Classic Storybook Fables Read online

  The girls were all pretty, but the youngest was so striking that even as a child, she

  was given the nickname “Beauty.” As she grew, the name continued to suit her, so

  Beauty she remained. She was not only beautiful to look at but a lovely person on

  the inside as well, and everyone who knew her adored her. Everyone, that is, except

  her two sisters, who were envious of her in every way. Where she was humble and

  kind, they were proud and cruel.

  One day, without warning, the merchant lost his fortune. Overnight, the once

  wealthy family was forced to move from their luxurious mansion in the city to the

  merchant’s only remaining property: a humble farm in the country. The man went

  from being a gentleman in fine clothes to being a laborer in the fields.

  Beauty’s life also changed. The girls’ mother had died when Beauty was a

  young girl, and now, from early morning until well after dark, she alone cooked,

  sewed, cleaned, and did the thousand-and-one things it took to keep a household

  running smoothly. Even though her new life was hard and often made her sad, she

  learned to take pride in her work, and at the end of a long day, she looked forward

  to resting by the fire, where she would read to her father or play her harp.

  Her sisters, however, could not adapt to this new lifestyle. When they weren’t

  wailing and moaning, they were cross and spiteful. Bored with country life, they

  Beauty

  and the Beast

  20

  f

  slept late every morning, then expected Beauty to wait on them hand and foot. The

  young men who had come to call when the sisters were rich no longer cared to visit

  proud young women who now were poor.

  Some time after the family’s move to the country, good news arrived: a

  trading ship that the merchant had invested in, and that was thought to have been

  lost at sea, had at last returned to port. Anticipating that he would make a profit

  21

  f

  on the goods the vessel carried, the merchant prepared to make the journey back to

  town. When his older daughters learned that their fortunes would soon be restored,

  they begged their father to bring back gifts of splendid gowns, expensive shoes, and

  fine jewelry. Beauty, however, asked for nothing except his safe return.

  “Are you sure you don’t want anything, Beauty?” her father asked.

  Aware that her sisters were growing angry with her for not being as selfish as

  they were, she answered, “Actually, a rose would be nice. We can’t seem to grow

  them here, and I miss the ones we had in our old garden.”

  With hugs and kisses and high hopes, the merchant departed. But upon

  arriving at his destination, he soon learned the sad truth. The vessel had been

  caught in a storm, and in order to save the ship and crew, much of the cargo had

  been thrown overboard. Now, between the cost of repairs to the ship and the

  22

  f

  sailors’ wages, the merchant was even poorer than before. Downhearted, he packed

  up and headed for home.

  On the journey that night, things for the merchant got even worse. He was

  caught in a blinding snowstorm in a forest thirty miles from home. As the wind

  howled, he could barely make out the shapes of hungry wolves as they followed

  him through the woods, waiting for his stumbling horse to slip and fall. Then,

  miraculously, he caught sight of a light through the trees. Soon he could see that

  it was not just a single light but an entire mansion, with windows aglow from

  top to bottom. As he passed through the front gate, the merchant realized that

  even though it was snowing heavily in the forest, not a single flake fell within the

  grounds of this estate. And what grounds they were! Manicured gardens, filled with

  flowers and trees, decorated the landscape.

  23

  f

  The merchant found a stable, doors wide open, with a warm, dry stall and

  plenty of fresh hay and water. His starving horse began to eat. The merchant

  continued on to the palace, where he hoped to get permission to stay the night.

  He knocked at the front door and rang the bell, but no one came. To his

  surprise, the door was unlocked, so he let himself in. He called out, only to hear

  the echo fade unanswered. To his left was a lovely room with comfortable chairs

  pulled up to a welcoming fire. He removed his wet cloak and warmed himself by the

  fireside. There he waited, expecting sooner or later to be discovered by a servant, but

  no one came. Exhausted, he dozed off and on in the warm glow. The mantel clock

  chimed, reminding him of the lateness of the hour, and of how long he had been

  sitting undisturbed.

  Now, quite sure no one was home, he opened the door to an adjoining room,

  where, to his astonishment, he found a candlelit table covered with every sort of

  wonderful food, but at which only one place had been set. Overcome with hunger,

  the merchant sat at the table and ate. Still no one appeared.

  “Surely,” he thought, “there must be a wonderful fairy who lives here, who is

  kindly providing everything I need.” When he finished eating, he found a turned-

  down bed and a cheerful fire blazing in a nearby room.

  “You are most kind, good fairy,” he said aloud. He removed his tattered and

  weather-stained garments, climbed into the bed, and was soon fast asleep. He was

  amazed the next morning to see that the old clothes he had left on the chair had

  been replaced by a new, handsomely tailored suit. “Thank you, good fairy!” he said

  as he dressed. In the room where he had dined the previous evening, he now found

  a sumptuous breakfast awaiting him. Later, as he walked to the stable, he passed

  beneath a beautiful trellis covered with the loveliest roses. Reminded of his daughter

  Beauty, and her simple request, he plucked a single blossom.

  24

  f

  CLASSIC STORYBOOK

  FABLES

  Suddenly, from behind him there came a terrifying roar, and he turned to see a

  horrible monster about to pounce on him.

  “How dare you?!” the Beast snarled. “I have saved your life, fed and clothed

  you, and made you a guest in my house, and you steal the one thing I love the

  most—my roses! I’ll give you fifteen minutes to make your peace with heaven and

  then you will pay dearly for your thievery!”

  “Please!” the merchant cried, and he fell to his knees trembling. “Please, my

  lord, have pity! I took the rose only as a gift for one of my

  daughters, Beauty. I had no idea—”

  “Ah, so you have daughters, do you?” the Beast growled. “Well, I will spare

  your life only if one of your daughters will come to take your place. But she must

  come of her own free will, and before you can go, you must swear to me that if one

  of them refuses to come, you yourself will return here in seven days.”

  “I swear!” the frightened man said. The merchant had no intention of letting

  one of his daughters take his place, but he agreed, if only to have a chance to say

  good-bye to his children.

  Then, as he turned to go, the Beast stopped suddenly, and in a surprisingly

  kind voice said, “No guest of this house ever goes away empty-handed. You will find

  a chest in t
he room where you slept. Fill it with whatever you want, and I will have

  it sent to your home.”

  With that, the Beast left him. In the bedroom, the merchant did indeed find

  a chest, and next to it were pieces of gold and jewels. “Well,” he thought, “if I am

  going to die, at least my children will be provided for.”

  So he placed some gold and jewels in the chest, closed

  the lid, and went to the stable to get his horse.

  When he arrived home, his daughters rushed out to greet him, and as he

  hugged them, he burst into tears. He handed Beauty the rose that he still held

  in his hand and then told them the entire story. When he had finished, the older

  daughters wept and angrily turned on Beauty. “It’s all her fault. She just had to

  have a rose!” they sneered. “And look, she hasn’t shed a single tear.”

  28

  f

  CLASSIC STORYBOOK FABLES

  “What good will crying do?” replied Beauty, who indeed did not weep like her

  sisters. “Besides, Father is not going to die. I asked for the rose, and I intend to pay

  the price by going to the Beast’s palace.”

  “No, Beauty,” the merchant said. “I will not hear of you sacrificing your young

  life for mine.”

  “Father, it’s of no use for you to try to stop me!” Beauty’s voice was firm. “I

  could not live with myself if I knew you had died because of my foolish request.”

  The merchant knew that it was pointless to argue and was deeply sorry that

  it had to come to this. His older daughters, on the other hand, were secretly glad,

  thinking that soon they would finally be rid of their faultless little sister.

  That evening when the merchant went to his bedroom, he found the chest that

  the Beast had promised to send. He asked Beauty what she thought he should do

  with the treasure.

  “While you were away,” Beauty said, “two young gentlemen began calling on

  my sisters. Perhaps it would be best to set aside the money for their dowries. That

  way, if anything happens, at least they will be taken care of.” The merchant thought

  this was very sound advice and did as she suggested.

  All too quickly the seven days passed, and it was time to return to the Beast’s

  palace. The older sisters made a great show of grief as they said good-bye to Beauty,

  pretending to cry and faint from sorrow. The merchant’s horse knew the way, and

  by nightfall they found themselves at the gates of the Beast’s estate. Just as before,

  the magnificent palace was aglow. Had it not been for the terrifying nature of their

  visit, Beauty surely would have enjoyed the spectacle. The father and daughter found

  the gardens, stable, and palace all empty as before—but this time, the banquet table

  was set for two instead of just one.

  “I suppose this Beast wants to fatten me up before he devours me,” Beauty

  thought, so she tried to enjoy what she assumed would be her last meal.

  29

  f

  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

  As they finished eating, the Beast suddenly joined them. He was more

  frightening than she had ever imagined, and his terrifying presence filled even

  that large chamber. The merchant gasped and couldn’t stop himself from crying,

  for he knew that the moment he had feared the most was now upon them. Beauty

  trembled with horror but tried desperately to compose herself for her father’s sake.

  “So, your daughter came after all,” said the Beast as he fixed his ferocious gaze

  upon her. “Tell me, did you come of your own free will?”

  She had looked away, but as she answered, her eyes met his. “Yes,” she replied.

  30

  f

  “Then you are a good daughter,” he said in a quiet voice. The tone of his reply

  surprised Beauty, and for a moment she thought perhaps there was some kindness

  deep within the Beast after all. But then he turned to her father.

  “And you,” he said sternly. “You must leave tomorrow morning and never

  return! Good night, Beauty,” he said, then he left as quickly as he had come.

  This encounter with the monster had left her father weak and exhausted. As he

  leaned heavily on her, she helped him into a bed in the next room, where he quickly

  went to sleep. Beauty found a bed for herself in an adjoining chamber. That night,

  31

  f

  she dreamed that a lovely woman came to her and said, “Do not fear, Beauty, for

  your kindness to your father will not go unrewarded.” The next morning, she told

  her father about the dream.

  “Perhaps,” he said, a bit comforted, “the kind fairy who lives in this enchanted

  place will help you.”

  As he prepared to leave, the merchant kept insisting that it was he who should

  be staying and not his daughter, but Beauty had made up her mind. After many

  tears and farewell embraces, Beauty watched as her father rode through the gates

  and pointed his horse toward home. The sadness of seeing her father for the last

  time overwhelmed the girl, and she wept. As she dried her tears and walked back to

  the palace, she realized that hiding from the Beast would be useless, so she gathered

  up her courage and began to walk from room to room. Soon she came to a door

  over which were written the words “Beauty’s Room.” Upon entering, she was amazed

  to find that of all the beautiful rooms in the palace, this was her favorite. There

  were shelves loaded with books, a closet full of the loveliest gowns, volumes of sheet

  music, and a large variety of musical instruments—including a harp.

  “If the Beast is intending to kill me,” thought Beauty, “it seems strange that

  he would go to all this trouble to make my life so pleasant.” She removed a book

  from the shelf and found an elegant gold inscription inside:

  Beauty,

  Everything within this house is at your command.

  Ask for anything you wish.

  32

  f

  CLASSIC STORYBOOK FABLES

  “Ah,” Beauty sighed,

  “as beautiful as all of this

  is, my only true wish

  is to see my poor father

  once again.”

  As she spoke, the

  reflection in a nearby

  mirror grew foggy. Out of

  the mist appeared her father,

  stooped with sadness as he

  rode into their farmyard.

  Her sisters rushed out to

  meet him. Even though

  they pretended to be sad

  that Beauty was not with

  him, she could see in

  their faces that they were

  secretly glad to be rid of

  her. The image faded, then

  disappeared altogether.

  Beauty was grateful

  that the Beast had allowed

  her to see her father again.

  “Perhaps,” she thought,

  “this monster is kinder

  than he appears.”

  BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

  At lunchtime, Beauty found a

  lavish meal laid out for her in the

  dining room. Even though she ate

  alone, she enjoyed a lovely concert

  played by invisible musicians.

  That evening at dinner,

  her host finally made an

  appearance. As she was about

  to seat herself at the table,
<
br />   Beauty was startled to see

  the Beast

  standing

  in the

  shadows at

  the edge of

  the room.

  “May I watch you eat

  your dinner, Beauty?” the Beast

  asked softly. Beauty thought that she had

  prepared herself for anything that might happen

  when she saw the monster next, but this strange

  request surprised her. Despite herself, she trembled as she

  answered, “You are the master here.”

  “There you are wrong, Beauty,” the Beast said, his eyes

  never leaving her as he spoke, “for you are mistress in this house,

  and if my presence annoys you, I will go. But tell me,” he continued,

  “do you think that I am very ugly?”

  She paused, fearing that her answer might anger the monster, then finally

  said, “Yes, I’m afraid I do . . . but I say that only because I think you want the

  truth. I also think you have been very generous.”

  “I hope that someday you will find me less ugly,” said the Beast, “but I also hope

  that you will never lie to me. And the last thing I want is for you to be unhappy, so

  please remember that this household and everything in it is yours to command.”

  “Thank you,” said Beauty. “You are indeed very kind, and when I think of

  that, you are not so frightening.”

  “I may have a kind heart,” the Beast said sadly, “but I am still a monster.”

  “There are many people who are cruel but are able to hide their

  monstrosity beneath their human form,” said Beauty. “I

  prefer the company of someone who may appear on the

  outside to be a monster but is truly gentle and

  good within.”

  This touched the Beast deeply. “I wish I could tell

  you how much what you have said means to me. As

  it is, I can only ask you this: Beauty, will you be

  my wife?”

  Beauty was taken aback and couldn’t

  help but show her surprise at this question. She

  looked away, trying to avoid the

  monster’s intense