Page 164 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

realized with surprise, was where he wanted to be. He thought that confirmed he had a heart, even though he was a dumb old toy and an even dumber old boy – for hadn’t he just been thinking earlier that day that it was too bad Clara was a girl? Now, he realized he was Glad-with-a-capital-G that Clara was a girl. And if his heart felt love, yep, l-o-v-e, for her – even though she was a girl – then he must be really, truly alive. For a doll couldn’t feel love, and that meant he must somehow, really, truly have remained a boy. Or maybe he was turning into a man – ‘cause everyone knows boys don’t like girls. And here he was, wishing he was back in Clara’s arms and dreaming of – well, not hearts and flowers, but at least, really cool hours spent with her, making contraptions and inventing even cooler stuff than ever before.
All these thoughts swept through Franz’s mind like the earlier, before-mentioned fiery pinpricks of chilblain pain, which is what drove these thoughts of love from Franz’s mind. Because the red-hot needles of expansion were upon him, as he grew and grew and grew inside the curio cabinet. All the shelves above him were shoved out of the way, as Clara’s dolls and toys showered down around his ankles. Then when his head hit the top of the cabinet, his feet ripped through the two shelves beneath him and crushed all her marzipan treasures and made an un- repairable mess of Mother Stalhbaum’s favorite piece of furniture.
Just as the fire of his fast-growing limbs blinded Franz, he heard Clara cry out his name in pain! Not once, but twice! Clara was calling for him and SHE was in pain – which made Franz forget all about his own pain, and frantic to get out of the curio cabinet.
But the door wouldn’t budge! 150