Beast by Tiffini Hunt

castle to watch the stars until dawn. Up there, I had a lot of time to think. The majority of the time, I was thinking about what was out there beyond the forest, out in the universe.
    Somehow I still was able to practice piano. Having claws did not ruin my ability to play; in fact, playing almost became easier. As I played, the music soothed me, but not as much as the roses. Whenever I was around the roses, my heartbeat would slow to a regular pace, the tears would let up, my body would stop shaking, and my stomach would no longer ache.
    Although I did not have anyone telling me I could not play the piano in the ballroom, I wanted to wait until I became older, respecting Mother’s wishes.
    Finally, from time to time, I saw Buttons. But at the sight of me, he would become terrified and run to hide. I really missed spending time with him. How I hoped that one day he would get used to me so that he could act normally.
    One day, after a few years had gone by, I was up in the library, reading one of my philosophy books. The windows were slightly open next to where I sat.
    I finished the book, and when I went to place it back on the shelf, I heard something. As I searched, I discovered that the noise seemed to be coming from the Rose House painting. So I made my way over to the picture, and even though I had grown, I still needed to ask for a chair. After it was moved in front of the painting, I stood on it and touched the picture with my right hand.
    Immediately, the Rose House appeared in my mind’s eye. It was a nice spring day. There was a light breeze that caused the roses around the house to sway. I was about one hundred feet away from the house, and I decided to walk closer. The last few times I had come to the house, the closest I had been able to get was a few feet away from the door. This time I was able to walk past that last “wall.”
    When I was at the door, I moved my hand to the knob and turned it. I pushed the door, and it swung open a little. As I walked in, I finally was able to see what the inside of the house looked like. My heart began to pound as my curiosity increased.
    Once inside, I noticed that there was a kitchen to my left, a table in front of me, and a couch to my right, with a few chairs near a lit fire. There was a door that was slightly open a few feet away from the fireplace. From what I could tell, the door led to a bedroom. Also, there was a ladder that led upstairs, where there were more beds.
    While walking around the Rose House, I began to hear people talking. But when I attempted to find the people, there was no one to be found.
    “I need more flour to make bread, Papa,” a young woman said.
    “Okay, I will give you money to go to town to buy some,” said what sounded like an older man.
    “Papa!” another young woman shouted after I heard a door open and close. “Have you seen the roses? I have been taking real good care of them. They look so beautiful!” she continued.
    “Yes, my darling! Their smell fills up this house! Thank you for all the work you are doing!” he said to the young woman.
    I heard someone else say something. But since the vision began to fade away, I did not hear entirely what was said.
    While thinking about this last vision, I realized that the voices seemed really familiar, though I could not put my finger on why.
    Years began to pass so quickly that I almost lost track. Before I knew it, several of my birthdays had come and gone. When I first had been transformed into the Beast, I was the height of an average six-year-old boy. But as time passed, I grew and grew.
    One day, when I was maybe fifteen or so, as I was sitting on my bed, staring at the roses and taking in their aroma, I saw Buttons slowly coming into the room to eat. Although I was overcome by fear and nervousness, I did my best to stay still, because I did not want to scare him off. It had been so long since I had been able to pet him, let alone be around him.
    When he finished eating, he