White Sand

This story is dedicated to the underappreciated wocky who saves pets during blizzards. May Fyora bless her.

It was a cold winter morning. Stacy looked through the fog on her window out into the world before her. Mysterious white sand drifted from the sky and gathered in piles. Every building, every crystal of sand was blanketed by a mysterious wonder. It was remarkable. The roofs of the tents and stalls sunk in as it piled up higher. The roads were clear of anyone taking a morning walk. Gardens were no longer visible, and sand dunes were turned into mountains of white. Stacy wondered, "What kind of strong winds could possibly spread such pure white sand over the entire world?"

     But when she stepped outside onto this beautiful white sand, she felt a pain that reminded her of a burn and fell back into the house. She looked down at her paws, which were now becoming red, then at the sand. Trying again, she stepped out and jolted backwards again.

     She ran back inside and slammed the door shut. She yelled to her mother in excitement and confusion, "Arlene! Come look! The world has been covered in really hot sand!"

     Her mother awoke, rubbing her eyes. Her daughter had called her by her first name again. It was becoming a habit. She would have corrected her if she wasn’t so tired or surprised.

     She looked at Stacy, a kacheek with bronze-colored fur and green eyes. Stacy had black hair that hung straight down to her shoulders. She wore clothing that was popular in Sakhmet and a small amount of jewelry. Her two large ears with three earrings in each lay to the sides of her head, and her tail flashed a golden ring that sparkled in the sunlight.

     Looking out the window, she stood dumbfounded. Snow in the Lost Desert? Impossible. "It's snow, Stacy. I'm sure it will melt soon..." she replied.

     So this was snow? Stacy had always imagined it to be stickier, like paste. She remembered reading a picture book about a little Bruce in Happy Valley. In the pictures, the snow looked sticky, but this snow was much more like breadcrumbs.

     Now she was excited. She tried to remember everything that the Bruce did in the story. "I want to build a snow petpet and make a snow angel! I want to ride on a piece of wood down a hill! I want to throw snow at everyone who passes by!"

     By her mother's order, she dressed herself in many layers of clothing and had a large breakfast before she went outside. She was warned to stay close to the house and not to break anything. Then she opened the door and dove into the wonderful world of snow.

     ~*~

     Stacy took a large clump of snow in her hand and squished it into a deformed blob. She threw it as hard as she could. It hit the ground and broke into many pieces. She scooped up another and threw it farther. She mimicked the Bruce in the picture book. She tried lying down in the snow and making a snow angel. By accident, her tail made its own mark in the snow. She got up and giggled at her new creation.

     By the clothes hanger sat a large lump where the laundry basket lay. She dug it up and climbed onto a small hill to sled down. Stacy was amazed at how fast she could go. She jumped up and down and laughed. Snow was delightful.

     ~*~

     Arlene was an island kacheek. Her fur was tan with several white markings on it. Although she had become accustomed to wearing desert clothing, she still wore a purple flower on her head and her copper-colored earring.

     She kept a close watch on Stacy. What an adventurous daughter she had! Stacy wasn't old enough to remember the time that they went to Terror Mountain only four years ago.

     Stacy was only two years old at the time. They were on a trip to visit their family for Christmas. Most of the kids had been playing outside in the snow, but Stacy was inside taking a nap and would not have remembered seeing the snow. People said that a blizzard was coming, so the children were called back inside. However, Stacy's older brother, Jason, could not be found. The adults had gone out to search for him, but he was not found. The next day, everyone awoke, and he was back in his bed. He claimed that all he could remember was not knowing where he was and falling asleep. Then he said he remembered seeing a wocky helping him.

     Arlene's thoughts drifted back to the window. She glanced at Stacy, who was building a snow angelpuss. It was still snowing. She wondered how deep it would get and when she would have to make Stacy come back inside.

     ~*~

     An hour passed, and Arlene went to the window to check on Stacy again. But to her surprise and terror, all she could see through the window was snow. Arlene threw on some heavy clothing and ran outside.

     She first checked the front yard. The snow angelpuss that Stacy built sat there, abandoned. She then ran to the backyard. She found nothing but snow. Her head was storming with thoughts and worries, hallucinations and treachery. She trekked through the deep snow, determined to find her.

     She ran from one place to another, but the streets were empty. She asked neighbors if they had seen her, but no one had. She searched in every part of Sakhmet, but there was no trace of her.

     ~*~

     After several hours of searching, it occurred to Arlene that Stacy might not be the only one in danger. There was no way to save her if she could not save herself. But as she looked around in every direction, she found that she no longer knew where she was.

     Somewhat later, she fell asleep right there in the snow. She was freezing and exhausted. She could not keep herself awake, and she kept having dreams about Stacy. Every now and then she could feel herself shivering.

     At one point, she opened her eyes for a brief moment. A large blue wocky with white stripes and a mane of darker blue stood before her. She had a large wooden sled with her. The wocky smiled a friendly smile. Her eyes shut closed again, and again she drifted off to sleep.

     ~*~

     Her eyes opened. She was back in the house in her bed. Jason was in his bed, and Stacy was fast asleep in hers as well. Her clothing was neatly placed back in her closet. There was a pot of tea on the stove and a fire in the fireplace.

     She sat up and wondered what had happened and how she ended up back in her room. Everything around her was just as it was two days before. She considered that the snow had been a dream, but when she went over to the window to check, the snow was still covering the streets and beginning to melt. She also glanced at a blue figure dashing away from the house and leaving footprints in the snow. Her eyes widened, and she whispered two words.

     "Tyrela Softpaw."

The End