Snow Globes

When I was three and a half I had a brother who was almost one. He knew how to crawl and I am sure I was always nice to him. It was Christmas and we had received several snow globes. I had also received a wooden mallet that came with a toy that had colored pegs that one would hit with the mallet and push them to the other side then turn it over and do it again. I think that my parents underestimated how much of a weapon a wooden mallet could be. I may have used the mallet to defend myself from my older sister who was almost six. She ruled with an iron fist in our home. I would even have to give up my seat at the dinner table if she wanted it, or my favorite colored cup if she were to see it first. Now back to the snow globes. Soon after Christmas I wanted to know how snow globes worked. I really enjoyed shaking them and watching the snow fall and even at three and a half I probably knew what was inside but I wanted to be sure. So instead of me getting into trouble for breaking something I knew I shouldn't I enlisted the help of the younger brother. He was big enough to wield the wooden mallet and so I thought could help me on my quest of discovery. I got the snow globes from wherever they were and brought them to my younger brother. I did not even have to tell him what to to. He had the mallet and seemed to know exactly what I wanted. He started to smash them and I got to see all of the water rush out. My brother was brutal with the wooden mallet making short work of the deaths of all of the snow globes. I am sure that both of us were laughing menacingly as we watched the horror unfold. I am not sure if I felt any sadness at what my brother had done. I was sure that Mom could not be mad at me when I had not yielded the deadly weapon. So thinking nothing of what was going on I was not prepared to see Mom standing over us. She was of course very angry, so I redirected the anger by saying the smartest thing I could think of, "He did it!" For an instance I thought it might work. I tried to slowly walk away from the disaster I had just witnessed but I did not make it far. It was of course my wooden mallet and I did not let anyone else touch my wooden mallet. After such a high while in the act I had found a new low. I had disappointed my Mom yet again. Crying after my talking to, I left and soon forgot about the snow globes. As is often the case when one does something horrible forgetfulness is ones only true ability to overcome. Days later I found one of the broken snow globes and shook it, nothing happened, the snow did not move. The snow did not move! Why didn't it move! I took the globe to Mom who had fixed so many things before and pleaded with her to make it work. She refused. I pleaded some more. She still refused. I was soon reminded of what I had done to the snow globes and was left to mourn their loss.