Within the town, where the princess lived, young women were primping and prodding for the lover from a dream. They would giggle merrily through the streets, trying to win the love of the most handsome man in town, Jacoby. But Jacoby had his heart set on the love of the fair Bella. The ladies in town didn't understand why he found Bella so desirable.
“She's so boring. She only loves her books,” they would say.
But this didn't bother Bella. One day, she decided to take a walk. The crisp air beckoned her as much as the books she loved, and what began as a stroll became a search. Trees were swinging in harmony with the wind, and soon the stars began to take shape in the sky. A trail of Bella's favorite flowers, roses, led along the path she followed as Bella continued her journey into the unknown. But the love of the garden and stars soon took precedence for her, and she became unsure of her surroundings. Looking behind, nothing looked familiar. Trees all appeared the same, and soon she wondered if she'd gone in a circle. Bella was familiar with the patterns of stars, but even that wasn't helping her now. A light appeared soon before her, and though it wasn't the light of home, Bella felt a sense of comfort when she spotted a castle. Bella had read about the castle in books, but as it sat amidst massive mountains and old oak trees, the castle was not as she'd pictured it. It was darker than she'd imagined, and was eerily quiet. Except for a light shining through one of the windows, it didn't appear to have owners. Talk of a prince that once lived in the castle filled the air within the town, but Bella did not believe anyone was there. A lump formed in her throat as she neared the castle, but hope of someone being there to ask for a way home temporarily replaced her nerves and she continued on.
The snowflakes appeared to be falling harder at this point, yet Bella became certain that there was a path of footprints leading up to the door.
Someone must be here, she thought. A faint knock caused the door to creak open, and the young princess swallowed her nerves again and peeked within. Echoes of old walls made their presence known, and then her voice echoed as she peered within.
“Hello? Is anyone in here?” Bella asked softly.
Making shallow footsteps inside, Bella moved along but a lack of light made it difficult to see.
“We have company,” a tiny voice said, causing Bella to jump back and close her coat tighter to her chest.
“Hello?” Bella repeated.
Suddenly a tiny dog with large fangs appeared. This startled Bella. When he got closer, Bella rubbed her eyes thinking maybe a lack of food and sleep was causing her to see things.
“Don't be afraid, dear,” the dog said, “we won't hurt you.”
Bella choked back her fear and spoke, “I am lost. I live on Main Street, and went for a walk, but now I cannot seem to find my way home. I do hope there is someone here who can guide me on the right path?”
“Just myself and the prince,” the dog said.
“The prince?!” Belle said. “But that is just a myth.”
“You must be the one we've been waiting for. My dear, we have been waiting for the arrival of a love for the prince,” the dog said.
“Oh, I'm not his love. I am just a girl looking for her way home. You must have me mistaken for someone else.”
At that moment, a sound from the door started Bella. It was the lock turning, and this occurrence quickly made Bella realize her regret of entering the castle. Soon after the door locked, Bella turned towards the dog, and then realized the dog was no longer standing alone.
“Who is there?” the Prince roared.
Bella began shaking even more, and after the Prince appeared, the princess stood back in shock from his appearance. He did not look like a prince from the fairy tales she'd read, but instead he looked like a beast.
“I am Bella, and I am looking for my way back home.”
“You, Bella, will be staying here now.”
Bella's eyes grew narrow, and her heart rate sped up as she looked into the eyes of the beast. His eyes appeared human, but he was enormous in size and had the teeth of a wolf. After trying to plead her case, and no such luck was given, the weary girl decided it might be best to sleep. She would try and escape the next morning. Bella locked herself in the south side of the castle, and refused to eat even though she hadn't eaten in quite a while.
The dog tried to calm down the aggressive beast, telling him he must be nice to the girl. He instead advised the beast that he should show his true heart so that they could break the evil spell. The beast finally agreed to have dinner with the princess, but convincing Bella to eat or even be near such a beast did not come easily.
Hunger eventually took over, and Bella sat down at the table across from the beast. He tried to talk to the princess though her walls were too thick to break through. The beast was eager to prove that his heart had a purity, but it did not show easily. Bella spent day after day locking herself in her room, until her curiosity got the best of her. Making her way around the forbidden castle, Bella spotted a room that piqued her interest. A library, unlike any other she had ever seen, attracted her attention. Walls of books seemed to go on for miles. Dusty stacks were in corners, and a lack of windows made searching through the books a hard task. Lost in a sea of books, Bella became distracted when all of a sudden the beast appeared.
“What are you doing in here? Nobody is allowed in this part of the castle!”
Bella did not know what to say, but simply looked at the beast in fear.
After a moment of recalling what the princess could do for him, the beast changed his tone, and sat down near her.
“You like books?” he asked.
“I love books.”
“You may look through them and pick one to read if you would like.”
Bella felt a tinge of hope and began searching through the stacks. It was easy to get lost within such an enormous room of the thing she loved most. Spotting one of her favorites, she reached up to grab the book when a prick from the paper pierced Bella's skin. The beast moved in towards the princess, and gently took her hand to his. He held it so that the bleeding would stop, and as he did this ever so gently, the princess appeared to warm slightly towards this gentleness. This became the first of many days of Bella and the beast bonding, and over time, Bella began to look at the beast with different eyes. Maybe he's not so bad after all, Bella began to think.
The dog watched on as he realized what was happening. Possibilities of the spell being broken brought an air of happiness back into the castle. Yet, on one particular night, the castle became unaware of what was looming. Jacoby was making his way in search of the princess, and had only one mission in mind: to kill the beast. The princess found her heart was now beating with love instead of fear when she was near the prince, and the possibilities felt limitless. When the beast heard of the ever-looming threat over the castle, he made his way out to protect his home and the princess. But Jacoby was on a mission, and when he spotted the beast, he wasted no time in succeeding in his mission. After a short struggle between the two, Jacoby placed a sword into the beast's chest and ran away. Bella made her way towards the beast after hearing all of the commotion, and leaned down with tears flowing over the beast. The princess's tears landed on the beast as she hugged him tightly.
“Please don't die. I love you,” she said.
At that moment, mist appeared as eyes of the dog loomed near, and the beast was again turned into a handsome prince. The dog was turned back into his human form also. He sat looking at Bella, and felt so grateful.
“Bella, you saved us. Come with me,” the prince said.
Bella hugged the prince and followed him up through the castle to the library. The prince pulled a picture of himself off of the wall, and behind it sat a locked drawer. The prince concentrated as he twisted and turned the lock to the drawer. Once the drawer was unlocked, the prince pulled out an antique book.
“This book is for you. Go ahead, take it. You have broken the spell that has been haunting this castle for far too long,” the prince said t
o Bella.
Bella touched the beautiful book, feeling such love within her heart, but was so preoccupied that she pricked her finger on the tough edges. The prince laughed a snarling laugh, and as the book dropped to the ground he grabbed her finger and ferociously sucked the blood that was dripping. Bella became whiter within seconds, and her rapid heartbeat slowed. Fangs formed beneath his teeth, and Bella's eyes widened.
“Hahaha, you thought I was a beast, in wolf-like form, but I'm actually a vampire, Fredward.” You, my dear, have been here since the first twilight, and I knew if you could be here until the last dawn breaks, I would be able to make you fall in love with me, and drink your blood. Now, thanks to you, I can continue to live. You have spent your life reading fairy tales, and now it's time to be in the story,” the prince said.
And with that final analysis, Bella's heart slowed even more until it was no longer beating. The princess fell in a flash to the floor.
Think what you will of this story that has been told. Not all Bella's get their prince. You'll find sometimes, it is best to leave the beast alone, especially if he ever turns to you in the form of a hairy prince ... or a vampire.
The end.
About the Author:
Jodi Stone is a mother of three, and they must be mentioned to really understand the meaning behind anything she creates. You see, those three children are the ultimate inspiration for every story she has ever written. Jodi Stone is the published children’s book author and illustrator of seven books, and two of her most recent are those she published through Anchor Group Publishing, entitled, Savannah’s Story and An Easter Bonnet for Lily.
Jodi will have additional published titles under Anchor Group Publishing within the year of 2013, and just recently graduated from the University of South Florida in December of 2012. Jodi has been happily married for over fourteen years to her soul mate, and lives in Florida with her family.
To find out more about Jodi Stone, you can visit her at http://www.facebook.com/jodistone.childrensbookauthor
It was so much fun working on the short story for this anthology. I don’t step out of my “box” very often, and am so used to writing for children, that I had to step away from that mindset for a moment to fully channel a different imagination. I’ve always loved fairy tales of all types, and really enjoyed making this one a not so happily ever after.
Flutterby the Spider Fairy
and the
Incident of the Fragile Web
by Susan Burdorf
Flutterby, the Spider Fairy, was beyond excited. Queen Morgiana had decided to throw a Halloween party for all the fairies of the Realm in order to find her son, Prince Harold, a wife. With fluttering wings, she told her step sisters, Blau and Blanche, that they were all to be invited.
“I heard it at the bakery this morning when I was collecting the bread,” she said, grinning widely with excitement and happiness. Her long, black hair flipped around her like a thundercloud as she flew about. She told her redheaded siblings how beautiful the evening would be.
“It is to be under the night stars in the Enchanted Courtyard of the palace. Everyone will be there. All the fairies are invited, no matter what kind. So that means Spider Fairies like me will be there, the Bitzy’s are invited, too. I heard that the Fairies of the Dark Kingdom are coming as well. Isn’t that where your mother is from? Won’t she be excited to know she might see some of her family?”
Blau and Blanche looked at each other quickly and then back toward Flutter. She missed their glance as she was laughing with the Bitzy’s who danced about her head in their excitement at being included in the fancy ball.
“We shall have to get new outfits,” gushed Flutterby as she looked down at her worn purple gown. It was streaked with dirt stains, both new and old, that she could never seem to get out. But times were hard, and there were few gowns to spare these days, so she made do as best she could. And, to be honest, with all the hard work she did all day long—washing dishes, cleaning out their chimney, and making sure they had plenty of firewood for the baths her sisters and mother demanded each morning—she did not have much time to worry about what she wore.
Flutterby jumped from tree branch to branch, laying out her spider-webbing to catch the insects for their evening meal. As she worked she hummed, swayed, and laughed at the antics of the smaller fairies who followed her wherever she went.
The tiny fairies, known as Bitzy’s due to their petite size, had always been attracted to her. Ever since she could remember, they had comforted her when she had been blue, brought her little gifts of small flower-shaped cups of nectar when she was thirsty, or bites of fresh insects when she was hungry. With them around her, she always had the companionship and love she lacked from her family. Since her father’s death when she had been a young girl, she had been cared for by her stepmother, whom she repaid by working as a servant in her former home.
“Hurry, Flutter, we need the bread you collected earlier. Come back to the manor when you have collected the insects from the web. Don’t delay, you know how hungry Mother gets at this time of day.” Her sisters spoke the commands to her in almost one voice.
With that said, Blau and Blanche spun their webs as they made their way back to their mother, who waited for them all at the manor. As they swung away, they chattered about what their mother would say about the dance. Within minutes of their departure, their webbing—which they had spun too fine and not secured well at all—fell apart when a small breeze drifted through the forest.
Flutterby, chastened by their words, hurried to secure her own webbing as she swung through the forest on her journey to finish collecting their meals. Several hours later, she returned to their home with the dew collected in a jug. She brought them some tasty morsels that had been caught in her webbing, but was greeted only by the cold, steely glance of her stepmother as she looked disapprovingly at the offering from her servant.
Her sisters, chattering like magpies, had already told their mother about the party so Flutterby, who had learned of it first, was instructed to take the dew to the table and then prepare the breakfast. Once she had set the table and gotten the food laid out, they sat down to eat. Well, Blanche, Blau, and her stepmother, Noir, ate. Flutterby, on the other hand, stood by to make sure they had everything they needed.
Shortly they were done, and Flutterby cleared the table. After eating the leftovers, she went to clean up the dishes. She hummed while she worked, dancing around the kitchen as if she was at the fancy Halloween Ball. Using a broom stick for a partner, she twirled and curtsied as if greeting the prince and his mother. So caught up in her dance was she that she did not notice the visitors who observed her waltzing.
Noir and her stepsisters watched from the doorway and then silently went to their mother’s room.
“She cannot come,” said Blanche to her mother. She continued to speak as her mother brushed out Blau’s long, red hair, “If she comes, the prince will not look at any of us.”
“Yes, that is true,” said Blau. “Can we stop her from going?”
Their stepmother smiled wickedly and sent her daughters from her room. She opened a small door in her room and stepped inside it. There were dresses of gossamer silk in varying colors with matching shoes and wing covers. Masks were arranged on other shelves. Taking several outfits from the room, she called her daughters to her in the main room of their home.
Flutterby was thrilled to be included in the activity. She enjoyed trying on all the fancy clothes and grew more and more excited about the party. Their invitations arrived later in the day, in the form of four black paper spiders. No one would be allowed entry without their spider. The girls were warned to secure their invitations so they would not be lost.
At the same time she handed out the delicate papers, she reminded Flutterby that it was time to collect their dinner.
“I’ll take care of your invitation,” said Blanche slyly as she accepted the spider from Flutterby, who thanked her for her kindness.
&n
bsp; A little while later, Flutterby was checking the webs for their meal and she saw another Spider Fairy, a boy, admiring the webbing of her trap.
“Hello, little spider,” he said with a smile, “did you make these?” He pointed to her web.
She nodded, suddenly shy. Her dress, made of the finest spider lace, was fluttering about her shape in mesmerizing ways. She was unaware of the effect she was having on the other Spider Fairy, though, and continued to smile at him.
“I have to go,” he said with a grin, “but will I see you at the party?”
“Oh yes,” said Flutterby, excited to be reminded of the party, “I will be there with my sisters and mother.”
“See you there, then,” he said as he flew away.
Later that night, as they prepared for the party, Flutterby was distraught. Her invitation had been lost. They searched high and low all over the house, but it was gone. Blanche was devastated, assuring Flutterby she had put it away with the rest of the invitations.
As they flew away in their fancy costumes to attend the masked ball, Flutterby waved good-bye. A few minutes later, while she was in the kitchen cleaning up after their dinner, she was putting away the dishes when she turned to see the house spider carrying her invitation to her.
Excited, she gratefully patted his head and accepted her invitation. Glancing at the clock, she dropped her head; it was too late and she did not have a gown for the party. She still could not go.
Unhappily Ever After: Fairy Tales With a Twist Page 2