The Nutcracker

Chapter 1

Sooooo this is my very first entry! First, the story of the nutcracker was not written by me so i do not own it. however it was my favourite barbie movie and i've loved it since i was a child. That is why i've decided to write a story based on that, adding some parts that are of my imagination :D i hope you'll enjoy reading this, and thankyou for taking your time to share an adventure with me!

Chapter 1:

I stepped in.

The grass was soft, like a high quality carpet.

It was evergreen, with a few long stems topped with a preppy little flower.

The sky was blue and crystal clear. With not a cloud in sight. The unusual thing was, it wasnt hot at all. No intensified heat or glaring sun rays. It was as if the entire world around me was covered with a nice UV protection canvas which was painted blue. And it wasnt just any ordinary pastel blue. It was the slightly translucent kind of blue, not pale, but not bright. Comfortable enough to look at forever.

The trees were a refreshing smell of peppermint and eucalyptus, with sturdy barks that towered high above our heads. The birds whistled and danced around what seemed like their playground; nature.

"This, has to be a dream." I told myself.

" i'm afraid its not." His figure casted a shadow against the grass. I watched his broad shoulders and upright chin make its way closer to me. He was hard and unreal, a masterpiece of carved wood with delicate dabs of paint and a glossy coat to finish. I started to question myself about what i was doing. How is this possible? A nutcracker? Alive? A mouse kingdom? I probably have to see a psychiatrist.....

I shook my head as the numerous thoughts filled my head like a giant tornado, and breathed deeply to keep calm. He noticed the internal conflict that was going on in me and placed his hard mechanical hand on my shoulder. " it will be fine. I will protect you"

i looked into his eyes.

Though they were painted, there was something different about them. It was as if i could see something glowing beyond those eyes, something alive inside.

He was alive.

I gave a slight knod and a smile, thanking him for his comforting words.

"Shall we?" He said, and gestured towards a path downhill. He waited for me to make my way down before following closely behind. " so.... how are we going to find this sugarplum princess?" I asked. "The only way is to find the oracle of fire. She knows everything and legends say she is the only one who worked with the princess before." He replied.

" And do you know where to find this oracle?"

"Yes. The oracle lives beyond the path of courage. In a crytal made palace built by hopes eternal flame. The path will be hard. But i'm sure we will make it through." He smiled. His wooden mouth moved upwards and the line on his mouth joint to the lines on his face, forming a line slanting upwards towards his eyes. It all seemed mechanical and emotionless, but something inside me tingled, and i realized that the smile was not at all emotionless, it was genuine and gentle.

We made our way down the hill to a small cottage as it was getting dark. At the entrance of the cottage, a haggard old lady stared at us wide-eyed, she stepped backwards as we got closer to her, as if she were retreating from an intimidating army.

"We're not the king's people. We're just looking for a place to stay. I have a girl with me. I'm sure you wont think she has any ulterior motives."

He spoke slowly and politely.

The old lady took a step closer to us and examined me from head to toe. My wavy bronze hair was tied loosely into a half ponytail and i was wearing a soft pink dress that reached the mid-knees. My ballet flats were nicely fitted to my feet, with a tiny ribbon at the front. After making sure that there was no possibility of me being armed, the old lady spoke "i have a room down 3. Follow me".

We entered a sturdy wooden door which went spirally downwards until it came to a corridor which led to 5 dark blue coloured doors. "These are the keys. There's hot water and some cookies in the main room if you need" the old lady said as she brought us to the second door. "Thankyou so much!" I said, with a heart full of gratitude.

"Yes,Thankyou" he repeated with a smile, and placed the rusty key into its belonging hole. The lock 'clicked' open to a dimly lit room with a huge bed accompanied by two bedside tables that had white with pieces of paint clearly chipping off of it. The candles stood on gold shelf-like stands in every corner of the room, with a pleasant scent of lavender drifting in the air as the wax dripped to a constant beat.

"Have some rest then. I'll just sit beside you,so dont worry you're safe here with me." He looked at me with those eyes, somehow beyond the carved wood, i sensed how much he cared for me from the bottom of his heart. Well, that was provided he had a heart.....