“Is this where my snowman is?” asked Peter uncertainly.
“Yes Peter,” said India, who had dropped his ‘need-to-be-loved’ smile and composure, and now looked very uncomfortable in their new surroundings. “But you shouldn’t go inside. Children don’t go inside these places. Even we snowmen aren’t supposed to go in there.”
“Why not?’
“Because… we shouldn’t.’
Peter began to look a little annoyed. “I want to go in.’
“You can’t!’ said India anxiously. “We can’t!’
“Why not?’ said Peter once again, losing patience. “India. You are now… my snowman. So please tell me what is in that igloo!”
India was Peter’s snowman! That was good enough for him.
“Because there are some Council of Cloudland Snowmen inside who are deciding what to do about… your old Plastic Snowman.”
“Thank you,” said Peter firmly, and immediately walked into the igloo.
“Wait!” shouted India, and went after him.
*
Peter walked down a small tunnel that was dazzling inside. The snow was bright and gleaming, providing as much light as a normal day on the ground would give.
After ten metres, the tunnel went left and he suddenly found himself behind a large group of snowmen.
Between those snowmen that were standing with their backs to him, Peter could see that those facing him at the other side of the igloo were all very well-made. They all had well-proportioned heads, bodies, arms and feet, just like his Plastic Snowman. But they all had faces made up of pieces of black coal and all were wearing ties. He could also make out two of them that were wearing bowler hats, just like the Most Important Plastic Snowman.
And one of them was in the middle of speaking. “…can not prove that there was another snowman in the same area where you were. You were warned the first time you did an unauthorized jump. Now you must face the consequences of your actions.”
“I will say this again. You know who to bring here. He will tell you what really happened,” said a familiar deep voice.
Peter walked up until he was just about touching the snowmen that were in front of him.
He could now see more of what was happening. And he could now see his Plastic Snowman.
“And we will repeat what we’ve already told you,” said the other voice. “He is a land child. He is not of our society. He is also too young to have such responsibility of deciding a snowman’s fate. He has no authority here in our cloud.”
Peter could now see where the other voice was coming from. He felt sure that, despite its similar appearance to many other snowmen in the igloo, it was the Very Important Plastic Snowman.
“Well, I find Peter a very intelligent little boy,” said the Plastic Snowman. “Even more so when he worked out how to activate me.”
“You must have told him!” said another Plastic Snowman. “You know this is forbidden and must be punished by our strongest laws!”
Punished? thought Peter. What would they do to him?
“I most certainly did not,” said the Plastic Snowman firmly. “The world below is moving forward. We are not. Their ability to find out more about the world, how it works, the technology they are developing and have now developed is putting us in increasing danger of being discovered. It will not be long before the world below finds out who we are and what we do!”
“Poppycock! Our secrecy defences are sound and impregnable, and always will be! We will always be one step ahead from those curiosities below!” said the Most Important Plastic Snowman angrily, again using vocabulary that Peter had difficulty understanding.
“And I will ask you again,” said the Plastic Snowman calmly. “Where is the Official Very Important Plastic Snowman? Why is he not present at my trial?”
“He is not available at this time!” shouted the Most Important Plastic Snowman. “And in his absence, his authority has been passed onto me. That is all you need to know!
“And I have heard enough,” it added. “The decision has been made and you have been found guilty. You are to be sent to Atoz. There you will work for the Monsters in maintaining our cloudland until you melt away. Your ability to jump or simultaneously move between places will be taken away from you… not that it’s easy to do so from there. But you will continue to have the ability of movement and speech, but your form will revert to snow.”
“As you so wish,” said the Plastic Snowman arrogantly.
“Petee!” whispered India, who was now standing right next to Peter. “We have to go or I will be in serious trouble!”
“Why? Will they send you to Atoz if they catch us here?” said Peter shakily.
If you could actually see a snowman freeze in fear, which when you think about it should be impossible, then India did it.
“May your snow soul help us all for now and in the future, when I trust you will be a better snowman. Goodbye.”
“NOOO!” Suddenly every snowman in the igloo turned around.
“A child!”
“What is he doing here?”
“Send the snowman concerned to Atoz!”
And then a gap emerged between the snowmen. Peter ran through it and headed straight for the Plastic Snowman.
Then at that moment, a bright light began to shine on the Plastic Snowman.
Peter jumped and grabbed him.
And the next thing he knew was that they were inside what looked like a cave.
*
But back in the igloo, there was mass pandemonium. Snowmen were uncharacteristically shouting at each other, particularly at those who were in the bowler hats. But they were all quickly silenced by the sudden appearance of the Tall Thin Plastic Snowman, with its purple cardigan buttons, a large pink hat, and wearing a striped orange tie around its neck.
“That‘s not supposed to happen!” it said in a high-pitched voice. “I have sent a child down to Atoz!”
“What do you mean?” said the Most Important Plastic Snowman, sounding uncharacteristically surprised.
“Oh, Most Important Plastic Snowman, It was me who did the run and jump! It wasn’t that snowman!”
The Most Important Plastic Snowman looked furious at this news. There were murmurings around the igloo and among the Council of Cloudland Snowmen, some of them shouting at the Most Important Plastic Snowman. The Tall Thin Plastic Snowman was clearly distressed. “I am responsible for Peter! I have broken a sacred law never to harm a child!”
“You… may not have harmed him,” said the Most Important Plastic Snowman, looking shaken at how the snowmen had reacted. “But I am going to hold you responsible for…” – he said this next bit with a sense of reluctance – “…bringing him back. Along with the snowman that the boy has christened… India.”
And then India appeared, not because he wanted to, but the other snowmen he had hidden behind suddenly stepped to one side. He slowly traipsed towards the Tall Thin Plastic Snowman, looking completely and utterly distraught. “Me?...”
“The boy has told you that you were now his Plastic Snowman. He got into here under your responsibility. Now you will assist in bringing him back.”
The Tall Thin Plastic Snowman stood and stared at India, who tried to cover his eyes with his branchy hands but without too much success. His fat nose was too big and in the way.
“You both have ten cloud minutes to get prepared. The Plastic Snowman has about two hours in Atoz before he melts away. That is, if the child is not with him, so you’d better hope he is.”
The Most Important Plastic Snowman then turned to the snowmen that were standing either side of him, and said quietly: “This should not have happened. This was not what should have happened. Thanks to that stupid snowman a child has found its way into Atoz. If we are to remain in control of the Cloudland, they have to get that boy back. I dare not think of the consequences to us if we don’t! If he were here, that would be just the very thing the Very Official Plastic Snowman needs to get rid of us, so be thankful that I managed to get rid of him and have him and his ridiculously lenient attitudes sent to Accounts.”
He then turned to the two snowmen who, whether they liked it or not, were about to go on a mission where it was possible that they would not return. “And one other thing you two – you must not, under any circumstances, upset the Monsters of Atoz.”