Bert finds a home

And that’s when he found the lighthouse.&nbsp;He wasn’t sure what it was, but it somehow just seemed to be the perfect place for him to find some shelter.&nbsp;And so, slowly and carefully, the little reindeer made his way to the centre of the playground and climbed upwards, hoping to find a new place to rest.

There was a rustling and a whimpering from inside a box left carelessly beside the school stage.&nbsp;It was such a sad and lonely sound that Mrs Black was not frightened at all, but she was a little worried.&nbsp;<br/>

Mrs Black asked him if he would like her to see if he could stay with these other deer because, if he did, she would try to arrange it.

That night, Bert had the best night’s sleep he had ever had.&nbsp;He was safe, cosy, loved, cared for and wanted.&nbsp;He dreamt about Mrs Black and Mr Black, Miss Pumpkin, Miss Beatrice and Florence.

He played in the fields, watched the fast water flowing under the old bridge and even got to see some more animals that looked a lot like him.&nbsp;

Poor Mrs Black tried to catch him, but didn’t quite manage it in time.

Mrs Black couldn’t help but notice that his antlers were crooked and this somehow made him look even more sad and lonely.&nbsp; He also had a little tear on his back and some of his stuffing had started to poke through.

And so, that’s exactly what happened.&nbsp;Mrs Black carefully lifted Bert into her car and brought him all the way to her home.

But, no…. after all the wondering and thinking and thinking and wondering, Bert snuggled back into Mrs Black’s arms and whispered, ‘No thank-you, I would really much rather just go back home with you, if that’s ok?’

Then, it was bath time and, before he knew it, Bert was not only mended, but just as clean as a shiny new whistle.&nbsp;

Bert started to feel safe and wanted; cosy and warm.&nbsp;She introduced him to her beautiful cats, Miss Pumpkin and Miss Beatrice and they soon began to become friends. This was turning out to be the very best day ever.

As she had promised, Mrs Black took Bert to the shiny red letter box to post his letter to Santa.&nbsp;There was only one thing that Bert really wanted for Christmas, and it wasn’t toys, or money or food.&nbsp;

The Black family arrived home, back to the snuggly warm blanket, some cookies and milk - and a Christmas movie.&nbsp;Back to Miss Pumpkin and Miss Beatrice and Florence the rabbit.&nbsp;Back to the place that Bert could now call his forever new home.

With all his heart, he wanted to stay in this safe place and to be sheltered with his new family.

Bert was so happy that a little tear trickled down his nose and chin, but, this time, it was not because he was sad.&nbsp;Oh no, Bert was most definitely not sad! This tear was because his little heart was full of joy!&nbsp;He was the happiest little reindeer you could ever have hoped to meet.

It had been a beautiful, crisp, wintry day and the children of Harmony Hill Primary School had all returned home.

They just sat there for a while, with no more talking, but soon the tears stopped and the sobs settled and Mrs Black whispered to the little reindeer that she would take him home with her and there she would look after him and help him to feel well again.&nbsp;

But, as they began the journey to Bert’s new home, they were to do one more stop on their way.&nbsp; Mrs Black knew how much Bert had loved the lights on the Christmas tree and how it had helped him to feel happy and hopeful.

Mrs Black gently reached into the box to try to lift him out so she could care for him, but the little reindeer was so frightened, that he leapt out of the box and ran away.

Very carefully, she sat down beside him and began to stroke his battered and broken antlers.&nbsp; The little reindeer cried some more, but then gently placed his tired little head on to Mrs Black’s knee.&nbsp;

She mended his wounded back with a beautiful heart, which was the most perfect idea because it was just like carrying a little picture of how much Mrs Black loved him already.

‘Hello, little one,’ she said in a kind and tender voice.&nbsp;‘There’s no need to be afraid; we can help you, and mend you, and look after you, and teach you many new and wonderful things; that’s what we do around here.’

Bert and Florence quickly made friends and had a lovely time making Christmas decorations together and Bert just loved hanging his special decoration on the family Christmas tree. How he loved the beautiful lights!&nbsp;They made him feel so happy and hopeful inside.

The little reindeer scrambled out of the Assembly Hall and made his way to the front of the school.&nbsp; Between his frightened tear drops and silent sobs, he looked around him trying to find a new safe place to hide.

And so, as they travelled back home, Mr Black, Mrs Black and Bert stopped in Lisburn to see the beautiful tunnel of lights.&nbsp;

The staff team was still there, but, for that afternoon, instead of the usual marking, planning, phone calls, organising and paperwork, they had decided to have some fun.

Reindeer image created by katemangostar - www.freepik.com

The staff team and all the children did their best to find ways to fix problems and never liked to pretend they weren’t there.&nbsp;And so, Mrs Black kept on tiptoeing and began to speak gently to try to help the little reindeer to trust her.

He crawled onto the wall and watched them some more, but from a distance.&nbsp;He did some more wondering and thinking and thinking and wondering.&nbsp;

This was a very special place to be and Bert snuggled deep under his blankets with only happy thoughts floating about in his little reindeer head.

The next morning, as the sun rose in the sky, Bert wriggled his toes, shook his antlers and slid out of his cosy bed wondering what adventures he would have that day.

Once the hot chocolate had worked its magic, Mrs Black thought it was time to introduce Bert to another member of her wonderful family; this time, it was Florence, the rabbit.

Carefully, she peeled back the lid to see who on earth might be hiding there.&nbsp;

Christmas music played in the background and everyone got busy creating a winter wonderland for the children to enjoy.

In no time at all, trees were up, tinsel dangled, lights twinkled and decorations brought joy and cheer in every corner of this very special school.

Slowly, timidly, a beautiful baby reindeer silently poked his little head out of his secret hiding place. He had long teardrops hanging from the end of his nose and chin and he was trembling with cold and fear.&nbsp;

But, as the staff rummaged through the stacks of boxes trying to decide what to use, Mrs Black was to make a sad discovery; one that brought a tear to her eye.

And that’s exactly where Mrs Black found him. As silently and gently as she could, she made her way over to the little reindeer. It broke her heart to see how lonely and sad he looked.

Just when Bert thought life could not get any better, Mrs Black read him a beautiful Christmas story and explained all about Santa, even helping him to write a letter which she promised they could post the very next day.

If he didn’t mind, she would like to call him Bert, because everyone deserved to have a name.&nbsp;At that, Bert even managed a little smile and, somehow, he knew everything would be alright.

Bert lay on the grassy bank and watched the grand, beautiful animals for a long time.&nbsp;

Would it be nice to stay with animals that looked a bit like him?

Bert had found his Ohana after all and he knew that he would never feel left behind or forgotten again.

Now that Bert was more relaxed, he began to realise how hungry he was. Mrs Black wrapped him in a fluffy blanket and poured him a mug of steaming hot chocolate, with lots of delicious pink and white marshmallows sprinkled all over it.&nbsp;Bert was beginning to feel right at home.

Mr and Mrs Black wrapped Bert in a beautiful new woollen scarf and took him on an adventure.&nbsp;

He thought and wondered and wondered and thought.

When they got there, she gently and tenderly fixed his broken antlers.

Mrs Black held Bert close and stroked his little antlers very gently.&nbsp;With the kindest of voices, she whispered back, ‘Of course, little Bert!&nbsp;I was hoping you would say that.&nbsp;Home it is then….’

This could not be!&nbsp;No one in Harmony Hill could allow such sadness to be ignored. One of their special words was ‘Ohana’....

...and Ohana means family and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.

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