When Neville the snow elf looked out from his burrow on the side of the hill he was instantaneously happy as around him lay the first snow of the season and the reason for his existence.
Down below the brook gurgled as it should, but he knew its days were numbered as it wouldn’t be long before the winter set in the brook would freeze over.
He liked it in the dead of winter when the mornings were silent save for the patter of snowflakes on snowflakes.
Today was his day to get about the forest and inform the other occupants that they had best make their winter preparations as it wouldn’t be long before the snow was feet deep and movement non-existent.
As he travelled from one species to the next behind him, he heard the busy cries of food storage, winter bedding being laid and the usual complaints that winter seemed to be arriving earlier each year.
It was climate change Neville informed them all, an inevitable result of the greed and selfishness of the two-legs who seemed to have no regard for nature and less for the welfare of the forest folk.
That, of course, gave them, even more, to grumble about as they went about their preparations for the winter.
Once they were burrowed away in their respective burrows Neville’s job was to guard the forest and be ever vigilant for any incursion from the two-legs who sometimes came looking for fallen trees or in many cases felling trees unaware it could be the home of a family of slumbering possums.
He enjoyed the snow-covered forest floor, the silence and the fact he was the only one awake.
“Magic,” Neville thought to himself, “is what this place is.”
Written for: https://scvincent.com/2017/11/30/thursday-photo-prompt-magic-writephoto/
Morpethroad 
I sort of expected the story to continue, a two-legged to come along, commit some transgression, and then Neville would issue some ghastly retribution.
Yes good point James, there is always that question as to where to stop but as we know bloggers have a limited attention span and so I try to keep the word limit under some control and most times it works. But you are right there could always be more…..
When not specifically given a word count limit, I tend to write longer stories. I need the room for character development and to set up the story. I know five or six thousand words can be a bit much, but I’m hoping that if I write something that lengthy, it will be compelling enough to keep the reader’s attention.
That’s always our aim isn’t, engaging our readers…and I agree it is important to develop characters when we can and I do see that you work hard on that issue of your stories…I find it the fun thing about writing exploring the characters I create….
This is beautiful Michael! Appreciating the beauty!
Thanks so much Ritu
Love the character of the elf and the idea they look after all in the forest, Sweet.
Thanks so much Iain.
This reminded me of Moomintroll in Moominland Midwinter. If you haven’t read it—do!
Yes I know the books you are referring to, read them long ago..thanks for stopping by.
🙂
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I can see what Jane means… I loved the Moomin books and Neville would have fit right in there…
Thanks Sue, hmm yes I think so too…
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