King Winter sat on his throne on the iceberg and waved his scepter, a large icicle, to summon all the Snow Fairies and Frost Fairies. “Tell me, Snow Fairies,” said King Winter, “what have you done recently to make people happy?”
“Oh yes,” they said in unison, “we had a great time yesterday. We covered the trees with white dresses, laid white blankets over the grass, and put white hats on the posts. Everything looked so special that when the children woke up in the morning, they all laughed and screamed with joy. They threw snow at each other, made castles, snowmen, and much more. They looked like Snow Fairies. Then they brought out sleds and they began to make music. Therefore, it seemed to us that people were happy with our work.”
“Well done,” said King Winter, “now get back to work.” In a twinkling, the Snow Fairies stepped into a purple cloud boat. They were so happy to be back to work that they rained snow kisses over King Winter.
“Frost Fairies,” said King Winter, looking at his sparkling attire, “what have you done to make people happy?” “We made pictures on the windows, placed crystals on the trees, and covered the ponds with ice for skating,” answered Jack Frost, the leader of the Frost Fairies.
“That’s very good,” said King Winter. “You and the Snow Fairies make the world happy, but soon we must stop working. The sun’s rays will then push our work into the background. Our snowballs will disappear and the ice on the ponds will melt. I would like to make something that can continue to exist when we are gone. Queen Summer is gone, but the harvest of hay and grain is in the barn. Queen Autumn is gone, but the apples and potatoes are in the cellar. I also want to leave a harvest.”
“But the sun’s rays are mostly gone now,” said Jack Frost. “Can anything grow without them?” “My harvest grows best without the sun’s rays,” said King Winter, “I’ll just hang a big cloud curtain. Mr. North Wind will help, and if you Frost Fairies work hard, the harvest will be ready soon.”
The North Wind came quickly with cold air. The Frost Fairies worked hard and wondered what King Winter had in mind. But after two days, they found out. The ice on the rivers and lakes was so thick that people appeared with horse and wagon. They harvested ice and filled the ice houses. Now you may be wondering, what are ice houses? Well, in the past, people didn’t have refrigerators, so they filled a house with blocks of ice from the rivers and lakes and covered the blocks with sawdust. This way, thanks to King Winter’s harvest, people could cool food or make ice all year round.
