Page 129 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Don’t Tell Me
What I Don’t Want to Hear
Clara’s first words – involuntarily, for she couldn’t hold them back – were, “Where’s Franz?” She had no idea why Godfather Drosselmeir’s eyes watered, except perhaps he was growing old. At least that’s what she hoped, because the alternative was too horrible to imagine and made her a little panicky. “Where is he?” She wished he’d reply.
Instead, her godfather took the nasty old Nutcracker and laid him in her arms – and he still didn’t speak.
Now Clara thought the worst – Franz was gone forever! Withholding a whimper out of pure desperation, Clara whispered, “Where’s Franz?” for the last time.
She tried to shut her ears immediately after asking the question, because she feared the answer. And, for not the first time in her life, she was angry that she couldn’t shut out sounds she didn’t want to hear.
Why, she thought, can I shut my eyes and not see what I don’t want to see, hold my nose and not smell what I don’t want to smell – but my hearing is so good that no matter
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