Mr Snow and Mr Green

Mr. Snow loved children.  Every year boys and girls would come sledding
on the hill where he lived.  They would skate on the pond nearby.  They would
hide behind him when they had snowball fights.  Sometimes they would eat his
carrot nose.  But they always gave him a new one.

Every year when Winter ended and Spring began, the ice on the pond would melt and Mr. Snow had to say
goodbye to the children.  He missed them very much, and he knew how sad and
miserable they must be during Summer when he was gone.  But he knew he would
come back next year, and that made him happy.

One year there was a very strange winter.  Mr. Snow started to melt, and soon he was almost gone.  The
leaves were growing on the trees, and flowers were starting to bloom.  But then
the most amazing thing happened!  It snowed again!  Mr. Snow was very
happy.  Maybe he could stay all year!

But there was someone new on the hill.  Mr. Snow had never seen him before.  "Are you a child?" asked Mr. Snow. 

"No," said the tall stranger.  "I am not a child.  I am Mr. Green.  But the
children do love to play with me.  In Summer they swing on my branches
and climb my trunk, and they love to jump in my leaves in the Fall."

Then the stranger sighed.  "But then Winter comes, and children don’t want to
play with me anymore.  And I must sleep until the snow melts and Winter
ends."

Mr. Snow felt sad for Mr. Green because he missed the children, too. 
But he couldn’t imagine not wanting Winter to come!  Mr. Snow wished it were
Winter all year long!

"Hi, Mr. Snow!  Hi, Mr. Green!"  A boy ran up with his pet dog.  It was Tommy.  Mr. Snow and Mr. Green both knew Tommy.  He visited
Mr. Snow every Winter, and every Summer, he played with Mr. Green.

"Tommy," Mr. Snow began, "what do you do if you want something very much?"

"Yes!"  Mr. Green said.  "What do you do?"

 "Well," said Tommy, "if I want
something, I wish on the North Star."

 "Where is the North Star?" asked Mr.
Green and Mr. Snow excitedly.

 Tommy scratched his head.  "It only comes at
night.  I can see it from my bedroom window.  It lives North of Main Street, I
think."

Mr. Snow and Mr. Green both had an idea.

 "Aha!" thought Mr. Snow.  "I shall wish Winter will stay year-round!  Then I can have the children
all to myself!"

 "Aha!" thought Mr. Green.  "I shall wish Winter goes away
forever.  Then I can have all the children to myself!"

"Can you take us to the North Star?" they asked Tommy at the same time.

 Just then Tommy’s mother called his name.

 "Sorry!" Tommy said.  "I have to go home for
lunch!"

 And Tommy ran home with his dog barking all the way.

Mr. Snow and Mr. Green looked at each other.  And looked.  And looked.  No one spoke
for a long time.

 "I’m going to find the North Star," Mr. Green finally
said.

 "I’m going to find the North Star, too," said Mr. Snow.

 "Then let’s look together," said Mr. Green.

 "Yes, I think we should," said Mr. Snow.

Mr. Green hoped Mr. Snow did not know what he wanted to wish for. 

Mr. Snow hoped Mr. Green didn’t know what he wanted to wish for,
either.

Mr. Snow and Mr. Green started walking.  There was snow on the
ground now, but there was green grass poking up underneath.

 "The snow will be gone soon," said Mr. Green.

 "I don’t know," said Mr. Snow.  "I think it may snow again."

As they walked toward Main Street, they saw many
children playing.

 "Look!" said Mr. Snow.  "Those children are making an
igloo!"

 "Look there!" said Mr. Green.  "Those children are making a
tree house!"

 "But over there!" pointed Mr. Snow.  "Ice skating!"

 "They look so cold!" said Mr. Green.

They walked by a garden, and Mr. Snow saw
some flowers with their colorful heads poking up from the ground.

 "They are so beautiful!  I’ve never seen such colors before!" he thought to himself, but
he didn’t say anything to Mr. Green.

 Mr. Green looked at the icicles that
hung down from the roof of a house.

 "Look how the sunlight reflects just so! I’ve never seen anything so wonderful!" he thought to himself, but he didn’t
say anything to Mr. Snow.

Soon they got to Main Street.  Mr. Snow did not know where to find the North Star’s house.  Neither did Mr. Green.
 
"We shall have to knock on every door," said Mr. Snow.  Mr. Green agreed.

At the first house a little girl opened the door.  It was Kate.  Mr. Green was very
excited.  She played in his branches every year.

 "Excuse me," said Mr. Snow, "does the North Star live here?"

 "No," said Kate.  "I don’t think so."

"By the way," said Mr. Green, "what is your favorite season?"

  "Oh, Summer!" said Kate, and she clapped her hands.  "In Summer I can play in
the grass and go on picnics and go camping!  Winter is so cold and dull!"

 Mr. Green felt very proud, but Mr. Snow felt very sad.
Mr. Snow and Mr. Green went to the next house.  Jonathan answered the door.  He didn’t know where
the North Star lived, either.  But before Mr. Snow left, he asked Jonathan a
question.

 "What is your favorite season?"

 "Oh, Winter!" said Jonathan
excitedly.  "I love hockey and ice fishing and snowball fights.  I wish it were
Winter all year!  Summer is too hot, and the trees and flowers make me
sneeze."

 Now Mr. Snow felt very proud, but Mr. Green felt sad.

At the third house Mr. Green and Mr. Snow met Kyle and Kathryn.  They were twins. 
Mr. Snow and Mr. Green both liked the twins very much.  They were always
so kind.  Every Winter they played with Mr. Snow, and every Summer they played
with Mr. Green.

Kyle and Kathryn smiled when Mr. Snow and Mr. Green
asked if the North Star lived in their house.

 "No," answered Kyle and
Kathryn.  "The North Star doesn’t live in a house.  It lives in the sky, very
far away!"

 Mr. Snow and Mr. Green were both sad.  Now neither of them could
make their wish!

"Why do you want to find the North Star?" asked Kyle
and Kathryn.
 
A tear ran down Mr. Snow’s face.  "I want it to be Winter
forever so I can play with the children all year long!"
 
Mr. Green was crying, too.  "I want it to be Summer all year long, so I can play with the
children forever!"

"I don’t want Summer all year long," said Kathryn.

 "And I don’t want Winter all year long," said Kyle.

 "We like both of you too much!" they said together.

 "If Mr. Green stays, Mr. Snow will be gone forever!" said Kyle.

 "And if Mr. Snow stays, Mr. Green will be gone forever!" said Kathryn.

Mr. Snow looked at Kathryn.  Then he looked
at Kyle.  Then he looked at Mr. Green.
"I don’t want the children to be
unhappy," he said.

 Mr. Green looked at Mr. Snow.  "Neither do I," he
said.

Mr. Snow and Mr. Green thanked Kathryn and Kyle and walked back to
the hill.

 "It has been a good Winter," said Mr. Snow.  "I shall be glad to
get some rest, so I can be ready when Winter comes again!"

"And I am so excited to play with the children all Summer!  But I will need my rest, too,
when Winter comes," said Mr. Green.

Mr. Snow melted as he watched the
children playing happily with Mr. Green.  They were laughing and singing and
dancing.

 "It’s best that we share the children," Mr. Snow thought to
himself.  "That way they will be happiest of all!"