The Curse of the Beast

Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind, but then one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within, and when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart, and as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous Beast.

I have always wondered what kind of evil hag puts a spell like that on a young boy. It has been ten years since the spell was cast, but I do not recall if it was recently nine years and has now become ten or if the tenth year is nearly finished and we have been under this curse for nearly eleven years.

The enchanted rose will bloom until the master's twenty-first year, but some people say your first year of life is not marked until twelve months after you are born, while others say that your first year of life begins at the moment of your birth, and three hundred sixty-five days later is your second year of life.

All that being said, I am not sure of the master's exact age, but I know he was between nine and eleven years old when the enchantress turned him into a Beast.

In fact, I'm not even certain of my own age. Some of the other servants think we're aging during this spell, just as we would if we were still in human form. Others think we're stuck at the age we were when the spell was cast; after all, furniture does not age as quickly as humans and Beasts do. I guess it will be impossible to tell unless we become human again and see how old we are.

Earlier this evening, an old man came to the castle. He was soaked from the pouring rain. The poor fellow must have lost his way in the woods.

"Keep quiet!" Cogsworth ordered. "Maybe he'll go away!"

"Is someone there?" our visitor asked.

"Not a word, Lumière," Cogsworth instructed. "Not one word!"

"I don't mean to intrude, but I've lost my horse, and I need a place to stay for the night!"

Remembering all the times years ago when I had been cold and lost in the forest, I could keep silent no longer.

"Oh, Cogsworth! Have a heart!"

He tried to keep me quiet by placing a hand over my mouth, but sometimes it's actually helpful to have a candle in each hand all the time. I burned him just enough to make him release me. I wouldn't have done such a thing if we were in our human forms, but since his own hands were made of metal, the burn just made him uncomfortable for a few seconds; it didn't do serious damage like it would to a hand made of flesh, muscle, and bone.

I addressed our guest. "Of course, monsieur! You are welcome here!"

Perhaps it goes without saying that the poor gentleman was a bit surprised to see me. I can't say that I blame him. Before the spell, I would have been surprised by talking household objects too.

He seemed fascinated with the fact that Cogsworth could speak. To be honest, it was the best entertainment I'd had in years, watching the gentleman trying to figure out how a clock was able to move on its own and speak. Perhaps this man was some sort of inventor and wished he could build a contraption that spoke and moved.

I did my best to be hospitable. Mrs. Potts served him tea, and I invited him to warm himself by the fire. Cogsworth objected, pointing out that the master would be furious to find a guest, especially since the gentleman was sitting in the master's favorite chair.

It's a bit strange, really. It isn't that Cogsworth is inhospitable, but as head of household, he is the one blamed if anything goes wrong in the castle, so he tries to obey the master's rules perfectly. On the other hand, it isn't that I'm purposely rebellious against the prince, but I believe there are times when the greater good is more important that obeying the future king's demands…if he can still be considered the future king, things being as they are.

Attending this gentleman was a nice change of pace. He seemed appreciative of our service, and he didn't make demands.

If only the rest of the evening had gone as smoothly!

Only a few minutes had passed before the master realized there was a stranger in his castle, and he wasn't at all pleased. Not giving any of us the chance to explain, he took the poor gentleman as his prisoner.