CHAPTER TEN
(chapter title – Tea and Assurance)
Back at the castle, Mimi was in her room, crying. She had been for the past two hours and was getting tired. She was about to close her eyes when there was a soft clink at the door. Mimi got off the bed and walked over to open the door.
"Who is it?" Mimi asked, her voice hoarse from crying.
"Joanne, dearie." Joanne answered, opening the door. She arrives on a tea tray, accompanied by Chad. "I thought you would like some tea."
"But you…ah…but…I-" Mimi stumbled over her words, backing into a wardrobe.
"Oof. Careful!" the wardrobe, Sue, said, smiling.
"This is impossible!" Mimi said, sitting on the bed.
"I know it is, but here we are." Sue said, leaning a 'shoulder' on the bed.
"Told ya she was pretty, didn't I, mama?" Chad asked as sugar and cream were poured into him.
"All right, now, Chad. That'll do." Joanne told the young teacup as he hopped over to Mimi, who was now sitting on the floor. "Slowly now, don't spill!"
"Thank you." Mimi said as she picked up Chad. She was about to take a sip when Chad smiled at her.
"Wanna see me do a trick?" Chad asked. Without waiting for an answer, he took a deep breath then puffed out his cheeks. He blew bubbles out the top of the cup.
"Chad!" Joanne scolded.
"Oops. Sorry." Chad apologized, looking guilty.
"That was a very brave thing you did, my dear." Joanne told Mimi.
"We all think so." Sue added.
"But I've lost my father, my dreams, everything." Mimi told the objects, her voice sad.
"Cheer up, child. It'll turn out all right in the end. You'll see." Joanne assured Mimi. She then looked up, rather startled. "Oops! Listen to me, jabbering on, when there's a supper to get on the table! Chad!"
Chad hopped out of Mimi's hand and followed his mother out of the room. "Bye!"
Sue approached Mimi and smiled.
"Well, now, what shall we dress you in for dinner? Let's see what I've got in my drawers!" Sue said, opening her doors. A handful of moths fly out and Sue quickly shuts her doors. "Oh, how embarrassing! Here we are! You'll look ravishing in this one!" she presented Mimi with a beautiful pink dress with a light pink collar, sleeves and hem.
"That's very kind of you, but I'm not going to dinner." Mimi told Sue.
"Oh, but you must!" Sue exclaimed. Just then, Mark entered the room.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem. Dinner…is served." Mark told the ladies.
Meanwhile, downstairs, the Beast was pacing back and forth in front of a fire. Joanne and Gordon were watching him.
"What's taking so long? I told her to come down. Why isn't she here yet?!" the Beast wanted to know.
"Try to be patient, sir. The girl has lost her father and her freedom all in one day." Joanne told the Beast.
"Um, Master. Have you thought that, perhaps, this girl could be the one to break the spell?" Gordon inquired.
"Of course I have!" the Beast answered angrily. "I'm not a fool."
"Good. You fall in love with her, she falls in love with you, and – Poof – the spell is broken! We'll be human again by midnight." Gordon said.
"It's not that easy, Gordon. These things take time." Joanne assured Gordon.
"But the rose has already begun to wilt!" Gordon told Joanne.
By now, the Beast had stopped his pacing. "It's no use. She's so beautiful, and I'm so…well look at me!"
Gordon shrugged his shoulders and looked at Joanne.
"Oh, you must help her to see past all that." Joanne told the Beast.
"I don't know how." The Beast admitted.
"Well, you can start by making yourself more presentable." Joanne told the Beast. "Straighten up, try to act like a gentleman."
The Beast sits up, then straightened his face formally.
"Ah, yes, when she comes in, give her a dashing, debonair smile." Gordon added. "Come, come. Show me the smile."
The Beast bared his teeth and ragged fangs in a scary, but funny, grin.
"Don't frighten the poor girl." Joanne instructed.
"Impress her with your rapier wit." Gordon said.
"But be gentle." Joanne said.
"Shower her with compliments." Gordon said.
"But be sincere." Joanne instructed.
"And above all…" Gordon started.
"You must control your temper!" Joanne and Gordon finished together.
The door creaked open and the Beast wiped the silly grin off his face. He looked to the door expectantly.
"Here she is!" Gordon said happily.
Mark entered the room, a grin upon his face.
"Uh, good evening." Mark greeted Gordon, the Beast and Joanne.
The Beast's face went from expectant to mad.
"Well, where is she?" the Beast inquired, growling his words.
"Who? Oh! The girl. Yes, the, ah, girl." Mark started, trying to buy some time. "Well, actually, she's in the process of, ah, um, circumstances being what they are, ah…she's not coming."
"WHAT?" the Beast yelled.
The door swung open and the Beast ran out, Mark, Gordon and Joanne ran after him.
"Your grace! Your eminence! Let's not be hasty!" Mark yelled after the Beast.
The Beast was now outside Mimi's room. He ran up to the door and banged on it.
"I thought I told you to come down to dinner!" the Beast yelled.
"I'm not hungry!" Mimi told the Beast.
"You come out or I'll…I'll break down the door!" the Beast shouted.
"Master, I could be wrong, but that may not be the best way to win the girl's affections." Gordon told the Beast.
"Please, attempt to be a gentleman." Mark pleaded.
"But she is being so…difficult!" the Beast said, becoming angrier.
"Gently, gently." Joanne told the Beast.
"Will you come down to dinner?" the Beast asked, very dejected.
"No!" Mimi answered.
The Beast looked at the objects, very frustrated.
"Suave. Genteel." Mark said.
"It would give me great pleasure if you would join me for dinner." The Beast said, bowing at the door, trying to act formal.
"Ahem, ahem, we say 'please'." Mark added quietly.
"…Please." The Beast added, once again dejected.
"No, thank you!" Mimi said, mad at the Beast.
"You can't stay in there forever!" the Beast yelled, furious.
"Yes I can!" Mimi told him provokingly.
"Fine! Then go ahead and STARVE!" the Beast yelled. He then turned to the objects. "If she doesn't eat with me, then she doesn't eat at all!"
The Beast ran down the hall, slamming a door and caused a piece of the ceiling to fall on Gordon.
"That didn't go very well at all did it?" Joanne asked, trying to fuse the tension.
Mark turned to Gordon, "Gordon, stand watch at the door and inform me at once if there is the slightest change."
"You can count on me, mon captain." Gordon told Mark, saluting him and paced in front of the door.
"Well, we better go downstairs and start cleaning up." Mark told Joanne. The two of them headed to the kitchen.
Meanwhile, the Beast was in his lair. He knocked over and destroyed things in his path.
"I ask nicely, but she refuses. What a…what does she want me to do – beg?" the Beast asked himself. He picked up the magic mirror. "Show me the girl."
The magic mirror shone, then glowed green, revealing Mimi in her bedroom, talking to Sue.
"Why, the Master's not so bad once you get to know him. Why don't you give him a chance?" Sue pleaded.
"I don't want to get to know him! I don't want anything to do with him!" Mimi told Sue, still upset by the attack.
The Beast set down the magic mirror.
"I'm just fooling myself. She'll never see me as anything…but a monster." The Beast spoke in a tender voice. His green eyes went to the rose as another petal fell off it. "It's hopeless."
He then rested his head in his hands as in a depressed state.