Who Broke The Nutcracker?
I can tell you, it wasn’t me. I think. All I know is that it was hot and windy when I came back from spelunking in the abandoned mines in the area. The kids, way beyond excited to decorate for the holidays, had pulled out all the boxes full of ornaments and lights then left them in the middle of the floor. Was it any wonder I tripped, the panniers full of equipment I was lugging inside whipping around like a live wire?
There was a thud, a tinkle, and a moment of dread. Boy, I hope that wasn’t one of my irreplaceable glass ornaments, collected by my late grandmother and gifted every year of my childhood.
I let the panniers thump onto the table and turned back to the living room. There, on the ground near the lopsided Christmas tree, was an old box, covered in tape, with a faded print of holly leaves decorating the lid. And, since nothing else seem to be disturbed, I guessed that’s where the noise came from.
I picked it up and shook it (gently, people, I’m not a monster!) and heard several thunks and tinks from inside. Holding my breath I opened the box and found…six-well packed glass ornaments. I poked around the box a bit and didn’t find anything more than that.
Huh. That’s weird. I set it down and searched the room, trying to figure out where the sound had come from. That’s when I saw him. The bright little red jacket poked out from behind my husband’s easy chair. It was a nutcracker, complete with a fuzzy hat and sword.
“Where’d you come from?” I asked, not really expecting an answer, as I bent to pick him up. Just as I was about to grab the toy I noticed a long crack running right down the side.
“That’s not good.” Time to break out the CSI kit. Well, mostly some washi tape to mark the outline around the nutcracker and some blank thank you cards to place next to a suspicious-looking dust bunny.
Satisfied with the completed crime scene, I interrogated the only other person in the house: my son. But he didn’t crack (no pun intended). My boy maintained that he not only didn’t know what a nutcracker was but that he didn’t even know there was one in the living room. I made a mental note to have the family sit down and watch The Nutcracker Suite ASAP and then told my kid not to leave town. I ignored how hard he rolled his eyes as I made my way back to the living room.
I studied the broken nutcracker and sighed. Nothing for it. Gonna have to bring in some help. I whipped out my phone, snapped a photo, then sent it by text over to Marji Lane. Maybe she knows who broke the nutcracker. It certainly wasn’t me…or my panniers.
Cracking The Case On Who Broke The Nutcracker
The troubles with the Ever After mysteries continue with Chautona Havig’s book The Nutcracker’s Suite, a Christian historical fiction novel. Follow along this week to find out which author broke the Nutcracker.
April Hayman – Nov 26
Marji Laine Clubine – Nov 27
Chautona Havig – Nov 28
Cathe Swanson – Nov 29
Denise Lauren Barela – Nov 30
Rebekah Jones – Dec 1
Sandy Barela – Dec 2
Liz Tolsma – Dec 3
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