Becky in the Nutcracker
Part One
Narrator: It's Christmas Eve in Fair City, as children get ready for bed… Preparing for Santa Claus to come. While Becky Botsford reads a Christmas story… What 'a reading?
Becky: The Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffman. It's one of my favorite books to read at Christmas time… (Yawns) It's just so… beautiful… (She drifts off to sleep)
Narrator: Uh oh, I smell a dream sequence… (It shows the Botsford house, but it was like a manor on the inside and the time period was the 1810s, Narrator clears his throat) Young Becky was excited for the Christmas Eve party that her parents would be hosting…
Sally: TJ! Becky! Hurry up! Our guests will soon be arriving!
TJ: Do you think we'll get lots of cool presents?!
Sally: TJ, you know it's the thought that counts…
TJ: Yeah, yeah sure… (Whispers to Becky) But when that thought is having a cool present…
Pretty soon, guests arrive by the minute and the party was in full swing. The adults laugh and chuckle while drinking to egg nog. While the younger children play by the Christmas tree with new presents they had open. Just then the doorbell rings.
Tim: I'll get it! (Goes to the door, and opens it seeing Hal Hardbargain with a large package all nicely wrapped up, he was known as Uncle Hal to the Botsford kids as he was their godfather and a toymaker by giving them lots of cool toys to play with)
Hal: Hello young whippersnappers. (Putting down the package)
TJ: Hi Uncle Hal! What 'a bring us this time?
Sally: TJ! Is that anyway to greet a guest?
Hal: Oh, it's alright, I am always thrilled to have someone look at my final product.
Becky: What is it Uncle Hal?
Hal: You'll soon find out… (Opens the wrappings and reveals a large mechanical castle, with moving figures inside)
All: (Looking onward) Ooh…
Becky: That's so pretty…
TJ: Cool… What else does it do?
Hal: That's about it.
TJ: Oh… I think I'll go play with my tin soldiers…
Becky: Well, don't be too upset to with TeeJ, I still think it's amazing contraption.
Hal: I was hoping you would say that, I have an extra surprise for you. (Hands her a small wooden box)
Becky: (Opening it, to see a wooden nutcracker who suspiciously resembles Tobey but with a blue uniform on) A nutcracker?
Hal: Ah, but this nutcracker comes with a story that reminds me of another nutcracker who was once human turn into a nutcracker. (They go sit by the fireplace, and began the story) Once, long ago, were a king and queen full of pride and had a daughter, the Princess Victoria… (We now see a castle and the king and queen who look like Victoria Best's parents) While their daughter was still an infant, it was a time when humans and mice can get along with each other.
Becky: Humans and mice got along?!
Hal: Shhh! I'm getting to the good part… Now, there was this queen of the mice who was a bit of a trickster… (We see Granny May in fake mouse ears and tail) and she had many offsprings and grandchildren, her favorite grandchild was the one they call Two-Brains. Because he had two brains and one of them stuck out of his head. Instead of disgust, she was pleased with how her grandson turned out, since he was just as every bit as smart as she is. So one day, she tells the king of who her heir shall be.
Granny May: I chose my grandson, Two-Brains, to take my place as the Mouse King.
King: But he has two brains, how can you live with that?
Granny May: My grandson may have that two brains birth defect, but that makes him twice as smart.
Doc: Ooh! Cheese! (Runs into a mousetrap, it snaps) Ow! Grandma!
Granny May: (face palm) Oy-yoy-yoy.
Becky: (Interrupting the story) Hey, didn't you say, the mice and humans lived together in peace? Then why would there be a mousetrap?
Hal: Oh those were for any invader mice, but yes, there was a hidden enemy within the castle's mice. Granny Mouse may have seemed to be a friend to the royal family but secretly, she wanted the castle for herself and her clan.
Becky: That figures…
Hal: (Getting back into the story) So, the next day, Granny Mouse had a plan to get rid of the king, she snuck into the kitchen and put a bit of poison into the king's supper dish. But she was caught all too soon by a smart and handsome inventor name Hardbargain. The inventor worked in the castle, making all kinds of devices for the king, but anyway, the mouse was brought on trial by the king who banished her and her clan from the castle.
Granny May: You'll pay dearly for this! As I place a curse on the princess's head! (Waving her hands, magic dust landed on the baby Victoria turning her into what looked like a baby Eileen)
Hal: The king and queen were devastated, and order the inventor to find a cure. In the days and months he searched, there was no sign of a cure for the curse. The years started to roll and he took on an orphan lad from the streets making him an apprentice. The lad's name was Tobey, he worked long and hard as the good apprentice he was but he did like to play practical jokes on Hardbargain. As the king grew impatient, Hardbargain went to rely on the court astrologer of the name Seymour Smooth.
Smooth: (Looking in a hand mirror) Now, what is it, you want from me?
Hal: We need to find Princess Victoria a cure; to… you know… her ugliness…
Smooth: Oh right, poor kid, she use to be the prettiest thing the world has ever seen, next to me of course…
Hal: Then tell us what her future holds.
Smooth: Fine… (Putting down the mirror to use the telescope) Uh-ah, uh-ah… Okay! Here's the way I see it, you need to find a nut, a nut that would be so indestructible that one must think of a clever way to break it! Only then would Princess Victoria be free.
Hal: And where would I find such a nut?
Smooth: Oh, it's right here, I pick it up at an astrologer's convention, don't know why, it just kept taking up space. But I'm glad I can finally get rid of it! (Hands it over)
Hal: Great, thanks! (Starts to go)
Smooth: But be warn, whoever frees Victoria will end up trap into another curse…
Hal: If that is so, then how would I free this person as well?
Smooth: Don't know, I would need this person's name to read their future.
Hal: Alright… (Leaves, and begins to narrate again) When he told the king of this news, he proclaim…
King: Whoever breaks the nut and sets my daughter free, shall be given riches beyond their imagation and have Victoria's hand in marriage.
Hal: Many young suitors answer the call, they lined up from inside to outside the castle walls. (We see many of Ms. Davis's boy students, ranging from Scoops, Eugene, Hunter, etc. and each every one of them tried breaking the nut using brute strength, naturally, that always failed) When all hope seem to be lost, young Tobey came to me- I mean Hardbargain, and told him he had a plan… (In story, to Tobey) You can't be serious!
Tobey: But it will work! (Showing off a mechanical nutcracker, and wines it up, it starts marching) Now watch this, (Placing a walnut in front of the nutcracker, in which it stomps it with it foot and it breaks in two!) see? It'll work.
Hal: I'm fully aware it'll work but I don't what you competing for Victoria's hand.
Tobey: But why? By marrying the princess I can have all the wealth I want!
Hal: Yes that is true, but don't you think you should give someone else a chance?
Tobey: You don't want me to get rich! You just want me to be a lowly inventor for the rest of my life! Well that's not going to happen to me! (Grabs the copper nutcracker and leaves in a huff)
Hal: I- That is, Hardbargain had no choice but to let the boy go, he did have to make his own path in life… So Tobey went to the king and the ugly turned princess.
Tobey: I shall break the curse upon the princess!
Eileen: Please do, you're kind-of cute.
The king put the touch nut down, Tobey puts down the nutcracker, wines it up; it steps forward and breaks the nut! The broken pieces of the nut released a magical energy and it transforms Victoria back to normal!
Victoria: (Been given a hand mirror) I'm beautiful again!
King: You saved our daughter, which means you can have the princess's hand in marriage.
Victoria: I'm going to look real forward to our wedding…
Tobey: (Thinking) I'm going to look forward to those riches…
Victoria: Of course, we are going to have to change your image a little.
Tobey: (Confused) Such as?
Victoria: Fix your hair; fix your fashion sense, shoes, you name it. We what to look our best… (Showing her red eyes) Don't we?
Tobey: So just to get this straight, you what me to be me while pretending to be someone else?
Victoria: That's the general idea.
Tobey: Maybe this was a mistake.
Victoria: (Angered) What did you say?! I am no mistake! I am the best! The best!
Tobey: I didn't say you were! I just think this whole marriage idea is a mistake! (Moving back, he accidently steps on the nut pieces and another magical energy is released, only this time, turning and shrinking Tobey into a wooden nutcracker, Hardbargain came in just as that happen)
Hal: I'm too late…
Victoria: (Looking at the nutcracker in disgust) Ugh, you were right, I could never marry someone as hideous as you…
Hal picked up the Tobey nutcracker and went straight to Smooth.
Hal: His name is Tobey. Tell me; is there any way to break his spell?
Smooth: (Using the telescope) Uh-ah, uh-ah… Just that a maiden pure of heart must break his spell by offering her love…
Hal: That's all?
Smooth: Yup.
Hal: And that's the story of the human turned nutcracker.
Becky: That's a terrible ending!
Hal: I guess you can call it that. But who knows, maybe someone can create a better ending…
By letting her guard down, TJ took the nutcracker and plans to use a big walnut for its teeth.
Becky: (Turns and sees this) TJ, no! (Grabbing for the nutcracker, both struggle, until the arm breaks)
TJ: Sorry…
Becky: Really TeeJ, you can be so… Argh!
Hal: Fear not, I can fix him, but it'll have be until tomorrow morning.
Sally: In the meantime, he goes into the toy cabinet. (Putting him in the glass cabinet)
Tim: (Tapping his glass) Attention everyone! I just want to thank you for coming; this was one of the best Christmas parties we ever had.
There were cheers then the guests left one by one, the last person to go was Hal.
Hal: Now don't you worry about your nutcracker, Becky, just check on him quick before you go to bed tonight.
Becky: Thanks Uncle Hal. (He leaves)
Tim: Well gang, time for bed.
Becky: Can I sleep down here tonight?
Sally: Okay, but just for tonight.
TJ: Hey, that just means she'll get to the Christmas presents tomorrow morning.
Sally: Becky just wants stay near the present that was given her which you nearly broke, TJ. You own it to your sister.
TJ: Oh alright…
Tim: And Becky knows when to wait when the rest of us are up, so we can open presents together. Right Becky?
Becky: Yes Dad.
Tim: See, it all works out.
Narrator: Later, after saying good night, Becky, now in her night gown slowly falls asleep on the sofa to a dying fire.
Becky: (Taking one last look to the toy cabinet) Good night, my nutcracker… (Yawns, then falls asleep)
Inside the cabinet, the Tobey nutcracker just gave a smile…
End of Part One…