Page 192 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Franz double-timed a few hops backwards. And whether it was from a troll rushing at him with open arms, or the memory of Princess Pirlipat throwing herself at him day- after-day, we’ll never know. For a gentleman (such as Franz) never tells. Whatever the case, he had practiced the maneuver of side-stepping without offense so well, and for so long, that Princess Pirlipat never knew she’d been avoided – as his Nutcracker head went into so deep a bow that it threatened to topple the rest of Franz on his nose, and would have, if it had not been for Clara’s quick tug, to steady him.
Flattered by what she took as a courtly gesture, the Troll tittered, which was more than a little silly on a Princess and very wet on a troll – as trolls tend toward spit.
Clara, as she rounded around the round and oversized head of poor Franz, suddenly came into view of Pirlipat – which brought Pirlipat around to realizing just how troll-like she really was – because her half-sister was a sight that made her eyes sore. Pirlipat never liked having a sister. And especially not a pretty sister. And worse, yet, a nice sister.
Clara’s heart went out to Pirlipat – and Pirlipat wanted none of that! A pity party for Pirlipat was not pleasing. So Pirlipat pulled herself up to her full, three-and-a-half-foot troll size (although her shock of bright pink hair added another three feet). And as she pulled herself up, Pirlipat pulled herself back, so that Clara had no choice but to close her arms around air – and stare.
Clara’s eyes grew so big and her face grew so tight, that Pirlipat began to feel highly offended. But when Clara’s teeth began to chatter and her legs began to stumble back, Pirlipat almost (almost) thought that being scary might be as good as being pretty. But she quickly dismissed that
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