The Beauty and The Beast Story 

The Beauty and The Beast story is that of an old man and his three daughters who lived in a faraway country. The old man loved his daughters dearly for they did not have a mother and their father had never thought of marrying another woman: He was a very rich merchant and sold and bought a number of ships. He used to get gilts to his daughters every day and used to look after them very well. The eldest daughters were called Marigold and Dressalinda. They fancied going to walks every day and have rich food and enjoy their time while the youngest called Beauty always used to stay at home to take care of their old father.

One day, it so happened that the merchant lost all his ships in a storm and lost the goods which were there in them as well. He was very sad and cried in agony as he was utter poor now. He had to give away all that he had to clear his debts and move away to a little cottage. He moved into the little cottage with his three daughters. The eldest daughters were very angry with their father for having lost all his money and sulked at everything he said. The youngest daughter however worked the entire day and washed clothes, cooked good food, and cleaned the place to make the old cottage look beautiful. But the sisters always felt that everything she did was wrong and always sulked at her.

The old man became weaker and weaker day by day thinking about his situation and his daughters. One day he received a letter from an unknown person. After reading the letter he was overjoyed and very happy.

He shouted in joy and called out to his daughters and said, “Dear daughters, we do not have to worry now. We are not going to be poor anymore. Though I cannot promise you the luxurious life we had before. We can at least have a better house and servants who can work for us. One of our ships which were assumed to be sunk has returned safely. I will go to the harbor and get back the goods. Tell me what do you girls want?"

Marigold, Dressalinda, and Beauty danced with joy and said, “Yippee, we are so glad that your ship has returned back father!!!"

Then Marigold continued without hesitating, “I want a hundred coins of gold"

Dressalinda said, “I want a new silk robe with a beautiful pair of golden sandals and a box of gloves.”

Beauty said, “All I want is a rose father,” quite not able to think of anything else.

And the father kissed all his daughters and left the house to bring back the fortune. As soon as he left, Marigold yelled at Beauty, “We know you want to impress father by saying you need just one rose, huh?”

“No sister, I just did not want the father to spend time shopping for me because he would be tired after searching for his ship.”

This only annoyed her sister even more. She sulked at her and left the place with Dressalinda into the room to discuss what all they could do with the money they would get after father came back.

The merchant now went in search of the ship they said that was found. He walked and walked in the harbor, to his dismay, only to see that the ship was not there. It was only a trick played by someone to fool him. The merchant left heavy heartedly from there and started to walk towards home. After he walked through a distance he felt extremely tired and exhausted. He looked for a house where he could find some food and shelter.

Then he saw, a bunch of lights glowing at a faraway distance. He was happy that finally, he had found a town where he could rest. Hoping to find someone he walked towards that town. As he walked closer he saw to his surprise that it was not a town but was a huge mansion. All those lights belonged to that one huge mansion! Now as he reached the gates, he expected the guards to throw him away. But there were no guards! He pushed the gates aside and walked inside to find an enormous door made of fine wood. He pushed that door and walked inside.

He shouted, “Hello! Is anyone there?” there were absolutely no replies. He walked further inside.

Before he could say hello, he smelt the fresh aroma of the delicious food and walked in that direction. Hot food was ready on the table. He started to eat the fine meal. He happily ate and ate until he was full and almost instantly he started to feel drowsy. He walked towards one of the numerous bedrooms there and threw himself on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

When he woke up the next morning he wanted to thank his host before he left. But again, he found no one. When he went into the dining hall, hot breakfast was again ready for him to eat. He had his breakfast. Much to his astonishment, on the chair by the bedside, lay a fine suit of new clothes marked with his name and with ten gold pieces in every pocket. He felt quite a different man when he had put on the suit of blue and silver and jingled the gold pieces of money in his pockets.

He again looked up everywhere to thank whoever it was. But not a soul was to be found. He moved towards the garden to take a stroll. He admired the beautiful garden with designer flowers grown there. Then all of a sudden, he remembered his daughter Beauty and her wish. He went to pull out a rose there to present it to her. No sooner had he placed his hands on the rose, he trembled hearing the great roar of a huge beast. He jumped and took his hands off the rose.

“You ungrateful man! How dare you steal my rose? I led you and lodged you and gave gifts to you! And you are trying to steal my rose!!”

The old man turned back to see a huge beast facing him. He was taller than any creature, uglier than any animal but was speaking with a human voice.

The old man shook with fear and said, “I am sorry. I disappointed you. But the only reason why I tried to pluck that rose was to give it to my daughter. She is the most wonderful person you can ever see.”

And he told about his daughters’ wishes.

“As I didn’t have any money there were no chances for me to get all that they wanted. But, the rose! My youngest had asked only for a rose and I wanted to gift her that. Please pardon me this time. Please do not kill me. Beauty will not have anyone to look after," he cried.

“I am sorry about that. But I cannot pardon you. You said you have three daughters. You can go back home now. But after three months you have to either come back here or get one of your daughters and leave here."

“Oh no!" cried the old man.

“Anyway, I wouldn't let you go empty-handed. You can take all that you want and go," said the beast and handed him a huge silver basket and asked him to fill all that he wanted from his amazingly huge treasure. The old man filled up all the treasure he needed to keep themselves happy for the rest of their lives.

“I will send it for you. But remember, you will have to come back after three months from now," said the beast and handed a bunch of roses and asked the old man to gift it to Beauty. The old map went back home and showed all the treasure he had brought home and handed the bunch of roses to Beauty. The elder daughters now got another chance of yelling at their sister.

They said, “See! It is because of you our father is suffering so much. Had you not asked your stupid rose the other day, our father could have come back from that place safely.’

Beauty however said boldly, “I am not afraid of going to the beast’s palace. I will go there instead of the father.”

The two sisters were happy to get rid of their sister.

Three months were soon over and no matter how much the father tried to convince Beauty, she forced him to take her to the beast. Finally, the father took Beauty to the beast’s mansion. Beast had arranged for a wonderful lunch.

After they finished the lunch beauty said, “Father, I don’t think beast will kill me. He seems to be nice. I shall stay here happily. You do not worry about me."

Father left the place crying bitterly. After he left, Beauty strolled around in the garden. She went to the library to find a number of interesting books there. She ventured into all the rooms, but could not find the beast anywhere. The next morning when she was having her breakfast the beast came into the room. She almost fainted with terror at his very sight.

Then the beast said. “May I join you for the breakfast please.”

She said, “As you may please.”

“Have you come here by your own free will?” asked the beast.

“Yes,” replied she.

After breakfast was over the beast went away and she did not see him until the next morning. She had all the luxuries in that house and lived like a princess. One day, she said, “How I wish I could see what my father was doing now. And Lo!!! There popped a huge mirror in front of her where she could really see what her father was doing. She saw it happily and thereafter she use to watch daily as to what his father and sisters were doing at home.

One day at breakfast the beast asked her, “Beauty, you are a very good girl. Will you marry me?"

The beauty looked at him for a while and said, “No beast, I cannot marry you.”

The beast walked away silently with a drooping face. He continued to ask her the same question every day but she used to refuse and the beast used to put his head down and walk away with a sad face. All this time she was waited on by invisible hands, as though she had been a queen.

Beautiful music came to her ears without her being able to see the musicians, but the magic looking-glass was best of all, for in it she could see whatever she wished. As the days went by and her slightest wish was granted, almost before she knew what she wanted, she began to feel that the Beast must love her very dearly and she was very sorry to see how sad he looked every night when she said “no’ to his offer of marriage.

One day, Beauty saw in the mirror that her father was bedridden thinking Beauty had died and wanted to see her.

She asked Beast. “Dear Beast, could you please let me go and visit my father? He is in his death bed thinking I am dead.”

“Very well! You can go dear. But you must come back within a week. If not I will die for I love you so much,” said the beast.

“How shall I reach home?” said Beauty.

“I do not know the way,” The Beast gave her a ring and told her to put it on her finger when she went to bed, turn the ruby towards the palm of her hand, and then she would wake up in her father’s cottage. When she wants to come back, she was to do the same thing. So in the morning, when she awoke, she found herself at her father’s house and the old man was beside himself with joy to see her safe and sound.

But her sisters did not welcome her very kindly and when they heard how kind the Beast was to her, they envied her good luck in living in a beautiful palace while they had to be content with a cottage.

“She always gets the best even though she is a witch. We being so true to heart do not get any good at all,” cried the sisters.

However, Beauty ignored their words and narrated how she lives with the beast to her father. The sisters were more jealous after listening to her story.

“If she does not return within a week, then the beast might get wild with her and kill her. We must do something to stop her meeting the beast,” plotted Marigold.

They waited till the weekend and on the last day put some poppy seeds into her drink and gave her. No sooner she had the drink than she fainted and slept for two full days and nights..

She was shouting, “beast, beast” while she lay dead in the garden. She ran up to him and sobbed continuously. Beauty woke up with a start and realized it was only a dream. She suddenly realized that her sisters had tricked her to fall asleep for two full days and nights after a week. She knew that if she does not return home immediately something bad would happen to the beast. As she ran home the dream came recurring in her mind and she was tensed and wept bitterly.

She reached home and went in search of the beast shouting his name again and again. “BEAST….BEAST….” she shouted loudly. “WHERE ARE YOU?” Then she suddenly remembered her dream and ran into the garden where the beast was lying on the bed of roses. She sobbed and wept and cried.

She wept, “Dear Beast, are you really dead? Don’t be! Please come back to me for I too cannot leave without you”

The beast slowly opened his eyes and saw that his dearest Beauty was standing right in front of her.

“Please don't leave me ’’cried he.

“No…No…I love you and I will never leave you. I am very well willing to marry you beast for I have never seen any other kind person like you,” she said in a loving voice. And Lo!! What do you see there? The beast’s thick black skin fell and there was a very handsome prince in his place. Beauty blinked in shock.

The prince held her tight and said, “A very wicked witch had cast her curse on me to become a beast and return back to be a prince only if a beautiful girl falls in love with me. And here you are to free me from the look of a horrible beast. Now, dear ones, the enchantment is broken. Let us go back to my palace. You will find that all my servants - who too have been enchanted and have waited on you all this long time with invisible hands will now become visible.”

So they returned to the palace which by this time was crowded with courtiers eager to kiss the hands of the Prince and his bride. And the Prince whispered to one of his attendants who went out and in a very little time came back with Beauty’s father and sisters. The sisters were condemned to be changed into statues and to stand at the right and left of the palace gates until their hearts should be softened and they should be sorry for their unkindness to their sister.

But Beauty, happily married to her Prince, went secretly to the statues every day and wept over them. And by her tears, their stony hearts were softened and they have changed into flesh and blood again and were good and kind for the rest of their lives.

And Beauty and the Beast who was a Beast no more, but a handsome Prince lived happily ever alter.