Cipher in the Snow is a short story written by Jean Mizer Todhunter about the death of an ostracized teenager.
It won first prize in the first Reader's Digest/NEA Journal writing competition[1][2] and received a reprint in Today's Education in 1975.
[4] The true story is about an ostracized teenager, Cliff Evans, who, following the move-in of his stepfather, becomes a completely withdrawn and friendless "cipher".
His literature teacher (the author, Jean Mizer) is asked to notify his parents and write the obituary.
After getting a delegation to go to the funeral – it's impossible to find ten people who knew him well enough to go – Mizer resolves never to let this happen to another pupil.