Chapter 7
I followed the tunnel, promising myself not to get side-tracked again, but curiosity got the best of me again when I found yet another tunnel. I followed it, promising that I'd leave immediately if it led somewhere weird. I wondered if I'd end up in yet another movie. Maybe it would be Thumbelina this time. How badly could I screw that up?
I was in the woods, having emerged from a small puddle. I wondered if anyone could enter and exit through the portals, but I didn't see anyone else around, so I couldn't find the answer.
I wandered for a while, looking around, and as I approached massive gates, I realized what movie I was in. I was in Beauty and the Beast. I opened the gates and let myself in. I wandered to the castle doors, and shouted into the foyer.
"Hello! Is anyone here?"
Lumier and Cogsworth immediately came to the door, wondering who this visitor was. They stopped, and gasped.
"It's the Enchantress! She's come to undo the spell. Wait till the Master hears about this!" Lumier ran off to find the Beast, and I stood there. Cogsworth was watching me nervously.
"I'm not the Enchantress. I'm lost, and I wondered if I might be able to stay here." I explained.
Cogsworth ran from the room, not saying a word. I heard muffled voices in the next room, and a loud growl. The Beast stormed in, and stared at me.
"What do you want in my castle? Why are you here?"
"I lost my way. I don't have anywhere else to go. Can I stay here?"
"We already have a guest. Her name is Belle. Maybe you'd like to join her?" he watched me suspiciously.
I could tell he still thought I was the Enchantress, and I didn't tell him otherwise. He led me to Belle's room, and she looked at me curiously.
"Who are you?'
"My name is Morgan. You must be Belle."
"Yes. How did you know?"
"The Beast told me."
The wardrobe found dresses for both Belle and I. I convinced Belle to go to dinner with the Beast, and I followed, to make sure that the Beast behaved himself. When we arrived in the dining room, the Beast was prowling around in the kitchen, ordering everyone around. When he joined us at the dinner table, he was angry and sullen. I tried to start a conversation, but all he did was grunt.
"Is there any way I could get a tour of the castle?" I asked, holding my breath as I waited anxiously on his reply. I was afraid he would say no.
The beast only growled. Cogsworth obviously understood, for he promised to take me on a tour after dinner.
"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to tag along." Belle said quietly.
"Of course I don't mind. We can go snooping together." I whispered.
The Beast looked at us suspiciously from across the table, and I was almost sure that he could hear us, though no human ear possibly could. I guess he's not exactly human, but really...
When Belle went wandering in the movie, she ended up in the West Wing. I pondered over whether or not to go there with her. If I didn't, she'd never storm from the castle, and if that didn't happen, she and the Beast may never become friends. But, if I let her go, maybe the Beast would just ignore it, after all, I was here. They still believed me to be the Enchantress. If that happened, Belle would be killed in those woods. I know she couldn't fight off the wolves on her own.
I decided to take a chance and tell Belle to go in the direction of the West Wing. I didn't tell her that's what direction she was taking, though, and I told her I was going to go exploring in the other direction.
When I heard the commotion, I hid. I assume they still thought I was the
Enchantress and I had gone, because for the longest time, I was not mentioned. I heard them talking, and yelling. Cogsworth blamed Lumier for the intrusion, but Lumier blamed Cogsworth. I almost laughed at their antics, but suppressed my laugher. I did not want them to realize I was still there, yet.
When Belle brought the Beast back, he looked almost dead. She waited patiently for him to come around. It's almost as though she knew he was going to pull through. None of the others seemed to know what to think. They paced nervously. Belle, on the other hand, smiled at them, and asked them to go to another room if they were going to pace. She needed room.
When the Beast regained consciousness, Belle nursed him back to health, and I could tell that they were becoming more... soft toward each other. The Beast was less snappy, and Belle became more confident.
Rather than meddle too much more, I just kind of stayed in the shadows. I joined them for meals, but I know they didn't notice much when I decided to do things on my own. Maybe they didn't care, either.
Soon came the day when Belle left to find Maurice. She had seen him in the mirror. The Beast let out a roar as she left, spooking Phillippe. I watched as he went to his study, and moped. I told all the enchanted objects I could find that Belle would be back, don't worry, but first Gaston and others would come. They'd have to work together.
When the time came, all the objects fought bravely. When Gaston and the Beast fought on the roof, I watched in horror as the Beast hung Gaston by his throat over the edge. When he set him back on the roof and let him go, I sighed. He climbed the roof, but Gaston stabbed him. Then, thrown off-balance, Gaston tumbled off the roof into the darkness below.
The Beast lay down, as though dying. I knew what would happen next, and
listened to the words.
"I love you."
The rain shimmered, and the Beast rose into the air. I didn't want to watch
anymore, tears were already dripping down my face. I ran off, and as I left the castle, I saw Gaston limping away. He wasn't dead after all. Only his pride was wounded. Okay, and maybe his ankle too. He was lucky he had fallen in the bushed below, and lucky they weren't rose bushes.
He watched me with interest as I hurried past him. He asked me to stop. I turned to look, and saw how pitiful his handsome face had become. He was a real person too, with real feelings. I stopped, and went back to him.
I hugged him, and kissed his cheek. He seemed to realize then that I was going to leave. He hung his head, and I watched as the rain soaked him. He was a poor pitiful man, once you got past his macho act
I gave his hand a squeeze as I hurried to the puddle from whence I came. As I sank down, I watched his slow progress back to town, and turned once more to watch the castle. It shone brilliantly, and I smiled, descending into the water.
I followed the tunnel, promising myself not to get side-tracked again, but curiosity got the best of me again when I found yet another tunnel. I followed it, promising that I'd leave immediately if it led somewhere weird. I wondered if I'd end up in yet another movie. Maybe it would be Thumbelina this time. How badly could I screw that up?
I was in the woods, having emerged from a small puddle. I wondered if anyone could enter and exit through the portals, but I didn't see anyone else around, so I couldn't find the answer.
I wandered for a while, looking around, and as I approached massive gates, I realized what movie I was in. I was in Beauty and the Beast. I opened the gates and let myself in. I wandered to the castle doors, and shouted into the foyer.
"Hello! Is anyone here?"
Lumier and Cogsworth immediately came to the door, wondering who this visitor was. They stopped, and gasped.
"It's the Enchantress! She's come to undo the spell. Wait till the Master hears about this!" Lumier ran off to find the Beast, and I stood there. Cogsworth was watching me nervously.
"I'm not the Enchantress. I'm lost, and I wondered if I might be able to stay here." I explained.
Cogsworth ran from the room, not saying a word. I heard muffled voices in the next room, and a loud growl. The Beast stormed in, and stared at me.
"What do you want in my castle? Why are you here?"
"I lost my way. I don't have anywhere else to go. Can I stay here?"
"We already have a guest. Her name is Belle. Maybe you'd like to join her?" he watched me suspiciously.
I could tell he still thought I was the Enchantress, and I didn't tell him otherwise. He led me to Belle's room, and she looked at me curiously.
"Who are you?'
"My name is Morgan. You must be Belle."
"Yes. How did you know?"
"The Beast told me."
The wardrobe found dresses for both Belle and I. I convinced Belle to go to dinner with the Beast, and I followed, to make sure that the Beast behaved himself. When we arrived in the dining room, the Beast was prowling around in the kitchen, ordering everyone around. When he joined us at the dinner table, he was angry and sullen. I tried to start a conversation, but all he did was grunt.
"Is there any way I could get a tour of the castle?" I asked, holding my breath as I waited anxiously on his reply. I was afraid he would say no.
The beast only growled. Cogsworth obviously understood, for he promised to take me on a tour after dinner.
"If you don't mind, I think I'd like to tag along." Belle said quietly.
"Of course I don't mind. We can go snooping together." I whispered.
The Beast looked at us suspiciously from across the table, and I was almost sure that he could hear us, though no human ear possibly could. I guess he's not exactly human, but really...
When Belle went wandering in the movie, she ended up in the West Wing. I pondered over whether or not to go there with her. If I didn't, she'd never storm from the castle, and if that didn't happen, she and the Beast may never become friends. But, if I let her go, maybe the Beast would just ignore it, after all, I was here. They still believed me to be the Enchantress. If that happened, Belle would be killed in those woods. I know she couldn't fight off the wolves on her own.
I decided to take a chance and tell Belle to go in the direction of the West Wing. I didn't tell her that's what direction she was taking, though, and I told her I was going to go exploring in the other direction.
When I heard the commotion, I hid. I assume they still thought I was the
Enchantress and I had gone, because for the longest time, I was not mentioned. I heard them talking, and yelling. Cogsworth blamed Lumier for the intrusion, but Lumier blamed Cogsworth. I almost laughed at their antics, but suppressed my laugher. I did not want them to realize I was still there, yet.
When Belle brought the Beast back, he looked almost dead. She waited patiently for him to come around. It's almost as though she knew he was going to pull through. None of the others seemed to know what to think. They paced nervously. Belle, on the other hand, smiled at them, and asked them to go to another room if they were going to pace. She needed room.
When the Beast regained consciousness, Belle nursed him back to health, and I could tell that they were becoming more... soft toward each other. The Beast was less snappy, and Belle became more confident.
Rather than meddle too much more, I just kind of stayed in the shadows. I joined them for meals, but I know they didn't notice much when I decided to do things on my own. Maybe they didn't care, either.
Soon came the day when Belle left to find Maurice. She had seen him in the mirror. The Beast let out a roar as she left, spooking Phillippe. I watched as he went to his study, and moped. I told all the enchanted objects I could find that Belle would be back, don't worry, but first Gaston and others would come. They'd have to work together.
When the time came, all the objects fought bravely. When Gaston and the Beast fought on the roof, I watched in horror as the Beast hung Gaston by his throat over the edge. When he set him back on the roof and let him go, I sighed. He climbed the roof, but Gaston stabbed him. Then, thrown off-balance, Gaston tumbled off the roof into the darkness below.
The Beast lay down, as though dying. I knew what would happen next, and
listened to the words.
"I love you."
The rain shimmered, and the Beast rose into the air. I didn't want to watch
anymore, tears were already dripping down my face. I ran off, and as I left the castle, I saw Gaston limping away. He wasn't dead after all. Only his pride was wounded. Okay, and maybe his ankle too. He was lucky he had fallen in the bushed below, and lucky they weren't rose bushes.
He watched me with interest as I hurried past him. He asked me to stop. I turned to look, and saw how pitiful his handsome face had become. He was a real person too, with real feelings. I stopped, and went back to him.
I hugged him, and kissed his cheek. He seemed to realize then that I was going to leave. He hung his head, and I watched as the rain soaked him. He was a poor pitiful man, once you got past his macho act
I gave his hand a squeeze as I hurried to the puddle from whence I came. As I sank down, I watched his slow progress back to town, and turned once more to watch the castle. It shone brilliantly, and I smiled, descending into the water.