DECEMBER 20TH

Only Three More Days…

I stared at the clock as it silently ticked. I could just hear the sound of the clock swaying side by side, feeling like I’m hallucinating my eyes away. Pavlova jumped on my lap, kneading with his little paws. I couldn’t focus because of what was going on; the memories seemed to be flooding back. On the discrete day of December 23rd, 2009, when all hell was broken loose.

But the memory still had not strayed far from the good times, remembering me holding onto the wooden man, as we talked through the night. It felt vivid but… I couldn’t remember what the dialogue was. 

Felt like something, a memory long-lost ago. Maybe my mother was right, twas nothing but a dream from my childhood. I laid on the couch, staring at the ceiling once again. Pavlova laid on my chest, purring cutely I forgot about what I was thinking about as my eyes narrowed down towards Pavlova, placing my hand on him, I smiled as I felt comfort from the only thing that was right in front of me and not far beyond my dreams.

Soon enough, I felt a buzzing in my sweatpants pocket, but due to my extensive knowledge, it was probably Fritz asking me how to use a credit card or looking up cheat codes for most of the video games he got for his Nintendo Switch.

“Son of a…” I sighed.

I scooped the phone out of my pocket, pressed the answer button, and just said these three words: “Marie Stahlbaum Speaking.”

“Hey, Marie! It’s Annabella!” the voice on the phone said.

“Annabella! Hey! What’s up?”

“Can you come over to my house and help house sit? My parents along with my 8 brothers are out for 2 days, plus I have a spare room for you.”

“Oh! I might have to ask my parents.” I sighed. But, ironically, my parents were looking at me from the doorway. They gave me a thumbs up, but Mother spoke, “I better not hear from her parents that you do anything stupid, Mein Gummibärchen.”

“Ja Mutter.” I spoke happily. I picked up Pavlova, before dashing upstairs to my room to prepare my suitcase for the long 2 days that I’d have with Annabella, but I wondered if anybody else was going to join us in this predicament. I shrugged it off, not wanting to be worried before the house sitting party even started.

I grabbed the somewhat essentials of what I wanted to bring to this house sitting job, though it felt more like a suspicious train of thoughts that Annabella had asked me if she wanted me to help her house sit. I felt like it was somewhat of an invitation to a house party or a going-away party for me; that being said, I didn’t know what to expect when the thoughts scoured my mind.

Then another memory hit me like a baseball bat bashing my head like my head was a baseball.

“No, not now! Not now! I just want to pack up!” I screamed as I held my head, but when I looked at the wall, the shadow was back, and it looked like it was about to tear off my head. I felt the claw marks on my neck as then I felt numb.

The time ticked as the clock hit midnight.

The feeling of claw marks came back, feeling the blood trickle down my neck. I felt anxious and weary, my body shivered as I lost the will to speak. Breathing approached heavily in my ears, like a monster ready to pounce on you from behind. 

The voice then whispered, “You thought your shoe could damage me? You thought everything that you’ve done to protect your precious nutcracker could work out in the end? You thought wrong, you imbecile idiot of a child. I would kill you where you stand right now, but I’m feeling merciful tonight. ”

Merciful? The Nutcracker? The thoughts grew weary and soon enough, I remembered who was the monster; the creature that lured me into the World War Toys-R-Us the night before. I grasped onto my bed as the monster continued to speak: “I will let you live if you give me a couple items from your grasp.”

“What does one want from a mere child who just wanted to protect her only prized possession?” I boomed the question.

“Her prized possession hopes he doesn’t die in the hands of his own brother. But since I’m merciful for you are nothing but a foul innocent yet imbecile of a child, the deal persists. Bring me the items and I will spare you and your nutcracker. Your candy, bring them to me; the entire bowl will do. Bring it and thou will be spared.”

Then, all I heard was cackling before the voice disappeared with the night light shadows. Standing to my feet, I ran down the stairs quietly before approaching the kitchen. There sat the bowl of chocolates on the dining table. I took one chocolate secretly from the bowl, placing it in my pocket. I then placed the bowl gently by the mouse hole in the living room, then with the extra chocolate I had in my pocket, I opened the toy cabinet. The Nutcracker was alive, but he was slouched by the wall. He looked bored, so I smiled a bit, giving him half the chocolate I was going to eat. He glanced at the chocolate, and then he looked at my face as I gave him a small pure smile. He smiled back softly as he took the piece of chocolate, nibbling it a bit.

“I thank you, m’lady. I haven’t felt such kindness from my peers in 4 years.” he spoke so formally. I wouldn’t mind hearing formality from a nutcracker prince, but my small child brain couldn’t compute what he meant by peers. I guess by the look of his face, he then realized that he was talking to a child, so he stood up and cleared his… throat?  “I mean, thanks for the chocolate. I never had an interaction with anyone so kind in the four years that I’ve been cursed.”

“No kindness? Really?”  I tilted my head in curiosity. He sighs, staring at the chocolate piece that was remaining in his hand. I felt like it triggered a memory in his brain far into the past. I felt like he was going to say something that hit him close to home…

I shook my head and the shadow was just a jacket on some random chair near the closet. I groaned in disbelief that a memory flash would hit me while I was packing for the stakeout at Annabella’s house. It just grew onto me that the memories were probably just part of a dream I had when I was another child in elementary school.

As soon as I was finished packing, I pet Pavlova as I soon walked off downstairs with my luggage to go to Annabella’s house for the 2 days that I’m there. Minutes passed and soon enough I was at the front of the door of her home. Her house looked modest and fancy, sorta like a rich person who decides to go ahead and boast off their riches to you.

Annabella isn’t that person, though. I walked towards the door and pounded on it. What the fuck was I thinking on doing that? I thought to myself as I stood there with nothing by, a small tear drifting down my eye.

The door opens; Annabella pulls me in, locking the door like a deranged maniac who has just seen a paranormal activity within the bowels of the home. I tried to speak before she cut me off, “Save it, Marie. We have important matters to discuss a certain toy.”

“Certain toy?” I asked.

“A Nutcracker, to be precise. A pink-haired one, not a white-haired one.”

Wait a minute, Pink-haired Nutcracker…? Like the one from my dreams?! Now this was getting out of hand; the questions burrowed in my brain. I wondered if Annabella still had that nutcracker, but by the looks of it, she didn’t. How did she know about the nutcracker if she didn’t have it? Was it part of a dream too?

“Look, here’s the thing. I know who your godfather is.” she snarled.

“You do?” I became a bit concerned.

“Yes, I do.” She stood up on her feet, walking close to my face. She looked intimidating, but for some reason, a blush grew a bit on my face. It didn’t mean I began developing a crush on her, I just love tall people.

Soon, she pulled me close to her and snarled, “Your Godfather is Herr Drosselmeier-”

A brief pause before she spoke out: