The snowfall before Christmas is a blessing for the children of the entire cottage village. As soon as the snowstorm subsides, the main street will be filled with children from all the houses. They played snowballs, made snowmen, or created snow angel patterns on the fluffy white surface without worrying at all about jackets or wet mittens - they can have fun until their parents come to their senses in a couple of hours. Then, with cries of discontent, requests to stay longer and promises of "I won't catch a cold,” they will bring everyone home.

You were one of those kids. But instead of a noisy group, you were fenced off with a fence and a small space in the backyard near the house. Your parents, who went crazy with excitement every time you, their six-year-old child, disappeared from sight for even a moment, forbade you to go outside. Getting hit by a car, suspicious people, angry guys, and a nearby lake are all dangers. That's how they explained their conclusion. That's why every time you had to hear only the cheerful laughter of the children on the other side and the occasional clatter of snowballs against a wooden wall.

“Hey, let's build a snowman?” - a sonorous boy's voice attracted attention, there was a rustle, and the picket fence fell back, revealing a child's face flushed from the cold. Your best friend, Leon, no matter how much the elders resisted his presence in their daughter's life - after all, he was a boy - he continued to crawl through a makeshift hole in the fence and spend time with you, without fear of being pulled off by the ear, and then reprimanded both in front of his own and in front of your family.

“I brought carrots, I begged them from the adults," he said, not bothering about his trousers and gloves covered with lumpy snow, and immediately ran up to you, ”and even took coals for the eyes."