Page 117 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

bon-bons and a fairy-tale ending. Well, Clara thought as she danced past their simpering sighs, if they want their sugar plums delivered at the end of one of the Prince’s long, curved nails, they are free to pursue him right out the door and down the street, and out of my life. Under the cover of a dozen satin sashes and petticoats galore, Clara slipped further away from her mother’s watch and her partner’s reach.
And bumped right into Aunt Hildegard. The oldest person on the planet. And never married. And not one bit happy about it.
“Girlie,” the old lady chirped, “grab that man by his cummerbund and don’t ever let go. Take it from me– without a man you might as well die.”
Deciding this was not an axiom she cared to live by, Clara nodded her head but rebelled in her heart. She could do quite well on her own, thank you very much. But being brought up in polite company, Clara did not tell the old lady that she thought her crazy. Instead, she leaned over to allow Aunt Hildegard to peck her cheek. However, Clara did scream inside ,when her aunt took the opportunity to whisper fiercely, “He’s quite a prize – don’t you do anything foolish!”
With her aunt’s hot, dry kiss burning her cheek, and her sad old cry freezing her heart, Clara turned away, intent this time to bolt up the back stairs and hide until the summer sun could thaw the cold frozen hold that now gripped her heart.
Clara was well on her way out of the dance, when Mother Stalhbaum appeared out of nowhere and with a deft spin and a sure push, Clara found herself in the arms of the
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