My body felt heavy and my eyes stunned by a bright light. I struggled to open them to see that I was back in my room, brightly lit by the sun beaming through the window.
I slowly tried to sit upright when my bedroom door opened, it was grandmother.
"Cayleigh, please lay down," she told me. "You had an accident last night in the parlor. You had cut yourself on same broken ornaments and fainted. You should be glad I came down and found you."
She placed a tray of a hot breakfast meal on the table next to my bed. "Grandmother, was there anything, odd, or out of place, from where you found me?" I asked her, wanting badly for it to have been nothing but a bad dream.
"Hmm, well, I did find that nutcracker of yours laying on the floor next to you. And almost all of the gingerbread castle was eaten." She told me.
"Ah, my nutcracker. What happen to him?" I asked, hoping that the Mouse King didn't return for a second assault.
Grandmother held up her hands to try and calm me. "Don't worry, your nutcracker is alright. Calvert is playing with it right now," she told me. That's even worst.
Now, I'm not calm. "What," I tried to pull off my blankets to go downstairs to save him, but grandmother kept stopping me.
"Cayleigh, please. You mustn't exert yourself," she said pushing me back down onto the bed when there was a knock at my door.
The door opens to show Calvert holding the, now still again, nutcracker as if he was handling one of his toy soldiers. "Hey Cayleigh. How are you feeling?" he asked me.
"Fine," I told him, eyes watching on the poor nutcracker.
"That's good. I just came to give it back," he tossed the nutcracker carelessly to me, like it didn't matter if he broke or not.
"Calvert, don't throw things," grandmother scolded him.
"Sorry grandmother. But it's so lame. It can't hold a gun, it can't move, it doesn't even have a sword or a weapon. It can't do anything but just crack nuts," he said leaving the room.
"I could have told you that, if only you could have stop and listen for once," I said, keeping the memories of last night in the back of my mind.
"Well, you need to stay in bed today, Cayleigh. So eat your meal, get some rest, and I'll check on you later," she said leaving me alone with the nutcracker in my room.
"So," I turned the nutcracker to face me. "Are you really asleep or is this an act?" I asked him and waited for my answer.
After a while I gave up trying to talk to him, for now, so I placed him on the end table and turn to my meal of porridge with raspberries on top, and a glass of warm milk to drink.
***
Grandmother had been coming in and out all day. Some to check and others were to send up some gifts I had received. Some were flowers, others were chocolates, that were already half eaten by Calvert before arriving, there were even some perfumes and jewelry all from some possible suitors. I ignore them as always.
But I didn't have time to enjoy them, for I have to stay lying in bed.
But I hadn't felt bored or lonely. For I had nutcracker to keep me company as I talked and read to him, with my music box playing in the background.
But when the day had reached its end, grandmother had taken him downstairs. Going to place him in the cabinet for the night. So I was force to lay in bed, with Duchess asleep next to me to keep us both warm on this cold winter night.
I was half dozing. Wondering if, was the events of last night were true, will it be happing again tonight or will it be a silent night. If it does come to another battle, will the Mouse King attack the nutcracker or will he try to blackmail me like before.
I have to get that image out of my mind, I need to try to sleep. I even played my music box so that the quiet couldn't engulf me completely.
I was halfway asleep when I heard a hissing sound, I knew that something was amiss. I slowly opened one of my eyes to see a silhouette, of a small beast with a long, wormlike, tail, wearing a crown that was no bigger than a ring.
I shut my eyes, hoping that this horrid image would vanish.
"What kind of greeting is that," came a familiar voice. "And after I come all this way to see you."
I opened my eyes. For the Mouse King was at my bedside. "It you!" I said bolting upward, my head began to spin.
"So, you do remember," he hissed hopping onto the bed. Walking towards the middle of the bed, in front of me.
"What do you want now!" I said annoyed. All I want is to be rid of him.
"Well, if you're going to act this way," he said sounding annoyed as well. "Maybe I should go see that nutcracker of yours instead." He said about to leave.
"No, please don't," I begged, he stopped. "Please, tell me what it is you need of me. Just ask and I… shall see what I can do." I said as the words lingered bitterly on my tongue, and it tasted horrid in my mouth.
He laughed. "That's good to hear," he said looking at me so serious. "Tonight, I want only one thing. You."
It was then the room began to fill to the brim with mice. They were coming from everywhere, surrounding me. They crawled onto my bed, removing the blanket that covered me, as they begin to bind me tightly to the bed with rope and string so I couldn't move. Duchess ran away scared.
The Mouse King laughed once more as he moved on top of my chest. "I want you, my sweet. You'll make a fine bride." He said to my face. "But first, I must fix your size," he took out a stone as red as blood. "Then I'll fix the rest later."
He tosses the stone in the air as it burst like a firework, raining ruby dust over head as he hopped off me.
When the flame red dust touched me, the ropes began to loosen and the ceiling grow farther away.
I was shrinking, right there on top of the bed, an easy target as the mice grow bigger around me.
"Someone. Help me," I cried out in vain, with only hope that someone could hear my cry.
But it was already to late. For I was now no bigger than a doll like the ones on my shelf. Defenseless and powerless to any attack.
The Mouse King chuckled at the results, he raised his hand as the mice surrounded to capture me. I tried to fight them off, but they were much to strong as I was quickly overpowered.
The Mouse King approached me once I was secured. Fear swapped through my tiny body, like a single drop of rain fell and quickly I was filled.
He stood in front of me. He towered over me, and the rest of his mice army.
He nodded, approving at what he sees. "Right, now let's make our leave." He told his men.
The mice held me high in the air as they carried me off and out my door.
*