Page 218 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Playing the Piper
The Mouse Queen’s plan worked just as she thought.
When Clara first saw Coffee dance into the hideout, she thought it was weird that Coffee had left her post, and weirder still that she left it to dance. But then, thought Clara, I’ve observed that the Sweeties don’t always make sense. Then Clara saw first one Tea, then another Tea, fall sound asleep. And when the Gingerbread men dropped flat on their faces, snoring loudly, Clara knew it must be magic.
She turned to run to warn the others, and as she did, she too heard the music and the piping was irresistible. Clara pirouetted round to the music, even as she tried to move away. She could feel herself softly floating, carried by the melody to drowse, even while her brain clamored, “Danger, danger, danger!” The danger warning became a lullaby, as Clara drifted down to curl up in a snow bank, with the now soothing song that called to her, “Come, follow me.”
And that’s what Clara did – she followed the music into a Land of Sleep. And, one by one, all the Sweeties and even the Nutcracker fell asleep.
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