Once upon a time there was a snowflake. She was white-blue, star shaped, fragile and sharp edged. She lived in a cloud with other snowflakes and dreamed of the day they would be released to dance. She practiced her dance, sure in her steps and her skill. She would move just so and the whole world would be moved at the beauty of her dance.

And then it was time. She jumped from the cloud with her fellow snowflakes and together they fell. She saw that it was nighttime and felt a pang of disappointment. How would any be moved by her dance if they couldn’t see her? How would they marvel at her beauty if there was no light to make her glitter? But then the wind caught her and she forgot all her worries in the splendor of the dance.

She twirled, whirled, spun and glided. Her sharp edges sparkled in the little light there was. She moved with ease, grace, dignity. Her fellow snowflakes stopped their dance just to watch her move. She was beautiful.

As she glided down to Earth she felt exhilaration like she’d never felt before. There, below her was the biggest audience ever to witness a performance like hers. She pictured their upturned faces, the wonder in their eyes. She could almost hear the thunderous applause that she was sure would follow her dance. She smiled in expectation.

As she glided, spun and drifted down she found herself in a street. But there were no people lining the street. There were no wondering faces and that meant there would be no thunderous applause. There was no one to see her dance. The snowflake faltered, stumbled. How could she dance with no one to see her? What good was her splendor with no one to witness it?

These thoughts made her heavy. Their weight pulled her down and the snowflake fell to Earth. She crashed against the ground and danced no more. Right before she melted away she wondered if it had been worth anything at all.

Inside a house a young child and a woman stood at the window watching the snow fall.

“Look, Mommy,” the child said with wonder in his young eyes, “Snow. Pretty, pretty snow.”