The Nutcracker and Licorice: Part One (complete)

The gate is pretty big. I won’t be able to climb it and jump over without breaking something, that’s for damn sure. I’m not strong enough to bend bars, no matter how much I may be able to tell myself otherwise. The tops of the walls and gates have brambles covering them, and they do not look pleasant to sit on, no siree. So I step back and peer at the castle beyond, surrounded by dark clouds and an ominous air.

“Young lady,” a kindly passerby calls to me, “it’s best not to stand so close to the palace gates. You could become cursed as well.”

I smile brightly at him, folding my arm across my waist as I make a bow. “Good afternoon to you, kind sir! I am not worried about a curse. I am simply trying to complete a job.”

He looks at me in confusion and points at gates. “What job could you have there? No one is allowed in there. Barely anyone ever comes out.”

“Barely?” I gasp in elation, clapping my hands together with glee. “So people do come out? Tell me,” I sidle up close to the gentleman and take his arm. “Where would someone from the inside come from in order to get on the outside?”

His look of befuddlement increases. “There is a staff entrance, around the back. But it doesn’t open from the outside, and there is always a guard there.”

“Then why is there no guard at the gate?” I ask.

“Because people can see the castle from the gates!” The man finally pulls away from me. “If you’re not from around here, you should educate yourself on the castle before something bad happens to you.” He walks away quickly.

I wave as he leaves, then immediately look back at the gate. “Okay. I bet if I found a thick rug, I could use it to cover the briars.” I scoff and put my hands on my hips, then begin to pace back and forth. “But how would I get that up there? I have to get in there somehow.”

I check my bag, making sure I have all my supplies with me. My box, my makeup kit, my extra shoes, and of course my dolls. I take out my kit and set it on the sidewalk as I open it up. Undoing one latch makes the many drawers inside open, and the shelves pop out in a tiered effect. I start searching through each one. Perhaps I have something inside to help. 

A small box in the kit contains broken fragments of jewelry and other trinkets. I take a length of chain from a necklace, and a chipped hook with some fishing line attached. I tie the two together, creating a miniature grappling hook. “Maybe you will do the trick,” I say with a smile. “Now all I need is the rug.” I look around, and across the street I see two young girls playing. Both wear cloaks made from thick wool.

From my makeup kit I take a bottle of nail lacquer. Then I cross the street, approaching the girls. “Yoo-hoo! Young ladies!” I bow for them like I did for the man. “Might I bribe one of you for the lining of your cloak?” I present the bottle of nail lacquer to them. “I’ll give you this.”

They look at one another questioningly. I can see that one is irritated, while the other is far more curious. “Why just the lining?” she asks.

“It is all I need.” I answer. “What do you say?”

“My mom will get mad,” the other girl replies. 

The first girl takes off her cloak and hands it to me. I give her the nail lacquer, then slowly and carefully remove the lining. It’s thick wool too, so it should work.  I hand the girl back her cloak. “Thank you very much. Now,” I smile at them, “would you like to see a trick?”

“What kind of trick?” the second girl asks.

I pull out my miniature grappling hook. “See this? I need it to be ten times this big. But how can I possibly make it grow?”

Both girls break into giant smiles. “With magic!”

I tap them each on the tip of their noses. “Aye, you got it! But where can I find some magic?” I snap my fingers. “Laughter. Especially the laughter of young ladies such as yourself.” 

I cup my hands together and extend the hook to them. “Can you laugh for me?”

“There’s nothing to laugh at,” the first girl says.

“Think of someone you don’t like,” I whisper, “then throw a pie at them!”

The girls giggle, and I snatch at the air in front of them. I collect their laughter into my hand around the grappling hook, and I shake. “Now stand back, and let’s see if it worked!”

I slowly drop the chain from my hand. It falls out as thick as rope. The girls gasp and squeal in awe. The hook fills my palm, and pops out as big as my head. “It worked!” I exclaim. Then I snap out the wool fabric. ““Now, let’s take this and do the same thing! Can I ask you girls to blow on it for me?”

They giggle and blow as I wave the lining. It grows, stretching out and catching the breeze. It grows and grows until I have to hold it with both hands. 

“Stop!” I command the girls, and they look up at me. “Perfect.” I bow at them again. “Thank you for all your help!”

“What are you going to do now?” The girls follow me across the street, but keep their distance from the gate.

“I’m going to get into the palace.” I toss the hook over and it snags at the top of the gate. Tugging on it a few times, I see that it is secure. 

“You shouldn’t!” the first girl gasps. “The whole place is cursed!”

“Cursed, you say?” I lay the lining over my shoulder. “How is it cursed?”

The girls look frightened as they glance at one another. “The queen is evil, and she wants everyone to be as miserable as she is.”

“I see,” I start to climb the chain. “Well then, that is exactly why I need to break in.”

Once I am half way up, I set my feet into the curlicues in the ironwork. I toss the fabric over, then hold onto the chain. 

“It’s guarded by monsters!” the second girl yells in alarm. “They will turn you to wood and burn you in the fire!” She points to the clouds of smoke that swirl around the towers. 

“I’m not afraid of turning to wood!” I lift up my pants to show the girls my wooden leg. “I already am.” I climb to the top of the gate and straddle the fabric. Pulling up the chain, I move it to the other side so I can climb down.

“You’ll never come out!” the girls cry.

I climb down and land on the other side. “Once I am in, there will be no reason to come out again.” I wave to them. “Thank you for all your help today.”

I face the palace, looking up at the dark towers surrounded by thick smoke and fog. Once I am inside, I do not plan to leave until I find what I am looking for. I make my way up the path to the front stairs, reaching for the door. I open it a crack and slip inside.

Something slimy drops on my hands from above. It’s glossy and tacky, and pitch black. “Ew,” I pull my hands back, and more drips down from above. I crane my neck up to see something above me on the ceiling. It growls low as the black ooze drips from its mouth.

“Hello!” I wave to it. “Can I come in?”

The creature howls, lunging off the ceiling towards me. I stumble backwards, nearly falling off the stairs, until the creature grabs the front of my clothes. 

The creature’s head is surrounded by a round cage, and a spiked collar circles its neck. Its hulking body looks like winding, black, glossy vines. Its hands are huge, with fingers that seem longer than my forearms.

“My name is Phiphi!” I say brightly. “What’s yours?”

The creature roars in my face, baring its monstrous teeth behind the cage. The top half of its face is covered by a mask, but its eyes glow bright white behind. The bottom half of its face seems to be all open maw, drooling black slime from behind its teeth.

“I can’t pronounce that, I’m so sorry, I don’t want to be rude.” I pat the hand holding me. “Could you pull me forward? I’m afraid I’ll fall if you let me go.”

The monster yanks me forward and then pushes, slamming my back against the door. “Who are you?” it bellows in a voice that gurgles like a sludgy drain. 

“That really hurt!” I whine, pressing both my tiny hands around the creature’s wrist. “I told you, my name is Phiphi!”

The monster gets close up to my face, close enough that the cage presses against my forehead. “Why did you break in?” it demands.

“Please, let go! I am asking nicely.” I push against him, but he is far stronger than me. “If you treat me nicely, then perhaps I will answer you in kind!”

The creature pushes me again, and I start to get mad. I grab hold of the cage around its head with both hands and shake it viciously. “You like that?” I snap at him. “You like being knocked around? Just because you’re bigger than me, you think I won’t fight back?”

“Stop it!” The creature shoves me back against the door, but I only jerk the cage harder.

The sludge splashes against my hands and lips. To my shock, it tastes sweet. “No!” I roar at him.

The door beside me opens, and the monster suddenly shrinks back. I’m released, and I breathe a sigh of relief. 

“Bartholomew, what are you doing?” A suspicious voice comes from the crack in the door. “Have you not gotten rid of it yet?”

“It?” I balk. “I’m a lady!”

“I'm sorry, brother.” Bartholomew cowers like a kicked puppy. “I am trying, but she-”

I open the other door and let myself inside. 

“Halt.” the second figure says as he grabs me by the back of my shirt. 

“What is it with people here grabbing at me?” I slip from my shirt with ease. “Has no one here been taught manners?”

The second figure is hidden in shadow, and I barely see him before the big black monster, Bartholomew, lunges at me. I scream and run, darting down the hallway.  “Stop her!” the figure yells. 

I race down the hall as fast as I can go. I clutch my bag to my chest, pull out a cherry bomb and toss it behind me. It explodes, bursting forth with pink smoke and glitter. I duck into a room, locking the door behind me. I’ll hide in here until the coast is clear. Or so I think, until someone clears their throat behind me.

I freeze, slowly turning to see a woman sitting at a chessboard, with a tea tray beside her. She has a huge coif of purple hair, and she’s wearing a plush purple robe that looks like fur. Her eyes are completely black.

“Excuse me,” she sniffs. 

“No, no, excuse me.” I bow at the waist with a flourish. “I did not know I was intruding.” I stride towards her.  “You must be Queen Seraphina!”

She scowls. “But you did know you were breaking into someone’s home.” She sets her teacup aside, then lays her hands in her lap. Her eyes narrow at me as her expression shifts. “You have thirty seconds to explain yourself before I start to scream.”

“Good. That is all I need.” I take the box from my bag. “You were exactly who I was looking for, your majesty.”

Seraphina swiftly stands up from her chair. “Put that away.”

I hold the box between my hands, one on the bottom and one on the lid. “This will only take a second, I promise you.”

“Get away from me!” Seraphina grabs a staff from behind the chair. The tip of it is like a jagged cage, and within there is a deep purple glow that sparks and sizzles as she thrusts it at me. 

“Just let me open the box,” I say calmly. “That’s all I have to do!”

Seraphina swipes the staff at me, and I jump backwards. The door shakes as my pursuers slam into it.

“You knew this day would eventually come, Seraphina.” I take another step forward as the door rattles and jerks. “You could not stay hidden forever.”

Seraphina gnashes her teeth and thrusts the staff into my face, but it stops a hair’s breadth away from me. The glow within is pushed backwards, and it starts to spill out the sides.

I crack open the box, and Seraphina screams. One of the windows crashes open and I am tackled to the floor. The box skitters away from me, remaining closed. Bartholomew sits on top of me, while his brother comes charging through the door.

“Lock her away!” Seraphina bellows. “Get her out of my sight and keep her that way!”

“Are you alright, my lady?” the second figure asks, striding across the room. Bartholomew picks me off the ground, keeping me clutched to his chest. 

“I am fine, Fitzwilliam,” Seraphina dramatically falls back into her chair. “You came just in time!”

“I’m only trying to help!” I struggle against Bartholomew. “Let me go!”

Fitzwilliam approaches me, his high-heeled boots clicking on the marble floor. He’s tall and thin, with long gangly arms. As he bends over, I see his head is much bigger than the rest of his body, and his jaw unhinges in a strange manner. 

“You will be lucky to see the light of day again!” His teeth clack as his mouth opens and closes. The long white curls of his hair fluff out, so striking they look almost fake. He points, and I can see under his clothes that he has multiple elbow joints, and more joints in his fingers than normal. “Take her away from here, Bartholomew.”

Bartholomew’s laugh vibrates in his chest. “And where shall I put her?” 

“Where the sun doesn’t shine,” Seraphina snarls.

Bartholomew slinks away, dragging me with him from the room. I struggle against him, watching as Fitzwilliam picks up the box from the floor. I fight Bartholomew at first, but eventually I give up and let him take me to wherever the sun doesn’t shine.

“You should be lucky this is all she’s doing!” he titters at me. “Usually, it is a fate much worse for those who displease her.”

“She can’t do anything to me,” I scoff. “All she can do now is keep me at arm’s length.”

“Seraphina is the most powerful sorceress in Pirlipat!” Bartholomew gurgles. “What makes you think you can stand against her?”

“Because I am too!” I snap at him. “She’s more afraid of me than I am of her.”

Bartholomew stops on the staircase and holds me at arm’s length, keeping my back firmly against the wall and both his hands on my shoulders. “I would hold my tongue if I were you.”

“What has she done to you and your brother?” I sniff. “Were you always a big glob of candy, or were you something else before?”

The cage around his head presses against my forehead again. “I love her.”

“And why? Because she makes you?” I grab hold of his cage. “Open your eyes, Bartholomew! She’s not the real Seraphina!”

“And what?” he cackles. “You are?”

I frown at him. “No. I’m not the real Seraphina either.” My fingers tighten on his cage. “Just let me go, OK? If you do, I can help you.”

He presses me tighter against the stone wall. “What makes you think I need any help?” His tongue darts across his teeth. 

My fingers slip down the wire of the cage. “What man puts a cage around himself and then says he is happy?”

He draws in a sharp breath. His fingers begin to dig sharply into my flesh as his grip strengthens.

“She can’t love you, Bartholomew, and you can’t love her. I came here to help. You must believe me.”

“I only believe in Seraphina!” He jerks me away from the wall again. “Why should I trust a stranger like you?” 

“Look in my bag,” I tell him. “Look in it and you will know!”

He pushes me off the stairs and into a dark room only lit by torches, leads me into a cell and closes the door behind me. I turn back, pressing my palms against the thick glass window and frowning at him.

Bartholomew tosses the contents of my bag onto the floor. My makeup kit tumbles out, still closed. He sifts through my cherry bombs, my small notebooks, and then picks up one of my dolls. It’s small and old. The black of its clothing has faded over time, and its long black ponytail has become frayed and tattered. As he looks it over, his mouth hangs open. His long arms sag as he sits on his short back legs, and smooths his finger over the doll’s face. Then he reaches for the second doll, which is all red, and looks between the two, shaking his head slowly.

He gnashes his teeth as he thrusts the dolls at the glass. “Why do they look like my brother and me?”

“Do they?” I look at him rather than the dolls. “I wasn’t aware that’s who they were.”

Bartholomew breathes deeply, shuddering as he shakes the dolls in his fists. “Who are you? What do you want here?”

“I told you,” I say calmly, “my name is Phiphi, and all I want to do is help. I want to help Seraphina, and you, and your brother. You just need to let me.”

He sneers. “If you are such a powerful sorceress as you claim, then why not magic yourself free?”

“That is not how it works,” I scoff. “I cannot simply make myself free. I need help. My magic is not complete.”

His smile is smug. He thinks he’s got me. “Then how are you so powerful?”

I shrug. “Because I am.”

He slams his fist against the glass. “That does not make sense.”

“Magic isn’t supposed to.” I smile brightly at him. 

Bartholomew reaches out with one hand and snuffs out the torch. The room becomes pitch-black, with no light that I can see. “You will stay here for as long as Seraphina wills it,” he burbles. “Where the light doesn’t shine, you will be lucky to ever see it again.”

“Okay,” I reply. “But will I still hear from you?”

He sniffs. “You are strange!” I hear him slither away, going back up the stairs.

I sigh and step back, clasping my hands to my chest. “OK then, what now?” I reach into my pocket and take out a laugh I saved from the girls before. I toss it, making the torch light up again. “Much better.”

Outside the door, my things are still scattered about, but the two dolls are gone. In my cell, there is a bed and a curtain around a small washroom. I’m surprised I have those few amenities. I sit down on the bed and wait.

Eventually, I hear the click-clack of high heels on the stairs. As I look up, I see Fitzwilliam come down the staircase. He looks down at my things on the ground, then turns to look at me.

“Hello!” I wave at him.

His brow furrows, and his strange button eyes narrow at me. 

“Can I help you?” I stand from the bed and approach the glass door. 

He steps closer to the door and unlocks it. Then he steps inside my cell and hands me my coat back. 

“Oh, thank you!” I take it and slip it on. “How very kind of you.” I smile up at him. “Fitzwilliam, right?”

“I’m going to leave the door open,” he says suddenly. His voice is very grim behind the clacking of his jaw. “But I will have to put the torch out. You will need to move in darkness.”

I furrow my brow. “Why would you do that?” I look him up and down. “Don’t you love Seraphina too?”

Fitzwilliam takes my wrist in his hand. “Of course I do.” He places a walnut in my hand. “Keep this with you at all times.”

“What is it?” I pinch the shell between my fingers. 

“Just keep it.” He closes my fingers around it. “I have to go now. Wait until later to escape. Bartholomew won’t be back until dawn, so you have time.”

He slips from the cell and shuts the door behind him, but he doesn’t lock it. Then he snuffs out the torch, and all I can hear is his heels clattering as he walks up the stairs.