Roses Bloom
"Rose of all Roses, Rose of all the World! You, too, have come where the dim tides are hurled. Upon the wharves of sorrow, and heard ring The bell that calls us on; the sweet far thing." - William Butler Yeats
Prologue
I walked silently through the forest, skirting the surrounding field. I heard a girl's light laughter and quickly darted behind a tree. From my hiding spot I could see the girl come into view. She was the loveliest thing I had ever seen. She was of medium height, slender, and had long dark hair and the biggest, bluest eyes. Her lips were the color of rose blossoms and her cheeks were flushed from running. I looked her over carefully as she went about picking wild flowers. She seemed young but judging by the size of her breasts and the width of her hips, she was definitely not a child. I guessed she was in her mid teens. I felt my body tense as her scent came to my nostrils. God I wanted her!
I was about to swoop in and carry her off when a short fat man with a balding head of white hair walked over the hill. "Belle! Belle dear, it's time to go home!" He called. "Coming Papa!" she answered and quickly ran to him with her arms full of flowers. Damn that old coot! But I never settle for less than what I want. I adjusted the executioners hood that I wear to cover my burned face and went after them, sticking to the shadows of the forest, I followed the father and daughter to their little house at the edge of a poor village I had passed through once or twice.
I peered through one of the windows to spy on the little family. There was a father, the lovely Belle, and two older sisters, a blonde one and a red head that I couldn't have cared less about. Belle carried her bouquet of wild flowers into the kitchen and put them in a vase of water. A silly thing to do, they'd just die anyway. Then she placed the vase on the sill of the window that I was peering through. I ducked just in time. She walked back to where her sisters and father were gathered and I went back to playing "peeking tom".
"Oh father! I wish you wouldn't go away!" cried the two older sisters in annoying whiney voices. "I'll miss you Papa." Whispered beautiful Belle, wrapping her arms around his big belly and kissing his cheek. A quiver ran through me as I thought about what it would be like to feel those lips on my skin. Of course, she'd probably throw up afterwards, but still.
"Are there any gifts you would like from town?" he asked his three daughters. "I want a new dress!" said the red head. "I want pearls!" said the blonde. Belle was silent for moment, deep in thought. "What is it my dear, I'll get you anything you desire." Belle smiled at her father, it was a sweet, innocent and amazingly genuine smile. "If it's not too much to ask, I'd like a rose." She said seemingly ashamed of asking for anything. "A rose?" asked her sisters in shrieking tones, shocked that she'd ask for such a simple gift.
I smiled to myself. She was perfect. "I'll get you your rose, my beauty." I whispered then slunk back into the forest.