A Dibbun’s Snow Day by Marland Longflight



During the Winter of the Deepest Snow, one morning the abbey-babes awoke to a marvelous sight. There was a good half-meter of snow on the ground. The bare tree branches were iced in frost and the ground looked like the white frosted cake Friar Hugo had baked for the summer feast.

The dibbuns let up a rising cheer. No history lessons today! They put on their warmest clothes and raced to the kitchen for breakfast. Friar Hugo had baked up some cranberry pancakes and made some cranberry and rosehip tea. The babes ate excitedly and as fast as they could.

They raced outside and rolled in the snow. They made angels and snowbeasts. Everyone decided that the snowmole made by Gloia was the best.

Then out wandered the cellar keeper Ambrose Spike pulling a sled covered by a blanket. He told the babes to follow him and he led them out the main gate out into Mossflower Wood. After several minutes they reached a huge hill. Ambrose uncovered the sled and revealed it to have many barrel covers on it. Ambrose told the dibbuns to grab a cover and climb the hill. When they all reached the top, he sat on his cover and flew down the hill like a water-skater over a still pond. All the dibbuns tried it immediately. Soon the air was full of the babes cries of delight.

After a while, Cornflower showed up with some warm flans and hot red berry cordial. Ambrose couldn’t help smiling when he saw Matthias following his wife with a long, smooth, hollow log that shot down the hill. It went too fast for the tiny dibbuns, but the older children loved it. They all stayed there until the abbey-bells tolled for allbeasts to go to supper.

Supper was perfect after such a long, cold day. There was hot celery and cream soup, roast chestnuts in cream and honey, and clover oatcakes. To drink, there was milk with nutmeg or damson juice. Everybeast enjoyed it thoroughly.

After dinner, some of the older children and the younger adults went skating on the abbey pond. The fun went on till the bells tolled out the midnight hour.

Meanwhile, the dibbuns lay in their beds thinking of the fun day and the days ahead.





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