Page 109 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

My Prince Has Come at Last
Mother Stahlbaum was overjoyed! Just look at the richness of his velvets, the length of his lace, the sweep of his satin and the – oh, my – the length and tint of his teeth! But, then again, the gold buttons on his jacket and the silver of his buckles! Mother Stahlbaum almost swooned – her prince had come at last.
Except for the tiny little fact that it was for Clara that he had come.
But Mother Stahlbaum wouldn’t let small things like the truth get her down. She hauled Father Stahlbaum to the foot of the stairs – to welcome their new guest. No, no. To honor, adore and lavish insane amounts of gushing, gooey, gobs of greeting on their new guest.
If Father Stahlbaum had been a jealous man, he would have booted the boy out the door at that very moment. But Father Stahlbaum was more of the punctual and none of the jealous – or even observant – frame of mind. His ruler was the clock. And as he looked at his pocket watch, he decided that the Prince had arrived within the bounds of propriety,
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