Once Upon a Miserable Soul

Chapter 2: Girl to Woman

Warning: This chapter contains spoilers from the movie Pans Labyrinth. Also, this story is due by Christmas meaning more chapters will be coming soon. Please submit one review per chapter.

Big Ben chimed outside, waking up everybody. It was time for the servants to get up and prepare breakfast. Every morning, Rita would get dressed and use Ultra Prince Brand hairspray to keep grease and such out of her hair. She loved it because in addition, it made her hair shiny.

Rita went down the halls to collect room service breakfast orders. Most of Le Toad's kids were too lazy to get up and eat it in the dining room. She had at lease fifty door hangers in her paw with a lot of food asked for on each one. She didn't count or look at the orders because she was daydreaming as she was working.

"Ten years... it goes so quick now since Rita came." Said the chef, Remy as he was preparing a fly omelet.

"I agree." Said Mercedes. "And to mention how much she's grown. It only seems like yesterday she was a little girl in my arms."

"And she's become beautiful." Said Maria. "More beautiful than Princess Sharpay."

"Is Prince Roderick still dating her?"

"I bet he's going to purpose soon. So, how's the baby doing?"

Mercedes looked at her stomach and rubbed the bump over it.

"It's great. I just hope the child's healthy."

Rita and Laura came walking in, giggling. Rita placed all the room service orders on the counter top and turned on the TV to the news. Laura sat next to her as they waited for orders to finish. When the first one was done, Rita was sent to deliver it.

Rita's usual schedule was to deliver breakfast orders, sew clothes for Le Toad's children and prepare lunch. Later, she'd leave the castle with a jar to collect flies for dinner, and then she'd serve them. As a child, she cleaned the floors and wiped the windows. Now, she had much more interesting jobs.

The workers intended to be tired in the morning and Le Toad wanted to know why. Late at night, when everybody was asleep, they'd go downstairs into a hidden soundproof room when they played music, drank, danced, told jokes and smoked. It was the only time of the day they ever had fun.

One night, there was rock music playing and people playing pool. Remy and the other chefs were gambling. Everywhere they went, they inhaled cigarette smoke. Rita was sitting at a table with Laura having an energy drink.

"So Rita, what are you going to do when you get out?"

"Oh that's a hard one. For one thing, my father and I are going to the famous drains of Europe on our boat. Were going to France, Italy, Whales, every European country."

"How are you gonna pay for it?"

"We always thing of something. So Christmas is coming. Think the St. James' will have another ball?"

"Defiantly. Another party, another rejection from Le Toad to go."

"What is his problem? He never let's us have any fun, if he discovers this room we'll all lose our tails, he's on a diet but is eating continually, and his lead hitman is the smallest sixteen year old I've ever met and he thinks he's so evil."

"Le Toad should fire the creep. He's just gonna get nailed."

"If Whitey wasn't so dumb, Le Toad would put him in charge."

"I think he had a shampoo job Up Top. He has no fur at all and he is dumber than a slug."

"And his eyes are pink!"

"I say Le Toad should fire all of them. They don't even do anything, and they get to attend the ball every year."

"Why doesn't he just give us a break? I mean, he doesn't give us the right food. A food pill? Jesus Christ! Those make me sick." Said Rita. "I threw up from seventy five percent of the pills and I'm underweight. I need to eat something."

"One more week my friend."

"Seems like nothing compared to the number of years I've been here. A mouse can only live so long."

"Up Top mice only live two years." Said Maria.

"Well that's no life." Said Rita. "Besides, every time my parents have another child I sneak out to see them. I think I have thirty seven now."

"Thirty seven? And to think King August only has two!"

Before Rita could respond, Maria ran on stage and screamed, "It's karaoke time!"

The servants cheered and raised their beer mugs.

"Rita how about you come up here and give us one last show before you leave!"

Rita shook her head. But everybody insisted on it. She got off the stool and walked onto the stage.

"Alright, but after this were singing the Beer Song!"

Everyone laughed.

Maria picked out a song. Rita had a great voice. She could be famous but she didn't want to be a singer. She sang "Because of You". The band came out with all their instruments. Remy brought out his harmonica, Joe pulled out his banjo and Luke got his drums. They began to play the Beer Song. Everyone got up and danced along, getting on the tables and kicking their legs high in the air.

"Doesn't this remind you of Spamlot?" Laura asked.

"Yes, it does! Were knights of the round table!" Rita cracked up.

"Ompa!" Remy yelled. They all did the Greek dance. Rita fell off the table and got back up laughing.

She was excited to leave, but she'd miss the secret parties where all her friends went crazy. All the dances... those people taught her so much and she owed them so much in return. All she could do was teach them how to fix machines.

At three in the morning, Rita went to her room. She took off her clothes and settled into bed. Her pillow was rough. She got up and shook it. Something fell out. She lit a candle to see it was a key. It had a picture of a fairy on the top; Very similar to the fairy on the Pans Labyrinth fairy tale book. She got the book and fit the key through the lock. The moment she turned it, the book opened, with so much to show her.

Pans Labyrinth was a novel that took place in the forties in Spain during World War II. An army captain's stepdaughter moves into the country with her sick, pregnant mother to live with him. One night, she meets a fairy and it takes her to the labyrinth where she met a fawn. He told her about a princess from an underground realm who died from sun and claimed she'd return in a different body. Ophelia is set on three quests to prove herself worthy... three very dangerous tasks and more the deal with.

Rita spent three hours reading, looking at the detailed pictures. In most fairy tales, the main character lives. However, Ofelia passed away when her stepfather shot her. But she found herself in the realm with a new life as a princess. It was a happy ending after all.

Maria was right before about the images. She warned Rita that they were gruesome sometimes but they didn't really disgust her. It was a wonderful story; her favorite tied with Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.

She got no sleep that night.