Mila and the Little Reindeer

Christmas Eve. Everyone is asleep.
Everyone but Mila.
Outside, a little reindeer shivers in the snow.
All alone.
“Wait, I’m coming!”
Quick, into the boots.

Jacket over the pyjamas. Hat on.
Past Mama and Papa’s door.
Shhh.
Boots go on downstairs.
It’s waiting outside. Still there!

“My name is Flocke,” whispers the reindeer.
“Today I’m supposed to pull the sleigh.
But up there is so high!”
His little bell trembles too.
Mila strokes the soft fur.
“We’ll start small.”

“Really small. Just hopping.”
Hop. Mila hops.
Hop. Flocke hops.
Jingle-ling!
Snow flies up. Flocke laughs.
That’s how flying begins.

“First just a little jump.”
Mila jumps off the wall.
Flocke jumps after.
Oh! Flocke floats above the snow.
“Again!”

Now from the wall. Flocke alone.
He floats. As high as the bobble hat.
And then: Plop.
Right into the snow, on his bottom.
“All right?”
“Soft,” says Flocke. “Again.”

“Now a tiny bit higher!”
Flocke runs.
One leap and the hedge is below him!
Mila claps. Flocke laughs.
“Did you see that?”

A lap around the garden!
Flocke flies over the fence, over the wall,
over the fir tree …
Whoosh! Snow trickles onto the hat.
Mila snorts with laughter. “You’re really flying!”

Shhhh! A sleigh lands.
“There you are, Flocke!” calls Santa.
Then he waves Mila over.
“Coming along?”
Flocke’s ears stand straight up.

Below them the houses sleep.
Flocke pulls the sleigh.
No more trembling.
Mila stretches out both arms.
“We’re flying!”
And this time Flocke doesn’t land straight away.

The sleigh lands in the garden. Very quietly.
Flocke nudges Mila with his nose.
“This is for you.” His little bell!
“So you’ll hear me when I fly past.”
Santa waves. And off they go.

In the morning Mama listens to the little bell.
Papa finds the tracks in the snow.
“They just stop here!”
Mila smiles. “That’s where it went up.”
Jingle-ling.