Beauty and the Beast

We tread through the snow for about half a mile. The white flakes crunching with every step we took. Both of us stayed silent. I kept my head low and my hands in the pockets of my coat. Andy seemed to do the same. Just leading me to wherever he intended.

He stopped at a large oak tree and looked up. “After you.” He motioned with his hand directly in front of him.

I cocked my head slightly and took a shy step in the direction he was pointing. I gasped at the scene. No one had ever talked about beauty in the Dark Forest. But this...how was this not beauty?

A clearing that was about the size of my house back in the village looked as if it had escaped the wrath of winter. Green grass made a bed for small animals who played with each other. A small rock water fall poured water into a pound that housed all kinds of flowers, fish, and frogs. Even the edge of the trees that swept into the clearing were free of any snow.

“How?” I muttered to myself feeling warm in this coat now.

I had stepped farther into the clearing to get a better look. “Magic is alive and well in here. Some animals can...” I turned around to see that he had already taken his coat off revealing a tight black shirt. He was searching with word in his hands. “Possess certain kinds of magic. In here a lot of the animals that made places like these beautiful were taken from their home, sold to people who lived in the castles, like one we live in.”

I wanted to laugh, “we live in.” Why is this still here?” I asked taking my coat off now and putting it on the ground.

“You’ve seen Jinxx and Jake and all of them do strange things right?” He asked sitting where he stood. I nodded sitting with him after I had picked a bright yellow flower. They got that power from drinking the blood of animals like the ones in this clearing.” He pet the head of a squirrel. “And a book Jinxx found. These animals were very prized. And believe it or not people used to live in the Dark Forest. But one by one the animals that were making this place beautiful were being taken, dying off, and the forest started to get dark. The ponds and rivers ran with the blood of their fallen. Evil creatures began to call this place their home. And the people who would drink the blood of these animals went crazy or were killed by the forest or their own family.”

“I’ve never heard of this.” I commented playing with the petals of the flowers and listening intensely to Andy’s story. I had heard stories of magic by my mother but nothing like this.

He took a deep breath. “It was a long time ago. Some people even think it’s a myth but…Magic, especially dark magic, still lurks in here.” He looked over his shoulder to the snow, as if he had experienced the dark magic himself. He looked back to me and smiled. “But…” He paused and picked a wild flower himself. “For now we have to hope.”

I gave him a small smile and looked down to my flower. “Hope is dangerous.” I had realized this myself many years ago.

When Andy had grown silent I looked to him. His head was lowered and he held himself differently. He nodded slowly, He looked back up, but not to me. “I rather hope for a better future than living in what I have now.”

I continued to look at his sorrow filled face. Why had I assumed he was happy? It never dawned on me that he was miserable. But why? Is that why so many noises came from upstairs? Was he taking his anger out on…who knows what?

I couldn’t help myself, it was who I was. I scooted closer to him and placed my hand on his. He didn’t move, he just looked down at our hands, and then to me. I gave a half smile knowing what wanting hope felt like.

He picked his hands up forcing mine to leave his. “It’ll be getting dark soon.” He stood and grabbed both of our coats. He handed mine to me and put his on in one swift motion. “If there’s one thing you don’t want it’s to be stuck out here in the dark.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Notes