Mr Snowman’s Nose

Mr Horse was blessed with good stamina to travel long distances. He was often asked to run errands from the city to the village. One winter, the town requested a cart of carrots to feed their growing rabbits’ population.

The horse volunteered to help as he wanted to visit his friends who lived in the lantern village. Carrots were also one of Mr Horse’s favourite food, and he would be given carrots in return for his hard work.

Mr Horse often dreamed about getting more carrots by working hard to run more errands, so he can retire happily with a forest of carrots! The thought of this excites Mr Horse. Each day he felt more motivated to travel faster to complete more trips to earn more carrots.

As he moved from one place to another, the cold wind blew stronger. Many animals hid in their home to keep themselves warm. However, in a clearing, Mr Horse saw a white figure standing all alone. Curious, he approached the figure cautiously.

To his surprise, the white figure spoke.
“Hi, Mr Horse, I’m Snowman”, said Mr Snowman. Mr Snowman was stuck onto the ground and could not move. He was bored and loved to talk to anyone who passed by the woods.

As Mr Horse had travelled a distance, he took the opportunity to rest while chatting with Snowman. They started sharing about their life, the adventures they had and about their friends.

However, all this while, Mr Snowman had been eyeing the carrots that Mr Horse was carrying. He secretly wanted to ask about the carrots because he didn’t have a nose yet. He really wanted to have a nose.

Mr Snowman was yearning so much for the carrot but hesitated to ask for it. He thought to himself, “If I don’t have the carrot nose, maybe I can have a branch nose, red pepper nose or even a bottle cap nose.”

However, as he was stuck to the ground, he would need to wait for the next person to come so he could ask for a nose. “Should I ask him for the carrot?” Snowman wondered.

Soon, Mr Horse got up, ready to continue his journey. He was about to leave when he suddenly noticed that Mr Snowman had no nose. He felt terrible for him as without a nose, Mr Snowman would not be able to smell all the things, from delicious yummy pies, fragrant scent of the flowers to even the stench of rotten woods. This must be the most unfortunate thing in the Snowman’s life.

Immediately, Mr Horse took his beloved carrot and stuck it into the Snowman’s face. Mr Snowman was surprised by the sudden gesture. Before he could react, Mr Horse trolled away on his mission. Mr Snowman was touched by Mr Horse’s kindness.

Suddenly, with a new nose, Mr Snowman life changed. Now he could smell the aroma of carrots in the air, the strong vanilla-like fragrance from winter flowers and the earthy scent from the winter woods. He was the happiest Snowman in the world with a perfect nose and twig arms. He wanted to share his happiness with everyone whom he meets in the wood.

Just then, a little bird flew by and was tired. He stopped to rest on the Snowman’s carrot nose. While resting, the bird’s stomach was rumbling loudly. Mr Snowman said to the bird, “You are hungry. If you wish, you can nibble at my carrot nose.” The nutritious carrot was beneficial for the hungry bird and prevented it from dying in the cold weather.

The bird nodded and began pecking on the carrot. Mr Snowman was delighted to help, while the bird was grateful to Mr Snowman for being so generous. They became best of friends.

Time passed by. Soon, winter was over, and spring came. Mr Snowman was slowly melting to the ground. He told the little bird, “My friend, please help to scatter my remaining carrot nose to the open field when I am not here anymore.” The little bird agreed and did what he was asked.

A few days later, Mr Horse was doing his delivery and passed by the woods. The wind was now warm, and the woods smell of fresh flowers and greens. He went to find Mr Snowman at the same spot, but he could not see the Snowman anymore.

Instead, he saw a bird at the clearing where he met Mr Snowman. The bird was looking after the carrot seedlings. He approached the bird and asked: “Have you seen Mr Snowman?” The bird replied, “Mr Snowman melted away with the sun and will only come back next winter. He wanted me to take care of the green carrot seedling, which belongs to Mr Horse.” Mr Horse smiled.

With the Seedling, Mr Horse can now plant a lot of carrots. Mr Horse was ecstatic. His dream of retiring in the city was within sight. He did not expect kindness in return! “A good deed sows a field of seedlings for the future.” He thought to himself. Next winter, he will remember to come back to thank his friend, Mr Snowman.

The End.