Silent Snow, Secret Snow - Recap

As school starts, a young boy, Paul Haselman, sits in his class with a snow globe on his desk. As the other children ask questions, Paul shakes the snow globe and thinks back to the first morning, when he heard the postman right at his doorstep because snow had fallen the previous night, muffling his footsteps. Paul listened to the snow, getting quieter and quieter. The postman finally comes to Paul’s house, but when the boy looks out, the snow is gone... if it was ever there.



Paul goes down to breakfast with his parents, holding the snow in his imagination as a secret. Eventually his mother noticed and asked Paul what the matter was, but he had no answer.

As the class continues, Paul remembers the snow becoming heavier and heavier, muffling the postman’s footsteps, despite the fact there was no snow on the ground. He welcomes the snow, muffling out the world and the postman’s footsteps. At home, Paul’s father Frank notices that his son is studying geography and suggests they go on a field trip, and Paul says he’d like to go to the North Pole. He wonders how to explain, and if he should explain the beautiful new world he’s found.



Paul becomes increasingly withdrawn and his mother wonders if they should take him to a doctor. The boy considers telling them, but realizes that he has to keep his secret world to himself. In class, the teacher tells him to stop daydreaming and he answers her questions. After class, Paul walks home and hears something calling him, something important, something terrifying. He runs home and imagines his house buried in snow. As he comes to the door, he realizes that he didn’t hear the postman knock at any door but his own that morning. Paul wonders if he is being rushed, or if something has already ended.



Paul’s parents bring the doctor to check on the boy. As he confers with their parents, Paul hears the snow calling to him, telling him to ignore everyone else. The doctor asks if there is anything wrong, and Paul insists that nothing is wrong. Paul stares at the window, imagining snow coming in, and laughs, startling his mother. He says that he’s just thinking, and finally admits that he’s thinking about snow. When his father demands that he talk to them, Paul tries to run to his bedroom and Frank stops him without success. The boy goes to his room and finds it filled with snow. He leaps into the bed and lets the snow embrace him.



Paul’s mother comes into the room and the snow disappears to him. He yells at her to go away, screaming that he hates her. With that, the snow closes on him, causing him to withdraw into himself... permanently.

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