It all started at a castle in a far off land. Queen Lesley sat up on her throne in a red silk blouse and matching loafers. She wore black nylons with a black skirt that zipped up the back. Beside her was King Ken wearing royal blue and Princess Sandra who sat between her parents in a royal red dress, heels and suntan hose.

     "Nice to be allowed to come, Mistress Lesley." My father said as he bowed before the queen and kissed the Princess' hand. "Your daughter Sandra is as lovely as ever."

    I stood among the crowd staring at the handsome Prince Philip dressed in a white uniform with a golden slash across his chest. He bowed before Denise; whose tight red sweater and black pants were so tight that they appeared to be painted on her body. Her boots killed her feet, but they were for fashion not comfort.

     As I stood in the shadows; I removed my tie, and hid in the shadows. The royal dance bored me stiff. As the music played and others danced, I grew sleepy and drifted off to a soundless sleep.

     When I awoke hours later, the ballroom was silent. I made my way across the large room and glared up at the lit Christmas tree. Glancing down at the wrapped presents, I notice a nutcracker soldier laying among them. "Reminds me of that old ballet." I thought as I curtsied and picked the nutcracker up. "May I have this dance?"

    We started to dance around and around. I felt my head spinning as the nutcracker seemed to get bigger and bigger. I wanted to stop,  but some outside force made me continue to dance. Dance until the nutcracker and I were the same size.

    "What's going on?" I asked, confused.

     "What do you mean, my sugarplum princess?" The man who was a nutcracker said to me. "I am the prince of the dolls. Prince Eric said.

    "Princess?" I said in a confused tone as I looked down to find myself in a pink ball gown, slippers and white tights. "My skin... it's so soft."

    I stared at my perfect manicure with a pink polish and found myself almost dancing on my toes as I walked about.  We continued our dance when I noticed a shadow fall over us. I stared in horror as the doll of a rat wearing a crown appeared behind the nutcracker.

     "Watch out!" I screamed as the prince ducked just in time to avoid having his head chopped off by the mouse king's  sword.  The nutcracker drew his sword and their blades sparked upon hitting each other.

     I brushed my long hair off my shoulder as the nutcracker and the mouse king fought their way underneath the tree. They leapt up on the presents and along the tree branches and tree decorations as they continued to fight.

    "Watch out, Nutcracker!" Was all I could say. I climbed the fireplace screen to keep them in eyesight after they disappeared behind the branches. The nutcracker knocked the sword from the king's hand and then with a swung of the hand, knocked the rat's feet out from under him. I watched as the rodent doll tumbled to the floor, out cold.

    Taking a toy bow and arrow, the prince shot a nearby table with a toy castle on top. The two of us climbed up to the top and opened the gates to toy land. "Welcome, princess Paula, to your new home." The Nutcracker Prince said as  a rag doll waved to me and a tin soldier asked me for a dance.

     When the sun rose up the next morning, my father called out my name in his search for me.  Him and my mother searched the whole castle. They asked all of their fellow servants and even asked Princess Sandra, Queen Lesley and King Ken about my missing. None of them had seen me.

     As Princess Sandra went to the ball room table and activated her music box castle, she noticed among the dolls she had added inside, was one extra one. A young blonde hair lady in pink stood up on her toes in ballet shoes. As stiff as all the other dolls, by day.

    "May be a surprise Christmas present from daddy." Princess Sandra thought as she gave my frozen form a hug. She notice the rat king doll under the tree being grabbed by the mouth of her pet dog and shredded.  "Oh, Julia you rascal."

     "And oh look, a nutcracker." Princess Sandra smiled as she picked it up and carried it with her to breakfast and show Queen Lesley.  I didn't mind since I knew he would be all mine tonight. Besides, I was the doll the princess she choose to take to church with her. Making me feel both proud and special among all her toys.

      "Are you all right, dear?" The cook asked my parents.

      "We think Paula ran away from home." My mother said in tears. "We always thought she was happy at home. Helping us serve the king, queen and princess. I don't know why she left or what we'll do if she doesn't come back."

   "There, there." The cook said, cheering my parents up. "I'm sure she found someone special in her life, that's all."

     I now live my life every night with my Nutcracker Prince in Toy Land and had adventures I'd only be able to see and hear and have no control over during the day. My parents would never learn what happened to me. Whatever they do think, I hope it'll be that I found my prince and am quite happy.

Because it's true.

The End