“Isn’t beautiful Kev? The frost makes everything look a fairy story…”

“I can’t say I see it as you do. But at least dad’s not expecting me to help on the allotment today.”

“Oh come on, let’s build a snowman before the ‘Ill Wind’ comes!”

“Oh for goodness sake Gracie, you don’t believe that rubbish?”

“You can scoff, but Mr Johnson got caught in it last year and turned really grumpy!”

“He got old and cranky, it happens to a lot of people!”

Grace pulled a face. “Oh well, are you coming?”

“Oh why not I’ve got nothing else to do!”

The storm blew up suddenly as they were putting the finishing touches to their creation.

“Leave it Kev come on…”

“You go in, I‘ll finish him off.”

Kev didn’t return home when the storm subsided and no-one knew where he had gone. Everyone had a different theory, but Gracie knew it was connected to the ‘Ill Wind’. Something had happened that was stopping him from coming home. The only clue she had was that someone has seen him get into the ice blue limo belonging to a woman who was staying at the village pub, known to the locals as the Castle.

“But who is she Bob?”

A scared barman answered, “you don’t want to mess with her Gracie.” He paused, “they call her the Snow Queen. She has a retinue of young men that constantly buzz around her doing her bidding.”

“Why what she got that’s so special?”

The barman squirmed and looked around lowering his voice. “Well she gives them stuff to keep them happy… Keeps them hooked on snow,” seeing Grace’s puzzled expression he knew he would have to tell her straight. “Cocaine… she deals in cocaine.”

“OMG Bob… You’ve got to help me, I’ve got to get Kev away from her?”

“She will be down for lunch in an hour, with her boys in tow.”

“So you knew he was here?”

“Not really till you said, all her boys look alike. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yes, fill the place with strong smelling flowers. I will be back shortly.”

When Grace returned to the bar, Bob had done a great job, every surface was covered with blooms, and their scent filled the air. Grace watched from the kitchen door, as the Snow Queen came into the bar, surrounded by her boys. As the Queen voiced her displeasure about the flowers to Bob, Grace made her way across the room with a bowl of something hot and steamy. She slowly made her way around the table, hoping that the aroma of the soup would penetrate whatever spell the Snow Queen had cast on Kevin.

As she reached the halfway point, one of the boys turned to look up as her, she smiled back at him and gave him a spoon. No spell was strong enough to compete with Kevin’s love of his mum’s squash soup made with extra garlic and chilli.

Submitted by: Denny Rogers