by A. Anders
Considering slowing down, Belle quickly changed her mind when she heard a piercing howl echo through the forest. It was closer than Belle had ever heard a wolf before. As her fear overwhelmed her, she scanned the darkness for anything approaching. She wasn’t disappointed.
Like flashes of ghosts, patches of white fur penetrated the night. Belle saw one and then two. Suddenly there were three and then four. They were surrounding Belle and running beside her.
Running with all of its might, Tebo did everything he could to stay ahead of the pack. He was running for his life as much as Belle’s. And when the two entered a clearing allowing an eight-foot high metal gate into view, the horse found its stride and pushed itself knowing its life depended on escaping within.
Belle, doing everything she could to stay on top of her horse, felt a sense of relief as an unknown castle came into view. She had never heard of such a place in the Dark Forest, but at this point, she didn’t care. She needed to get inside of its gates if she was going to live. The only problem was that the tall metal gates were closed. How could she get them open without Tebo slowing down?
“Help!” Belle screamed at the top of her lungs. “Open the gates, please! There are wolves after me. Help me, please!”
As if hearing her pleas, just when she was about out of time, the gates cracked open letting out a piercing squeak. The opening wasn’t big, but it would have to do. Lowering her head and using every ounce of strength she had left, she made herself as small as possible. Guiding her horse toward the narrow opening, she held her breath and closed her eyes.
The metal ripped across her legs as the open gate brushed by. She couldn’t believe it. She had made it. Opening her eyes and looking back. She saw that she wasn’t the only one. As soon as they could, each of the wolves also filtered through. They were still coming. The castle was still a minute away and the bloodthirsty animals which had killed her fiancé were still snapping at her horse’s heels.
As the wolves caught up to her tiring horse, Belle’s freezing body was slowly losing its grip. She had given it everything she had. She had nothing left. She was about to give in to her fate when suddenly, out of nowhere, she heard a sound that she could never have imagined.
It was loud and scary. Tortured and angry, it rang out from the castle in front of her. It sent waves of terror through her heart. But it wasn’t just her heart that it’s terrorized, it also frightened the wolves which were moments away from grabbing her.
Snapped out of their pursuit as if coming to their senses, the pack of wolves did everything they could to slow down. Sliding across the snow, they fell on their backs trying to change direction. Their growls quickly turned to whimpers. Something had spooked them to their core. And needing to escape the castle grounds as quickly as possible, the wolves climbed on top of each other trying to get away.
Belle looked back seeing this. She had never before seen such frightened animals. As fast as they had run after her, they ran towards the gates. As if the gates were trying to keep them in, as the wolves approached, the metal doors began to close.
The last wolf made it out with a whimper. Its tail had been caught between the metal. It cried and pulled until with a tear, the wolf freed itself and joined its pack scattering into the forest.
Confused, Belle returned her attention towards the castle. What had she heard? What had scared the wolves so much? Was she wise to be racing towards it? No longer able to feel her fingers, could she change direction even if she tried?
It was not until they were at the foot of stone stairs that led to the grand entrance that they eventually stopped. Belle wanted to take the time to consider what she was doing. She couldn’t, though. Chilled to her bones, she could barely think. She needed to find warmth. Her fair skin was turning blue having dressed for a warm day.
Easing herself out of her saddle, Belle lowered herself onto her numb feet. It hurt to stand. She felt like she was walking on brambles. Their thorns seem to penetrate her skin and shoot a wave of agony up her spine.
Focusing her mind, she shoved her sensitive fingers in the warmth of her armpits and climbed the many stairs. It seemed to take forever but once at the top, she continued towards the oversized wooden doors.
Pulling out her hand readying to bang on the doors, Belle heard a crack. The doors were opening. The sound screamed how long it had been since the wooden doors had parted.
With the opening came a wave of light and warmth. It was beyond anything Belle could have dreamed of. As cold as she was, this was heaven. She scurried inside forgetting her manners. And overwhelmed by the painful relief of her prickly appendages, her eyes closed.
Belle could have stood just inside of the doorway forever. Perhaps she would’ve if, to her surprise, the large wooden door hadn’t slammed shut behind her. Her eyes shot open startled.
Looking around and not seeing anyone she meekly said, “Hello?”
No one replied.
As the feeling returned to her hands and feet, her first thought was of her horse. Would it be okay out there? Safe from the wolves and with a layer of insulation that Belle didn’t have, she decided that it would be. At least for now.
Next turning her attention to where she was, she looked around trying to figure out who it was that had let her in. Although there seemed to be candles lit everywhere, there wasn’t anyone else around.
“Hello?” Belle asked again. “Hello?” She repeated a little louder. “Is there anyone here? Thank you for letting me in. My horse and I were being chased by wolves. If you hadn’t opened your gates we might not have survived. I’m very grateful for that,” she said hearing her echo as the only reply.
Never having been in a castle before, Belle took a moment to appreciate where she was. It was magnificent. Everything was grand. The paintings of noblemen and women were in ornate frames. The grandfather clock against the wall was larger than any Belle had ever seen. And the furniture that lined the walls resembled something Belle could only create in her imagination.
There was no way that she would have otherwise been invited into somewhere so spectacular. She was just a village girl. Although she hadn’t even heard of such a place so close to her hamlet, the castle could only belong to the richest of kings and queens.
“I’m sorry to intrude, but I had nowhere else to go. I was looking for my father. I think he might have come this way. Has anyone here seen him?” She asked whoever might be listening.
It was then that a candle lit beside her. Belle jumped with a squeal. Her heart thumped frantically. Her feet became like heavy stones unable to move.
Whipping her head around, she saw nothing but a newly lit path. It led down the hallway to her right.
“Hello?” She said again finding the courage to walk towards it.
Now sure that there was someone behind all of this, Belle approached a mantle and retrieved one of the lit candelabras. It was heavier than she had expected it to be. Examining it, it was beautiful. It was covered in ornate swooshes and miniature statues. Something so wonderful could only be owned by a family of great wealth and taste. Where was everyone, though? Holding the candelabra in the air, Belle became determined to find out.
Approaching the end of one hallway, Belle jumped as the candles suddenly lit the path down another. Following the second and then a third, Belle was led to a staircase. She wasn’t sure where she was but she was sure that she was no longer somewhere the owner of the castle would show his guests.
“Hello?” She asked again before starting her ascent up the spiraling tower stairway.
“Hello?” A distant voice replied to Belle surprise.
“Hello? Is somebody there?” Belle asked speeding up her climb.
“Yes. I’m here. I’m up here?”
Hearing that, Belle began to run. “Where? I’m coming towards you. Keep talking.”
“I’ll keep talking. I don’t know where I am. I seem to be in some sort of prison. I don’t know how long I’ve been here. It never gets light here. It�
��s always night.”
As the man spoke, Belle felt something familiar. The louder the voice got, the more it sounded like her father. It couldn’t be. How could her father be in such a place?
“Papa? Papa, is that you?”
“Belle?” The voice asked shocked. “I can’t believe it. Belle, is that you?”
Afraid that this all could be a trick, Belle moved her legs as quickly as she could. Circling higher and higher, it wasn’t long until she poured out onto a platform. What she saw stunned her. Behind the bars of a prison door was a ragged old the man. He was dirty and unshaven. There was no question who this was. This was her father and there was something about him that made him look like he was turning into one of his cuckoo clocks.
Chapter 6
Belle looked at her disheveled father confused. “How did you get here, Papa? You were supposed to be heading into the city.”
“Oh, Belle, I was. I was a day’s journey in when night came and I climbed into the carriage to get some sleep. When I woke up the carriage was moving and it was still dark. I couldn’t figure out where I was. There was frost on the ground, Belle. How could there be frost on the ground in late spring? Then after circling around for a day, the wolves attacked.”
“Oh, papa,” Belle said terrified for her father even now.
“They chased Tebo and me for miles. Belle, I lost the clock. I was going to use the money from it to move you away from our horrible village,” her father said heartbroken.
Belle thought back to the broken clock she had seen on her way there. “That’s okay, Papa. But how did you end up locked away in this castle?”
“I don’t know, Belle. Tebo and I were escaping the wolves and suddenly I saw the gates of this estate. It was like they opened for us.”
“The same happened to me.”
“That’s because this place is haunted. There is a monster that lives here. Belle, you have to get out before he finds you,” her father insisted.
“I can’t leave without you.”
“You must, Belle. This place does something to you. Crazy dreams, it makes you see things. Oh, Belle, you have to get out before it drives you crazy too. I don’t even know if I’m talking to my daughter or another figment of my imagination.”
“It’s me, papa. It’s really me,” she said holding her father’s hands through the bars. “I need to get you out of here.”
Belle shook on the door rattling it. “You mustn’t, Belle. It will hear you. The monster is the one that has the key.”
“Then I will fight the monster,” Belle told her father desperately.
“You can’t, Belle. Just escape.”
A loud growl echoed up the spiraling stairway and rumbled between the walls. Belle whipped around terrified. “What was that?”
“It’s the monster. It has heard you. There is nowhere to escape now,” her father said distraught.
Belle became speechless. With her back to the bars and her father’s hand in hers, Belle shook as the sound of the monster echoed louder. Sooner than Belle could ever have imagined, a shadow exited the stairwell and wrapped around the room. A hideous beast was the next to enter. Its curled horns entered first followed by a face covered in fur, its short snout, and fang-like teeth.
Entering the room, it looked like it was seven feet tall or taller. It was huge. With hands that resembled paws, the only thing that made it look human was the coat that it wore. With its ornate buttons and gold lining, it looked like a nobleman’s jacket. On the monster, it looked both hideous and sad.
Staring at it, Belle decided that it was a horrible distortion of nature. She couldn’t imagine anything uglier.
“Get out!” the monster yelled at Belle. Its deep voice made it sound like a roar.
Surprised to hear him speak, Belle squeaked back her answer. “No,” she said gripping tighter onto her father’s hands.
“Go, Belle. Before you can never leave.”
“I’m not leaving you here, Papa. You don’t deserve to be locked up.”
The monster’s furious eyes squinted and locked on Belle. “Doesn’t deserve to be locked up?” The monster said in his bass drum voice. “Your father is a thief. Thieves get locked up.”
Finding her voice, Belle yelled back. “My father is no thief!”
“I gave your father sanctuary and food and he repaid me by stealing from me as he left.”
“That can’t be right. My father would never steal anything.”
“You don’t believe me?” The monster asked Belle confidently. “Then ask him yourself.”
Confused by the assertion, Belle turned to her father. “Papa? Is what this monster says true?”
Her father’s eyes twisted into utter sadness. “It was a rose, Belle. I picked a rose.”
Belle’s heart sunk remembering his promise when he left for his trip.
“After I lost the clock, I wanted to bring you back something. It was one rose. There was an entire rosebush full of them.”
Belle whipped around furious. “You locked him away for taking one rose?”
Angered, the monster raised up even taller. “One rose? Is that all you think it was? Your father deserves to be locked away forever for what he did.”
Withered by the monster’s words, Belle asked, “What did he do?”
This time it seemed like the monster was confused. After searching for what to say, it said, “It stole from me after I was generous to him. What crime could be worse?”
Belle stared at the monster unsure of what to say. “Please, let my father go. He doesn’t look well. I think something is happening to him.”
“Someone must pay for his crime.”
“What crime? For stealing a rose?” Belle asked frustrated.
“Yes!” The monster suddenly yelled. “For stealing a rose.”
Belle searched her mind desperately. It came to her in a flash. “Take me.”
“What?” The monster asked surprised.
“What?” Her father repeated.
Belle turned to her father. “If this is the only way to free you, I have to do it.”
“You can’t, Belle. I won’t let you,” her father protested.
Taking a longing look into her father’s eyes, Belle turned to the monster. “Will you do it? Will you exchange me for him?”
“You are willing to trade your life for his?” The monster asked her disbelievingly.
“Yes. I would trade anything for his life.”
“No, Belle.”
“Papa, I must. Will you, monster?”
The monster looked at the two of them. Belle stood confidently with her back to her father. Her father cowered behind the bars.
“It is done,” the monster said with finality.
“No!” Her father bellowed.
Belle’s heart sunk realizing what she had done. Her body shook in terror. There was no way she would change her mind, but what type of sentence had she accepted? Was this the cage that she would die in? She didn’t know.
The monster approached the jail door and bumped Belle aside. Removing the key from his waist he unlocked it. Opening it, he stepped aside to allow Belle’s father to leave.
“I won’t go.”
“Papa, you must.”
“I am your father. I could never allow you to suffer for yet another mistake that I’ve made.”
“I love you, Papa. I don’t know what is happening to you, but I think it has to do with this place. You need to leave here. I love you too much to let you stay.”
“No, Belle. I could never let you do that,” he insisted.
Overwhelmed by her love for her father, Belle ran into the jail cell and hugged him. He threw his arms around her as well.
“I love you so much, Papa. You have always done whatever you could to keep me safe. Now it’s time for me to do the same.”
Belle suddenly gripped her weak father and spun him around. Before he realized it, his back was in front of the jail door. With a final hug and a push, she was alo
ne in the cell. With him out and Belle in, the monster through the door closed and locked her within.
“Belle!” Her father yelled racing back to the door.
“It is done,” the monster proclaimed. “Your life sentence has begun.”
“Life?” Belle asked startled.
“And now, you must go,” the monster said grabbing her fragile father by the coat.