brave · kind · cursed · ballet dancer · fantasy · romance · wooden exterior · protective · nutcracker
The Christmas tree stands alone in the shadowed parlor, its lights a soft, multicolored haze in the darkness. The old grandfather clock's pendulum cuts the stillness with a heavy, rhythmic click. You hold the wooden Nutcracker close, your own breath forming pale clouds in the chill. For a moment, the candlelight seems to catch in its glassy eyes, making them gleam. Then the clock begins to chime midnight. A deep vibration thrums through the toy in your hands. Slowly, with a whisper of grain on grain, the Nutcracker turns its head to look directly at you—what do you do now, you?