Magic Reindeer: A Christmas Wish Read Online Free

problem,’ Marie said, hiding a shiver as she reached for an extra jumper. She didn’t mind wearing extra clothes to keep warm, if it meant Starshine was comfortable.
    She had a sudden thought. ‘You must be really hungry. Those bits of biscuit won’t have filled you up. I can hear Mum and Gran in the sitting room. I’ll sneak back downstairs to the kitchen and see what I can find. Back in a minute!’
    Starshine’s chocolate-brown eyes lit up. ‘That is good. My tummy is rumbling.’
    Luckily the kitchen was empty. Marie opened the fridge and looked inside and then realized that she wasn’t sure what reindeer ate. They were vegetarians, weren’t they? On impulse she grabbed a carrot and a couple of sticks of celery and then reached into the fruit bowl for an apple on her way out.
    Back upstairs, Starshine eyed the fruit and vegetables warily. Reaching out, he sniffed the carrot and then took a tiny nibble. He nodded slowly, looking surprised, and then sampled the apple and celery. ‘Delicious!’ he snorted, his eyes sparkling as he chomped the lot. ‘I like human food.’

    ‘What do you usually eat?’ Marie asked him.
    ‘Grass, moss and small plants we find by scratching away the snow,’ he told her.
    Marie thought hard. She supposed he could eat the grass on the school playing fields, but Gran’s garden didn’t have a lawn. What was he going to eat at night and weekends? Mum or Gran were going to notice if she kept pinching stuff from the fridge to feed him.
    ‘I know! There’s a pet shop on the way to school. They’ve got a special offer on bags of hay. I can buy a small bag tomorrow and smuggle it home in my school bag.’
    ‘What is hay?’
    ‘Dried grass, I think,’ Marie said. ‘It’s what lots of animals eat, like… um, horses and rabbits.’
    Starshine nodded, licking his chops. ‘Hay sounds good.’
    Marie gently stroked his fluffy coat and warm little antlers. Starshine nudged her very softly and licked her fingers. His breath smelt warm and spicy like Christmas pudding. She felt a surge of affection for the tiny reindeer.
    Just then she heard the phone ring downstairs in the hall.
    ‘That might be Dad!’ she said excitedly. ‘He often calls at this time. Let’s go and see!’
    Starshine nodded his head.
    Tucking him under her arm, Marie shot down the stairs two at a time and grabbed the phone.
    ‘Hello, aniołku ,’ said her dad’s voice.
    ‘Hi, Dad!’ She loved the way he always called her his ‘angel’. ‘How are you? How is Aunt Jolenta?’
    Mr Zaleski told Marie that her aunt was doing quite well, but he still couldn’t leave her yet. They chatted for a few minutes. Marie told him about school and how things were a bit better, but she didn’t mention Starshine. He told her he missed her and then asked if she’d put her mum on the phone.
    ‘ Kocham ci , Marie.’
    ‘I love you too, Dad,’ she said with a lump in her throat. ‘Come home soon.’ Her mum had come into the hall and was standing beside her. Marie turned and passed her the phone.
    As she wandered into the sitting room where Gran was collecting up her library books and putting them in a bag, Marie blinked away tears. Now that she had Starshine for a friend, she didn’t mind nearly so much that she still hadn’t made any friends at school. If only Dad could be here, then everything would be perfect.
    ‘Do you two want to come to the library with me?’ Gran asked when Marie’s mum had finished talking to her dad.

    Mrs Zaleski nodded. ‘I could do with a change of scene. What about you, Marie?’
    ‘I think I’ll stay here,’ Marie decided, plonking herself on the sofa. She fancied curling up with Starshine and watching some TV.
    But he had other ideas.
    As soon as the car pulled out of the drive, Starshine leapt off the sofa.
    The moment his tiny hooves touched the carpet, he instantly grew to his normal size. ‘I know a way to make Gran happy with her house!’
    Marie felt a warm prickling