Page 75 - Nuts to You - The Nutcracker Retold

Never Take Candy from a Stranger
Reggie was hopping around, ow-ing and howling, when the Mouse Queen slapped a sticky paw over his snout and pointed out into the hall. Down the steps came three very stupid-looking boys.
Now, to be honest, I don’t know if they were stupid or if it was the very silly blue-velvet shorts and jackets they were wearing. The big satin bows under their chins and the cereal-bowl haircuts didn’t help much, either. These boys really did look stupid, and I’m so sorry to have to say something so mean, but you need to know these things. It’s the sort of thing that you may think, but should never say, except for times like these when it’s part of a story.
Anyway, what she saw made the Mouse Queen happy.
Clearing her throat and unintentionally causing the boys to jump back in alarm, the Mouse Queen sweetly called to them, “Boys? Oh, little boys? Could you help me please?” The fact that a voice was calling them out of a clock alarmed the boys even more, but each was so ashamed that the others had seen him jump away scared, that each one
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