Beasty and the Brave
My version of "Beauty and the Beast"

Morgana, that day killed the fourth boy to gift life back to her daughter. But she couldn't bear the inescapable burden of taking the lives of innocent souls any longer.
The Present Day
It was on Beasty's 11th birthday that Morgana jumped off the cliff.. Right before jumping off, she kissed the envelope and then left the letter on the cliff's edge—"My Beasty" was written in bold ink.
Beasty had no one in her life. She only had her mother, Morgana, who was all her world.
On the cold evening of January 11— her 11th birthday, she finally came near the cliff, wandering all day in the forest, which was her hobby. When she arrived there, she saw Morgana's pair of shoes and the envelope on the cliff's edge. It was a routine walk for her to wander and sing all day in the forest, and when the day started to fall dark, and all the villagers would go back to their houses, she would return to the cliff where every day Morgana would be waiting to pick her up.
But, today she couldn't feel her presence. She sat near the cliff and waited for Morgana, her mother to return. Morgana always made sure to come pick her up near the cliff before it got too dark. She always made sure she was on time. But, that day Beasty could feel something really off!A strange silence hung over the cliff, making her heart scream inside.
She Waited... Waited... and .... Waited.
It was then almost night. There was no light anywhere near, except for a small fire Beasty lit up to stay warm in that harsh winter cold. She noticed a letter lying right at the edge of the cliff that she had forgotten to take a look at, as she was worried about her mother's absence. She held the envelope and ripped it off to see what was inside it. It wasn't a one-page letter, it had more volume, like a twenty-page letter. She barely ripped the envelope and noticed 'Dear Beasty' written on it.

She hesitantly started reading it:
Dear Beasty,
It all happened one night when you were three and playing in the orchard right at the corner of our house. You were the most beautiful baby girl this village had ever witnessed. It was the night right after the King died and his son Bruce got kidnapped. I left you with your Aunt Stella. She promised me she would babysit you, and I went to the king's funeral. That night, a Beast broke out of the jail. The same beast that had bitten Bruce, but he recovered in a few months because of royal ailments and treatments. The news broke to us at the funeral. I rushed back home to confirm if you were safe at home with Aunt Stella.
But when I reached home, a scene of sheer horror unfolded before me—so drastic, so deathly, that fear alone could have stolen my last breath. She was lying on the grass like a dead caterpillar. The Beast devoured her, and the upper part of her body was missing.
I did not dare to go see her half-eaten body at that time, but the only thing I knew was to find you and make sure you were safe! I advanced and saw Mr. Bob holding you in his arms. He was trying to make you stop crying in his weak frail arms; protecting you like a grandpa. I rushed to him and then hugged you tightly to my heart. When you stopped crying, I looked at your face and my heart dropped to dead silence. Fear and loss could be seen all over my face. Your face was scarred, and your eyes... They held a strange wildness, not pretty, of course. Your lips blackened completely. You didn't look any different from the Beast who ate Your Aunt. I lost my senses. I could hardly hear Bob crying and telling me that the Beast had bitten you.
The whole world felt like a lie to me. It wasn't you! It wasn't the same 'Mary'— The daughter I'd given birth to.
I searched for every single treatment and consulted every master at that time to treat you, but none worked. I even tried to find King's kidnapped son Bruce a lot who had also been bitten but recovered, but I failed to find him.
One day, on your 9th birthday; I found a witch. She told me that you could only return to a normal life, a normal face, and a normal human only if you get the heart of the most handsome, charming, and beautiful-from-heart
person's HEART.
She made me kill three different boys your age but none of that worked. I killed those boys ruthlessly because all I wanted was to gift you your life, your precious beauty back to you. I didn't realize what I did until today. I saw one of their mother jumping off the cliff because she couldn't bear the pain of her son's murder.
Your cure is still out there somewhere... You can still go back to normal, play with other girls your age, and live a life of dignity. You just have to find a heart that's perfectly beautiful.
These were the last words that you just read. I can't keep up with the burden of suffering anymore. Every night I hear those kids crying and begging for mercy whom I killed.
Yes, your name is 'Mary'... Besuty is what they all like to call you.
If possible, forgive your mother. She'll always love you, no matter if you're Beasty or Mary.
You just have to find a heart that is perfectly beautiful.
_Morgana, your Mother.
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Author's Note:
I wish to end the story in the next part. This was a draft from 1 month ago. If you want I'll write the next part to it... What do you think?
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PART 2:
About the Creator
Maryam Batool
Life already feels like 28!
I write what I believe in
Life's HARD, trust me! I'm already a little tired. But, I gotta live anyway!
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