Genevieve's Tale: A Nutcracker Retelling

Chapter Four: A Strange World

Vi opened up her eyes when the horse came to a halt. She was in the middle of a small wooded clearing that was covered in a thick layer of white. The icicles and snow sparkled in the moonlight, yet something seemed strange about this place. Vi dismounted and took in the scene before her, trying to figure out what make this place appear...other worldly. Everything around her was shimmering in silver and blue light. In the distance, Vi could make out the shape of a castle. The stars were brighter here and the moon was a silver orb.

Is it just my imagination or are there specks of diamonds in the moon?

She was suddenly aware that her clothes felt heavier. Vi let out a frightened gasp as she saw herself wearing a completely different outfit. She was wearing a simple dress that was lined with a warm material and short boots lined with fur. Loose curls fell in front of her shoulders, yet she almost didn't recognize her own hair; the curls had somehow turned whiter.

The strangest sight of all was the ground directly below her feet. Instead of powdered snow, pure solid green blades of grass covered the ground, as if it hadn't been touched by a single snowflake. She lifted her eyes and discovered that the stallion was nowhere to be seen. Vi desperately searched for any signs of hoof prints, but she could only see undisturbed snow.

How could a horse disappear without leaving a trail of hoof prints?

Vi sighed. I guess my only option is to start heading for the castle. Perhaps someone at the castle can tell me where I am and how to get back home.

Grunts sounded behind her. Before she could react, Vi felt something ram into her, sending her sprawling forward. She coughed and grabbed a nearby stick. Shaking the snow off of her head, Vi got to her feet and pointed the stick at the thing that bumped into her. There were two figures lying on the ground, one of them wearing a black cloak and the other in a blood red cloak. Neither one of them attempted to get up.

I should probably check to make sure that they are still breathing.

She cautiously approached the figure in the black cloak since he was the closest to her. With the tip of her stick, she poked him in the back. When he didn't move, she walked a little closer to see if his chest was rising and falling. It took her several moments before she finally saw his shoulders moving up and down.

After letting out a sigh of relief, she strode toward the second figure. Unlike the first figure, the second one flinched when she tapped him with her stick.

"Who is poking me?" he asked in a grouchy tone. He slowly got to his feet and brushed the snow off of him. When he lifted his head and saw Vi, his jaw dropped.

"I only poked you to see if you were still alive or not," she said, with more bravery than she felt. Vi stepped backwards as she took in his appearance. The man was made entirely of wood, wearing some kind of soldier's uniform. His face was much too big; his blue eyes were large and round and his nose was chipped and had a flat end. Cuts covered his entire body, yet no blood spilled out.

"My apologies miss. Who are you?" he asked.

"My name is...Vi," she replied meekly.

"Vi." He bowed to her awkwardly, as if his body could barely bend at where his waist should have been. "Thank you for your assistance." He glared over at the other figure and sneered. "I shall end your life once and for all." Then the wooden man unsheathed a sword.

"Please don't! There is no need to kill him. He's dead," she said, blurting out the last sentence. "I already checked.

The man raised a painted eyebrow.

"I will prove it to you." She walked over and bent to look at the other figure's face.

Vi bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from revealing her lie. The figure was staring straight at her, fear radiating from his eyes.

He was a human sized rodent.

Please don't move. I'm trying to save your life. "He's no longer breathing." Complete confusion clouded his eyes as she stood up.

"Thank goodness for that. He has caused me nothing but trouble."

"Where exactly are we?" she asked, keeping her stick pointed at him.

"You don't know where you are? This is Slatkovila." He said the name of the place as if it should have been obvious to Vi.

"I have never heard of this place."

"That's a surprise. Unless..." He squinted his eyes and gazed intensely at her face. All of a sudden, his eyes widened. "You're the one who got away. The girl that vile vermin kidnapped."

"He didn't kidnap me. Well, he did, but he saved me from a fire." She continued to move backwards. "You were the one who was chasing us, aren't you? Stay away from me."

The man inched closer, like a hunter trying to approach a terrified hare. "I was only trying to rescue you from that creature. I was sent to bring you back home. Your true home." He extended his hand out and took smaller steps towards Vi.

I don't trust you. "My home was set on fire. I probably don't even have a home any longer."

"You have no idea how important you are; haven't you ever wondered about your parents?"

She abruptly stopped moving. "My father is dead and my mother is far away from here."

"You're wrong. Your mother is here."

My mother is here?

Everything began spinning and Vi's legs collapsed underneath her. No. My mother is most likely dead. She made it clear long ago that she didn't want to be a part of my life. "That's not true," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"I'm telling you the truth. In fact, I will take you to her right now." He took giants steps towards her and grabbed her hand. A split second after his hand covered hers, he jumped back and screamed like he was in excruciating pain. The man held his wrist with his other hand and shook it. "What did you do to me?" he shouted, his face turning almost as red as his cloak.

"I didn't do anything to you," she replied in a confused tone.

"Then why did this happen to me?"

Vi inhaled sharply when she saw burn marks on the man's hands.

Word count: 1,112