crowd's speculative whispers. The judge banged his gavel. "Silence!" When the courtroom was in order again, he looked at the Beast. "Why kidnapping, Your Highness?"
"Beauty is gone!"
A collective gasp rose from the gallery. The judge gave them a stern look.
The Beast continued, "Her father has not seen her. I have not seen her. She is nowhere to be found. Yet she was in the story until" -- he extended a long curving claw at Melinda -- "
that
woman appeared. Now I will never have my happy ending."
Another gasp rose from the gallery. A crown crashed to the floor with a loud clang as the frog under it fainted dead away, and he wasn't the only cursed prince to do so. The judge looked pale. "Are you sure Beauty is gone, Your Highness?"
"Yes! Can you not feel her lack in the very air around us?"
The prosecutor cleared his throat. "Your Honor, this isn't just a matter of simple trespassing or kidnapping." He stared at Melinda like she were Snow White's stepmother. "She's a Fairy Tale Killer."
*** *** ***
The court recessed, and the police porcupines dragged Melinda roughly away, swagger sticks in their hands. One of them said, "If you so much as twitch we'll beat you."
Maybe she had another strange ability she hadn't known about until now: entering fairy
nightmares.
Except that unlike regular fairy tales, she couldn't leave this one at will. She didn't know what the porcupines had done to her -- she was sure it was something nefarious during the chaos of her arrest, some sort of porcupine brutality no doubt -- but she could no longer just imagine herself back in her room and return to her world. The entire situation wasn't just insane, it was inane. The prosecution's evidence was circumstantial at best, and the court was trampling all over her rights. She deserved a lawyer if they were planning to charge her not only with trespassing, but kidnapping and...and murder as well. Fairy Tale Killer had an ominous tone to it.
The police put her in a small bare cell. Who would've thought the Fairy Tale Government didn't care about human rights? Melinda felt her shoulders slump. At least it was summer, so nobody was expecting her at her school. Otherwise she would be frantic by now. She was punctual and loved her students; missing class without calling in so the school could find a suitable substitute was simply unimaginable.
Then again, even if she could have called, what would she have told them?
I'm in Fairy Tale Jail for trespassing, kidnapping Beauty from
Beauty and the Beast
and ruining a perfectly good happy ending.
Melinda glanced at a tiny window high up on the wall, fingering her recently cut shoulder-length auburn hair forlornly. Maybe there was a good reason for fairy tale princesses to have long flowing tresses.
She pressed a button on her watch. It glowed: 10:00 p.m. That was the time she'd entered
Beauty and the Beast.
The display seemed to be stuck, just like she was. She sighed with regret and a bit of guilt. In addition to ruining her summer, her little adventure had also brought a very obvious distress to the Beast.
Now I will never have my happy ending.
Melinda felt sorry for the Beast. Without Beauty's love he'd remain cursed for eternity.
A police officer opened the door to her cell. "Out. The prosecutor wants to talk to you."
"About what?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
What a helpful porcupine. She got up and walked out of her cell. He hadn't come alone. A platoon of swagger-stick-and-shield-carrying police porcupines surrounded her. Their nervous energy was giving her a headache, and she raised a hand to her temple. They immediately leapt back, quills bristling and shields raised. She rolled her eyes. What could a preschool teacher do besides give them a timeout?
They went through a bright corridor of polished green marble. The air felt comfortably cool and dry and smelled of old paper. It reminded her of the happy times she'd spent in bookstores and libraries, and helped take the edge off her
"Beauty is gone!"
A collective gasp rose from the gallery. The judge gave them a stern look.
The Beast continued, "Her father has not seen her. I have not seen her. She is nowhere to be found. Yet she was in the story until" -- he extended a long curving claw at Melinda -- "
that
woman appeared. Now I will never have my happy ending."
Another gasp rose from the gallery. A crown crashed to the floor with a loud clang as the frog under it fainted dead away, and he wasn't the only cursed prince to do so. The judge looked pale. "Are you sure Beauty is gone, Your Highness?"
"Yes! Can you not feel her lack in the very air around us?"
The prosecutor cleared his throat. "Your Honor, this isn't just a matter of simple trespassing or kidnapping." He stared at Melinda like she were Snow White's stepmother. "She's a Fairy Tale Killer."
*** *** ***
The court recessed, and the police porcupines dragged Melinda roughly away, swagger sticks in their hands. One of them said, "If you so much as twitch we'll beat you."
Maybe she had another strange ability she hadn't known about until now: entering fairy
nightmares.
Except that unlike regular fairy tales, she couldn't leave this one at will. She didn't know what the porcupines had done to her -- she was sure it was something nefarious during the chaos of her arrest, some sort of porcupine brutality no doubt -- but she could no longer just imagine herself back in her room and return to her world. The entire situation wasn't just insane, it was inane. The prosecution's evidence was circumstantial at best, and the court was trampling all over her rights. She deserved a lawyer if they were planning to charge her not only with trespassing, but kidnapping and...and murder as well. Fairy Tale Killer had an ominous tone to it.
The police put her in a small bare cell. Who would've thought the Fairy Tale Government didn't care about human rights? Melinda felt her shoulders slump. At least it was summer, so nobody was expecting her at her school. Otherwise she would be frantic by now. She was punctual and loved her students; missing class without calling in so the school could find a suitable substitute was simply unimaginable.
Then again, even if she could have called, what would she have told them?
I'm in Fairy Tale Jail for trespassing, kidnapping Beauty from
Beauty and the Beast
and ruining a perfectly good happy ending.
Melinda glanced at a tiny window high up on the wall, fingering her recently cut shoulder-length auburn hair forlornly. Maybe there was a good reason for fairy tale princesses to have long flowing tresses.
She pressed a button on her watch. It glowed: 10:00 p.m. That was the time she'd entered
Beauty and the Beast.
The display seemed to be stuck, just like she was. She sighed with regret and a bit of guilt. In addition to ruining her summer, her little adventure had also brought a very obvious distress to the Beast.
Now I will never have my happy ending.
Melinda felt sorry for the Beast. Without Beauty's love he'd remain cursed for eternity.
A police officer opened the door to her cell. "Out. The prosecutor wants to talk to you."
"About what?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
What a helpful porcupine. She got up and walked out of her cell. He hadn't come alone. A platoon of swagger-stick-and-shield-carrying police porcupines surrounded her. Their nervous energy was giving her a headache, and she raised a hand to her temple. They immediately leapt back, quills bristling and shields raised. She rolled her eyes. What could a preschool teacher do besides give them a timeout?
They went through a bright corridor of polished green marble. The air felt comfortably cool and dry and smelled of old paper. It reminded her of the happy times she'd spent in bookstores and libraries, and helped take the edge off her
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