{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/68e7d4f2cf3fb488007b43d7/6949a1a4e2b7985fa2529b2e?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Star – An Original Christmas Story by Don McDonald","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/68e7d4f2cf3fb488007b43d7/1766433163415-ac850e3f-74f6-44fe-8936-7108ef425d69.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>Frank has reasons for not decorating anymore. Christmas is quieter now. Darker. Easier to ignore.</p><p><br></p><p>Then a new neighbor moves in next door—six years old, endlessly curious. What starts as a simple conversation turns into a small act of defiance against grief, routine, and the belief that some lights, once turned off, should stay that way.</p><p><br></p><p><em>The Star</em> is a gentle story about unexpected persuasion, borrowed wonder, and how the smallest voices sometimes know exactly where the switch is.</p><p><br></p><p>If you enjoy short stories, there are dozens more just waiting to be heard on the Short Storyverses channel or at <a href=\"https://open.acast.com/shortstoryverses.vom\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">shortstoryverses.com</a></p>","author_name":"Short Storyverses"}