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    The Reluctant Shepherd
    The Reluctant Shepherd
    The Reluctant Shepherd
    Ebook70 pages56 minutes

    The Reluctant Shepherd

    By Monica Withrington

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Tim will go to any lengths not to have to play the Middle Shepherd in the school nativity. When a mysterious Christmas card is delivered to his house, he finds not only a reason to go on stage but the solution to his many problems.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMonica Withrington
    Release dateDec 6, 2013
    ISBN9781311991393
    The Reluctant Shepherd
    Author

    Monica Withrington

    Monica Withrington was born and educated in South Africa. Although she trained as a teacher, she has told and written stories all her life, some of which have been published. She now lives with her English husband in the Midlands, where she enjoys the inspiration she receives from her three young granddaughters.‘The Reluctant Shepherd’ is her first novel for children.

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      Book preview

      The Reluctant Shepherd - Monica Withrington

      THE RELUCTANT SHEPHERD

      Monica Withrington

      The Reluctant Shepherd

      Story Word Count: 15,430

      Copyright 2013 Monica Withrington

      ***

      License Notes – Smashwords Edition

      Thank you for downloading this eBook. The contents of this eBook remains the copyrighted property of the author, and may not be reproduced, copied and distributed for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

      If you enjoyed this book,

      please encourage your friends to download their own copy.

      Thank you for your support.

      THE RELUCTANT SHEPHERD

      For Stephen

      A Very Good Middle Shepherd Indeed

      Contents

      Chapter One Spooked by a Christmas Card

      Chapter Two Dressing-Gowns and Tea-Towels

      Chapter Three A Bad Start

      Chapter Four Temporary Reprieve

      Chapter Five Who’s Afraid of the Three Wise Men?

      Chapter Six Dress Rehearsal

      Chapter Seven Nathan

      Chapter Eight Heavenly Bodies

      Chapter Nine George’s Hero

      Chapter Ten Go For It!

      Chapter Eleven The Shepherd’s Revenge

      Chapter Twelve The Icing on the Cake

      THE RELUCTANT SHEPHERD

      CHAPTER ONE: SPOOKED BY A CHRISTMAS CARD

      Tim pushed back his duvet and sat up. At once the icy air wrapped itself around him, but that was good. It must have snowed – he could almost smell it.

      Gleefully, he scrambling off the bed and padded to the window. He could picture the snow drifts, a hundred feet high. He wouldn’t be able to open the front door – maybe the whole house was buried and the Emergency Services would have to come and dig them all out! He’d prayed for snow last night – really prayed: fallen asleep praying. If there was snow outside, then they’d have to close the school and he wouldn’t have to…

      But when he pulled back the curtain and peered down Long Close, all he could see was a shiny, wet ribbon of black tarmac under the lamplight. It was frosty, but no way was it snowy. Tim sat back on his heels, all hope draining from him. His prayer hadn’t worked. School was going to happen as usual, and as for the Dress Rehearsal – well, that was going to happen, too.

      But, just before he let the curtain drop, something flashed at the end of the street. A tall figure in a dark uniform, his big red postbag slung over one shoulder, had just entered the Close and was now zig-zagging from driveway to driveway, stuffing brown and white bundles through the letterboxes. As he passed under each street lamp, the reflectors on his jacket shone gold, just for a moment. Then why, Tim wondered, did the bag seem to be lit up, glowing like Rudolph’s nose, and getting brighter all the time?

      The postman whistled as he strode up the drive of Number Thirty-five. Any minute now, he would be at Tim’s door – Number Thirty-nine, dropping a pile of Christmas cards on to the mat. His disappointment forgotten for the moment, Tim ran out on to the landing and had almost reached the top of the stairs, when a ginger streak sprang from the room opposite. An elbow thumped into his side, knocking him into the wall and making him squeak like a rubber toy.

      Oh, Sophie! Tim wailed, clutching his chest. She was already ahead of him, leaping down the stairs. She was going to beat him to the front door – and the post – again.

      You two! their mother shouted from the kitchen. You’re worse than puppy-dogs fighting over a bone!

      By the time Tim had reached the bottom step, Sophie was carrying a fistful of envelopes, dropping some and crumpling others, into the kitchen.

      Sophie, do be careful with those, said her mother, who was slipping slices of wholemeal into the toaster. And Tim – what do you think you’re doing? You’re not even dressed!

      Here’s one for me and Tim! Sophie shouted in triumph. From Auntie Judy, I bet. Then, her tone changed to one of surprise. Hey, Tim! she said, Here’s one for you!

      So? Tim retorted. It’s allowed, isn’t it? And he snatched the card from his sister. For a moment, he stared at the snowy envelope. On the outside there was just one word: TIM. No surname and no address. And the stamp looked like nothing he’d ever seen before. Where there should have been the head of the Queen, and a number saying ‘1st’, or ‘2nd’, there was a big star in a midnight blue sky and some strange squiggles, like curled-over walking sticks. Something tickled the palm of his hand, then the envelope slithered on to the floor.

      Butterfingers, Sophie scolded, picking it up. But just Tim stood there. That tickling feeling had not come from him,

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