Bassist and the Beast

Chapter 6: Coming Alive

"Mike?" Paul shouted as he opened the castle's door.

He groaned, letting the door close behind him.

"Of course, he gets carried away..."

For a moment, he stood still on the carpet, gazing at the large room he was now in.

On the window sill next to him sat a candlestick and small clock, but most of the bassist's attention was on the large staircase in front of him, along with the rest of the room that expanded beyond it.

Sighing, he walked to his left, going around the staircase as an extremely quiet whisper echoed through the room, too quiet for him to hear it.

"There is another?"

The small clock on the window sill, pendulum still swinging, turned to its left slowly, two blue eyes and a mouth forming on its face in an instant.

"I do say George, thou art curious about these visitors."

The candle stick turned to its right, two dark brown eyes and a mouth forming on the main candle, a flame suddenly lighting on its wick as the two smaller ones on the holders lit up as well.

"Think the lad will find the last one, Ringo?"

Ringo thought for a moment, shifting his wooden body to the right to stare off into where the bassist had gone.

"If he does, then who knows what shall happen."

"Thou art worried?" George ask, shifting his metal arm to touch Ringo, flame being put out on the candle in the process.

"George, thou do know how angry he is these days. Besides, both visitors art the first ones we hast had in a very long time."

George sighed, pulling his metal arm back as the candle on the holder reignited.

"Thou art correct, I suppose."

"Lads, what may be going on over here?"

Recognizing the voice, George looked down at the ground.

"Ah, Pattie me dear, nice to see you."

A feather duster stood up on its feathers on the carpet below, two eyes and a mouth visible on the handle.

"Thou art welcome, but what is going on? I think I heard some noises over here."

"Well doll, we had a lad come in here earlier."

"A visitor!?" Pattie exclaimed in excitement, her eyes going wide.

"Why, we hast not one in over a century!"

"Not only that, my dear, but another just arrived."

"Where art they?"

George paused for a moment.

"Uh... well the first one was captured by... your highness."

Ringo shifted next to him, staring down at Pattie as well.

"Probably took him to the dungeon, and it be possible that that new lad will find it."

Pattie blinked.

"Well, what shall we do?"

"Just wait here, I guess," George said in response, small streams of smoke rising up from the three lit wicks as he moved back a little.

"After all, what else can we do?"

George shifted back, all three candles being unlit as his eyes and mouth dissipated into the wax.

Ringo sighed, staring down at Pattie.

"Just tell Maureen what happened. I know well that she would like to know."

"Okay."

With that, Pattie hopped away, Ringo watching from the window sill as she disappeared down the room to the right of the grand staircase.

He sighed.

"First visitors in 276 years, and neither are lasses... that curse will never be broken before it is too late..."

He turned to George, who remained inanimate.

"George? Think the curse will be broken in time friend?"

George's eyes and mouth reformed as only the wick on the main candle reignited, both of his golden arms completely still as the candles rested on the holders.

"I wish, but deadline 'tis only a week away. And, I doubt that your highness would fall for a lad, let alone a lad fall for him."

"Well... I hast gotten used to being a clock, so... I guess we might as well face the facts."

George turned towards Ringo.

"But, we should still hold out hope. Who knows what shall happen."

Ringo sighed, his wooden body turning around to stare out the ancient window at the dark forest beyond the castle and what remained of the once lively bushes and gardens.

George noticed his movements, but he did not join Ringo, instead going back to his inanimate state as the single flame on the candle went out.

Slowly, Ringo moved back to George, staring ahead as the ticking of his own mechanisms echoed in his mind.

"Who knows what shall happen indeed..."

Without another word, Ringo returned to his inanimate state, making it seem as though nothing had happened.