The Beast's Ward

Chapter Three: Pretty Prison

When I finally stirred the morning after the fiasco that was my first meeting with the beastly Mr. Thorn, Foxy was curled up on the pillow beside my head. She rested her head on her bushy tale, her little feet tucked up around her. She looked very much like a fox when she slept. I had heard that Pomeranians, unlike other dogs, were descended from foxes. I had little doubt of that when I admired Foxy's gorgeous fur. Petting her as I sat up in bed, I looked around at my surroundings, at the still foreign room.

My room back home had been filled to the brink with books, clothes and the toys from childhood I'd never gotten rid of or put away. My new room was as empty as the rest of the household. It would have felt stark and cold were it not for the lovely flower arrangements on the vanity. The roses with their amusing variety of color and form were a welcomed sight first thing in the morning. Beside the closest vase, I saw a rose lying on the vanity all by itself. It was canary yellow, it's petals open wide like the arms of a dear loved one. Reaching over my sleeping friend, I lifted it from its resting place. Beneath it, I found a card which simply read:

Yellow roses are wonderful things. They have the power to make one smile no matter what dreadful thing comes along.

Christopher Thorn.

As I pondered the letter, I smelled the rose's perfume. Instantly, my lips spread into a wide grin. I had no idea why I was smiling, only that I didn't hate the feeling. It had been a very long time since a genuine smile had appeared on my face.

At the foot of my bed, over my blankets, was a dress of the same color. It wasn't nearly as grand as the sapphire one. It was fairly simple, with little fuss, aside from the ruffles around the hem at the bottom and collar. I was very tempted to put it on. Black is such a dreadful color and the dress, like the rose, made me smile. Still, it ended up in the wardrobe with the other neglected gown Mr. Thorn had given me. I wore another of the black dresses I'd brought along with me, but decided to tuck the yellow rose in my hair so that the happy feelings it brought with it would linger all day long and give me courage to face Mr. Thorn again.

As I was dressing, a terrifying thought passed through my mind. How had the dress and flower gotten into my room? Had Mr. Thorn or one of the servants snuck inside? I wasn't sure which was worse. Mr. Thorn was frightening to be sure, but he was at least somewhat human. I had the strangest feeling that the servants were anything but.

Setting aside my uneasiness, I put a leash on Foxy and the two of us started another day of wandering. When I first came out of my room and went to the stairs, I dared a glance up the remaining flight to the third floor's landing. Why had it been forbidden? Did Mr. Thorn simply want his privacy or was he hiding something from me? What dark secret was locked away up there? I silently wondered if I was the first to come here or if I was merely the last in a string of visitors that had met a grizzly end.

The servants were gone again, as were all the decorations for the dining room. It was empty and dull again. I found a door for the kitchen and slipped inside. There I found the food, most of it laying out on display in jars and bowls. As I reached for a pear, a chill ran over my skin. My eyes shifted to my left. Foxy growled and barked as though she could scare away the chilling thing conjuring itself in the corner. It started as black and silver mist, that slowly shifted and molded itself into the shape of a man. It's face remained blank, then the black holes of the eyes appeared, then the soft smile. The features were painted onto the mask by an unseen artist.

Forgetting my breakfast and screaming in fright, I snatched up Foxy and bolted from the house and across the lawn. I ran into the gate. I pulled at it, kicked it, and bowled into it with my shoulder. All to no avail. It didn't budge. "Open! You accursed thing!" I hissed, pulling at it again with all my strength.