Page 237 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Surprised, they looked up, realized they had been left behind, and – half-reluctantly, half-scared that they had almost been left behind – they made their good-byes to Reggie. Then off they went with Franz.
And even though Franz was their hero, they were already missing their new friend.
And as Reggie sat there licking his licorice twist, he realized that for the very first time in his life someone had truly liked him. They even thought he was funny!
And Reggie realized that he liked them, too. And that was food for thought.
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