Page 10 of The Nutcracker
No cars.
No stores open.
None except…
Across the road on the corner of Main and Partridge was Mr. Hanover’s old toy shop. Only now, there was nothing about it that looked abandoned and derelict like it had only a few hours earlier.
Gone were the boards covering the windows.
Gone was the dusty old ‘For Sale’ sign on the front door.
Now the fraying façade of Mr. Hanover’s toy shop had been painted bright red.
Warm, welcoming Christmas lights shone in the window illuminating a busy, brightly-coloured display of toys and decorations.
And above the door hung a sign printed in gold and framed in flourishes of holly and pine cones that readThe Nutcracker.
I had to blink several times and double-check my surroundings. The snow was falling fast now, but sure as can be I made out the street signs— Main and Partridge.
“What the hell?” I muttered, pulling myself to my feet.
The dizziness set in instantly.
I needed some help.
I felt in my pockets for my phone but it wasn’t there. I recalled putting it on the passenger seat when I got into the car, in case Cedar Village might call for whatever reason. I leaned back through the open door, my head spinning, only to see no sign of my phone. It must have fallen under the seat and down beside the console.
I didn’t feel steady enough to search for it.
Instead I looked back at the old toy shop. I saw a shadow moving inside, passing from one window to the other. Someone was in there.
As the wind peaked up and the snow began to turn to sleet, I shut my car door and staggered my way across Main Street to the shop on the corner. I dragged my feet through the snow, my laces drenched and the ice seeping through to my socks from a split in the leather of my left boot. I reached the step up onto the pavement and tried to keep my balance on the icy cement path. I clung to a lamp post and stared in wonder at the glimmering ornaments and shiny toys in the window.
With a lurch I shuffled over to the door, the wind beginning to howl down Main Street now.
There was a sign in the door window in the same fancy gold writing as the one above the door, sayingWelcome One and All.
I laid my hand on the door handle.
I pulled the door open.
And suddenly—
Chapter Seven
Right on cue and almost out of nowhere,It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Yearlaunched to life, as though I’d just stepped into a Christmas musical where Andy Williams was about to dance his way out from behind the door, ready to serenade me into the store.
“Oh my God,” I uttered, somewhat taken aback.
“Oh my God!” exclaimed a voice from inside the store. “Are you all right? You’re hurt.”
From a set of shelves to the left came a man, tall and handsome, with a dark beard and wearing a red velvety Christmas costume complete with fluffy white trim and a Santa hat. He put down a box of baubles and rushed to my aid. “Quick, get inside. It’s turning into a blizzard out there.”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me into the tiny store, closing the door behind me and shutting out the flurry and the shrieking wind.
I felt immediately enveloped by the warmth of the store… and Andy Williams’ voice, of course.
“What happened to you? Are you okay?” asked the man in the red costume as he led me to a stool behind the counter and eased me onto it.