Songbird sat as he watched Elizabeth, who was lying on the couch reading the new book of fairy tales that he had just brought her. "Songbird, look," she said as she got up to show him the pictures in the book. "This one is about a beautiful girl who gets locked up inside a beast's castle. Even though he's a big and scary monster, she knows that on the inside he is really good and nice and they become best friends. It's just like you and me."
They turned the page to show an illustration of Beauty and the Beast dancing in a ballroom. Elizabeth put the book down and skipped to her record player. As soon as she turned it on she skipped back to Songbird. "Dance with me," she begged. Given Songbird's enormous size, he continued to sit in his spot, putting his hands out in waltz formation, gently holding Elizabeth's tiny hands in his. He swayed his arms back and forth as Elizabeth stepped from side to side and back and forth and twirled her around. Once she was tired from dancing, she made her way back to the record player to turn off the music, and picked up the book to resume her reading.
She continued to read in silence when she looked up from her book to look back at Songbird. She approached him and pressed herself against him, looking up and giving him a tiny kiss on his giant metal beak. She then backed away, looking at him with hope in her eyes, as if she were waiting for something to happen. But after a full minute of waiting, her face fell and she sat down with disappointment. She looked back up at him, and despite not having any facial features to portray emotion, she knew Songbird well enough so that she could understand him simply based on sounds, posture, and body movements. Just by the way he blinked and tilted his head, she knew that he was asking her what was wrong.
"In the book, the girl and the beast like each other, so she kisses him and he turns into a handsome prince. Because I'm a girl and you're a beast and we both like each other, I thought that if I kissed you, you would turn into a handsome prince too." She let out a sigh. "Songbird, will I ever find my handsome prince?" Songbird stretched his arms out, indicating that he wanted a hug. Elizabeth slowly crawled into his arms, pressing her hands and head against his chest as he gently wrapped his arms around her in a loving embrace, with one hand covering up most of her little body while the other caressed her hair as he very carefully pressed his head on top of hers.