Once upon a time in a land far, far away there was a mother
and her three beautiful daughters. One day there was a large festival happening
in the next town over, a few hours walk from where they lived. The mother asked
her daughters what they would like for her to bring back. One daughter replied,
“ribbons, lace, stationary, and a new pet.” The mother said okay then asked the
second daughter, she replied “necklace, earrings, bracelets, and a new silk
dress.” The mother replied okay again then asked her third daughter, she
replied “you do not have to bring me back anything, but if you would like to
bring me something just a few roses for the vase in my room.” The mother smiled
at her request and said certainly.
As mother was leaving the festival she was checking off the
things that her girls had asked for in her head. That is when she realized that
she had forgotten the roses for her daughter’s vase in her room. The festival
was already over and there was not a florist in sight, she started her long
journey back home. Along her way home she became lost and did not recognize the
trail she was on. That is when she came upon the gates of a castle that she has
never seen before. And just past the gates she saw a beautiful rose garden. She
thought to herself, “at last roses for my sweet hearted daughter.” She could sense
something lurking around the garden as she entered. She slowly broke one rose
off the vine, she heard a crash behind her. She froze, then slowly plucked
another. This time she heard a horrible hissing sound. She froze again and took
a deep breath before plucking the last rose prettier than the two before. Prettier
than any painting of a rose she has seen before. When the last stem broke out
jumped a heinous beast.
The beast was towering over her. It had a long tail like a
snake, scales all over its body, wings like a falcon, and a head of lion. He hissed
like a snake when he talked. He demanded a payment for the roses or he would
tear her to shreds. The mother replied, “I am broke, I spent all my money at
the festival on my two daughters. I had just forgotten the roses for another
when I came across your garden I was relieved to find her some.” She begged and
begged for him not to harm her. He hissed and said, “fine, bring me your
daughter that asked for the roses and she will be my slave until the end of
time.” the mother started to weep and the loss of her daughter.
When she returned home two of her daughters were complaining
on what took her so long and where is their stuff. She handed the roses to her
third daughter starting to weep again as she told her of the cost of these
three roses. The daughter lifted her mothers head, wiped her tears away, and
said with a smile, “it is okay mother, I will be fine. You are still alive. I will
be fine.” They would start their journey back to the beast’s castle in the
morning.
That morning the mother fixed all her daughter’s favorite
foods before their journey. When they arrived at the castle the beast would not
even let them say good bye to each other, the mother had to leave immediately
and never return. The daughter started to weep when she saw her mother leave. The
beast told her what was expected of her as her slave. She had to cook for him,
clean the castle, feed him, take care of the garden, and read to him every
night by the fire or else he would tear her to shreds. She started to say, “there
is not enough time in the day to do all of this.” But was cut off by a shrieking
hiss from the beast and he stormed out.
Weeks had past and the beast brought a sword to the girl one
night as she was reading to him by the fire. He asked with a low voice for her
to cut off his head. She refused, because she had started to grow a fondness for
the beast. In a much urgent voice he asked again. She said okay with a tear
starting to run down her cheek and lifted the sword high above her head. With one
swift movement of the sword she cut off his head. Then another head started to
grow where there once was a head. Startled she cut it off again. This time the
body of the beast laid limp on the floor. She sat down in her chair crying for
what she had just done, when she started to notice the body move from the corner
of her eye. That is when a handsome prince appeared from the body of the beast.
In a soft voice he said to her, “this castle belongs to me, and, as you have taken
care of me and shown me what love is again I must marry you.”
Startled, she stared into his eyes and looked deep into his
soul. And she realized that he was the beast all along. She said yes and fell
into his arms crying, “I thought I had lost you forever when you asked me to
cut off your head” she said. The following week there was a beautiful wedding
at the castle filled with her family, people of the village, music, dancing,
and laughter. They danced the night away together in each other’s arms. He promised
to love her forever or he would turn back into the heinous beast that he once
was.
Author's Note:
The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922) https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/fairy-tales
I varied this story a tad in that I gave more of a description of the beast, when two of the daughters asked for, and added more dialogue between the characters. I also gave more time with the beast and the daughter taking care of him so that the feelings can blossom between the two, I felt like 3 days was not enough time for her to care for him and not still want to kill him. I also added at the end where he promises to love her forever or that he would turn back into the beast. I stuck with the beast as a basilisk but changed him some, by giving him a head of lion and being covered in scales, instead of roaring like a lion still hissing like a snake.
image information:
Roses: https://www.almanac.com/content/year-rose-best-types-roses
the lady crying: http://thebookofopen.com/2016/03/14/i-moved-away-from-my-daughter/
female servant: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/480266747755826420/
Author's Note:
The Key of Gold by Josef Baudis (1922) https://sites.google.com/view/mythfolkloreanthology/fairy-tales
I varied this story a tad in that I gave more of a description of the beast, when two of the daughters asked for, and added more dialogue between the characters. I also gave more time with the beast and the daughter taking care of him so that the feelings can blossom between the two, I felt like 3 days was not enough time for her to care for him and not still want to kill him. I also added at the end where he promises to love her forever or that he would turn back into the beast. I stuck with the beast as a basilisk but changed him some, by giving him a head of lion and being covered in scales, instead of roaring like a lion still hissing like a snake.
image information:
Roses: https://www.almanac.com/content/year-rose-best-types-roses
the lady crying: http://thebookofopen.com/2016/03/14/i-moved-away-from-my-daughter/
female servant: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/480266747755826420/
Hi Megan, nice story - it reminds me of beauty in the beast there at the end. I read another students story where the mother was actually a bad person, not left without a choice but careless and a little hateful. I am starting to see how nice all the contrasts in people's stories are! I haven't read the original story, but I am glad for the details added. 3 days is definitely too short, but most fairy tales are like that. I'm pretty sure if I remember correctly romeo and juliet's story happened over the course of less than a week!
ReplyDeleteHi Megan!
ReplyDeleteYour story brings out some details I didn't notice in the original; I wondered at first how the mother would become lost going home from a place she knew well only to wind up at a strange castle, but this weirdness does lend a bit of a mystical interaction (and influence, most likely) to the story (did the beast/prince devise a way to lure her there? I think so). The mother is rather benign, but her willingness to trespass and steal someone's roses makes her sudden agreement to lose her daughter forever somewhat less shocking. I too read a version where she was not the nicest mother, and this rendition gives her a slightly better treatment.
It would be really fun to explore how the beast became cursed, and whether his condition is actually linked to the roses as is the case in the Disney version we are all familiar with.
Nice work!