Tale #10 -- November Snow

It was 3:30 in the afternoon.

"Please open the door," Bandit said to Dancing Bear. "The children will be coming any minute."

Bandit's special friends always stopped at 906 Alexandra on the way home from school to pet him and rub his tummy. He watched for them from the porch. When he saw somebody he liked, he would run to the sidewalk and lie down on his back right in front of that person. Bandit was never easy to ignore! He knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it.

Dancing Bear opened the door. "Oh, no!" Bandit said. "That white stuff again!"

"You have to expect snow on All Saints' Day," Oreo said. "It's almost winter."

"What's All Saints' Day?" Bandit asked.

"It's the day after Hallowe'en," Oreo told him.

"I know that," said Bandit. "But what are saints, and why do they need a day?"

Oreo didn't know the answer, so she pretended to be very busy licking her shoulder.

"Are you going out?" Dancing Bear asked. "I don't want to stand here all day."

"Why do we have snow?" Bandit said.

"It covers the grass and the plants in the winter and keeps them warm," Dancing Bear said. "I like it."

"How can something so cold keep things warm?" Bandit asked.

"It's not so bad," Dancing Bear said. "You're wearing a fur coat."

"But I don't have boots," Bandit complained. "My feet are always cold."

"You'll get used to it," Dancing Bear said. She gently pushed Bandit outside with her foot and closed the door behind him.

"At last! Now we can have a little peace and quiet around here," Oreo said. "That young whippersnapper is always full of questions."