5 Minute Holiday Classics by Fern Bisel Peat

Author:Fern Bisel Peat
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781631583421
Publisher: Racehorse
Published: 2019-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Marie awakened in the morning, surprised to be in her own bed with a bandage on her elbow. She related her exciting midnight adventure to her mother, who stood peering anxiously down at her. But instead of being impressed, the good lady smiled and said that the curious experience was only a bad dream that had resulted from the cut Marie had received when she put her elbow through the toy cabinet door. But when Godfather Drosselmayer heard the tale, he nodded solemnly and disclosed in a strange story that Nutcracker was really his handsome nephew, Nathaniel Drosselmayer, who had earned the right to be a prince through an act of heroism. He said his wooden form was due to an enchantment of the mice, whom the act had displeased, and so the Mouse-King was pledged to pursue Nutcracker until his grudge should be entirely satisfied.

Godfather also foretold that Nutcracker’s human form would be restored only after a charming young lady had declared her love to him and the Mouse-King had been vanquished.

In Marie’s imaginative mind, Nutcracker became the enchanted young Drosselmayer.

On three successive nights, when Mouse-King exacted sweetmeats of her to ransom Nutcracker’s life, she supplied them.

Then, gallantly, Nutcracker demanded a sword to replace the one he had lost in battle. On the fourth night at twelve, he tapped on Marie’s bedroom door, presented her the slain Mouse-King’s seven crowns and invited her to accompany him.

She followed him along the dimly lit hall to the open clothes closet. Together, they ascended a tiny staircase that led up through her father’s coat sleeve.

A great light shone, and there before them glittered the Kingdom of Dolls. They walked amid houses built of marzipan and other sweetmeats, meadows of sugar candy and rivers of perfumed orangeade.

Finally they came to the Christmas Forest, a-shimmer with ten thousand lights. Nutcracker clapped his hands, and quaint little candy shepherds and shepherdesses, hunters and huntresses came out to greet them. They presented Marie a chocolate nougat stool with a licorice cushion, and bade her be seated. Then, in a charming manner, they performed a ballet to the tune of hunting horns. Marie was delighted, but Nutcracker said they must not tarry and led her on toward the capital city.

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