It was strange that I didn't know him: in our neighbourhood, it was rare to meet an unfamiliar face. All this, coupled with his funny appearance, made me slow down my already slow step. It was as if I hesitated, and without knowing why, I felt embarrassed by my hesitation. The gosling, who immediately pulled himself up, swung his legs vigorously, and stared at me with a wide grin and a gap between his teeth.
I immediately thought about what he was happy about on such a freezing cold day. The boy was just sitting there on the icy bench, made tsk sounds through the gap in his teeth, and seemed to be waiting for me.
– Dreaming? – he either asked or stated. It sounded like we were old mates.
I thought about it a lot later. Somehow, at that moment I didn't find this behaviour strange. It's almost like a dream when you think everything is natural when you're inside, and only when you wake up do you realise how illogical it is.
– I guess – I mumbled, intending to walk on by.
The boy chuckled again and jumped up from the bench, clearly pleased that I'd answered his question. The gosling followed me.
– I'm thinking, too – he smiled even more.– It's good to think in winter. Snowflakes are like pendulums – they calm you down.
– Listen, kid, I really want silence, – I tried to get away, but he wouldn't let me.
– That’s what I'm talking about, – he persisted, ignoring the hint. – Winter, silence, snow. I just love snow. It's my friend.
– I guess you don't have any real friends – I started to be rude, and slightly increased my step, but the gosling continued to look sincerely into my eyes, ignoring it.’That's a bit of a mouthful.’
– Isn’t the snow real? Very much so. A reliable, silent friend, always on time. Sometimes I'd like to be a snowdrift.
– What? – I laughed at the obvious stupidity of it.
Now I think I shouldn't have laughed. Some people dream of being president or a pilot – nobody minds. There's nothing special about a snowdrift. Everyone's entitled to their opinion. But then I laughed.
Then he repeated what he said without seeming embarrassed at all:
– A snowdrift. That would be marvellous! Imagine sparkling in the sun during the day and under a street lamp at night, all peaceful and quiet. It'd be great!
– Well, what if there's no lantern? – ‘what a weirdo’.