Week 2 Story: Beauty and the Escape

(A single red rose)

(https://www.deviantart.com/annspencil/art/kltKXDUEItE-549050159)

Bibliography: "Beauty and the Basilisk" by Josef Baudis (Link)

Authors Note: For this assignment, I have taken the original story "Beauty and the Basilisk" by Josef Baudis and turned it into a story of a beautiful girl being held against her will by an awful beast. But, instead of falling in love with the beast, she is able to find herself and make the escape back to her town and her parents. 

     Once upon a time, there was a family of three living in a small town in Paris, France in the 1800's. The family was made up of a father named Jean, a mother named Elizabeth, and a 20 year old daughter named Emma. They were a happy little family, and Jean was the best writer of his time. Before Jean and Elizabeth set off for the annual writers fair in the next town over, he asked Emma what she would like him to bring back for her. "The same as every year, a single rose" said Emma. With that, Emma kissed her parents goodbye and watched them ride off into the sunlight. 

     A few days have passed and Emma's parents have not returned, but she has received a letter from an unknown person living in an unknown castle. "If you want to save your parents, you must sacrifice yourself" said the letter. Emma set off on her horse to the castle. There she found her parents locked in a cold, dark cell. She was met face to face with a hideous beast who immediately grabbed her and threw her in the next open cell. She watched as her parents were set free and were told to run. She pleaded with the beast to let her go, but to no avail. As she sat in her cell, she began to accept her fate. After all, she was as good as dead anyway. Her parents had left her and she was trapped. As night began to fall, she decided to count the things that had made her life worth living. With no sign of the beast, she decided to speak her list out loud, and remind herself of the life she had lived. 

     By morning, Emma had not slept at all, but she had been able to realize that she was not going to give-up without a fight. She began yelling and shaking the cell bars. She fought with everything in her to open the door. Emma glanced to her left and saw something sparkle in the corner; a silver key. She grabbed the key and hoped that it would mean the first step towards her freedom. As she worked to put the key in the lock, she thought about everything and everyone she had to live for. To her surprise, the door opened and she took off running down the spiral staircase. She knew there was a chance of running into the beast and being killed, but it was a risk she was willing to take. She made her way into the main part of the castle and began to recall where the front door was. As Emma turned the corner, she saw the beast sitting in a room, looking at a single red rose in a glass case. She stopped for a moment and wondered if that was the rose her parents had planned on bringing her. 

     Before Emma could bring herself back to reality, the beast was standing in front of her. He growled and yelled and tried to grab her, but Emma fought back with everything she had. "I'm not dying here! Not like this!" she yelled. She suddenly remembered that she had put the silver key in her pocket after unlocking the cell door. She reached her hand into her pocket and pulled out the key. Before the beast could realize what she was holding, Emma threw the key into the glass case, shattering it. A strong light came from the rose and the beast began to evaporate. The rose had been keeping the beast alive, and Emma had broken the spell. 

     With the beast now gone, Emma left the castle and returned home. She was met at her front door by her parents, visibly traumatized and distraught from having to leave their daughter. They could not believe their eyes, and the family cried as they reunited. Emma had never been happier to see her parents, and her parents cried with joy. Their princess had returned, and they all lived happily ever after.