11th July 2013 Thursday
Day 192
Yeah the last chapter is such a sweet scene. I was watching the movie and blinking back tears saying 'don't cry,' you gotta love Disney movies.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show, the fairytale, or Disney.
Zap and Jenny adjourn to the balcony; the sky sparkling with stars. The bug leads his dance partner to a stone seat, nervously rubbing the back of his neck before taking her hands.
"Jenny?" he questions worriedly, yet is unable to remove the smile from his face. "Are you happy here with me?"
The girl is hesitant, but responds quickly. "Yes," she says softly, before her head drops slightly as she looks off in to the distance.
"What is it?" Zap asks, worry evident in his voice.
Jenny looks at him desperately. "If only I could see my father again, just for a moment. I miss him so much."
Zap furrows his brow in sympathy at her situation, but brighten once an idea comes to him. "There is a way," he takes her hands again, helping her up and leading her to his lair in the West Wing. The room is still dark, with the ominous pink glow of the rose lighting their faces. Zap picks up the mirror in his claw, handing it to her as he explains.
"This mirror will show you anything, anything you wish to see."
Jenny takes it in her grasp, looks at it sceptically, before inhaling a shaky breath to ask her question. "I'd like to see my father, please."
The mirror glows a green colour, and inside the glass Jenny sees her father, caught in a violent wind storm in the forest as he struggles to keep himself moving.
Her face contorts to shock, before snapping up to look at Zap with sadness in her eyes. "Papa. Oh, no. He's sick, he may be dying. And he's all alone."
Zap turns away from her, gently stroking the glass protecting the rose. Mind racing with choices, he feels his heart sink as he comes to the moral answer. "Then...then you must go to him."
"What did you say?"
"I release you," he whispers, not daring to look in to her green eyes. "You are no longer my prisoner."
"You mean...I'm free?" she questions in amazement.
"Yes," he sighs, almost in defeat.
"Oh, thank you," she murmurs in gratefulness, before turning back to face the mirror. "Hold on, Papa. I'm on my way," she turns to leave, but returns to her friend, pushing the mirror back to him.
"Take it with you," he says, playing absentmindedly with her hair. "So you'll always have a way to look back, and remember me."
She holds the mirror to her chest. "Thank you for understanding how much he needs me."
Jenny turns to leave, but upon noticing Zap's depressed expression, gently touches her hand to his cheek before sprinting out of the room, missing Tung at her feet.
"Well, Zap, I must say everything is going just peachy," he walks up to him, pointing a knowing finger. "I knew you had it in you."
"I let her go," Zap says blankly, still looking very upset.
"Ha ha, yes. Awesome-" Tung stops in the middle of his sentence, only now processing what the creature had said. "You what? How could you do that?"
"I had to," says the monster, not turning to face the servant.
"Yes, but why?"
"Because, I love her," he whispers, sad blue eyes showing his feelings.
"He did what?!" the group of objects shout in unison after Tung relays the message.
"Yes, I'm afraid it's true," he explains in a sombre expression.
Henry lifts up a sad head. "She's going away?"
"But he was so close," Dex complains, drooping his shoulders.
"After all this time," Audrey shakes her large, round head. "He's finally learned to love."
"That's it, then," the candlestick sparks with hope. "That should break the spell."
"But it's not enough. She has to love him in return," the teapot explains, her head drooping in sadness with everyone else's.
"And now it's too late," Tung shakes his head in sorrow, no one noticing the tiny teacup hopping away in to the next room.
Zap watches from his balcony as Jenny rides out the front gates. With a heavy heart, he roars loudly in sadness and anger, the sound lost on the wind as the freed prisoner rides towards the forest in the cold storm. She searches through the thick trees and snow, calling out "Papa?" every so often. Her quick eyes spy her parent, face down and as cold as ice in a snow bank.
They return home together, Jenny leading her father in to the back door of their home. The snowman, which the girl did not see, shakes his head off, revealing Tyrone who had been standing on guard and waiting for their return. "Oh, they're back."
George's vision is blurred, but he manages to see the outline of his daughter. "Jenny?" he questions, sitting up in his bed as his child shushes him.
"It's all right, Papa. I'm home," she calms, wiping a warm cloth on his cheek.
He sits up further, pulling her in to a hug. "I thought I'd never see you again."
"I missed you so much."
"But the beast," George's face turns to anger. "How did you escape?"
"I didn't escape, Papa," she explains in a soft voice. "He let me go."
"That horrible beast?"
"But he's different, now. He's changed somehow."
A sound emits from the girl's knapsack, before the contents of a mirror and a tiny teacup spill on to the bed.
"Hi!" Henry chirps happily, bouncing up to the bed-ridden patient.
"Oh, a stowaway," Jenny giggles as the teacup hops in to her father's hand
"Why, hello there, little fella," he greets, chuckling a little in disbelief. "Didn't think I'd ever see you again."
"Jenny, why'd you go away?" Henry turns and asks with a questioning look. "Don't you like us anymore?"
"Oh, Henry. Of course I do. It's just that-" her words are interrupted by a knock on the door, which Jenny is quick to answer. A strikingly green man stands their patiently, an evil smirk on his face.
"May I help you?" Jenny queries suspiciously.
"I've come to collect your father," he says in his oily voice. This only causes the girl to raise her eyebrow further. The man steps aside to explain, gesturing to his wagon with a large poster scrawled 'Asylum of loons' pasted on the side.
"My father?" the girl asks in disbelief.
"Don't worry, young lady," he explains; a few townspeople with concerned stares edging closer to hear. "We'll take good care of him."
"My father's not crazy," Jenny debates, walking out of her door frame to confront the man. Tyrone emerges from the crowd, egging the group on.
"He was raving like a lunatic. We all heard him, didn't we!"
"Yeah!" the bystanders cheer simultaneously.
"No, I won't let you," she argues back. Curious about the noise, Jenny's father emerges at the door.
"Jenny?" he questions timidly, unknowingly on the receiving end of everyone's glare.
"Ah, George," Tyrone begins, preparing for his part of the plan to take place. "Tell us again, old man, just how big was the beast?"
"Well, he was...that is...enormous. I'd say at least eight, no more like ten feet," he struggles to explain, all the while the crowd laughs at him.
"Well, you don't get much crazier than that," the sidekick points out, once his hand is removed from his mouth from laughing too much.
"It's true, I tell you!" George continues to argue, but Syrrus has already snapped his fingers, causing a few orderlies to move in and pick up George by his arms.
"Take him away!" Tyrone announces, following the agreeing murmur of the crowd.
"Let go of me!" the older man orders, struggling in the two men's grip. Buzz emerges from the shadows and stands close to Syrrus.
"No, you can't do this!" the girl runs up to the creepy old man and begins to slam her fists against him, but he merely shakes her off; Jenny falling into the arms of Buzz.
Buzz clicks his teeth. "Poor Jenny. It's a shame about your father."
"You know he's not crazy, Buzz," Jenny pleads, pulling on his shirt.
He pretends to think, before smirking deviously down at Jenny. "I might be able to clear up this little misunderstanding, if..."
"If what?"
"If you marry me."
"What?"
"One little word, Jenny," he drapes his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him. "That's all it takes."
"Never!" she shoves him off violently.
Buzz turns and walks away slowly, playing hard to get. "Have it your way."
"Jenny?" George shouts, just as he is about to be thrown in to the wagon. "Let go of me!"
Jenny sprints inside, before coming back out with the magic mirror in her hand. She yells to the roaring crowd. "My father's not crazy and I can prove it!" she holds the mirror close to her face, staring intently at the reflecting glass. "Show me the beast!"
The crowd gasps as the mirror turns green once again, portraying an image of a depressed looking Zap.
"Is it dangerous?" one woman questions from the group.
"Oh, no. He'd never hurt anyone," Jenny reassures the crowd. "Please, I know he looks vicious, but he's really kind and gentle. He's my friend."
She smiles down at the mirror, before being violently grabbed on the shoulder by Buzz. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you had feelings for this monster."
"He's no monster, Buzz. You are!" the girl snaps, causing the crowd to gasp in shock.
Feeling the public rejection once again, he decides to target Jenny. "She's as crazy as the old man," he declares, pulling the mirror out of her hold.
The beast will make off with your children!
He'll come after them in the night.
"No!" Jenny shouts as Buzz begins to stir the crowd to his side.
We're not safe 'til his head is mounted on my wall!
I say we kill the beast!
The mob roars in agreement, repeating the words 'kill him' as rumours spread between them.
We're not safe until he's dead,
He'll come stalking us at night!
Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!
He'll wreak havoc on our village,
If we let him wander free,
So it's time to take some action, boys,
It's time to follow me!
Buzz throws a torch into a haystack, creating an instant bonfire. He begins to prance around it, warning of the dangers of the horrible creature.
Through the mist, through the woods,
Through the darkness and the shadows,
It's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride.
Say a prayer, then we're there,
At the drawbridge of a castle,
And there's something truly terrible inside.
It's a beast,
He's got fangs, razor sharp ones,
Massive claws,
Killer claws for the feast
The mirror shows the face of Zap to Tyrone, which Buzz greatly exaggerates.
Hear him roar, see him foam,
But we're not coming home,
'Til he's dead, good and dead, kill the beast!
"No, I won't let you do this," Jenny demands, pulling on Buzz's arm. The hunter looks down at her with anger.
"If you're not with us, you're against us. Bring the old man."
George is pulled out of the wagon, much to his debate. "Get your hands off me!" he shouts, before Buzz has him and his daughter thrown into the basement, bolting the door as he does so.
"We can't have them running off to warn the creature!" he declares, as Jenny slams her fist against the wooden door.
"Let us out!"
"We'll rid the village of this beast," the evil man shouts. "Who's with me?" he is met with a chorus of 'I am's'.
Light your torch, mount your horse!
Screw your courage to the sticking place
We're counting on Buzz to lead the way!
Through a mist, to a wood,
Where within a haunted castle,
Something's lurking that you don't see every day!
Buzz leads the mob through the town and out into the forest, where they start chopping trees in preparation for their assault on the castle.
It's a beast,
One as tall as a mountain!
We won't rest,
'Til he's good and deceased!
Sally forth, tally ho,
Grab your sword, grab your bow,
Praise the Lord and here we go!
"We'll lay siege to his castle and bring back his head!" he announces, earning cheers from the swarming crowd.
Inside her basement, Jenny is prying at the window with a stick. "I have to warn Zap," she breaths unevenly, shaking to her core. "This is all my fault. Oh, Papa. What are we going to do?"
"Now, now," he comforts, pulling her in to a hug. "We'll think of something."
Henry appears at the window, looking in with helplessness. He turns around and in the moonlight, spies an axe resting near a pile of logs, connected to one of Jenny's wood-chopping machines.
We don't like, what we don't,
Understand, it frankly scares us,
And this monster is mysterious at least!
Bring your guns, bring your knives,
Save your children and your wives,
We'll save our village and our lives,
We'll kill the beast!
I found this chapter pretty sad, but it's very beautiful. Hopefully one or maybe two more chapters to go, and then it's back to the main story. R&R!