“Once upon a time, there lived a king,”

His mother read behind him.

He was watching the snow.

The loud bang had woken them up,

But he liked watching the snow.

“He lived in a castle all alone.”

His sister sat on Mommy’s lap

While he watched the snow.

The loud bang had scared them,

And now, he watched the snow.

“The castle was on top of a hill.”

His father was in the shower.

He had made the loud bang.

Now he could watch the snow

Because Daddy made the loud bang.

“The hill had a big apple orchard, too.”

His neighbor liked apples,

But she did not like loud bangs.

Did she make the pretty snow

Because she did not like loud bangs?

“And in that orchard was a special apple.”

Mommy had a special reading voice.

The snowflakes looked like stars.

He listened to the story and thought

Pretty things looked like stars.

“The king wanted that special apple.”

Sissy was quiet when Mommy was reading.

She liked to look at the stars.

He remembered the story and thought

On the next page, she could look at the stars.

“At night, the apple glowed in the dark.”

Daddy glowed in the dark sometimes,

And he liked to read stories.

He would glow as bright as a star

And shine like a nightlight while he read stories.

“But nobody could ever find the apple.”

Lily was always easy to find.

She stayed inside to read stories,

And she made snowflakes that looked like stars

Fall outside while she would read stories.

“The king thought the apple would make him happy.”

His mother was always happy.

Even when it snowed in summer,

She smiled and said it was just Lily.

He liked it when it snowed in summer.

“And the king was a sad, lonely man.”

His sister yawned behind him.

Snow witches didn’t like summer.

Was Lily sad and lonely

Because she didn’t like summer?

“One day, a little boy rode his bicycle to the castle.”

His father rode a bicycle around town,

But Lily never left her house,

And not just in summer.

Lily never left her house.

“He asked to speak to the king.”

His neighbor was really nice,

But it was cold in her house.

Even in the summer,

The ice made it cold in her house.

“He told the king he could find the apple.”

Mommy worried about Lily.

She said Lily had lost her mommy,

And she had been sad ever since.

He was sad Lily lost her mommy.

“But he said it wouldn’t make the king happy.”

Sissy was falling asleep.

If Lily’s mommy was like his mommy,

He would be sad, too.

But there was nobody like his mommy.

“The king didn’t believe the boy.”

Daddy had a picture in his lab

That made him sad.

It was Lily’s mommy.

Looking at it made him sad.

“He told the boy to find the apple right away.”

Lily never talked about her,

But a tree in her yard made her sad.

She made it for her mommy

And looking at it made her sad.

“So, the boy rode his bicycle into the orchard.”

His mother was putting his sister to bed.

She had read the book so many times

That she remembered the words.

She had read it so many times.

“Night came, and it started to rain.”

His sister was fast asleep.

She had heard the book so many times

That she remembered the words.

She had heard it so many times.

“The apple glowed in the dark, as always.”

His father came into the room.

He did not say a word

But listened to Mommy saying the book.

She warned him not to say a word.

“And the boy found it right away.”

His neighbor told stories, too

And she used a lot of big words.

She had big, heavy books

That had a lot of big words.

“He climbed the tree to pick the apple.”

Mommy put her hand on his head.

He drew pictures on the glass

Where his breath fogged it up.

He drew the story’s pictures on the glass.

“But the branch was wet, and he fell.”

Sissy was dreaming now.

She would want to see the pictures on the glass.

Maybe he could fog it up tomorrow

And redraw the pictures on the glass.

“The apple fell, too, right on his head.”

Daddy came to the window

And breathed to make more fog.

He drew a picture on the glass

And then he had to make more fog.

“The king paced and worried in the castle.”

Lily made good window pictures.

She did not breathe and make fog.

She drew in frost on the glass

So she did not have to breathe and make fog.

“Finally, he went out into the storm.”

His mother drew a snowman

And gave him a big smile.

He added a top hat

Which also had a big smile.

“He found the boy and the apple.”

His sister mumbled something

And then she smiled

He drew her with a top hat

And made sure she smiled.

“He thought for a moment about what to do.”

His father drew more snowmen,

All wearing top hats

And all smiling

Under their top hats.

“Then he picked the boy up.”

His neighbor would like this.

She liked Frosty’s top hat.

It made her smile

To think of Frosty’s top hat.

“And he took him back to the castle.”

Mommy left the window

And put the book away.

It was time for bed,

So she put the book away.

“He forgot all about the apple.”

Sissy said something again.

She fell asleep listening to books,

So Mommy read to put her to bed.

She always slept, listening to books.

“He was very worried about the boy.”

Daddy picked him up

And carried him to bed.

The book was almost done,

So he put the boy in bed.

“The boy finally woke up the next morning.”

Lily might play in the snow tomorrow.

He didn’t mind going to bed.

The book was almost done,

And he didn’t mind going to bed.

“The king was happy the boy was okay.”

His mother tucked him in.

Her voice was getting soft.

She kissed him goodnight

Her voice was so soft.

“The apple couldn’t make him happy.”

His sister elbowed him

But the pillow was nice and soft.

He whispered goodnight.

The pillow was nice and soft.

“Having a friend made him happy.”

His father closed the blinds

And told him goodnight.

His voice was soft

As he said goodnight.

“The end.”

His neighbor was alone tonight.

After his parents left the room,

He got out of bed

And went to the window across the room.

“Goodnight, Lily.”