The Nutcracker Prince Part 1

It was Christmas Eve at the Silberhaus home. The parlor brimmed with family and friends, dancing, laughing, and talking.

Clara, her brother, Fritz, and their friends admired the beautiful Christmas tree. The clock struck eight.

A man in dark clothing arrived. Fritz hid behind Clara.

“Don’t be scared Fritz,” Clara said. She knew something wonderful would happen.

The man was Herr Drosselmeyer. He was a toymaker and a magician. Everything he did was touched by magic.

Drosselmeyer had brought with him four dolls. They looked like real little people. He set them in the middle of the floor, where they began to dance.

The children were delighted.

Herr Drosselmeyer had more surprises in store. He had made beautiful toys for all the children.

He gave the girls china dolls with delicate little faces. For the boys, he had made toy bugles. To Fritz, he gave a toy drum that made a perfect “tum tum tum.”

Clara stood by the tree, watching the lights twinkle. The other children laughed as they played with their new toys.

She thought perhaps Herr Drosselmeyer had forgotten her gift. “Maybe he thinks I am too old to play with dolls,” she sighed.