Story: Frost In The Watercolor Woods

“Oh!” Pip peers out and gasps. “Brrr! And it’s cold too!

The Watercolor Woods are quiet and still. Frost coats every branch, blade, and leaf, sparkling in the morning sun.

Pip, the deer mouse, realizes, “Winter is here.”

She hears the ground crunch beneath her paws and scurries down from her hollow in the cypress tree.

“Pip, over was here!” Mia calls to her closest friend, landing beside her.

“Wow! It is cold out here this morning!” Mia, the blue jay, shivers and shakes, fluffing her feathers to stay warm. “Everything is covered in frost.”

“It’s beautiful,” Pip twitches her whiskers. “Mia, how does frost get here?”

Mia tilts her head and looks at Pip, “Great question! Let’s ask Moonbeam. She might know.”

“Let’s go!” Pip races down the trail to the meadow.

Mia stops on the trail and stares at the river, “Josie! Walter! Look, Pip. It’s the twin red-eared sliders.”

Two heads pop up from the mud at the river’s edge, “Good morning, Mia! Good morning, Pip!”

“Look at your shells! They are covered in frost!” Pip observes their shiny turtle shells.

Walter mutters, “What are you two doing on this cold day?”

Without answering, Pip asks, “Are you staying warm today?”

Walter’s eyes twinkle, “Somewhat. We bury ourselves in the mud near the water. It’s still cold, but not freezing.”

Josie adds, “We also slow down when it’s cold, so we don’t need as much energy.”

Mia gazes over the river, “It looks like winter painted the woods. Doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It is beautiful,” Josie agrees. “But it’s too cold to bask today. We need to bury ourselves back in the mud.”

“And we should be getting to Moonbeam’s den in the meadow. Bye, Josie! Bye, Walter!” Pip waves and heads back to the trail.

Soon, Pip shouts, “There is Juniper, near her burrow, under the oak tree. Pip waves, “Hello, Juniper!”

Juniper, the chipmunk, places a neat pile of acorns at her burrow entrance. Turning back to wave, she greets her friends, “Pip? Mia? Good morning!”

“Hello,” Mia greets Juniper. “We are out exploring frost in the woods.”

“My burrow is warm and cozy. Come in a minute to warm up,” Juniper offers.

“It is warm in here,” Pip acknowledges. She notices the burrow is lined with dried leaves and moss, keeping the burrow warm.

“Is it warmer underground? Is that why your burrow is nice and warm?” Mia asks.

“Being underground helps keep the burrow warm,” Juniper replies.

After chit-chatting, Pip reminds Mia, “We should be getting to Moonbeam’s den.”

Waving goodbye, Pip heads to the trail, “Mia, I love how pretty the frost is.”

“It’s like little prisms catching the sunlight,” Mia wraps her wing around Pip, and they continue walking towards the meadow.

“There she is,” Pip points with her little paw. “She’s under the blackberry bush, heading to her den under the fallen tree trunk.

“Morning, Moonbeam!” Pip shouts.

Moonbeam, the skunk, sniffs the air and giggles, “Good morning, you two. Aren’t you cold out here?”

“A little,” admits Mia. “We were wondering if you could tell us about frost?”

“You’ve come to the right skunk!” Moonbeam smiles and swooshes her tail. “Frost forms when water vapor in the air turns into ice crystals on cold surfaces. It only happens on clear nights without clouds to trap the day’s heat.

“We knew you would know,” Mia exclaims.

Moonbeam chuckles, “That’s because I pay attention to the woods. The frost reminds us winter is here.”

“Thank you, Moonbeam!” They wave goodbye as she disappears into her den.

Pip and Mia make their way back to the cypress tree.

“Mia,” Pip says as they reach home, “Frost is my favorite thing about winter.”

Mia nods, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

The two friends sit quietly and watch the frost melt as the sun gets higher in the sky. They both wonder what the next adventure will be.