With a warmer winter thus far, I am focusing on thin ice. It might be on a pond or coating a puddle. It might be that annoying ice you have to scrape off your car every morning or an icicle hanging from your roof. Write about thin ice. If you choose to take up the challenge, please add a pingback to this prompt.

The pond near my house is not yet frozen. A mallard couple stops by in the mornings for a swim and perhaps a taste of the local winter vegetation. Last week, a child and his father were throwing sticks onto the thin layer of ice that comes and goes. They watched as the sticks slid across the slick surface and remained suspended on the thin ice.

On each side of the path, the saturated winter grass has frozen, and the surface of the ice is swirled with the texture of air bubbles underneath. The ice is thin and breaks with just a bit of pressure. This kind of ice is a magnet for people old and young who are drawn to the game of ice shattering and the sound of the ice giving way and shards scattering. From the looks of it, there are many of us in the neighborhood. Broken ice litters the grass, but if you really search, you can still find bits that remain intact, waiting for the next icebreaker.

Thin ice is everywhere this year. Whether we are throwing sticks and rocks onto a frozen pond or walking a few steps out of the way to shatter the ice on a puddle, it pulls us to it with an almost magical force. Beware of thin ice where it poses a danger. Then again, if it’s only a puddle, go ahead and break to your heart’s content!