Carving An Ice Dragon

Six sculptors surround a glowing block of ice carved into a coiled dragon, its scales and claws lit from within by pale turquoise light. Two men on wooden platforms tap chisels near the dragon's head, while others below run a chainsaw and sanding files along its tail and base. Icicles hang from a garland-strung frame overhead, strung with purple and teal fairy lights, and the night sky behind glows faintly green with the aurora. Tents and smaller ice figures sit off to the side, where onlookers watch and photograph the work. Buckets, hoses, and spare chainsaws lie scattered across the packed snow at the sculptors' feet. The dragon's form still holds rough, unfinished patches beside its polished scales, each waiting for its own pass of the blade.