title: The Abominable Snowman: A Story from Nepal (Monster Stories)
author:  Fran Parnell 
description: For beginning readers yearning for fantastic alternatives in their reading fare, these will hit the spot. --Kirkus Reviews
zlib_text: **SOMETHING IN THE SNOW**
  
  Outside, darkness had fallen, with only well-placed torches to give us light.
  The terrible screech sounded again, echoed by smaller, terror-filled cries
  from the Palm residents as they scurried for shelter. A flash of red caught my
  eye, and I grabbed Rhona’s arm as she ran past.
  
  “What’s going on?” I demanded. Even in the flickering torchlight, I could see
  she was as pale as the snow around us.
  
  “The storm,” she cried. “The storm is coming.” She tugged desperately against
  me and I released her, more confused than ever.
  
  “What’s going on?” said Rurik, coming to my side. “Are they being raided?”
  
  “I don’t know,” I said. “They keep saying that—”
  
  I heard the roar again and this time its owner came into view. My jaw dropped.
  
  “ _That’s_ the storm?” I asked.
  
  If you could take every stereotype and caricature of the abominable snowman
  and roll them into one archetypal snow monster, you’d have what was standing
  before me. It was about twenty feet tall, covered in wh