Hours passed but eventually the party ended and everyone except for Frida and her family left the house and once they were gone Mr. and Mrs. Suarez sent all three daughters upstairs to bed.

"Alright now girls it's time to rest." Emiliano said.

Anita and Nikita obediently went upstairs to their rooms but Frida was still sitting by the Christmas tree cradling her nutcracker in her arms.

"Playtime is over for today Frida." Carmela told her gently. "It's time for bed."

"Alright." She stood up and went toward the stairway.

"Wait dear you're not going to take that nutcracker to bed are you? You can't do that."

"Why not?" She asked clutching the nutcracker.

"Because it's broken right now and if you take it to bed with you, you might rollover on top of it and break it more. Leave it down here."

"No what if Anita and Nikita try to break him while I'm asleep."

"Oh they wouldn't do that."

"Yes they would. Nikita already broke his arm."

"But it was an accident and besides hija it's not like he'should an actual person." Emiliano said.

"He'll be perfectly safe down here I promise." Carmela assured her. "Here I even know where we can keep him."

Carmela then brought out one of the little beds Frida used to use for her dolls when she was younger and placed it by the Christmas tree.

"There, that way he'll be comfortable."

"Okay Mother." Frida sighed.

She then gently laid her nutcracker into the little doll bed and went on upstairs to her own bed.

"You know I don't think you should encourage our thirteen year old daughter in the existence of a nutcracker actually living." Emiliano said to his wife.

"Oh let her pretend Emiliano." Carmela said. "At least for tonight, she won't be a little girl forever it's best to let her have her dreams while she's still young."

"I suppose."

"You know I'm rather disappointed that Rodolfo didn't bring his son to the party."

"Why is that?"

"Well he's the same age as Frida and I thought that she would finally have a friend to talk too."

"She doesn't need friends who are boys."

"Oh Darling someday our daughter's prince will come and you'll have to accept that." She giggled.

"Carmela please don't talk to me about that at least not now."

"Alright though I do wonder why didn't his son come."

"Well according Rodolfo his son has been rather sick for the last couple months. So sick that he can't even move, he says it's almost like the boy is made of wood."

"Oh the poor thing do you think he'll recover?"

"Who knows? I'm not a doctor."

And when the couple finished cleaning up the kitchen and dinning hall they too retired to their bedrooms. For awhile all was quiet in the house that night and the only thing that could possibly be heard was the tic-toc of the family's old grandfather clock. Then some time around midnight Frida awoke to hear a strange noise. It was something going: Thump-thump followed another noise. This one sounded like something was scurrying or scuttling around or across the floor. They were all coming from downstairs. Curious she slipped on her bedroom slippers, lit a candlestick, and quietly crept downstairs wearing just nightgown.

Following the noise it led her into the living room but from what she could see nothing had changed. Not the furniture, not the old grandfather clock, not the Christmas tree, not the toys pearched under it, not even the little doll bed that had been left for her nutcracker. No, no something had changed. The doll bed was empty, her nutcracker was gone. Her blue eyes began to scan the room for any trace of her nutcracker.

She found him lying down by a hole in the wall. Odd? Was that hole there before? She couldn't remember. Pushing that thought aside she went to retrieve her nutcracker.

"How did you get over there?" She asked picking him up. "Oh well back to bed with you."

"Um excuse me but where am I?" A voice said startling her into dropping the nutcracker.

"Who said that?" Frida asked searching the room for someone.

"I did and by the way ow! That hurt!"

"Where are you?" She asked.

"I'm on the floor."

She looked down on the floor but saw nothing but the nutcracker. No that was silly, nutcrackers don't talk. Still she wondered. Bending down she looked at the nutcracker skeptically.

"Did you say something?" She asked.

"Yes I did." The nutcracker causing her jump back. "Oh man and here I thought I was too young to get dents in my back."

She watched in amazement as the nutcracker stood up, stretched, and brushed itself off.

"Now then would you kindly tell me where I am and why...Why are you so huge?" He asked looking at her in equal amazement. "Whoa! You're the biggest girl I've ever seen and by big I don't mean fat so don't get mad."

"Uh..." Frida said not sure what else to say.

"Okay why are you looking at me like that?"

"Sorry it's just that I've never seen a nutcracker talk and move on it's own before."

"Hey who are you calling a nutcracker?"

"Um you."

"Me? Lady you need to have your eyes checked. I'm not a nutcracker."

"Okay then you might wanna give your head a little knock."

"Knock on my head?"

"Just do it."

He made his hand into a fist and gave the side of his a head a light knock-knock only to discover that his head was now hollow and wooden.

"Huh? What the-" He looked to see that his hand was also wooden. "What? Quick can you get me a mirror?"

She grabbed a small mirror off of the table and pearched on the floor in front of him. The little nutcracker was startled by his reflection.

"What the heck?! That's not really mean is it?" But he soon realizes that nutcracker looking back at him in the mirror was himself. "I don't understand. What happened to me? The last thing I remember was talking to Princess Zoe then something bit me on the ankle after that everything went black."

"Princess? Wait a minute your magician's son from the story aren't you?"

"Story? What story?"

"The story my godfather told me. He said that a magician's son was turned into a nutcracker by the mouse king."

"You mean that rat Sergio did this to me?"

"Sergio?"

"That's his name the creep. Unbelievable out all the things he could've done to me he chooses to turn me into a toy."

"Well could've been worse."

"Explain what could possibly be worse?"

"I don't know but I'm sure something is."

The nutcracker sat down and hung his head in shame.

"Great now what am I gonna do?"

"Don't feel too bad nutcracker."

"Don't call me that! My name is Manny! And why shouldn't I feel bad?"

"Well Manny the good news is I know how you can change back."

"Really? How?"

"You have to kill the mouse king."

"What? Are you kidding me? I can't kill him!"

"Oh come on how hard is it to kill a mouse?"

"In case you haven't noticed I'm now four inches tall! So killing a mouse is not gonna be as easy for me as it used to be!"

"Oops. I forgot about that."

"Besides I don't even know where to find him."

"I'll help you."

"How can you help me?"

"Well I'm big pretty compared to a mouse aren't I?"

Just then they heard the clock chime three times, it was terribly loud and to them it felt like the ground was shaking. Then suddenly glittering dust started falling all over the room and Frida felt herself start to shrink. Becoming smaller and smaller until she was about the same size as her nutcracker.

"Welcome to my little world." Manny said.

"What on earth? What happened?"

"You shrunk."

"I know that! How did it happen?"

"How should I know?"

"Oh my gosh! And I thought that I was too short before! If my parents see me like this they'll freak!"

"Uhhh I think you have bigger worries than that." Manny said nervously pointing behind her.

She turned around and gasped to find a spider hovering over them. Startled she jumped behind Manny.

"Do something!" She said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know! Just do something!"

"Okay I have an idea. Run!"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her along as they ran from the spider which was now a lot bigger than they were. The archnoid chased them across the floor which to Frida felt like running a mile. They didn't stop until they were cornered.

"Oh great a dead end." He said.

"What do we do?" She asked.

"Okay see that ribbon hanging above us?"

"Yes."

"See if you can climb up it and reach the table."

"But I can't reach."

"I'll give you a boost. When you reach the top lower the ribbon down so I can climb up."

"Alright."

He grabbed her waist and lifted her up. She reached until she grabbed the ribbon and started climbing up. It took longer than she expected and by the time she made it to the top the spider was about to bite off Manny's head. Thinking fast she pushed a candy dish off of the table.

"Manny move!" She called.

Manny jumped and the dish fell on the spider killing it.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah thanks. Smart thinking."

"Thanks." She said.

She started to climb down the ribbon but her hand slipped and she ended up falling. Luckily Manny acted fast and caught her before she hit the floor. Unfortunately it was a crash catching and Manny ended up hitting the floor.

"Thanks for breaking my fall." She said.

"Don't mention it and ow!"

"Are you alright?"

"I think so but can you get off of me?"

"Sorry."

She got off of him, stood up. Manny tried to get up but found that it was rather difficult with his new body.

"Um...A little help here?"

She grabbed his wooden hand and pulled him up on to his feet.

"Better?" She asked.

"A little but I'm kind of hungry. You got anything to eat around here?"

"I'm sure we have something."

"Great oh by the way I never got your name."

"It's Frida."

"Nice to meet you."