Tilly Tells the Snowy Truth

Pop, went a bubble on Tilly's nose. Tilly was a small princess in a warm bath, and the water came up to her tummy. The bath smelled of fresh laundry and warm milk. Then something soft tapped the window, tap, tap. Shhh, said the snow. Shhh, shhh, shhh.

Tilly looked up. Out the tall window, past the round moon, little white flakes were coming down. It was the first snow of the winter, the very first. Grandma Lina put a hand on Tilly's back so she could stand up and see. "It's snow," said Grandma Lina. "The first snow."

Tilly watched a flake land on the window ledge. Then another flake. Then another. The ledge went white, soft as a pillow.

Tilly had a bottle of bubbles by her elbow. She wanted to make a bubble snowman, a big round one. She squeezed the bottle once. She squeezed it again. Pop, pop, pop, went the bubbles, and they flew up and out and all over the floor and all over Grandma Lina's clean towel.

One bubble landed on Tilly's head like a little white hat. One landed on her nose. She laughed, and then she went quiet. She looked at the floor. She looked at the towel. Then she pulled the bath mat over the bubbles, slow and quiet. "All done in there?" asked Grandma Lina. "Mm-hmm," said Tilly.

Grandma Lina lifted Tilly out and wrapped her in a big fluffy towel. She rubbed her dry, rub, rub, rub, and hummed a small hum, hmm, hmm, hmm. Then came the warm blanket, and Puff the cuddly sheep, and one soft kiss on Tilly's head. The lamp went off. Out the window the snow was still falling. Shhh, said the snow. Shhh, shhh, shhh.

Tilly pulled Puff close. She pulled the blanket up to her chin. She closed her eyes. But her tummy felt heavy, like a pocket full of stones. The bubbles were still under the bath mat. She could see them in her head, popping. She rolled over. She rolled back. She could not get cozy.

She wanted to tell Grandma Lina. But the words felt stuck in her mouth. So she held Puff's soft ear and looked at the window. The snow was making the window white at the corners.

Tilly sat up. "Grandma Lina," she said. "I squeezed the bubbles too hard. They went all over the floor. And your clean towel. I'm sorry." Grandma Lina came and sat on the edge of the bed. "Thank you for telling me," she said. "That was a true thing to do. Bubbles wipe up easy, and you can help me."

They went to the bath together. Grandma Lina held the big towel, and Tilly wiped the floor, round and round. Pop, pop, went the last two bubbles. Then the floor was clean and dry, and the mat went back where it belonged. "There," said Grandma Lina. "All gone." Tilly put her hand in Grandma Lina's hand.

Tilly climbed back into bed. Her tummy felt light now, light as a scarf sliding off her shoulders. She hugged Puff. She pulled the blanket up. She yawned one big yawn. Out the window the snow came down soft and slow, and the moon shone round behind it. Shhh, said the snow. Shhh, shhh, shhh.

The snow went on falling, flake on flake, on the hills and the towers and the quiet castle roof. Puff's wool was warm under Tilly's chin. Her eyes went slow and heavy. Shhh, said the snow. Shhh, shhh, shhh. Goodnight, Tilly.