Chapter 1

As Lily and her brothers munched on breakfast one morning it was just like any other day, but tiny, gentle Lily, the baby of the family, felt a definite change in the air. Her long, grey, furry ears twitched in the soft morning breeze. Cocoa and Max, her two brothers, were very big and strong. They were always chosen to carry heavy cargo whenever people needed them. Greta, the oldest, was the pride of the family for she was the mother of many fine baby donkeys that would carry on the family line. Then there was Lily. Mama and Papa were always fussing over her because she was so little and the weakest of the herd. It had been decided before she was very old that she would stay home and look after them in their old age. After all, she was too tiny to do much else. So, she agreed. Yet there was a quiet excitement growing in her heart. She remembered, when she was very young an angel had told her of an extra special baby who was coming soon for all mankind. He told her that she would have a very important part in this baby’s life. Lily had always listened to her heart. Unlike the rest of her family, she was a dreamer. And since that first visit, she continued to talk to the angels. After all, it was widely known that her great grandfather, Ezra had seen one in the middle of the road one day. He veered off the path and tumbled into a field. Ever since Lily had heard that story, she felt very close to him. She wondered if he had known about the baby who was coming. She would have a special job to do but there was no one she could share her secret with. The rest of her family seemed to have lost their animal–angel talk.