Delphie Durand stood by the window, pointing first one foot forward and then the other. The clouds in the sky were grey and heavy as she looked out. People were hurrying along the street, their faces buried in their scarves, their gloved hands full of shopping bags.
Oh I hope it snows tonight, Delphie thought longingly. She was nine and she hadnât once had a Christmas Day with snow.
âDelphie, do you want a mince pie?â her mum called from the kitchen.
Delphie ran through, leaping into the air on the way, to where her mum was washing up. A freshly baked batch of mince pies was cooling on a wire rack nearby.
âWell, would you like one?â her mum asked, nodding at them.
But Delphieâs stomach felt full of fluttering butterflies. âNot now, thanks, Mum.â Holding on to the back of a kitchen chair, she bent her knees, pulled her toe up against her leg and pointed it out to the side, her arm following gracefully. She just couldnât seem to stand still that afternoon. She was too excited.
Not only was it Christmas Eve but that night, Delphieâs ballet school was doing a show at the town hall. Each class was going to be performing a dance they had been learning. Delphieâs group was going to be doing one from a ballet called The Nutcracker. They had been practising for weeks.
Mrs Durand checked her watch. âWe should get going. We donât want to be late.â
âIâll get my things,â said Delphie eagerly.
She went up to her room and brushed her long dark hair. The nutcracker toy that she was going to be using in the dance was on her dressing table next to her red ballet shoes. Delphie picked him up and danced a few steps around the room, pretending to be Clara, the girl in the ballet who was given the nutcracker for Christmas.
Delphie smiled as she remembered another time when she had done the dance â and done it for real! For Delphie had an amazing secret â her red ballet shoes were magic! Sometimes they would start to glow and sparkle and then they would whisk Delphie off to a magical land called Enchantia where all the characters from the different ballets lived. That was where Delphie had met the real Nutcracker and danced with him.
I wonder when Iâll go to Enchantia again, she thought.
âDelphie! Time to go!â her mum called.
âComing!â Delphie grabbed her shoes, ballet bag and the nutcracker toy and hurried out of the room.
It was exciting to get to the town hall and get changed in a proper dressing room with everyone else from her class. The mirror in front of her even had lights all round it. Delphie had a space between her two best friends, Poppy and Lola.
Sukie Taylor, who didnât like Delphie much, was sitting on the other side of the room. âYouâre the last to get here,â she said as Delphie sat down.
But Delphie ignored her. She wasnât going to let Sukie spoil her evening and although she may well have been the last to arrive, she knew she wasnât late.
âHi, Delphie!â Poppy called over. She and Lola were fixing pink, blue and green ribbons in each otherâs hair. Delphie felt a flicker of longing. Her mum had only managed to get her plain white ones. Sheâd seen her friendsâ ribbons at the dress rehearsal and wished sheâd had some the same, particularly when Sukie had laughed at her for being the only one with boring white ones. Sukieâs own ribbons were big, wide and gold. Delphie thought they looked a bit silly.
âWeâve got a present for you!â Lola jumped up and handed her a small package wrapped in Christmas paper. âHere!â she smiled. âItâs from both of us.â
âOh, thanks.â Delphie felt awkward. She hadnât realised they were getting each other Christmas presents and hadnât brought anything for her friends.
âWell, open it then!â Poppy urged.