Po Lee the Snow Beast

Po Lee the Snow Beast

By

Aiden (age 7) & Nana Beth Rossi

January 24, 2013

Once upon a time, in Oakton, Virginia there was a rumor that scared people.  When it snowed a very mysterious beast appeared some people said.  Some said it might be 50 centimeters long and it might weight 100 lbs.  Some say they saw four feet with knife-like claws.  It had a long pointed tail that dragged on the ground.  Some say he had no teeth but he had a jaw strong enough it could bite a punch buggy in two.  One thing everyone agreed upon was it was white.

The beast was as white as snow, as white as the clouds, as white as a toilet paper, white, white, white.  The beast only came out when it snowed.  It was very hard to see him in a snowstorm.

I’ve lived in Oakton for five years and I never saw such a beast.  Every time it snowed I went outside to look for him.  I looked up in the tops of trees, down in a hole, under rocks and decks.  I found nothing but old bird nests, dirt, and an old flat beach ball.

Two weeks ago it snowed.  It only snowed three inches. I searched for an hour and found nothing except squirrel tracks in the snow.  I was beginning to think the beast was a silly story made to scare little kids like me.  I thought the quest was over.

When I woke up the next morning it had snowed about 15”.  The snow was level everywhere except where something was buried underneath.  This was the perfect time to search for the white monster.  

I got a shovel and a broom.  I dug out a picnic table, a birdbath, and a pile of wood in our neighbor’s yard.  I swept off flower gardens, fire hydrants, and my sister’s bike.  I was about to give up when I saw an unusual lump in the snow.  I dug and swept and swept and dug until I saw claws as sharp as Ninja knives.  Whoa!

I jumped back to watch what would happen.  Nothing moved so I swept some more.  I found something like a hard cover some people put on their sandboxes. I knocked on it with the broom handle.

A long serpent head popped out of the snow.  I turned to run but tripped over my own shovel and went head first into the snow.  I was trying to get out when something pushed me out of the snow and onto my side.

When I wiped the snow off my face two huge eyes, as black as coal, were staring at me.  I didn’t move.  I froze.

Its strong jaw with no teeth opened wide and I thought it was going to eat me.

“Are you OK kid?”

“Ya-ya-yesssss,” I answered.

“Beautiful day isn’t it?  I just love the snow, don’t you?”

“Ya-ya-yesssss and yes,” I said.  Then I got some courage and asked, “Who are you?”

“Oh, sorry, I forgot my manners.  My name is Po Lee the Turtle.  And who are you?”

I stood up and brushed the snow off my pants because I was getting very cold.  “My name is Aiden.  I’m the kid who lives in that house over there at the edge of this woods.  I’ve never seen a white turtle before.”

“Well I haven’t seen one either unless I look at my reflection in your swimming pool.  When I was born all white my mother thought I was a polar bear so she named me Po Lee.  I’m not like other turtles.  Oh, I like to crawl, dig in the mud, and do all that stuff but I can’t come out in the open.  Predators spot me right away because I don’t blend into the forest. I can only come out when it snows.  Nothing sees me. I can go anywhere I want to go.  I’m free when the ground is all white.  I love the snow.”

Po Lee was so nice I didn’t want to tell him people thought he was a scary beast.  We decided to have a day of adventure together.  I rode on his back and helped him dig in the mud.  I brought him home for lunch.  It turns out Po Lee loves protein so he gobbled up Nana Beth’s left over baked spaghetti.  When it got colder I put a blue scarf around his neck to keep him warm.

The sun was sinking low in the sky.  I had to go home.  I told Po Lee I’d see him in the morning so we could play together again.

“I had the best time ever playing with you, Aiden.  Look for me in a snow bank again and I’ll be there.”  He winked his big black eye and smiled a toothless smile.  When he waddled away his tail dragged in the snow behind leaving a trail behind him.

It rained that night.  When I woke up almost all the snow was gone.  I rushed through breakfast and ran outside to find Po Lee.  I followed in the direction to the woods where I had seen him go.  I saw no tracks.  I looked for white. The only thing white I saw were clouds.  Just as I was about to give up I saw blue and ran toward it.  It was the blue scarf I had put around Po Lee’s neck.

I don’t know where Po Lee went but I know I’ll see him again one day when the snow is high.  He’ll be there waiting just like he promised.

Now when people tell stories about the beast of Oakton I try to tell them that it’s true but he’s not a beast, he’s a turtle.  They laugh at me and don’t believe that I saw a white turtle and played with him. I let them tease me because they don’t know any better.  Just because you don’t see something yourself doesn’t mean it’s not true.  Imagine if I told them Po Lee the Turtle, the beast of Oakton, loves baked spaghetti. 

Nana Beth’s Baked Spaghetti

2 lg onions

1 lbs hamburger*

½ lbs spaghetti

¼ cup grated cheddar cheese*

1 lb. can tomatoes

1 cup ketchup

1 clove garlic

1 TBS olive oil

Chop onions and fry in oil with meat.  Mix tomato, ketchup, garlic and

simmer one hour.  Cook spaghetti; alternate layers for spaghetti and cheese dish.  Bake 350 degrees for 30 mins.  (*Add extra meat for Po Lee and no cheese for Sky.)