Beacon?" Nora suggested.

"Sure." We all answered.

"Should we get something for the others?" Velvet asked.

"Yeah. Pyrrha and Ren should be returning today. And I think your team could use some refreshments." I answered.

"True. Coco hates the heat." Velvet said as everyone got up from their seats. But before I could do the same, I was blinded by a bright flash.

"Yes, bun-bun. I hate the heat." The voice of Coco said before lowering a camera. And behind her were Yatsuhashi, Fox, Pyrrha, and Ren.

"RENNY!" Nora shouted before jumping toward him. He simply accepted her embrace as he missed her too.

"How did you find us?" Ruby asked.

"And what's with the camera?" Blake asked.

"We were heading back to the bullhead and decided to grab something cold to cool off. On the way, we ran into Ren and Pyrrha. They were looking for something to cool off as well. Soon we found this place and decided to try it." Yatsuhashi answered.

"And I found this camera buried between some masks in this weird shop." Coco began.

"Some of those masks seem haunted." Yatsuhashi whispered to Fox, who nodded.

"The shopkeep was hesitant in selling me this but eventually relented. I got this for you, bun-bun since you've been looking for a new one." Coco finished, handing Velvet the camera.

"What's the catch?" Velvet asked, knowing her teammate.

"That you take a picture of when you and Jaune finally tie the knot." Coco answered, smirking, not only at Velvet's horrified expression but at Pyrrha's silent gasp.

"COCO!" Velvet shrieked in embarrassment, with Coco laughing her ass off. She then turned around. "Jaune. I'm so-um? Where did he go?"

"What are you talking about? Vomit boy is right... here." Yang said, not seeing Jaune around. "Okay. Where did he go?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear him get up." Blake said.

"Perhaps he went to the bathroom?" Weiss suggested.

"No, we would have heard him and seen him." Ren said.

"Then where did he go?" Ruby asked. At that moment, the camera let out a few beeps. They all turned to it as it released a photograph. Yang took it, and they all waited for the image to appear. But what they saw shocked them. Or rather, what they didn't see.

"You don't think." Pyrrha said as the photo revealed an empty seat where Jaune was.

"Well, considering the stories and how his friend was the Werewolf of Fever Swamp, I think it did. The camera did something to Jaune." Blake affirmed. But just as she said that, they heard the bell ring that indicated someone had entered the store. Turning around, they became shocked when they realized Neo and Roman Torchwick had entered the store. They were about to grab their weapons when Roman and Neo spotted them. However, they froze when their eyes widened in horror and shock. And before they could say anything, Roman spoke up.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE SAY CHEESE AND DIE CAMERA!"