He was standing at the bus stop trying in vain to find shelter inside the flimsy structure. It was freezing cold and the fierce wind was sweeping through the deserted street covered by snowdrifts. He looked at his watch: nearly midnight. The chances of a bus coming were million-to-one. No taxies in sight, either. Not in this neighborhood. And the only bar across the street was closed, of course.

It felt very much like being the last person on Earth. How he wished he could – by some magic – skip a few months and be transported into the warmth and fragrance of springtime. He scooped some snow and made it into a ball. High above, in the star-filled sky, a star broke loose and started falling. If wishes were horses… He quickly made a wish.

Suddenly, the stars began to rotate – first slowly, almost imperceptibly, then faster and faster – until everything round him was spinning madly. He was in the center of a snowy vortex, hardly able to stand, seeing nothing, barely breathing through a thick mask of snow, and then – raised in the air, flying…

When he came around, he was standing at the same spot by the bus shelter. Only now it was broad daylight and the warm air was filled with pleasant fragrance. Around him, people in summer clothes were walking along the street lined with green trees. It worked! He had made it into the spring! He suddenly felt giddy and hot in his jacket. The sense of elation was so great he just couldn’t stay in one place. There was music coming from the bar across the street – and he had a good reason to celebrate!

As he stepped off the sidewalk, too excited to look around, a huge bus materialized just before him and a terrible blow knocked him to the ground. The brakes screeched. Somebody screamed. People at the bus stop looked in confusion at the strange man in winter clothes lying on the warm asphalt, a tiny crimson snowball slowly melting in his gloved hand…