Bethany
Mrs. Winger
REACH 5/6a
16 September 2009
Final Draft- The Beast and the Beauty
Have you ever heard of the tale “Beauty and the Beast”? If you have, you’ve
probably heard it the wrong way. Whenever people think of Beast, they think of a big,
ugly, unforgiving monster with a temper as short as a dwarf. Now, when people think of
Beauty, they simply think of this innocent, kind, wonderful, beautiful woman who is the
greatest person to be around. Well, you have thought wrong. Here and now, you are
going to hear the revolutionary and true story on what really happened, told by me, Beast.
It was a beautiful, clear day at the castle. I had the perfect life; I had a wonderful
estate, great friends, marvelous servants, rule over the whole land, and all of the money in
the world. I was a prince, and not a spoiled prince either. I liked to think of myself as a
nice person, because after all, I was. After I had gotten ready, I looked in the mirror. I
liked what I saw. I had a strong build and a nice face. After gazing at myself, I had
decided to come out to the garden by the Eastern part of the castle. Considering the nice
day and my content mood, I wanted to say hello to the gardener. He worked daily on the
vegetables, fruits, roses, tulips, orchids, and other flowers of a beautiful sort. He was my
best friend and my most trusted companion.
As I reached him, I said hello. He looked up and said nothing. I asked him how he
was. He said he was fair, and fair only. He mentioned that I should not walk in the garden
much; he had a feeling that something was wrong with the soil. Now, as much as I trusted
him, I did not heed his warning.
As I walked along the side of the garden, the warm soil being sifted between my
toes, I stepped on something. I stopped and looked down. I gazed at the bottoms of my
feet. Seeing a speck of black, I rushed back to the house to wash my feet. I did not like to
be dirty, in fact, I could not stand it. While I was running, the speck fell off of my foot.
But instead of being happy that the disgusting thing had left my skin, I instantly knew I
had other things to worry about.
The fleck started growing large and larger, and before I knew it, the dot had
turned into an ugly creature. It had grown wings, and a face, the most hideous face of all.
Its beady orange eyes stared into mine, as its nose crinkled as if I was the revolting one.
She pointed one of her blobby arms at me, and in a voice so very terrifying, said, “You
disturbed my slumber. Every year I come up in the warm seasons and sleep in your soil.
No one ever bothers me, but the few who do pay. I warn you, I am relentless.” I was
terrified. I had no idea what this repulsive creature would do to me. But instead of
running away, I stood, captivated by the appearance of the being, but not in a good way.
“All the people that you love will disappear.” She said. She waved a stick she
holding in her hand, and it began to make a zapping noise. Every time it zapped, a person
in the castle yard disappeared. Everyone was gone, until the animal zapped the gardener,
my best friend, out of existence. Remembering I should have listened to him, I hung my
head in shame.
“Your castle will become a dark and dingy one, joyless and depressing.’ As the
fairy waved her stick again, the castle grew cobwebs, and all of the lights faded. The sun
was instantly covered by dark, thick clouds, and the brick suddenly faded and became
worn down.
“I, as you can see, am not the prettiest thing to look at. It is why I come here; so I
can hide from my people. They are always so mean, and they never think about the fact
that maybe I have feelings. I know what you must be thinking inside. You are thinking
that I am the most hideous creature on the planet, am I right? Look me in the eyes and tell
me I’m wrong.” She screeched. I was taught as a young boy only to lie when you are
being held hostage in your castle. I did not know whether this situation would count as a
hostage situation, because my life might have been in danger, but I did not have time to
think as my instincts kicked in.
“I cannot tell you so without speaking a lie.” I said, instantly wanting to take the
words back.
“Do you know how I feel? Even when I meet up with my few friends and family,
they can not even get past my looks. Now you shall experience my pain.” And with that,
her stick jerked all around, as I felt a beam of energy whip through my body. I looked
down at my hands. They were becoming very painful. I watched in horror as they
doubled in size and hair covered it until skin was not even visible. My perfectly shaped
nails quickly sprouted into claws that were as big and sharp as nails. My feet followed the
pattern. My arms and legs were engulfed in dark, coarse fur. I felt my chest get larger. All
of this made my body very painful, but I did not know what pain really felt like until the
energy reached my face. My cheeks felt ablaze and my eyes got the horrid sensation that
they were in the desert. I felt like someone was punching me right in the nose. It seemed
as if hundreds of hands had reached on to my face, and pulled as hard as they could. I
could sense the fur wrapping around my chin, then my cheeks, then my nose, then my
eyes, and finally, my forehead. The transformation was complete. I had been turned into
some kind of beast. My life would never be the same. I would have to live the rest of my
life as a feared, repulsive creature.
The monster that had ruined my life disappeared. Lost and broken, I sulked all of
the way back to the castle. What did I do to deserve this? I asked myself. After all, the
only thing I had done was step on some old woman with wings.
For weeks, I just sat up in my favorite room, the library. It was beautiful. Before I
had been transformed into a monster, I had believed that everything you would need
could be found in the library. After the horrid happening that changed the outcome of my
life, I spent months reading every book I owned. I had found nothing that would help. I
was depressed, scared, and miserable.
It stormed every night, and the daytime was always dark. Never once since I had
been cursed had I seen a clear, bright, warm spring day. I rarely saw anything living
besides some spiders that lived in my mansion. I scared those off, too.
Then, one night, something miraculous happened. I had gone to the window
room, a room that had walls entirely made of windows to sit down and relax before bed. I
gazed out the windows, and I readied for the storm to start, but instead of rain, I found
snow. I knew something amazing was going to happen. After all, ever since I had been
altered, the only thing the sky would do to me was rain and thunder.
I gazed down, reminiscing on the life I used to have. I saw images of all of my
friends, my good servants, and anyone less. My life had been wrecked by a speck. My
eyes reached where my good friend, the gardener, used to spend his time. Nothing was
there except for a rose bush that had managed to stay alive. None of the storms had hurt
it. The lack of sunlight didn’t affect it. It had survived, and it was beautiful. I just sat
there for a moment, admiring it. It seemed to show me that there was hope in this life of
mine. Not everything was lost.
My gawking was disturbed by an odd interruption. I saw something I had not seen
in a long period of time. A man was riding on a horse, as his filled-up wagon followed
behind him. He seemed as though he might have drifted off of his path. I mean, who
would have wanted to come to my old, dingy castle? But if I was lost in a snowstorm, I
suppose anything would have done.
I watched as the man stepped off of his horse. He was a short fellow, and he
seemed a bit stout. He looked old enough to have a family. His hair was the weirdest mix
between a brown and gray color. I wanted to help, but I knew if I jumped out of my
castle, extending my arm to him, he would not trust me. I was a beast. So I did what I
knew I could do. I prepared a place for the man. I went downstairs, and at the end of the
entry hall, opened the doors to one of the rooms I was most fond of. It was a simple
room. It had cream-colored carpet with beautiful walls of the finest wallpaper. It had an
elegant fire place and a large, comfortable recliner in the middle of it. I lit a fire, and put
out plates of food for the visitor; traveling in a snow storm could be very tiring, but it
could also turn you into a famished, ravenous being. Finally, I placed a portion of my
many riches to the side. The man looked like he could use some of it, and if he had a
family, it could do them good. To top it off, I ran out of the West wing and opened the
stables. The horse would have to go somewhere, right?
I watched from the balcony above as the man walked into my house. I just sat
there, admiring the fact that I had company, even if he didn’t know I was there.
“Hello? Is anyone there? I, I, I’ve been wandering around for hours. I really need
a place to stay.” The man’s high pitched voice squeaked. He coughed, and headed into
the room I had prepared for him. I heard a gasp of content surprise, and then the
following of quick foot steps and the sound of a plump man sitting in a cushiony chair. I
went up to my bedroom to go to sleep with a smile on my face.
As the dawn broke, I got up. I went down to the balcony to check on the man. He
was sound asleep. Seeing a human reminded me that I could still make my life great.
There was hope for me. So, I headed out to walk along the garden in which I had walked
along some time ago. As I reached the place where my life had taken a dramatic turn, I
ran into something horrible. It was the creature that had twisted my life in the worst way
possible.
“So, how has this little adjustment worked out?”
“YOU!” I screamed. I was furious.
“You ruined my life. Everything was perfect for me until you showed up. I had
friends, I had a beautiful castle, I had servants, and I had the fairest appearance in all of
the land. Why did you want to hurt me so bad? All I did was step on you. I never even
meant to harm you.”
“Alright, I am sorry. It is just that Topiads are known for being short-tempered.
That is what I am, you know, a Topiad. Listen, I know what happened that day was not
your fault, but I cannot change you back to a regular human.”
“What? Why? You got me into this; now take me out of it!” I hollered.
“I know, I apologize. But, those are the rules. In order for your life to be changed
back, you must earn it. You must reach the goal set by a Topiad.”
“So, what is the rule for me?” I said, calming down a bit.
“You must get married. You must fall in love. The feeling must be mutual. No
cheating, there is no such thing as false love. Well, good luck with that.” She said, and
she disappeared.
“What? How am I supposed to do that? I am a monster!” I said to myself. I could
not believe what was happening. Could she have not chosen something easier or me to
achieve? Heartless, I claim, heartless.
As I walked back to the castle with a heavy heart, I looked up to see the man
packing some of the riches into his wagon. He then hooked the wagon up to the horse. He
then said, “Well, Louise, I did not get Beauty that rose I promised her. I got things for all
of her siblings, but nothing for her. She is the one who convinced me to go on this trip
anyways. If it had not been for her, I would not have run across this wonderful castle with
no one in it.” the man said, as he finished packing. He reached for the rose bush that had
given me hope the night before. It was the bush that had inspired me to help this stranger,
and now he was taking away from my most prized possession. Instinctively, I jumped
out.
“What are you doing?” I asked. I was mad, but I held a calm composure. The man
screamed at my appearance. I instantly regretted revealing myself.
“I, I, I, I thought no one was here. Um, I am sorry. I will just be going now.”
“Please answer my question.” I said as quietly as I could, in spite of my anger.
“I, I, I was just picking a rose. I thought no one would mind. I didn’t mean to do
any harm.”
“I gave you all of these things- food, water, a place to sleep, a stable, and richesand you just have to take more. I am just really disappointed that all of that was not good
enough for you.”
“I am sorry. Please do not eat me. I will do anything.”
“Anything?” I asked.
“Yes. What is it you want? Whatever it is, just do not kill me.” I would not kill
him, but his fear, willingness, and selfishness was enough for me to use to my advantage.
I mean, I did not want to do this, but to get my old life back, I had to.
“You said you had a daughter.”
“Actually, I have many, but only one is truly beautiful. Oh, and smart, too. She is
lovely. Her name is Beauty. You can take her if you want. I just want to get out of here
and go home to enjoy my newly found wealth.”
“You would just let her go, just like that?”
“Oh, yes, sure. Take her. I promise she will come. If not, you can hunt her down
and take her. Just let me go! Please do not kill me!” Now, I would never hunt anyone
down. Never would I kill this man, either. I was just thinking over and over that this man
was selfish beyond belief. However, I continued to milk the cow for what it was worth.
“Alright, I will let her come.” I said, nodding my head, dismissing the man.
“Thank you.”
I could not believe that the egocentric man ‘sold’ his daughter, just for his own
need. I was not intending on killing any one. I was just thinking “Maybe; just maybe, this
girl could be the one that saves me from this awful curse.” Plus, I needed a friend around.
A few days later, I found a woman wandering around the castle. I grabbed a large
cloak, and headed down to meet her. Before she saw me, I slipped the cloak on, so that as
I might not scare her off at first sight. After all, I needed to know if this was Beauty or
not.
I walked toward her. I said, “Are you Beauty?”
“Yes,” a high pitched voice replied.
“Well, come inside. It is getting chilly out here, am I right?” I continued.
“Yes, sir. It is quite cold.” She said in a neutral tone.
“What shall I call you, sir?” Beauty asked. I had to think hard. Back when I had
friends and servants galore, I had been called Ethan, which meant strong, firm, and
impetuous. However, I simply replied, “Beast, just call me Beast.”
Beauty looked up.
I instantly knew why she was called Beauty. She had the prettiest eyes. They were
an emerald green with flecks and blotches of a dark, deep drown. She had long, shiny,
brown hair that never seemed to end. She was a little less than five feet tall, and wore a
lacey, lavender dress. She had this gaze of innocence I had only seen once before; the
gardener had the same look.
I gave Beauty a tour of the house. I told her that my castle was her castle.
Everything was going fine until something caught the edge of my cloak. It slipped off.
She saw me, and her eyes widened. Yet, she said nothing, and she kept talking to me like
she had been before.
“How many books do you suppose are in this library?” She said with the same
tone of voice she had used when we first met. I was truly surprised. She seemed to put
aside my appearance, even though it must have been hard.
I found a few other things about Beauty quickly. She was very smart. She was
always asking questions, and always wanted to know more. When I first showed her the
library, I thought her eyes were going to pop out of her forehead. Beauty was also very
humble and willing. Whenever I asked her something, she always answered. Whenever
she thought I might appreciate something being done even, if I did not ask her to do it,
she did it. I really liked that.
For the next few weeks, she and I learned a lot about each other. See, she used to
be rich, filthy rich. Then, all of her father’s ships got lost at sea, and taken over by
pirates. Well, her father was told that there might possibly be a ship up at the wharf.
Beauty convinced him to go up and look at it. That was the trip he was heading back
from. Meanwhile, she and her siblings were trying to make it back at home. She said it
was so annoying to hear her siblings complain about how small the house was, and how
much more work they were required to do. I felt bad for her, but I reassured her that she
was in a better place.
I also told her about all of my friends. Never once did I say that I used to be a
prince or that I was changed by an evil fairy sort of creature. But I told her about the
gardener and his garden. I told her about everything I had had in my life before I had
been transformed. She asked questions, but fortunately, she never asked what happened
to them all.
I really began to feel like we were friends. We would take long walks around the
castle yard. We always ate our meals together. Never did I yell, never did I get mad at
her; never did I strike her, as some people think I might have. We shared everything we
had ever thought about. Every morning, the sun seemed brighter. I loved the feeling.
One day, I just plain out asked her, “Beauty, will you marry me?” I wanted to take
it back as soon as I said it, but I knew that I had to know at some point or the other. In
order to get my old life back, I needed to find out. “Tell me truthfully. Only say yes if
you really love me.” She hesitated.
“Do not fear saying no. I asked you truthfully.”
“Okay, then. No.”
“Alright, thank you for your answer, Beauty.”
As I later learned, Beauty was having dreams of a handsome man saying, “Why
are you hurting me? Why can you not realize that you really do love me?” I had nothing
to do with it. I never learned why this happened to Beauty.
One day, Beauty came to me. The time was nearing Christmas. “Beast, I was just
wondering if you would let me go to see my family. It is almost Christmas, you know. I
haven’t seen my family in nearly a year. I want to tell them all about you and my new
life.” It was then it hit me. I want to tell them all about you and my new life. I realized
that I had dramatically transformed her life, too. It was not fair to her, just as it was not
fair to me either. We had both been hurt, but somehow, we both seemed okay with it in a
way.
“Sure, you may go. However, there is one condition. You must be back by the
beginning of the New Year. Can you do that?”
“Yes, Beast, oh, thank you! I have not seen my family in such a long time. I really
appreciate it. I promise to be back by the New Year.” She said. Then she was on a horse,
heading to her family.
Strangely, three days before the New Year, I began feeling sick. I felt like
something was stabbing me constantly. Then I felt as if someone had set my throat on
fire. I had to go to bed. That is what I did, and before I knew it, I was out. I slept for two
days. Then, I woke up, and who did I see? None other than Beauty.
Beauty suddenly began talking. “Are you okay? I left yesterday, but I was caught
in a storm. I was so scared that I wouldn’t make it back here in time. Then, you were in
here, and I thought you were dead, but now I know you are not. I never realized how
much I loved you until you were almost gone.” I sat up.
“Will you marry me?” I asked.
“Yes, Beast, oh, yes!” she replied.
With that, I felt a pleasant tingling sensation. I felt myself turning back into my
original state. I saw people pop up all over the place. I saw the castle look instantly
renovated, and Beauty looked around in amazement. The clouds in the sky parted, and
the sun became bright.
Beauty smiled and laughed. She looked pleased. Then, the gardener stepped in
front of me. I had my friend back. I had a better understanding of how great my life was,
even before I had been changed back into my original self. I understood that even when
there seems there is no hope, there can be. I now realized how happy I was.
“You surely were not called ‘Beast’ in this kind of life. What should I call you
now?”
“Beast, still call me Beast.”
“Why?”
“That way, whenever I start to under-appreciate you or anyone or anything else in
my life, when you call me Beast, I will remember how much I should appreciate the life I
have.”
That was what really happened. I was no monster, I just looked like one. I was
really still a nice person on the inside. I think this can apply to anyone’s life, or anyone’s
situation. You can not generalize people by their appearance. If you can work past that,
you can find a nice, kind, caring, gentle person inside. Another thing that this can show
you is that there is hope. Never give up.