Act II

The Mouse King's army prepared their march, aiming their attack towards me and the cabinet behind me.

"I can't believe this. This can't be happening. This must all be some dream," I told myself over and over again. Slowly sliding to the floor.

"Began your attack. Show no mercy," the Mouse King hissed as the mice ready their weapons.

It was there I heard, what sounded like, tiny yawns coming from the direction of the toy cabinet. I turned my head to see that all of Calvert's toy soldiers began to move and yawn awake. Even my old dolls, who were my childhood friends long ago, began to stir awake, yawning sleepily on their shelf.

I placed my hand over my eyes, rubbing them, trying desperately to wake myself up when I heard a small voice.

"What, where am I?" the voice was coming from the table where I had placed my book and nutcracker on. I slowly stood up and saw that the, once still, nutcracker was sitting upright on his own, looking for, something.

He looked up towards me. "Who are you?" he asked me.

"I'm Cayleigh, Cayleigh Leduc," I answered.

He stood up, surprised he didn't get to far up. "What happened? Did I shrunk," he said placing his hand over his forehead, acting like he was having the same strange dream I was having as well. "Is this a dream. This feels way to real to be a dream."

"Men, hold your positions," I heard another voice at my feet. This time it belongs to the general from Calvert's army. He was the oldest and the most beaten up of Calvert's soldiers from fighting in one to many wars, so he has been retired to the cabinet, but I guess a soldier never truly retires for he is now taking command of all of Calvert's off duty troops.

"Men, aim your cannons," the general shouted as the gunnery troops loaded their cannons with the gumballs from the, top, sweet shelf. I quickly try to move out of there way. "Aim, fire!"

The cannons fired at the mouse army with a pop. But the mice scattered as they drew in closer. The cannons fired a second round at the mice hidden under the tree, breaking the lower glass ornaments.

"Soldiers, they're defense are weaken, charge!" Ordered the general as the bugle sounded, the troops began their attack.

The toy soldiers were outnumbered by the mice as they kept on advancing, but all I could do was watch in terror, as I moved in between the cabinet and table. Even the nutcracker watched in horror next to me.

"You there," came a voice. It was the toy general. "Are you going to just stand there all night," he called out to the nutcracker. "Join the fight!" He ordered.

"But I'm no soldier," nutcracker called out. "I can't fight. I don't have a weapon."

"Then you miss," the general called out to me. "Can you fight?!"

"No, I can't. I don't know how too," I told him.

He sighed. "Fine then." He drew his sword. "Then I'll just have to do this myself," he said charging into the skirmish. Vanishing among the mice and toy men.

We watched as the battle drew on. As I watch I began to feel something crawling on my bare feet. "Ouch," I cried out as something began poking my legs, painfully. I pulled back my nightgown to see that some mice were now under foot, poking and biting at my unprotected feet and legs.

"Ah," I screamed out in pain as they continue to poke me with their swords and biting me with their sharp teeth, ripping and tearing at my nightgown.

"Stop that, you, low life villains," said the nutcracker as he leaped off from the table to fight the mice. He heroically fought the mice one by one till they retreated, taking one of their swords to defend himself with. "Are you alright, miss Cayleigh?" he asked me.

"Yes. But please be careful," I asked of him as the mouse army attention has been turned to use.

"Oh, look who's trying to become a hero, now died nutcracker!" The Mouse King said as the army came in to attack.

Nutcracker fought them off bravely, but they're numbers where much greater, as they slowly surround him.

I was so frightening, for what they might do, I took my book and swung it like a sword as I attacked the mice by tens and twenties as they flow across the room.

The troops began to cheer as their enemy's numbers began to fall and victory was in view.

I stopped when I saw that nutcracker was fighting the Mouse King.

I watched in terror as the Mouse King over powered the nutcracker as he lost his sword, the Mouse King ready to finish him off.

"Please stop," I cried out, and the battle halted. "Please, don't hurt him," I began to cry as I pleaded. "Please, I'll give you anything, just don't hurt him. If its food you want, you can have... the gingerbread castle," I told them saying the only thing that came to mind.

There was a pause as the Mouse King sheath his sword. "Alright, I'll hold you to your offer. Men, to the gingerbread castle."

The mice cheered as they marched to the dining room for their prize.

My head felt heavy and dizzy as I stood there. My legs were giving way as I fell to the floor, and the last I saw was my nutcracker, running towards me. Asking if I'm alright?

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