Magic Reindeer: A Christmas Wish Read Online Free Page B

jiggled about.

    The teacher smiled as he took his seat at the piano. ‘Come along then, Shannon. Let’s see what you can do.’
    Shannon sang a song from a well-known musical. She had a pleasant voice, but it wasn’t very strong and she wobbled on some of the higher notes. When she finished everyone clapped. As Shannon went back to her seat, she smirked at Marie. ‘The part of Mary’s got my name on it,’ she said confidently.
    Marie sat quietly as various boys and girls came forward and sang the same song. Some were quite good, but others were awful. It didn’t matter. They all got a round of applause.
    ‘Are you going to sing?’ Starshine asked from where he lay in Marie’s lap as a tiny fluffy reindeer toy.
    ‘I… I’m not sure if I dare,’ Marie whispered to him. ‘Everyone here would only tease me.’
    At her school in Poland, Marie had been in the choir at the local church. She loved acting and singing and would have quite liked to be involved in the school play. But she didn’t think it was worth making the effort. Anyway, the best parts were bound to be snapped up quickly.
    ‘I think you should. I could help you get a part,’ the magic reindeer said eagerly, his tiny tail twirling.
    Marie saw that the gold snow-globe round his neck was beginning to glow. ‘Remember what we said about doing magic?’ she reminded him hastily, before he could do anything rash. ‘It’s not always the answer.’
    Starshine nodded and the snow-globe returned to normal.
    Everyone had now returned to their seats. The teacher stood up and moved away from the piano. ‘Right, if there’s no one else –’ he began.
    But Starshine’s comment had made Marie think. She found herself putting him aside and getting to her feet. ‘I’d like to try for a part, please.’
    ‘Marie? Of course you can!’ Mr Carpenter smiled encouragingly as she walked towards him. He sat down at the piano and placed his hands on the keys. ‘Do you know this song?’ He waited for her to nod. ‘All right then. Ready when you are.’
    Marie took a deep breath. Her hands trembled with nerves as she opened her mouth to begin. But only a dry croak came out.

Chapter
SIX
    Marie felt herself blushing as the whole class erupted with laughter.
    ‘There’s not a part for a frog in the musical!’ Shannon jeered.
    The teacher held up his hands for silence. ‘Marie’s just nervous. Let’s give her a chance.’ He turned back to Marie. ‘Take a deep breath. There’s no hurry. You tell me when,’ he said, smiling encouragingly.
    Marie fought the urge to sink back into her seat. Mr Carpenter was being really nice. She swallowed hard as she forced herself to relax. ‘Ready.’
    As Marie began to sing, she felt her earlier nerves pouring away. Her pure, sweet voice rang out into the hall. She reached the final high note, holding it easily until the song ended and the teacher lifted his hands from the keys.
    There was a moment of stunned silence. Marie’s heart sank. She knew she shouldn’t have stood up to sing in front of everyone. They must have hated it!
    But then someone started clapping slowly. Someone else joined in and then another person and then another… Soon wild applause rang out. Everyone was clapping like mad, except for Shannon. She just sat there with her mouth open. For once, she didn’t seem to know what to say.
    ‘Way to go, Marie!’ Chris yelled. ‘That was fantastic!’
    Marie looked across at him. He seemed to really mean it. She gave him a shy smile of thanks and he grinned back cheekily.
    ‘Oh, shut up, Chris! She wasn’t that good!’ Shannon snapped.
    But no one else agreed with her. Children that Marie had hardly spoken a word to came over to congratulate her. They wanted to know if she’d had singing lessons or been to stage school.
    Marie shook her head. ‘I just love singing,’ she explained, overwhelmed by the sudden attention.

    ‘Well, I think we’ve found our Mary!’ Mr Carpenter said delightedly.