The Runaway Reindeer

Leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, should Wayne the reindeer be renamed Rudolph, Blitzen... or Cupid?

- JENNIFER JORDAN

Hannah added yet another task to H= extensive to-do list and heaved a weary sigh of frustration. She was way behind with Christmas preparations, her rather eccentric Aunt Winnie was staying with her and only this morning, she’d woken up to find a reindeer casually tugging at the greenery in her garden...

“Should we give it a carrot?” Aunt Winnie had suggested helpfully.

“No, I’m not encouraging it!” Hannah had already seen the trail of damage so far; two broken greenhouse windows, several decimated plants, a chewed tree and a gaping hole in the hedge.

She’d then trudged wearily over the hill behind her cottage and knocked impatiently on the door of the farmhouse. She knew that dear old Fred, who’d kept cows and sheep, was now retired; obviously this new farmer had different ideas and hadn’t got a clue!

“Can help you? Only I’m trying to run this farm single-handed!” The tall, dark, tousle-haired man who answered the door had grabbed her attention for a moment but he seemed so grumpy she immediately became irritated.

“Well, I’m very busy too!” she’d retaliated, stroppily. You may have noticed that it’s almost Christmas? Well, I have a whole load of stuff to do, and at this very moment a rather large reindeer is on the rampage in my garden!”

“Oh, that must be Wayne!” the man had informed her with a grin.

“Wayne?” Hannah had raised an eyebrow at that.

“Yes, my little niece always used to say waindeer’ so Wayne was an obvious name when I rescued him. He’s always escaping, but don’t worry, he’s such a softie, he wouldn't...”

“Well, I am most certainly not a softie,” Hannah had declared with a determined tilt of her chin, And Wayne is systematically wrecking and digesting most of my foliage!”