{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/69052100c89076b5e2c3398a/69408560443ad98913514121?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"The Star – An Original Short, Short Christmas Story by Don McDonald","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/69052100c89076b5e2c3398a/1765835482221-1e7728c2-e9d5-452c-9d8b-fb5c4f2e8bab.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p><strong>This is a special Christmas bonus episode for Season's Readings listeners.</strong></p><p><br></p><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=\"shortstoryverses.vom\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">shortstoryverses.com</a></p>","author_name":"Short Storyverses"}