Free The Christmas Pony by Melody Carlson

“By the way, I noticed that someone ran electricity out to the chicken coop.”
    Lucy bit her lip and looked down at her boots.
    â€œDo you know anything about that, Lucy? Or did the chickens decide that it was about time they lived like the rest of us?”
    Lucy looked up and grinned.
    â€œTell me, what’s going on?”
    Lucy quickly explained George’s idea. “We were going to surprise you with it . . . I mean, if it turned out that it worked.”
    With a bewildered look, Mama just shook her head.
    â€œIs it all right? I mean, that we did it without telling you?”
    â€œYes. It’s fine. It actually sounds like a good idea.” Mama reached for the door. “I’ll be curious to see if it works or not.”
    â€œI’m on my way to check right now.” Lucy picked up the chicken bucket, then hurried on her way. It wasn’t until shewas halfway to the barn that she realized someone had plowed a path through what otherwise would have been knee-deep snow. Mama must have gotten up really early this morning. To Lucy’s delight, the path went all the way to the chicken coop. Not only that, but the chicken yard had been shoveled as well.
    Feeling optimistic, Lucy checked the hen nests, but to her dismay there were no eggs yet. “Come on, girls,” she told the sleepy hens. “If you like having your own light at night, you need to thank us with some eggs.” Lucy filled their trough, but like yesterday their water had already been tended to. Surely that was not Mama’s doing. Lucy rubbed a wooly mitten across her dripping nose and wondered what it would be like if George lived with them all the time. Winters could be hard in this part of the country. Last year had been bitter cold, and it hadn’t taken long for Lucy’s enthusiasm over the first snow to grow thin. She latched the gate closed and sighed. Well, with Christmas only a week away, she was not going to worry about that now. Maybe she would secretly pray that this weather would keep George and Veronica here until New Year’s!
    As usual, Veronica slept in during breakfast. The first day this happened, Lucy had felt disappointed. She never wanted to miss an opportunity to be around the glamorous Veronica Grant. But this morning she realized that meals felt more pleasant when Veronica wasn’t there. It seemed that everyone at the table was more cheerful and the visiting sounded cozy and natural . . . and nice.
    â€œThank you for shoveling snow this morning,” Mama told George as she passed him the bowl of applesauce.
    â€œSo that was you!” Lucy said. “I thought so.”
    â€œUnless it was your snow angel . . .” His eyes twinkled with mystery as he spooned some applesauce onto his hotcakes. “I think I saw her dancing about in the twilight this morning.”
    Lucy laughed. “Today I plan to make a snowman,” she told everyone. “I’ll sit him in front of the house, right next to the porch. I want him to be really tall too.” She pointed at George. “Even taller than you.”
    â€œNeed any help?”
    â€œSure.” She took a big bite of her hotcake, eager to finish her breakfast and get outside.
    â€œChew your food,” Grandma told her. “The snow isn’t going anywhere.”
    True to his word, George helped her make what turned out to be the best snowman ever. Not only was he taller than George, but Mama brought out one of Daddy’s old work hats and a knitted scarf to dress him with.
    â€œNow wait,” George told Lucy. “I’ll run and get my camera and take a photograph of you and Mr. Snowman together.”
    â€œI want you in the picture too,” Lucy exclaimed.
    â€œBut I need to take the photo—”
    â€œLet Mama take it,” Lucy said.
    After George returned with his camera and explained to Mama how to use it, Lucy and George posed on either side of