Week 2 Story: Horrific Rescue

Horrific Rescue

There were once three sisters living on the outskirts of town: Laurabelle, Annabelle and Emmabelle. The sisters could not differ more regardless of their shared identical DNA as they are triplets. 

Their mother, Gabrielle, was preparing for her weekly visit to the town in order to secure supplies for the coming week. Due to the absence of their missing father, all responsibilities were now up to the girl's mother. Gabrielle asked the girls, mainly Annabelle and Emmabelle, if the had any special requests. The girls quickly listed of all their desires as they pushed their mother out of the door. 

As the mother began her venture to town, the girls remained home to finish the chores. Nonetheless, it was only Laurabell who would typically be cleaning as the other sisters wasted their breath on insults and gossip. 

Emmabelle and Annabelle have dealt with their father missing far worse than Laurabelle. Both believe Laurabelle is to blame as she was the last to see him, which is a conclusion falsy driven by their jealousy for her relationship with their father. 

Dusk slowly gained control of the sky as the girls waited for their mother. Gabrielle had done this journey many times, but this time the familiar path to home felt strange and unending. She began to wonder if she had taken a wrong turn, but she was confident she was traveling in the right direction. 

A few moments passed and Gabrielle noticed a man further down the path walking towards her carrying an empty sack. 

"Ah, a man returning to town after a long days work," Gabrielle thought. 

The man looked young, around his early 30's, and seemed to be in good spirits. Gabrielle felt silly but thought this would be the best opportunity to ask for reassurance on her journey home. 

As the two finally neared each other, Gabrielle offered a friendly wave. The man then cleared his throat before releasing a big "Hello!". 

When Gabrielle approached the man she immediately explained herself. 

"Hi, Sir! I do hope that you are enjoying this fine early evening, do you mind helping me? I seem to have lost my way, which is odd because I have done this walk over three hundred times."

The man stared blankly and silently for what felt like minutes. He no longer looked like the good-spirited fellow Gabrielle had initially encountered. 

As his eyes fixed on hers, he said, "I see you have lost your way, but this is not the first occurrence." Thrusting himself towards Gabrielle, he grabbed her and threw her in his bag. He ran swiftly to a fort just seven minutes from the path where they once stood all the while yelling at Gabrielle to stay quiet.  

He neared the fort and released Gabrielle from the bag as she proclaimed "Take anything you want, I will do anything to be free!" 

The man firmly stated "is that so? give me one of your three daughters in return for your freedom, specifically your daughter Laurabelle."

Gabrielle protested only enough to ease her conscious to then later agree to the terms of her freedom. The man guided Gabrielle back to the path now recognizable path and she began her run home. By telling Laurabelle there was a man in town interested in marriage she was able to convince her to leave home. Laurabelle offered little objection due to enjoying both her sister's jealous outrage. 

As the night sky began to set in, Laurabelle and her mother reached the point in the path where the man once was. Confused, Laurabelle stood waiting as her mother stalled their journey to town. Suddenly, a man emerged from the woods next to them. 

Immediately, Gabrielle began to cry explaining to Laurabelle how she will not be entering into marriage but rather into slavery. Horrified by her mother's deceit, she angrily protested, screaming at the top of her lungs. The man neared them, telling Gabrielle to return home. 

Laurabelle stood trembling as the strange man closed in on her. The man slowly began to look more familiar, his eyes even beginning to change color. She gasped in horror, relief and confusion.  

The man before her was her father. He pulled Laurabelle into his chest as she stood shocked with tears running down her cheeks. 

"I could not bear the thought of leaving you behind with those women, you are far more extraordinary than them and this town. It is now your turn to shine." 

Shapeshifter

Authors note: This story is based on The Beauty and the Balisk. I enjoyed the first story of "The Tree Roses" as it was much like Beauty and the Beast but had some Cinderella aspects too it. While recreating this story I thought it would be nice to slightly draw on Cinderella, but reunite her with her father in the end.