“There was a bear!” Ariella says, jumping up and down in front of Nellie. “A big, white one!”
Friday night comes with a noisy celebration at the welcome house. It isn’t dark out, of course, and halachah is complicated at the North Pole. “Shabbos starts before it does back home, in New York,” Nachi explains to them. “But it won’t end until after midnight. It’s extra-long!”
Nellie doesn’t mind, especially when everyone else goes outside to explore while the men are davening Kabbalas Shabbos. Even Eli slips out of shul to walk around, and Nellie is left inside by herself. The Shabbos candles are bright on the far side of the dining room, and Nellie sits near them and enjoys the warmth.
The custodian is near the door, laying out towels to catch all the ice and snow that will come in with the kids. Nellie glares out the window at the snow. There’s no escape from it. For once, she and Squizzle are in perfect agreement. They’re not going outside again.
A polar bear circles the welcome house, glaring at Squizzle through the window, and Squizzle hops onto the window sill and chitters tauntingly. The polar bear howls. Squizzle jumps down to the floor. A few kids shriek outside, and Nellie catches sight of Eli herding them in before the bear can get to them.
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