Once Upon a You | A Beauty and the Beast Retelling ✔️

9 | Child in Time (Ross)

"Humans have always been selfish. It's a non-stop want, want, want with you, is it not?" The old woman tilts her head at me.

"Erm.. Excuse me." I lift my finger in the air. "But who are..."

"Koshka." She throws a peculiar name at me like throwing a bone to a dog. "Yes! Human. More gear, more food, faster speeds, longer lives, easier lives, more power, yay!" The loony old lady waves her arms around reminding me of an exhilarated windmill. "You were like this too, Bojana. A talker. A taker. But something is different now. I know. I've been watching you. You are ready to listen. You are ready... to give. To fulfill your destiny." Time has knitted the woman's skin into a web of wrinkles.

"You!" Bea lunges at the old lady in blind fury. "Destiny is a book you write yourself."

I watch in disbelief as their movements blur, a dance of aggression and evasion. The woman effortlessly dodges her every move. Bea's frustration grows with each failed attempt, while the old lady remains calm and composed. It's kind of like watching a master spar with an eager student. I can't help but admire the woman's agility and skill. Despite the intensity of the situation, there's a strange beauty in their fluid motions.

"You... Ruined... My... Life!" Bea roars. "Give me back my life, do you hear me? Give. It. Back."

The old lady interrupts the intense confrontation with a simple phrase. "Now. That's quite enough of that. We are attracting unnecessary attention." She places her palms on Bea's temples, and in an instant, she transforms into a tiny ginger kitten. One eye is flamey yellow, and the other, cold as ice.

I can't help but find it kind of cute, despite the bizarre situation. 

The kitten Bea hisses and spits, clearly unhappy with her new form. The old lady carries her to a nearby park bench, gently setting her down. I approach with caution, burdened with our groceries, still slightly panting. My heart is filled with concern for Bea.

 As I sit beside her, the old lady speaks up. "Fret not, my dear boy. This transformation is temporary. It is meant to teach Beatrice a lesson in patience and humility, which is most certainly overdue, wouldn't you say?"

Bea hops into my arms and I stroke the kitten's soft fur, trying to comfort her. It's a strange sight, me sitting on a bench with a hissing kitten, but I can't help but feel a sense of wonder and curiosity about what will happen next.

Whatever I thought might happen next did not prepare me for what the woman, Koshka, did. She whipped out the very same book that lay in Bea's library. Her gnarly fingers sliced out a page, with difficulty, which shocked me: our precious book! It felt like she was peeling away an expanse of skin.

"Look!" Koshka smacks the page on the kitten's nose.

It's filled with illustrations of humans shapeshifting into cats and werecats. She says, "Bea, this is your birthright. You belong to a powerful clan with the ability to transform into various forms. Embrace your heritage and learn to control your shifting abilities."

The kitten goes wild in my arms, jumping up and down, trying to tear the page with its teeth and scratch at it with tiny nails. It's absolutely adorable, and a brain hack, as all kittens are and must be.

Koshka looks at Bea, her eyes filled with amusement. "I imagine you would like to weigh in? Are you going to be a good girl and listen? No more attacks?" she asks.

Bea, still in her kitten form, huffs and puffs at first, but then she nods eagerly.

Koshka chuckles and places her hands on Bea's temples. "Very well," she says, and with a quick glance around to make sure no one can see us, she waves her fingers.