Page 204 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Waiting for “To Go”
Ever been in a spot where you so wanted to itch your nose, but you couldn’t? Like when the dentist is drilling? That’s what was bugging Clara. She had an overpowering urge to scratch her nose. The more she tried to ignore it, the more it itched. The more she clenched her fist and forced herself to stand still, the more she found herself fidgeting.
And with every little fidget, a little snow would trickle down.
Which was the last thing any of them wanted. They needed the Mouse Queen to be good-and-gone before their camouflage drifted away.
Clara could almost hear Franz’s thoughts to “stand still” but that nose of hers was louder. “Scratch me!” it cried, over, and over, and over again, until Clara thought she’d scream. Which would be worse than scratching her nose.
Finally, the sled was righted and off poor Pirlipat trudged. As soon as it had disappeared around a copse of trees, Clara sneezed, which shocked Coffee so much that she jumped,
190