Jack and The Snow Beast - Part One

You’ve heard the story of David & Goliath, no doubt. Well, this is a very similar story, about how a little boy called Jack slew the terrible Snow Giant of the Yukon.

It was in the year 1898 during that period commonly known as the Klondike Gold Rush. Jack was the only son of a gold prospector who had come out to that grim snowy place seeking his fortune; leaving behind his lovely wife and daughter but taking Jack, swearing to his wife as he kissed her goodbye that he would return home, someday, a rich man .

Jack did not care much for gold but his father had the gold fever pretty bad. In fact his father was so mad for gold that, when he wasn’t drinking himself into a stupor in the Dawson City saloon, he would even hallucinate about dancing gold nuggets kicking long legs in the air like can-can dancers.

But, one Christmas Eve, when his father was away at the Saloon, Jack was playing behind his Fathers old shack, building a snow mother and a little snow sister by her side; feeling very lonely and missing
his real mother and sister very much when a little bird hopped over to him.

“Don’t worry, Jack”, said the bird, “I know how you feel. My flock has all migrated and left me behind because I have a broken wing and can’t fly with them but I know they’ll be back in the spring
and you’ll see your mother and your sister again, I’m sure you will”.

“I hope so, Mr Bird”, said Jack, looking gloomy, “But my father says that we won’t go home until he’s found gold and lots of it”.

But then the bird told Jack that he knew where to find lots of gold, “Up in the rocky mountains, in a cavern, I’ve seen a giant, ferocious looking snow beast covered all over with thick, curly white fur and he has a whole cave full of gold nuggets, each one as big as a buffalos head and he even has gold teeth as long as icicles”.

“Whoop-ee”, said Jack, jumping in the air with a bright face beaming with happiness , “If I could get some gold from him then maybe we could go home”.

“I don’t know”, said the bird, shaking its little head, “He looks pretty scary and grumpy too, like an old miser. I don’t think he’d part with any of his gold, not for anything and did I mention his teeth; long and sharp as icicles and he has long sharp golden claws on his big furry hands and feet too”.

“Well?”, thought Jack, scratching his chin with a mittened hand, “Maybe if I tell my father, he can go and get some of those big gold nuggets himself”.

But, when Jacks father got back he was roaring drunk and didn’t want to listen to Jacks tale of the ferocious snow beast or its cavern of gold and even when his father sobered up he had such a terrible hangover that he was in an awful temper and worse than ten ferocious snow beasts.

“He won’t listen to me”, said Jack, sadly, to his friend the bird, “And even if he would, I don’t think that he’d believe me. I don’t think there’s anything else to do except go and get some of them gold nuggets myself and bring them back with me; even if that beast is as ferocious as you say, he surely can’t be any worse than my father when he’s drunk”.

And so the boy prepared to go off searching and the bird, perched upon his hat, said that he would be happy to guide him to the creatures cave.