The General

Day 1 Nutcracker

            "Is there a big market for this kind of thing these days?" I asked wrinkling my nose as I picked up an old dusty nutcracker off the shelf. Twisting him around in my hands, while whipping the dust off his face.

Blowing a thick layer of dust of his hat, I let out a sneeze as the dust went up my nose.

Twitching my nose to clear the residual dust, I opened and closed my mouth along with the figurine as I played with the lever.

            My grandmother pushed around me with a hard thud, reaching forward to yank the nutcracker out of my hand. "Don't respect him like that! He's a General!"

            "Why so touchy he's only a decoration," I asked, rubbing my arm where a bruise was forming. She gingerly placed him back on the shelf, straightening him to watch the door of the shop. "Big people, with big money will pay a hefty price for a specimen like him to lead their armies."

            I bent down to pick up the packing box. "He's just a figurine Nona, what war is he supposed to fight?"

            "He may look that way to you, but never underestimate the power of magic," my grandmother stated, as she placed several more trinkets on the shelves as she passed. "Now, finish emptying those boxes."

With that she walked behind the curtain to the back room.

            With a huff, I pulled out other wooden figurines such as fairies, more nutcrackers, horses, and monsters. Placing a small rocking horse on the shelf, I gave it a flick to make it rock. "Are you going to help fight a war with the General?"

            As those words left my mouth a "click, clank," came from the shelf to my right. Turning slowly to look where my grandmother placed the General, he was now facing me.

After staring at each other for a moment, he winked.

©All writing property of R. M. McDermott LLC