guestsurpise: This story is loosely based on the Nutcracker and Four Realms story and the original Nutcracker. I have to admit, the original Nutcracker is still my favorite. ;) Now on with the story!
The night has come and you are here
To hear a tale so new
Of soldiers and rats and radical fights
But this tale, I say, is true.
For there is one hero and one alone
That brings peace to your mind
He takes you from place to place
And leaves father time behind
Now come and see a brand new realm
One you have not seen.
One that bursts through time itself.
A wonderful realm of dreams!
As the wonderful snow was starting to fall and coat the wagons and black streets, Clara looked up into the sky and let the small snowflakes kiss her face. It had been so long since she had experienced snow. There was some sort of magic in the air that seemed to warm her, despite the fact that snow is cold. How she longed for magic to be real because she could use it at this time. Her father had been working at a factory due to losing the family fortune and now he also lost his job. It seemed so unreal to have had to move from a wonderful large mansion to a small shack on the outskirts of their beautiful city. A mansion that could have easily fit 20 people…her childhood home…her refuge….was now gone. But Clara remained hopeful. She still had a flower bouquet that she kept from their garden. One that was made of red roses and purple violets. Of course she knew that this bouquet wouldn't last, but she could try to keep them alive as best as she could.
"Clara come on! We need to catch the train!" Mrs. Stahlbaum called, now trying to drag Clara along with her younger brother, Fritz.
"Why do we need to catch another train; I'm tired!" Fritz grumbled out angrily!
"Listen to me! We need to get to your godfather Drosselmeyer as quickly as possible! Christmas is tomorrow and he wants us all to attend his ball!" Mrs. Stahlbaum replied calmly, now trying to keep a hold of her heavy bag. It contained the last of the items she owned, which of course was not very much.
"Why must we go there?! I need to be searching for a new job immediately," the father replied, now feeling like an utter failure. How could he support his family now? From losing a family fortune that was meant to pass on to his children to a simple shoe factory worker was already humiliating. He was a gentleman! A gentleman didn't work, especially when he had old money to live off of. Why? Why did it have to happen to him. He could only hope that his friends did not find him. The great Stahlbaum now working in a factory to support his family. Why he would be the laughing stock of the entire gentleman's club.
His thoughts were interrupted as he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Clara hold up her favorite story, the Nutcracker. Only a few copies of the book had been made and because she was part of a former wealthy family, she received a copy. The book had been read so much that its' cursive gold print was fading. The red leather binding and picture of a handsome Nutcracker on the cover was fading as well. But what did she care? This was her favorite story. One that she loved to read over and over again. Even when it wasn't Christmas. But around Christmas…this book seemed to come alive. It was almost as if she could feel the characters come off the book and into her life. But of course…the Nutcracker was just a story.
"Father…will you read this to me if it's not too late?" Clara smiled.
"If we have time Clara…we need to hurry and get settled at the mansion." Mr. Stahlbaum responded, now turning and making sure they were heading to the correct train.
Clara nodded and tried not to press with any further questions. Her father was already under stress, but there was nothing left to be said. They were going to be staying with her godfather Drosselmeyer until the family could get back on its' feet.
As they headed towards the train, Clara felt a gentle wind pass her face and she looked up to the sky and noticed that the rain began to fall as well. The rain was mixed with ice so it appeared as if crystals and snow were falling down from the sky.
"If there is any magic left in this world, I wish to see it," Clara whispered. She was not speaking to anyone in particular; she was just hoping that someone would hear her…anyone. But as she was pushed somewhat roughly to get to her seat, she felt that somehow her secret whisper would be heard by someone. As Clara sat down on her rough and cloth-covered train seat, her brother sat next to her.
"Who were you talking to?" Fritz asked, now sitting down next to her and hearing her faint whispers.
"No one," the brown-haired girl replied, now pushing her hair from her face.
"You can be quite strange sometimes," her brother replied, now looking away from her. Clara rolled her greenish-blue eyes and looked out the window as their mother and father sat down next to them. Within a few moments, the great train began to move. Once the movement began, Clara began to see buildings and factories pass by them quickly from the outside. The quick movements made her feel tired and soon the young girl was fast asleep. Little did she know, someone did hear her whispery plea.
Deep in the dream realm, Marcello, the prince of the dream realms, looked at the young Clara with a small grin on his face.
"Why what a charming human…and one who still believes in mystery and magic at Christmas," Marcello smiled. Marcello was a hunicorn, a unicorn who could change from unicorn to human, and he was in charge of keeping individuals at peace through their dreams. However, he preferred a human form to ensure that he could relate more to humans.
"Who is so charming Marcello?" a deep voice asked. Marcello turned and saw that Jocu, the Lauhinian, was there with him.
"Why there is a young girl who still believes in magic at Christmas. Her name is Clara Stahlbaum," Marcello said, now showing the red prince the portal. Jocu smiled at the image and chuckled to himself.
"This is truly amazing. Most young adults no longer believe in us Marcello." Jocu said gently.
"I agree. It is rare to find anyone who believes in Tickle Monsters or Unicorns. Or any magic being for that matter. I even heard most humans do not believe in mermaids anymore either," Marcello added.
"True. But we can understand how they feel. We do not show ourselves to humanity often so some doubt is expected." Jocu replied. Marcello nodded and then pointed to the book in the young girl's hand.
"This young one enjoys the Nutcracker story," Marcello smiled.
"The Nutcracker. A classic for the ages and a wonderful tale," Jocu's smile, however, started to falter. "But I can see into her mind…she is troubled. Very troubled. I can also tell she is having a nightmare."
"Yes…her father has lost his job and they have been having a rough Christmas Eve so far." Marcello said calmly. "What is her nightmare about?"
"She is afraid that her family will be broken up due to their lack of fortune. Her father appears to be distant from the family and it is taking a toll. A broken family is her worst fear." Jocu said.
"Well that won't do. She cannot be fearful on Christmas. Christmas is a wonderful time for being with family and friends," Marcello said.
"I agree." Jocu said, now noticing how the young girl gripped the book in her arms and held it tightly as she slept. His green eyes lit up and he had an idea. "Marcello…"
"Yes?" came the reply.
"What if we take young Clara on a journey? A journey through the Nutcracker story." Jocu smiled.
"Well that would be wonderful Jocu, but how would dreaming of the Nutcracker help a young girl with her fears?" Marcello asked.
"Ah, but that is where I will help her personally. Perhaps by being in an atmosphere that she enjoys, she will feel better about expressing her feelings and letting that fear go," Jocu smiled.
"I think this will be one of your best missions yet. And now…who, pray tell, will be our wonderful Nutcracker hero?" Marcello smiled.
"Why that would be me of course," Jocu smiled, now giving a playful bow. Marcello let out a light laugh and then noticed something. "Jocu…something's wrong."
Jocu's eyebrows furrowed and he quickly walked over. His eyes widened as he saw Clara tossing and turning and slight tears building up.
"Marcello…wake her up! Quickly!" Jocu said. Marcello nodded and invisibly put his hands over Clara's head. He massaged her brow and then whispered in her ears.
"Dear Clara…wake up…" he whispered. Within a few seconds, Clara's eyes shot open and she looked around frantically due to her nightmare. Marcello and Jocu let out a sigh of relief and then looked at each other.
"The Nightmare realm is definitely trying to mess with her…we need to work tonight," Jocu said.
"Yes, we must…the Nightmare realm is trying to ruin Clara's Christmas and dreams," Marcello replied.
"We will make our move when the moon is high in the sky," Jocu replied, now turning and focusing on his plan for the night.
As the two mythical beings were collaborating, Clara's train had finally come to a halt. They had arrived at the train station and the platform was filled with many individuals who were coming and going for the holidays. The air smelled of turkeys, ham, fresh pies, and cakes. The people in the streets were shouting their prices, hoping to sell as much as possible before Christmas day. Clara let her window down and breathed in deeply. She licked her lips unintentionally as she could almost taste the cherry pie and the warm and buttery crunchy crust.
"I'm getting hungry already," she smiled, now feeling her mother tug her arm.
"Clara, please come! Your father is already frustrated and we need you to keep up!" her mother urged gently. Clara nodded respectfully and got up her seat, grabbing her bag and story book. As she followed her family off the train, Clara gasped as she was pushed and shoved in all sorts of directions. She was afraid of losing her book so she tried to place it inside of her bag. However, when a rather large man was passing, he bumped her bag so hard that the book fell out and on the ground. Unfortunately, Clara did not notice.
After a few moments, Clara and her family made it to the black carriage where the coachman was waiting for them. It would only be a few more moments where she would go and see her godfather and be a part of a wonderful Christmas party. As they entered and the coach began to roll through the streets, Clara watched the people begin to sing Christmas songs and walk from house to house. She began to sing along with some of them and she turned and urged her family to sing along too! It wasn't long before Clara, Fritz, and her mother were all singing. Her father just looked away and adjusted his bowtie. He had more important things to do than sing.
Within a few moments, they arrived at the large and intimidating mansion. The mansion almost looked similar to a palace to Clara. It was white with eight windows on each floor. The mansion appeared to have four levels and the second through fourth floor had balconies. The balconies were lined with holly and red juicy berries. The berries were large and appeared almost as cherries! The outside yard was decorated with trees of all sizes and berries, bows, ornaments, and popcorn strings that lined up and down the trees. There were candle lights that were also in the yard that were lit with fire and ready for the upcoming guests to arrive.
"We surely cannot go through the front. We are late. Let us go through the back," Mr. Stahlbaum replied, now seeing them pull up to the mansion. But before he could say anther word, Mr. Drosselmeyer came out himself and had his arms wide open!
"Welcome! Welcome to my home Stahlbaums! It has been so long!" he cried happily, now running and motioning for the coachman to open the door. In his excitement, he helped the entire family climb out of the black carriage and motioned them to follow him inside. "You all are my guests and will stay as long as needed."
"Thank you so much for your kindness but we are not dressed for a party," Mrs. Stahlbaum said, now seeing the other women through the window wearing such fancy dresses.
"Nonsense! If you want privacy, you can ease up the back stairs with me. But we have plenty of clothes upstairs and ready for you all. The party has not even formally begun," Mr. Drosselmeyer smiled, now walking them up the twelve yard walkway and towards the large mansion. As he opened the door, Clara's eyes widened in shock and wonder! The entire room had red and gold colored walls and the pure white and gold tile-like material on the floor was beyond beautiful. It seemed to even have diamond shaped jewels in each corner of each pattern. The patterns appeared to swirl and turn and resembled something that one would see in a dream. A swirl that seemed to pleasantly curl on the floor as if it was heading towards something or making some kind of image. As Clara allowed her eyes to follow the twists and turns, her eyes widened. The image was of some kind of beast. A beast that resembled a horse, but not a horse. It had a long horn that stood from the front of its' head and the horn swirled to a twist.
"What kind of beast is this?" she thought outloud.
"There will be plenty of time to discuss that later," a voice whispered close to her ear. As she turned, she saw Drosselmeyer smiling at her. "But for now…go and get dressed young one. You have a wonderful night ahead of you!"
Clara nodded and embraced him tightly. She was eager to have some excitement after the rough patch her family had gone through. As the young girl ran up the stairs, she did not notice the twinkle of magic in the beast's eye. It was only a matter of time before she would discover it.
guestsurprise: And this is the beginning of my spin on the Nutcracker! Hope you all are enjoying it so far! Special thanks to newbienovelistRD for giving me these great ideas! :)
newbienovelistRD: My pleasure, Amiga ^_^