Chapter+One

It was a dark January morning at Coles Island School. The sun had not yet risen. There was no moon to shine on the steep banks of snow piled around the play area, no stars to sparkle in the sky, no light from the building itself. The power had failed moments ago, and parents were just now telling their sleepy children that they didn't need to leave their cozy beds. School was cancelled because of a storm heading their way. Fredericton was already slippery with ice and snow.

So there was no one to see what happened behind the school just before the sky became lighter; no one to watch as the snow grew an icy crust from the freezing rain. There was no one to see the fuzzy thing that fell from the sky.

Ms. McArthur entered her classroom and took off her coat. She was a little later than usual. The roads were still a little slippery from yesterday's storm, so she had driven slowly and carefully to school. The bell rang, and excited children flooded the halls.

"Ms. McArthur, did you see the snowfort Bradley and I are building?" Jessie said as he took off his coat and boots. "We're going to build the walls taller than we are!"

"Yeah," Bradley added, standing by his locker covered in snow. "Marcus said he would help us at recess time. We need to dig a really deep hole."

"Just remember," their teacher reminded them, " no tunnels, please."