Page 44 of The Day After Christmas
‘The point is,’ James went on, ‘what on earth are we gonna do with this little guy now?’
But Felicity was too busy touching its forehead. ‘His ears really do go back. That is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.’
‘Told you.’
‘Can we keep him?’
James actually laughed out loud. ‘Are you kidding? What are we gonna do, pop him in our hand luggage?’
‘Why not? He’s so ickle.’
‘He is pretty ickle, but not small enough to fit in your case I’m afraid,’ said James solemnly.
The little donkey blinked his big eyes at Felicity and she threw her arms around his neck. She was already sold. The donkey lifted his chin and ever so gently rested it on her shoulder and Felicity’s heart melted into a puddle.
‘Look what he’s doing.’
‘He likes you.’
‘He’s properly cuddling me. Oh, James, I actually think I love him.’
‘Ha ha, that didn’t take long.’ James sighed and ran a hand down his face. ‘Okay, how’s this, maybe we ring round and see if there’s a rescue centre on the island?’
‘That, Mr Penguin Man, is actually a sensible plan.’
‘I have my moments,’ said James.
CHAPTER 23
After a few false starts and some overly long conversations with several people on the island who simply refused to believe that Felicity and James had found a donkey in the first place, or for some reason thought they were making a prank call, they finally managed to get hold of a lady called Valerie who was, according to the local RSPCA centre, the closest thing the island had to a donkey expert.
To her credit, when they explained, she jumped straight in the car and was with them within half an hour.
Valerie was sturdy and square-shaped and Scottish but there was something in her brisk manner, and the way her ancient wax jacket was covered all over with animal hair, that made Felicity miss Andrea. She smiled to herself as Valerie approached them along the driveway, her grey bob swinging in time with her arms as she marched. Or maybe bustled was a better word. Felicity already knew you didn’t mess with Valerie.
‘Greetings,’ said Valerie, as she approached.
‘Hello,’ said Felicity. ‘Sorry… this is an odd one.’
Valerie waved away her comment. ‘Och, odd is what I do. There’s never a dull moment when it comes to animals.’
‘Tell me about it,’ said Felicity with a smile. ‘I work at an animal rescue centre on the mainland.’
‘Now, where is the poor little mite?’ said Valerie, ignoring this completely.
James led the way. When she saw their new furry friend, Valerie crossed her arms over her ample chest and frowned.
‘Nope. Not anyone I know,’ she said. ‘And she really shouldn’t be here on her own.’
Felicity and James looked at each other.
‘It’s a girl?’ said Felicity. ‘We thought…’ She stopped, realising they had no clue how to determine the sex of a donkey.
‘Oh, yes, if it was a boy, you’d know, believe me,’ Valerie said, laughing, as she bent down to stroke the donkey’s soft brown nose, her eyes running over its body, assessing all the time.
There was a pause while Felicity resisted the urge to enquire further.
‘He – she – had found her way in here somehow. But it doesn’t seem like she’s been here very long as there are no… uh, I mean, she hasn’t made a mess or anything,’ said James delicately. ‘Well, except for that relatively new pile in the corner.’ He wrinkled his nose.
