THE KEEPER [Beauty & The Beast retelling]

Belle of the Ball

When Mona came to the second time, she was no longer surrounded by darkness, not entirely. This time, she had been placed carefully on the slab covered in cloth. The dome was lit better, and she could see a trail of flame torches leading away into a dark tunnel or corridor. She sat up, unable to shake off the creepiness that had spilled over her. Was it still the same room? Was there really another slab with her body atop it?

She went to slide down to the ground when suddenly her feet snagged on the garment. She looked down to her feet, hidden behind the crimson skirt of the dress she had seen earlier. Upon careful inspection, she was, in fact, wearing the dress, and yes, it was a perfect fit, as if it was custom made for her. Had she dressed herself? Her last memory was of her cold, blue body still in her cafe work clothes.

She tipped toed around the room and found it quite small. It was still a dome-shaped room, but there seemed to be only one exit. No windows, no doors. Just the flame lit long corridor she had noticed. She etched closer to it, careful not to trip over on the hem of the skirt. What was going on?

'Lucifer?' She whispered curiously. She didn't know what awaited her down the corridor, but so far, the beastly thing had only been fairly kind to her. 'Lucifer? Are you there?' She called again, but no reply came. She looked back into the room and didn't see his looming face from the darkness. Besides, there was only one way in or out it seemed.

Despite her heart pounding away and her mind telling her to stay put, Mona started slowly down the corridor. What was the worst that could happen now? She was already dead, right? So she pressed on, walking down the longer than expected corridor, till she heard music floating in faintly from the walls.

Eventually, emerging from the end, was a massive ornate wooden door with giant poison ivy brass handles. She reached for it, terrified still of what could be on the other side of it. She put all her might into pushing the door open, only to find that the door would swing open very easily, that Mona would have fallen into the room if she hadn't been holding the handle so tightly.

What she saw made her jaw drop in awe. Absolute awe. Was this really what hell was like?

Mona had stepped into a large regal ballroom, with a tall decorated ceiling that featured stained glass. The floor floated in front of her and the many candelabra dotted around the hall flickered invitingly. There were larger than possible fireplace on either end of the hall, roaring with fire. The hall echoed with music bouncing off its walls and Mona spied the small stage towards the centre of the length of the wall opposite her, and upon it sat a grand piano, a harp, a cello, flutes and symbols, and many more instruments she recognized and some she didn't. Astoundingly enough, the instruments responsible for the classical music at that moment were all hanging from invisible hands in the air. Floating. And not a soul in sight.

Mona stared back at the dim corridor she'd come from, and to her surprise, the doorway now was sealed with a brick wall. She had no other option than to go further into the hall and let the heavy wooden doors shut behind her.

'Hello? Anybody here?' She asked of no one in particular because let's face it, there was no one there for her to speak to. What was really going on?

'Would you care to dance?' And again, Mona got the fright of her life. Behind her, Lucifer had appeared again. From where, she didn't know. The door through which she had come from had vanished, and nothing but the wall of the ballroom remained.

He was holding out his hand to her. What was she to do? Dance with the beast? 'It's quite all right if you don't wish to. Many don't.'

He retrieved his hand and held them both behind him, and turned. 'You are in my home, dear Mona.'

'Why?' she let out in shock. His home? The devil had a home?

He turned around and glared at her. Anger flashing in his eyes and she remembered, he most probably could read her mind.

'Yes, I can.' His voice sounded somewhat hurt. He turned away from her again and approached the other end of the hall. As he approached, a door just like the one before became visible and Mona gasped. 'You are free to go to your room, if that is what you wish, before my guests start arriving. The company might somewhat shock you.' Then, through that very door, he disappeared once more.

Mona swore she had somehow hurt his feelings by rejecting the dance. Suddenly the music stopped and all the instruments floated down to the floor of the stage. It was an eerie space to stand in alone, so she followed his exit. After all, that was the only door out, and who knew how long it would stay open for.

Her heels clipped on the parquet floor as she ran for the door. And what had he meant by she was free to go to her room? That dark, dank mossy dome where she had woken in the first place? The thought made her shiver. She did not fancy seeing her body again.

As she crossed the threshold of the door, it suddenly and fiercely slammed shut behind her. The force of it pushing her away from the door. She was standing in a grand foyer, with a large ornate wooden staircase spiraling up and into the darkness. Here, once more, the light was meek. Though it looked like a foyer, there was no front door she could see as far as the light revealed. She walked around the space only to find it circular again, and again, with no other exit than the stairs that waited to swallow her up.

She took a deep breath and started up the stairs. Alice had gone down a rabbit hole into a strange land, but here she was, going up, who knew where. A stranger land perhaps.