Mina and the Nutcracker's Castle

Image information: The Castle. Web Source.

Mina gasped as she turned around and saw the beautiful castle she was standing in front of. She had seen such things in sets and movies, but never in real life. After gazing upon its magnificence for a moment longer, she suddenly remembered what had happened and looked around frantically for her male co-dancer that played the part of the Nutcracker. When he was nowhere to be found, she hesitantly approached the giant castle doors. Mina paused for a moment, for she had know idea what might be inside. And then with great bravery, she took a deep breath and pulled open the doors. What she saw inside astonished her.

The open doors revealed a grand ballroom, and inside the ballroom were people and dancers from all around the world just like there were supposed to be in the second half of the ballet. "Phew! The other dancers were somehow transported here with me too!" Mina said to herself.

Relieved, she ran towards one of the Spanish dancers who happened to be one of her close friends. "Sophia! What is going on? Where are we?" Mina exclaimed.

The Spanish dancer looked at her and replied with great excitement, "Sophia? No, my name is Carmina, and I have traveled great distances to welcome you to the Nutcracker's kingdom! He should be out any minute now, but until then make yourself at home!" Carmina turned to the gathering crowd and proclaimed, "Look everyone! Princess Clara has arrived! Let us welcome her and thank her for her great bravery in defeating the evil Mouse King!"

Mina's head began to spin. "Princess Clara? Mouse King? No, no, no it's only a ballet, this can't be happening." she thought.

Carmina took her by the hand and walked her to the back of the grand ballroom where two great thrones sat. "Here, have a seat while we prepare our celebrations for you," she said.

As Mina was trying to wrap her head around what was happening, she turned to her right and saw that the Nutcracker was making his way into the ballroom. She had so many questions for him, but before she could mutter a word he welcomed her, kissed her on the cheek, and sat down in the throne next to her. To her surprise, The Nutcracker was also not her male co-star dancer but in fact was the Nutcracker that she had seen in advertisements throughout the season. "Where are-" was all she could get out before loud celebratory music began to fill the ballroom and the guests broke out into dance.

What followed next was eerily similar to what takes place in the ballet. Dancers from all over the world took the floor and performed beautiful dances that showcased their culture and backgrounds. Mina, finally calm, sat back and enjoyed the dances that were put on for her and her...prince?? As the dances came to a close, Mina expected that her journey in the Nutcracker's Kingdom would also, but little did she know, it was far from over. As the last group of dancers took their bow, a loud crash erupted from the floor and the ballroom turned dark and began to shake. Smoke started coming out of cracks in the floor and to her dismay, this too, was too similar to what occurs during the ballet when the Evil Mouse King makes his appearance. "But the Evil Mouse King is already dead! These people think I killed him!" she thought. However, what arose from the floor next was not the Evil Mouse King, but something far worse- Madam Mouserinks, better know as the Evil Mouse Queen.

The Grand Ballroom. Web Source.

Author's Note: My inspiration for Mina and The Nutcracker's castle was from a continuation from E.T.A Hoffman's "The Nutcracker." I used both a combination of the original text and the retelling of the story in the Ballet version that I grew up watching as a child. In the Ballet, after defeating the Evil Mouse King, Clara grows up and is whisked away to The Nutcracker's Kingdom. Here, dancers from all over the world come to perform for Clara and The Nutcracker in a huge celebration. After the celebration ends, Clara is transported back to her home and wakes up again as a young girl.

In my storybook, "The Nutcracker: From Stage to Fantasy," it follows a character named Mina, who is a principal ballet dancer playing the part of grown up Clara in New York City Ballet's version of The Nutcracker. As seen in my last story, Mina comes out on stage to begin her part and is somehow transported to another realm where she is actually living the story of The Nutcracker. However, along the way Mina comes across some twists and turns that are different from the original story including the Evil Madame Mouserinks, better known as the Evil Mouse Queen. The character of Madame Mouserinks is not included the Ballet version that my story is largely based off of. This character actually comes from E.T.A Hoffman's original text of The Nutcracker. I used this character to continue adding twists to my ballet to real life version of the story.

Bibliography: The Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffman.