The Nutcracker smiled. “Ballet magic,” he said. “Let us past!”
“Oh no you don’t,” said the mouse running to stand between him and the front door. “You aren’t getting away that easily!”
With one swift movement the Nutcracker danced forward and used his sword to flip the sword out of the mouse’s grip. It flew into the air and landed with a clatter on the floor. With nothing to protect him, the mouse ran hastily backwards. “Help! Help!” he shouted. “The Nutcracker’s escaping!”
There was the sound of running footsteps. Then suddenly a door slammed open and a very loud voice boomed into the room.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The mice cringed, and Delphie stared as a haughty black rat with red eyes walked into the room, flanked by four guards.
He was wearing a purple cloak trimmed with white fur, and he had a golden crown on his head. He saw the Nutcracker and stopped. “You!” he exclaimed. “I turned you into a toy!”
“But now I have turned back!” cried the Nutcracker. “And all of Enchantia will dance again!”
“Not if I have anything to do with it!” King Rat leapt forward, swiping his sword viciously at the Nutcracker. His guards closed in as well. Bravely, the Nutcracker fought them off with strong, sweeping swipes. But he was being beaten back.
“There’s too many of them for the Nutcracker to fight!” Sugar exclaimed as the king and the guards advanced with their swords. They began to back the brave Nutcracker into the corner where the piles of boxes marked GLUE were stacked. He knocked against them and they wobbled precariously.
Suddenly, Delphie had an idea. She pulled off one of her ballet shoes. “Stop it, King Rat!” she shouted.
King Rat swung round. “Who are you?”
“Delphie!” She lifted the shoe up and hurled it at him.
King Rat ducked. “That’s the oldest trick in the book!” he said as the shoe hit the boxes behind him. “Missed!”
“Oh no I didn’t!” exclaimed Delphie as the pile of boxes began to sway.
The Nutcracker leapt nimbly out of the way, grabbing Delphie’s ballet shoe from the floor as he did so, but King Rat was too busy laughing at Delphie to notice the boxes. “You missed! You did! You…”
His voice was drowned out as the boxes toppled over. They crashed down, jars of glue raining on his head. “Ow! Ooh! Ow!” he yelled.
The guards cried and shouted too. The jars smashed into each other as they fell, cracking open and covering King Rat and his soldiers in quick-drying white glue.
King Rat pointed at Delphie, glue dripping down over his face and off his ears and whiskers. “Why you…you…!”
But though he tried to run towards her, his feet were stuck fast!
“Come on,” gasped Delphie, turning to Sugar and the Nutcracker. “Let’s get out of here!”
And quickly they raced out of the castle and back to the woods.
“That was brilliant, Delphie!” exclaimed Sugar.
“Fantastic!” said the Nutcracker, giving her her shoe back.
“We’re free – that’s the main thing,” Delphie grinned as she put it back on.
“And Enchantia should be returned to normal,” said Sugar. “Come on, let’s use my magic to get away from here and see what’s happening!”
She waved her wand. Delphie found herself spinning round three times. When they landed she saw that they were in the village that she had seen painted on the scenery in the theatre. The streets were full of characters from the ballet – toys, enormous sweets, dancers dressed up as bright flowers, two Spanish dancers and a beautiful fairy in a rose-pink dress dancing on her pointes.
Music was flooding magically through the air. Sugar grabbed Delphie’s hands. “Let’s dance!”
Holding lightly on to the Sugar Plum Fairy’s hands, Delphie felt herself being swept up in the music – she didn’t have to stop to think what steps she was going to do. As Sugar rose on to her pointes, Delphie let the music guide her – she skimmed across the ground with tiny steps, and jumped into the air, her arms outstretched, her toes pointed. She landed softly and then, with perfect balance, she stretched one leg out behind her. Delphie couldn’t believe how graceful she felt! It seemed like the music was flowing through her as she and Sugar ran forward together and pirouetted. The Nutcracker leapt in front of them, turning into a handsome prince as he landed. His glittering costume perfectly matched Sugar’s. Delphie gasped as he swept the Sugar Plum Fairy up in his arms and lifted her high into the air. He turned and placed her lightly down. Holding on to his hand she turned round on the tip of her toe. All around them the other characters danced too – the flowers waltzed, the snowflakes twirled, the Spanish dancers swung their tiered red skirts and the Russian dancers linked arms. There was colour and movement everywhere. The Nutcracker and Sugar came to a stop, their cheeks flushed, their eyes shining.
“It is almost time for you to go home, Delphie,” the Nutcracker Prince said. “We can’t thank you enough.”
A thought struck Delphie. “I hope Mum and Dad don’t wonder where I’ve gone!”
“Do not worry, time is different in our world and yours,” said the Nutcracker. “When you get back you will find that it will be as if no time has passed at all.”
Delphie felt relieved but also sad as she looked around at the enchanted world. “I don’t want to leave here.”
Sugar smiled at her. “You’ll come back. You have the magic ballet shoes. Whenever we need you they will sparkle. If you put them on they will bring you to Enchantia again.” She danced over and kissed Delphie on both cheeks, then she took out her wand. “This is to take home to remind you of us,” she said, waving sparkles in the air.
Delphie gasped as a beautiful white tutu appeared in her hand. “Goodbye – and thank you,” Sugar said. “Send my regards to Madame Za-Za.” And with that she waved her wand over Delphie’s head.
“Goodbye!” Delphie cried as the air around her swirled with colour and she began to pirouette round and round…till suddenly, she landed with a bump…
She was back in her bedroom sitting on her bed with a beautiful white tutu lying next to her.
Could her mother have put it there?
“Perhaps it was real after all,” she whispered, her head spinning as she thought about everything that had just happened. She looked down at the ballet shoes on her feet and remembered Madame Za-Za’s words: They are very special shoes, Delphie. I hope one day you find out just how special they are …
Delphie