Sally suggested they build a snowman, but the snow was too crisp and dry. It was Bannerman who gathered a handful of wet snow where the sun had lain for some hours and threw the first snowball. Sally was still trying in vain to build her snowman while Tania stood watching uncertainly. She saw Bannerman put his fingers to his lips before throwing his snowball to catch Sally on the shoulder. It burst in a spray of fine snow over her face and she wheeled around angrily. Bannerman was grinning, and Tania unable to stop the smile from creeping across her face.

‘All right,’ Sally said. ‘If that’s the way you want it. Come on, Tania, we’re not going to let him get away with that, are we?’

She stooped quickly to grab a handful of snow that broke into a white cloud as she threw it.

Bannerman laughed. ‘You need to get it where the sun’s been shining.’ He scooped up another handful and threw as Sally ducked to see it fly over her head. She grabbed Tania’s hand and they ran to where the sun slanted down between the trees on virgin snow.

‘Like this,’ she said, showing Tania how to cup it between her hands and compress it into a ball. Then she yelled as another burst on her back. She stood up quickly and hurled her snowball at Bannerman. He sidestepped easily, slipped and fell heavily on his side. He felt snow in his shoes and burning the side of his face. The black railings of the park, the outline of biscuit-coloured buildings against the sky. Trees overhead and the sound of laughter. Sally’s fine clear voice, and Tania’s. He rolled over to see the child’s face reddened by the cold and bright with the laughter that came tumbling from her lips like music, joyous and unrestrained. He thought he had never heard anything more beautiful in his life.

A snowball burst on his forehead, stinging his skin and bringing tears to his eyes. He heard footsteps crunching across the snow and Tania was there, standing over him, her laughter very nearly hysterical. She raised a hand and threw her snowball. It broke on his chest and he yelled as she dropped on her knees, her arms around his neck, life and laughter pulsing through her small, clumsy body. He hugged her and got to his feet, lifting her clear of the ground and spinning her round and round until the world swam and he had to stop.

They both fell into the snow and Tania lay on her back breathing hard and laughing at the sky. Bannerman saw Sally crouched a few yards away in the snow. She grinned at him and tilted her head to one side. He scrambled to his feet, brushing snow from his coat and trousers. ‘I’m soaked. What do you say we eat?’