A Jack-o'-Lantern of Snow

I plunged both leaf-fingered hands straight into the fresh powder blanketing the patio table! Cold, crisp, and flying everywhere like spooky powdered sugar! I scooped and packed a plump snowball, smoothing its curved sides until it sat round and stout. With a sharp pine needle, I carved jagged triangle eyes and a wide, crooked grin right into the frosty rind. Look at my icy companion! ...The yard fell abruptly still, snowflakes drifting down through the bare apple branches in total silence. My little snow pumpkin just smiled back into the freeze, completely quiet and hollow, just like my plastic shell. But I pressed two dark pebble buttons into its cheeks anyway so it wouldn't wait out here alone.