Page 136 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Boys and Trouble Are Best When They Are Gone
Clara was so caught up with Franz; she didn’t see Drosselmeir sprint up the stairs to the boys, who were strangely quiet for the first time all evening. No one saw Drosselmeir take a small flask, give each boy a sip, or see him whisper in his ear. But they did see him turn the boys around and point up the stairs to their rooms – and then a cheer went up among the guests. For what they took as a just punishment and the riddance of three nuisances!
What they didn’t see was Drosselmeir’s sad and concerned face, and his careful double-checking that the boys were safe and sound. The guests had been completely unaware of the mission of destruction the boys had been conducting during that entire evening.
All the boys knew was that they were terribly tired and terribly thirsty and, whatever it was in that flask, it had tasted terribly good. And now they wanted no more than to go to bed and sleep for the next three days. The boys didn’t even notice the cheers at their departure, nor did they
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