Yes, there's a Pharaoh in there.
Since I probably won't get off my duff between now and Christmas to post, I figured I'd share my toy soldiers and an excerpt from my Nutcracker romance, Twelve Dances for a little bit of my favorite holiday tradition.
Excerpt:
“You can tell me at the party.”
“Right. Sure.” What the hell had she
been thinking? Clara hung up the phone and leaned her head against the wall.
The stupid dream had shaken her up is all. She’d just woken feeling nostalgic
and naturally reached out to family. “I’m losing my mind.”
Across the room, her nutcrackers
stared and smiled their stiff grins. The dream dance whispered to her, the
memory still crisp enough to cling to. She could hear the music, soft, familiar.
Holy shit, she was losing her mind. Clara shook her head and turned her back on
the princes. Dream or not, dancing with princes didn’t pay the rent, and she
had to get to work.
The tree jingled overhead. Not again. Clara sat and stared at the branches. Same plums, same tree, same dress—she laughed and stood up. The ground shone with silver leaves, and the fog called with the echo of a distant oboe. She could think of worse dreams to be stuck in.
The tree jingled overhead. Not again. Clara sat and stared at the branches. Same plums, same tree, same dress—she laughed and stood up. The ground shone with silver leaves, and the fog called with the echo of a distant oboe. She could think of worse dreams to be stuck in.
She shrugged and skipped down the
path. This time she knew the world around her for a dream. This time she knew
exactly what to expect and couldn’t help but hurry to the edge of the dance
floor. Her princes would be waiting. Clara broke through the fog and slid out
onto the smooth floor just as the nutcrackers began their march down the
stairs.
She watched them this time, stood
close enough to catch the details. The sound of boots rang out—march, march.
Her nutcrackers lined up along the floor’s edge in coats of green, blue and
burgundy. They wore tall hats, crowns, helmets and some sparkled with huge
jewels. Each face was individual, though each wore the same, phony version of
the nutcracker’s swirly mustache. Clara couldn’t help but smile at the stern
expressions behind the ridiculous disguises.
Clara also couldn’t help looking
behind them. Her eyes just drifted up to the spot where her newest prince
stood. He already peered at her, eyes glinting like sapphires. His mouth
twitched at a corner, and he tilted his head ever so slightly in her direction.
Clara’s breath caught in her throat. She felt the heat of a blush creep into
her cheeks. The nutcracker stood at attention, almost not smiling.
But her dance partner this time
clacked out of line to her far left, and she had to scramble to meet him. She
slid into his arms just as the music kicked up and they moved out into the
dance. The floor tiles shifted under their steps, glinting in a pattern of
holly berries and candy canes. Clara watched their feet slide over the tiles,
leaned into the nutcrackers hold and stared out as the silver world swirled
around them to the hollow notes of the oboe.