Page 160 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

staircase, to the clock on the landing, and the dark, dark void beyond its door. All the oxygen in the room seemed to be swooshing down into that black hole. Clara now clung to the curio cabinet, whispering Franz’s name over and over. Black spots whirled around in her brain from the lack of oxygen and just as her knees began to buckle, the chant morphed into a proclamation for “The King of Mice, the Most High Rat, the One Rat to Rule Them All, the One Great Rat!”
And then she saw him.
At first, all she saw were the red-black eyes and yellow sneer. Then Clara realized there were no fangs and the eyes and sneer were very low to the ground. Why, this King of Mice was shorter than her! And when he stepped out of the clock, Clara blinked twice and was convinced she was still dreaming.
The King of Mice was the spitting image of Prince Reginald Rhatt, except maybe he had more fur and a swollen head. But Clara would have known him anywhere. This imposter was none other than her mother’s Prince! His fussy lace and velvet coat and six curled- handlebar moustaches gave him away.
But why? she thought. Why would he pretend to be the King of Mice? Then Clara thought again. Maybe he was the King of Mice pretending to be a Princely Man? But why would a mouse pretend to be a man? Then Clara remembered Drosselmeir’s warning of danger, and the mixed-up, muddled, tale of mice, and candy, and nuts, and Franz.
It was all true!
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