The Snowy Snowshoe

Emma woke up and looked out of the window. The garden was white. Snow covered everything. Emma smiled. She loved snow days.

"Can I go outside?" she asked her dad.

"Yes, but wear warm clothes," he said. "And take my big snowshoes. They're by the door."

Emma put on her coat, her hat and her gloves. She looked at the snowshoes. They were very big — too big for her feet. She laughed and strapped them on. They made her feet look enormous!

She walked slowly across the garden. The big snowshoes stopped her feet from sinking into the snow. It was great fun.

Then she saw something strange. A small snowman stood near the old oak tree. The snowman had a carrot nose and a red scarf. But that was not the strange part.

On the ground next to the snowman, someone had written words in the snow. The letters were big and crooked.

Emma read them slowly.

HELLO, EMMA. I MADE THIS FOR YOU. LOOK BEHIND THE TREE. YOUR FRIEND.

Emma looked behind the tree. There was a small box. Inside the box was a pair of warm mittens and a note.

The note said: "The snowman is your secret winter friend. Every snowy day, look for a new message."

Emma put on the mittens. They were exactly her size. She smiled and looked at the snowman. Did snowmen have secret powers?

She decided she would write back tomorrow.