Snow, a Fireplace, and a Secret Talk
Cast -
Girl: Yanagiba Panda
Snowman: Yonaguni Hikari
Dog: Akiru Kamira
Boy: Shiromaru Mito
Act 1 -
One day after a heavy snowfall, a Snow Fairy Girl built a large snowman right beside her mansion.
The snowman looked up at the clear sky, surprised, and squinted.
“Wow, it's so bright! The sky is sparkling!”
The snowman made by the Snow Fairy had been given life and could speak.
The girl, who had wanted someone to talk to, was delighted and immediately began speaking to the snowman.
“Hey, Snowman. A boy will be passing down this road soon.”
The snowman only nodded, seemingly uninterested.
Even so, the girl was happy just to have someone listen, and she kept telling the snowman about the boy.
The snowman still seemed uninterested, occasionally giving small nods or shaking its head...
“I'm in love with him. I want to be with him forever. I want to laugh by his side.”
“Hmm, love? What is love?”
The snowman pondered.
And no wonder. The newly born snowman didn't know what 'love' was or what it meant.
And the immobile snowman was far more preoccupied with the red light visible through the mansion window than with the girl's story.
“What is that light...? It makes my insides tingle. It's different from the sky's sparkle. Red and so beautiful.”
Act 2 -
Soon, the sky began to darken.
The girl said, “Oh, he's coming! I must get ready,” and went inside the mansion.
“Huh, the sky's sparkle looks different now. It's still sparkling, but it's not blinding.”
The girl's dog came over to the snowman, now alone.
After staring intently at the snowman, the dog said.
“Hey, new guy. That floating in the sky now is the moon. The blinding thing earlier was called the sun.”
“Huh, you're quite knowledgeable, aren't you?”
The dog wagged its tail proudly and approached the snowman.
“It's going to get cold tonight. You can count on me for that.”
Just as the dog said, the air soon grew cold, and snow began to flutter down.
Someone walked through the falling snow and entered the mansion.
“That guy's here again.”
The dog said this with obvious annoyance.
When asked who it was, it turned out to be the boy the girl was in love with.
From the window, the snowman could see the girl and boy chatting happily.
Ever since the boy started coming to the mansion, the dog had been moved from the warm room by the fireplace to the doghouse, and he was unhappy about it.
“Fireplace? What's that? Something white and cold like me?”
The snowman asked the dog.
“Not at all, newcomer. It's the exact opposite of you-warm and red. ...See? You can see the firelight through the window, right?”
The snowman realized that the red light he'd been curious about was the fireplace.
And once again, he felt a tingling deep inside his body.
Act 3 -
The snowman told the dog he wanted to go near that fireplace.
The dog said it was impossible because if he got close to the fire, the snowman would melt.
“I don't care if I melt. So take me to that fireplace.”
Who would let a snowman into a room warmed by a fireplace?
The dog shook its head, saying it was impossible.
Then it went back to its doghouse.
The snow continued to fall silently.
Late at night, when everything was completely dark, only the red glow of the fireplace reflected in the window.
The snowman stared at that light for what felt like forever.
“Ah, I want to go near the fireplace...”
The snowman thought.
“Could this be love? Am I in love with the fireplace?”
Soon, snow covered the window, and the red glow of the fireplace disappeared.
The snowman felt very lonely and sad.
Morning came, and the snow stopped.
The sun sparkled brightly in the sky again.
The dog came out of the doghouse and greeted the snowman.
“Morning, new guy. It's gonna get warm today. You can take my word for it.”
Just as the dog said, the sun's light gradually changed from sparkling to blazing, and the temperature around them began to rise.
Then, the snowman's body slowly started to melt.
The dog looked at the snowman sadly.
“It's a shame, new guy. Today might be our last day together...”
The snowman said nothing, silently gazing at the mansion's window.
Act 4 -
The next morning, when the girl left the mansion, the snowman was no longer there.
“My wish came true. I wanted to tell you too...”
The girl looked sad, reluctant to part.
The dog came over to her, looking worried.
Where the snowman had stood lay a large melted snowdrift and a fallen fireplace poker.
“Ah, Newcomer. So you were made from the poker's core. That's why you wanted to be near the fireplace so badly.”
The dog stared at the poker, wagging its tail.
“I was just starting to think I had someone to talk to...what a shame.”
The girl picked up the poker, petted the dog, and went back inside the mansion.
Peering through the window, the dog watched as the girl placed the poker beside the fireplace.
It was the moment the snowman's wish came true.
The dog murmured softly, “That's good,” and returned to its doghouse.
Aftertalk -
Yonaguni Hikari
Snow falling from the sky...it's beautiful, isn't it?
Yanagiba Panda
Heh heh, is this a sight you're not very familiar with, Hikari-san?
Yonaguni Hikari
Yeah! It never snows this much in Okinawa, so I just couldn't help getting excited.
Akiru Kamira
It's rare enough to accumulate even in Tokyo~. Hikari-chan, even though you're not used to it, you're so good at making snowmen, it was hilarious.
Yanagiba Panda
I hope it stays until tomorrow.
Yonaguni Hikari
Oh right, it'll melt when it gets warmer. Somehow, that makes me feel a little sad.
Yanagiba Panda
But that feeling of sadness is part of the real charm of winter, I think.