Why Not Pretend

Chapter 5: Beast, I'm Back

Beatrice's POV

Wirt and I approached the wooded area where the Beast could be heard singing. Wirt held the lantern, and I walked a few steps behind him. As soon as we entered the clearing, Wirt shouted, "Beast! I'm back!"

The Beast turned around. "Ah. Hello, Walter. And you've brought your...girlfriend? How nice. You must've thought I needed a new tree. As a matter of fact, I do."

Edelwood branches snapped to life and pinned me to the ground. Wirt must've conjured them, though, because they were loose. Good job, Wirt.

Wirt stepped in front of me, strategically placing the lantern in front of my face. I bit my lip, and tried not to cry. I had to do it. There was no other way. "Hey, Beast?" Wirt asked. "I have another gift for you...NOW!"

On his cue, I opened the lantern and prepared to blow. But the Beast stopped me by saying, "Girl, you fool, don't you know that this will kill both of us?"

"Yeah," I replied, "but...I'm willing to take the risk."

And with that, I blew the lantern out.

The Beast let out an echoing scream, and dissipated immediately. Wirt, however, remained. I broke myself free and sprinted over to him, wrapping him in a hug. Tears poured freely.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Wirt smiled sadly.

"Bea...look, I'm fading."

I studied him, and realized he was right. I hugged him tighter and he hugged me back. I closed my eyes. Some twenty seconds later, I stumbled forward.

Wirt was gone.

I cried on my knees, staying there for the better part of an hour, before drying my eyes and walking away.

ONE WEEK LATER

I stood on a cliff lining a forest, watching the sun set. It had been a week since what happened in the forest, and I had just recently accepted that Wirt wasn't coming back. I sat down, thinking, and I barely heard a stick crack in the forest. Only when it happened again did I look up.

There, standing right in front of the forest, was Wirt.

"Bea?" he asked in surprise.

"Wirt!" I cried. "You're back! And you're normal again!"

Wirt smiled. "I am," he said. "I've been looking for you for five days!"

I tackled him with a hug. "I thought you were dead!"

"Only the Beast part of me died," Wirt said. "I'm still here." He hugged me back. Then, it turned into a kiss.

A perfect ending to a perfectly imperfect story.

THE END