Page 151 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

A Head Swelling of a Good Time
The euphoria of reinforcements added to Reggie’s short- lived – but long-remembered – satisfaction from Mother Stahlbaum’s gushing admiration, and to his already- swollen head. He was feeling pretty good about himself. In fact, he was feeling much, much too good about himself. His small-man complex had quickly grown into Napoleonic visions of grandeur, and he was well on the way to seeing himself as the King of Mice. He was now certain he could lead his whiskery, furry army to conquer the world – as he knew it, anyways.
And with that thought, his head swelled even more.
Reggie, once convinced he could destroy the Nutcracker, began to think of better things. If I had the Nutcracker, he thought, I could crack mummy’s power. SHE would have to bow down to ME!
Let me redefine “better things,” and instead, call Reggie’s new thoughts “outrageous schemes and dastardly deeds.” For it’s apparent that Reggie is up to no good and maybe
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