Once Upon a Miserable Soul

Chapter 9: Sleeping Beauty

"You were supposed to be here hours ago."

"Well I'm back."

"Where are the flies?"

"We took all of them. There are none."

"I don't believe it!" he snapped. "Rita Elizabeth Malone, you crossed the line!"

"What did I do?" Rita snapped.

"You lied to me, that's what. I trusted you, all these years to serve and protect my children... but you see, I just found out that you and the servants were doing things behind my back!" he paced back and forth. "I could cut off all their tails for partying while I slept and laughed at me! But I'm not going to."

Her heart started to heat up and beat faster.

"You went to that party didn't you?"

"No!"

"Lies!" he slapped the lamp on the counter and it shattered to pieces. "You were there. I saw you."

"Prove it."

"There was a young lady, red curls, green eyes and a red dress. She danced with the prince all night and had a heart attack when I went up to her. And today while you were out, we browsed your room ad found a red dress." He pushed a button on the counter top. "Whitey, I need you down here."

"This doesn't involve him!"

"But he wanted to be involved."

"What do you mean?"

"You're still working for me, which means you're still my property. I have a right to give you away in matrimony."

"Marriage! You can't do that!"

"Five days from now I wouldn't have the right too do so. But since you're my slave, you will do as I say. You and Whitey are going to wed in three days as punishment for ten years of lying, ten years of taunting, ten years of... of..."

"Of what? Dreaming?" she finished for him.

"Did you see the prince today?"

"That's none of your concern!"

Whitey came out from behind the door.

"Hello dear."

"I congratulate you both." Said Le Toad. "You two will make lovely children for rats!"

"That's never going to happen, even in a million years!" Rita yelled. "I will marry the man I desire and who desires me back!"

"In three days you'll be wed."

"Never! Besides, how do you know if I just sneak out?"

Le Toad grinned, his smile like a master criminals, showing off his yellow teeth. She saw Whitey pull a cloth out of his pocket.

"Comere Princess." He purred. Rita turned around and ran out the front door. The door behind her was slammed down on the ground as Whitey began to chase after her.

She dashed against the fence when her sweater got caught against a loose wire. Then a strand of hair go caught.

"I'm comin to get you." He mumbled. She struggled, like a fish caught in a net. A patch on her sweater ripped off and the tangled strand wound up stuck there. By the time she got herself loose, Whitey placed the cloth around her mouth and tied it in three difficult knots, then lifted her up by the waist. She began to kick and scream like a little kid.

"Don' scream now my dear. No one's gonna help ya."

Le Toad smiled with great pleasure as he saw Whitey walk in with Rita victoriously.

"Excellent work sir. Follow me to Basement 13."

Basement 13 was where they took really bad savants to punish them. Everyone who went down there lost their hands, feet, or tail, got maimed or even killed. They walked down the stone stairway. Rita's nails were dug inside Whitey's skin but he ignored the great pain. She could only see what was behind them. They were approaching a small area with a shelf full of basic tools and weapons and a bloodstained operating table. As she was laid down there, she sat up to run away but Le Toad pinned her arms down and Whitey strapped her wrists to the table. They repeated the process until they got her ankles, shoulders, stomach, waist, thighs and knees down. They pulled her tail through the hole cut in the table.

"Let's start now." Said Le Toad. Whitey nodded. Rita breathed through her nose heavily as a small tear drove down the side of her face. "What's wrong? Did you already meet that special man? You're pathetic. You and your entire family!"

Whitey pulled a black suitcase of the shelf and opened it. Inside were four vaccine shots, filled with an ice blue liquid, each one three fourths filled. The needles on the end were very long and pointy. There were bubbles inside the liquid moving at a rapid pace.

"The time is now my children." Whitey mumbled. "To do what you were brought here for."

Le Toad rolled his eyes and ripped lines in both sides of Rita's pants and sleeves. Rita moved her head up. The first moment she saw what they were going to do, she began to scream bloody murder.

"Should we do two at a time or just one?"

"One. It's more torture that way."

Whitey nodded and picked up the first needle. He slid it into Rita's bloodstream and pushed the liquid into her first leg. Her scream could break a window. The next one was a worse. The pain was so unbearable. Whitey put the third one in her left arm. Rita felt like there were live creatures inside her, eating her body parts. The last one made her stop screaming. She got week and her head fell on the table. Whitey poked her arm and she screamed.

After he removed the cloth and undo the buckles, Whitey lifted her up. She was very weak. Her face was stained with tears and she was freezing.

"Aww, poor dear." Whitey said as Rita finally closed her eyes and fell asleep.