The Surprise

The Surprise

William tugged the cuffs of the mittens, pulling them on tighter. Darn, I wish I had regular gloves, he thought. It would be easier to make snowballs.

He peered through the skeleton of a bush next to his house. It was the perfect cover and made it easy to scout for likely victims.

"What do you see?" asked Jeffrey, William's little brother.

"Shhhh. Don't give us away. No one's coming yet ... but soon."

The boys exchanged grins of anticipation.

"Julie, wait up!" Mary Olsen's distant voice carried on the clear, cold air.

"This is going to be sweeeeeeet," William whispered. "Now, remember what I told you. Throw it high so it comes down on top of them. They won't know where it came from."

The voices were getting louder. William picked up a snowball and patted it once to make sure it was packed tight.

"You ready? Wait until ..."

"Yes, you've told me about a zillion times," Jeffery whined.

William scouted through the branches and saw the girls approaching. "Get ready ... get set ... now!"

William hurled his snowball into the air and watched it arc, hitting with an audible "plop" near Julie.

Jeffrey, remembering his instructions, threw his ... almost straight up. The snowball hit the eave and he watched in horror as icicles broke loose and came hurtling down.

"Watch out," he began ... but it was too late. Several of the icy shards hit William.

"What ..." William began - when he felt pieces of ice slip inside his collar and begin melting their way down his back.

"Yow, ahhhhhh," he shouted, bolting from behind the bush.

Julie and Mary weren't sure what was happening but seeing William yelling and dancing across the snow-covered yard started them both laughing as they continued down the street.

Notes:
An entry for the 1/25/10 round of "Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  [13+] as part of The Talent Pond's "Winter Writing Warm Up"  [E]
Prompt: Write a story that includes the words: snowball, icicle, mittens.

Word Limit: 300
Word Count: 300

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please, as long as you're here, leave a comment. Criticisms, thoughts, reactions, yes – even a kind word of encouragement – are all equally welcome

Ken