“No! I want it!”
The two mice were so busy jostling and pushing each other that they didn’t see the ribbon stretched across the path until they both tripped over it.
“Whoa!” shouted the mice grabbing hold of each other as they crashed to the ground. Over and over they tumbled down the bank until with two very loud splashes they fell, still shouting, into the stream.
Sugar gasped, looking half-shocked and half-delighted. “Oh, Delphie! You’ve made them so wet!”
Delphie grinned. “Maybe that’ll teach them not to be so greedy in future. Come on! Let’s get inside the castle while they’re busy drying off.”
They raced towards the entrance. The wooden door had a huge metal handle in the shape of a rat’s head. Delphie turned it and the door opened. On the other side there was an enormous empty hall with a stone fireplace. Above it there was a framed picture of a black rat with a crown on his head and a red cloak.
On the far side of the room were two towers of boxes, piled almost up to the ceiling with the words GLUE printed on the sides of them.
“Look!” Sugar pointed to a table just in front of the boxes. Standing on top of it was a small painted wooden figure. He looked like a soldier wearing a red jacket with brass buttons, black trousers and boots and a sword in his belt.
“It’s the Nutcracker!” Delphie said, running over and picking the figure up.
But then she heard a noise. It sounded like footsteps marching towards the door on the left.
“Get back in the hall!” came a voice outside the door. “You know King Rat said the Nutcracker wasn’t to be left on his own! Call yourself a soldier! Coming to me with poppycock stories about smelling sugarplums through the windows!”
“But I did, Sarge. I really did. I…”
“GET BACK IN THERE!”
“Quick!” Delphie gasped to Sugar. “There’s someone coming! We’ve got to hide!”
Delphie ran over and turned the handle of a door at the side of the hall. It opened into a small room which seemed to be used for keeping firewood. “In here!” she gasped.
Just as they were about to go in, Sugar waved her wand at the table. There was a tinkling sound and she magicked up another Nutcracker doll. “I’ll put this on the table in front of the boxes so that they won’t realise the real nutcracker has gone.”
Delphie and Sugar dived into the room and peeped back round the door just in time. Two mice hurried into the hall. One was dressed with boots and a sword like the mice outside had been. The other was wearing a smart waistcoat with gold buttons. He looked very relieved when he saw the fake Nutcracker on the table in front of the boxes. “Lucky for you that the Nutcracker’s still here. King Rat’s been ever so pleased since he turned him into a toy.
He was going to use the quick-drying glue in those boxes to stick all those horrible dancers to the ground but he doesn’t have to now. No one can dance while the Nutcracker’s a prisoner here.” He glowered at the other mouse. “So, stay where you are and don’t let anyone past!”
The other mouse nodded and the Sergeant strode out.
Sugar looked scared. “If that mouse stays outside the door then we’re trapped in here!”
“Maybe there’s another way out.” Delphie looked around. But there were no windows or other doors in the little room.
“If only we could bring the Nutcracker back to life, he would be able to help us fight our way out,” Sugar said.
“Can’t you use your magic to make him come alive again?” Delphie asked hopefully.
Sugar shook her head. “King Rat’s powers are too strong while we’re inside the castle. Only really powerful magic will turn him back.”
Suddenly Delphie heard Madame Za-Za’s words from that afternoon echo in her head: The real magic of the ballet comes from telling a story and making the audience believe in that story. Never forget that – always believe in it.
Delphie remembered how Madame Za-Za had looked straight at her while she had been speaking. It had been as if she had been talking directly to her. Never forget the story …
Maybe she’d been trying to tell her something. Delphie began to think hard. What happened in the story of The Nutcracker before the toy came to life?
Of course, she realised. Clara dances with the toy Nutcracker. An idea grew in her head. Maybe if she danced with this Nutcracker he would come to life too!
Almost before the idea had formed in her mind, Delphie’s feet began to tingle and in her head she heard the opening bars of the dance she had watched the girls doing that afternoon. Delphie moved forward into the opening pose. Holding her arms down low and with her left foot pointed forward in front of her, she looked down at the Nutcracker in her hands.
I’m Clara, she told herself and then she began to do the dance she had been longing to do ever since the class that afternoon.
She skipped forward with tiny steps as if she was floating across the floor. Stopping, she raised her hands, drew her right leg up against her left and stretched it out behind her, staying perfectly balanced.
She gasped. The Nutcracker’s arm had started to raise and his mouth to open…
Sugar stared. “Your dance is bringing him to life! Dance some more, Delphie!”
Delphie didn’t need any more urging. She moved into a pirouette, ran forward a few steps then nimbly jumped into the air. She lifted the Nutcracker high up and spun round with him, her whole body glowing and tingling with the music as in her mind she became Clara dancing with her beloved doll.
There was a bright white flash. Delphie stopped with a gasp. The Nutcracker had come to life!
“Hello, Delphie,” he said, smiling down at her.
Sugar threw her arms around him. “Oh, Nutcracker! Delphie’s brought you back by dancing.”
The Nutcracker nodded. “The strongest magic of all.” He hugged her. “And now everyone in Enchantia will be able to dance again!” He looked at Delphie. “I can’t thank you enough. You must have really believed in the dance to make the magic work.” He took her hand. “Thank you,” he said softly.
Delphie grinned in delight.
Sugar ran to the door. “We need to get out of here then I can use my magic to take us back to the village.
“Follow me!” The Nutcracker pulled out his sword and opened the door.