My Peasant Life
When I was a colt, I had many friends. Christophe, Georges, and Henri would often visit with me in the orchard, where we would happily eat any apples or pears that had fallen to the ground.
The owner of the farm, Maurice, was a very wealthy man. He lived in a grand manor and had everything he could want. However, he didn't let the wealth go to his head, and he was still generous with what he had.
We all have our dreams that seem unusual to the rest of the world, and Maurice fancied himself a great inventor. While some of his inventions were helpful, most were just useless trinkets. Despite his peculiar hobby, which caused several people to believe he had taken leave of his senses, Maurice was actually smarter than what everyone thought.
His only child, Belle, was very much like her late mother. She had inherited her mother's love of reading and adventure, not to mention her mother's spirited independence.
Before Belle had reached her sixteenth birthday, Maurice lost his fortune. All he had left was a small home in the countryside near a town that wasn't exactly the world's most exciting place to live. He kept some animals, such as a few chickens and a goat, but I was the only horse he could afford. Georges, Henri, and Christophe were all sold.
It was a lonely existence, but I didn't have time to think about it. I was too busy plowing fields, pulling wagons, or giving rides. I could tell Maurice was appreciative, but it was still a lot of work, far more than I was used to doing. In the rare moments when I had time to relax, Belle would often read to me and tell me about her future dreams.
"When I fall in love, it will be magical!" she would often declare. "It will be love at first sight. He'll see me and say something kind that will win my heart, and he'll be incredibly handsome! Then he'll walk through the forest with me and kiss me! Forests are so romantic!"
However, she wasn't in a hurry for marriage.
"I've got plenty of time!" she would say. "Besides, I'm not just some damsel in distress waiting for some man to make me his wife! The man I marry will have to see me as an individual first, a fellow human being, and his wife second! There's more to my life than just being somebody's bride!"
Poor Belle! As is the fate of many avid readers, she often tired of her life being so dull in contrast to the adventures she read about.
"Every morning just the same since the morning that we came to this poor, provincial town!" she often complained. "Every day like the one before!"
Her biggest problem was Gaston. He would often try to woo Belle, but she was never impressed.
No one was as conceited as Gaston. No one's ego was as big as Gaston's. No one was rude as Gaston. In short, no one could be a pain in the neck like Gaston.
To be honest, Gaston was somewhat of an idiot. Any girl in town, especially three blonde women, would gladly have accepted his hand in marriage and devoted herself to his happiness, becoming the ideal housewife and admiring him like he was the most wonderful thing in the world. It would have been no trouble for him to find a "Madame Gaston" who would please him, for several young ladies in town were extremely beautiful. However, humans always seem to desire the only thing they can't have, and Gaston was no exception. He wanted Belle, and he refused to give any of the other women a chance to win his vain heart.