Free Bryony Bell's Star Turn by Cara Shores, Franzeska G. Ewart

helped Angelina dismount. The star rose jerkily on its cable till it twinkled down on them and, holding hands, they sang the third verse:
    â€˜
In a strange and far-off land
    Help, at last, will be at hand
    If you wish upon a star
    Your dream comes true
’
    Then, exhausted, Angelina sank onto the straw. A scuffle followed as the donkey sidestepped round to cover the actual moment of childbirth, and then the camera panned in for a close-up of the holy child cradled in his mother’s arms.
    From the kitchen table, a chorus of sniffs rang out as the Virgin Mary and Joseph gazed tenderly down at their offspring and sang the last verse:
    â€˜
One day when our son is tall
    We’ll tell him, “When you were small
    And we wished upon a star…”
’
    The piano accompaniment slowed as the couple stood up, held the holy infant aloft so that his little plastic form was silhouetted against the golden star, and slowly and softly sang:
    â€˜
“Our dream … came … true!”
’
    The applause that rang out at the end was notas loud as the crowds on Broadway had been; but as Bryony listened to it again, and saw the close-ups of her tearful family, she knew she had never, ever, felt so proud.
    The ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ music rose to a crescendo. A red heart filled the screen.
    â€˜But that isn’t the only dream that came true this Christmas,’ Trish’s excited voice-over announced. ‘We’ve all been following the story of Ken Undrum and his long-lost love, Cornelia Merryweather…’ she continued. ‘Well, folks… here’s the moment they were reunited!’
    There was a drum roll, and the inside of the heart melted to reveal Mrs Quigg rising in slow motion from the piano stool. Then it panned round to Ken Undrum who walked towards her and flung his arms around her. Oblivious to the shouts of ‘Encore!’ they embraced rapturously and gazed into one another’s eyes.
    â€˜Ken…’ breathed Mrs Quigg.
    â€˜Cornelia…’ breathed Ken.
    â€˜At last,’ they both breathed, ‘our dream has come true!’
    As Ken and Cornelia’s lips met, the heart reformed to draw a red veil over their kiss and the screen slowly turned black.
    Trish stood up and beamed at camera one. ‘So there you are, viewers,’ she said, ‘our first Christmas surprise. And the happy couple are now celebrating their engagement in a luxury Broadway hotel, courtesy of Channel 4! But there’s another surprise,’ Trish went on, waving a piece of paper at the camera, ‘in the shape of this
film contract
. A top American film-maker has been watching Breakfast with the Bells and reckons they’re movie stars in the making! So next year the show will be shot on location in…’ She paused dramatically. ‘
HOLLYWOOD
!’
    The kitchen exploded in a series of whoops and cheers and yee-hahs as the Bells hugged each other, and congratulated each other, and danced round in one another’s arms. And, in all the merriment, there was no one who whooped and cheered and yee-hah’d more loudly or more joyfully than Big Bob.
    They were making so much noise that not even Bryony noticed Angelina slip into the living room and go over to the Christmas tree. All eyes were still on Trish, for Trish was making yet another curious announcement.
    â€˜But the surprises aren’t over yet,’ she was saying. ‘Before we say goodbye and wish you alla Happy Christmas, here’s a flashback to Angelina Bell’s special Christmas appeal, which viewers will remember we filmed last week, when Bryony was safely out of the way…’
    Bryony hardly knew where to look. On the screen, her sister’s face beamed out at her and in the kitchen Angelina stood right in front of her, holding the golden box.
    â€˜Hi!’ said the on-screen Angelina. ‘Here’s a Christmas challenge for all you