Coraline 2: The Fate of the Beldam

Coraline and Wybie's Anniversary

That night, Coraline and Wybie tucked their kids in one by one. Phoenix felt guilty about how he spoke to Coraline and followed her out of the room. "Mom? Dad?" Wybie and Coraline stopped and turned around to look at him. "Yes, Son?" "I'm sorry for the way I've been acting. I just thought you cared more about work and adult stuff than me, and I realize that now that's not true. You risked your lives for us." Coraline and Wybie looked at each other, then to Phoenix. "Oh, sweetheart. Nothing is more important to us than you and your siblings. We love you." Coraline and Wybie hugged Phoenix. Coraline kissed him on the forehead. "You're our son. We'd do anything to protect you." Wybie added. Phoenix hugged them back and was later joined by Cypress and Archer.

When Coraline and Wybie went to bed, Coraline lay on her side staring out the window at the stars. She felt guilty about leaving the beldam behind to disappear along with the rest of the other world. After she fell asleep, she was woken up by a golden glow. The same one that woke her up when she released the ghost kids, which included Wybie's great-aunt Rosa, but this time, it was the beldam, only in her loving, human form, like she was before she was the beldam. This was the real Florence Garner.

"Aunt Florence?" Florence smiled at her lovingly. "Hello Coraline." She floated down towards Coraline. "I'm so sorry for everything." "No dear Coraline. I'm sorry. I didn't want to do anything to you or your children. That evil spirit corrupted me when I was very young, around 26 in 1879." Coraline was surprised. "You've been stuck with that fairy for that long?" Florence nodded. "Wow. I had no idea." "Don't be sad about it, Coraline. No one will ever have to worry about that fairy again, and you've set me free. When I first became the beldam, I lost everything. My mother was the beldam before me. The spirit made her kill my husband and my daughter. I couldn't even be there for my husband's family or my sister or father."

Coraline felt sad for Florence. "But now that you've set me free, I can join them all in the afterlife. Thank you, Coraline, for setting me free. You are very brave." Coraline smiled. "You know as well as me. We have to do whatever it takes to save our children." Florence smiled again, then put her hands on Coraline's cheeks and kissed her on the forehead. "Goodbye, Coraline. I'll see you again one day." Coraline felt a tear go down her cheek as Florence ascended. "Goodbye, Aunt Florence." Coraline watched her continue to ascend, seeing who looked like her grandma Judy and grandpa William as well as a 3 year old child, supposedly Florence's daughter and her distant Uncle Charles in the sky, waiting for her. They all waved to Coraline, and then everything disappeared. Coraline woke up, sweating and Wybie noticed. "Everything okay, Lovey?" He asked. Coraline looked at him and smiled, then looked out the window. "Yeah, everything is just fine." Both Coraline and Wybie fell back asleep. Tomorrow, they were going to celebrate their wedding anniversary.

Coraline and Wybie woke up in the morning to a surprise breakfast prepared by Phoenix. He made them french toast with sausage and sliced apples. "Oh Phoenix, you are so sweet!" Coraline hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. Cypress brought them their drinks, and Archer gave them a drawing. They ate their breakfast in the living room while watching videos of their wedding from 2018. Cypress loved Coraline's dress and often talked about how she couldn't wait to wear it. "Yeah? I can't wait to talk some random guy down about dating my daughter!" Wybie says, clearly joking, making the others laugh.

That afternoon, Coraline and Wybie went down to the nearby lake with a rental kayak and stayed on the lake until it was almost sunset. Right as the sun was going down, they went to the center of the lake to enjoy the view. Before it got too dark, they went back to shore and then back to the pink palace. The stars began to shine, and the moon was beautiful. Coraline and Wybie had a dinner reservation at a fancy restaurant downtown, so they kissed their kids goodnight, then headed out. "After all we've been through, the reward is being with you." Wybie says, holding up his glass. "I wouldn't have it any other way." Coraline raised her glass to his and did a little cheers to themselves. "Happy anniversary, Lovey."Happy anniversary, Wybie."

It was closer to 8:45 when they were done, so they decided to watch the sky for a little bit, just like they did on their wedding night. Coraline noticed a star pattern in the shape of Florence like she was before she ascended into the afterlife. Wybie noticed her smile and the tear falling down her cheek. "What is it?" He asked. "Florence is at peace, and she's watching over us." Coraline answers, pointing out the star pattern. Wybie saw it, then put his arm around Coraline, watching the heavenly view back. Before heading back to the pink palace, Wybie and Coraline stopped by the graveyard.

"Hey grandma. It's been a crazy summer, and you wouldn't believe all of it. The beldam wasn't as evil as we thought after all, and the other world won't be a problem for anyone ever again." Coraline gave him a moment at the grave. She saw a bunch of roses near the entrance and grabbed two of them. She gave one to Wybie and laid one down herself, just as Wybie laid his down. Coraline found an old grave labeled 'Judy and William Smith." Judy's dates were 2/24/1851 - 09/12/1921 and William's were 12/09/1850 - 04/29/1917. "Hello Grandma Judy and Grandpa William. Take care of Aunt Florence." Coraline and Wybie wandered around and even found Florence's husband's grave. Florence's name was on it, and it had 1879 written as her death year.

Coraline went back to the roses and put some down. Wybie went back and put roses down at William and Judy's graves as well as John and Eunice Coleman, Florence's parents. It was closer to 10:30 when Coraline and Wybie got home. They checked on their peacefully sleeping kids and went to bed. "What an anniversary trip." Coraline says. "I know. They get better and better each year." Coraline agreed. She loved her life and wouldn't trade it for anything. Knowing that the evil fairy is gone and can't turn any more innocent young women into beldams, Coraline fell asleep peacefully in the pink palace for the first time in a long time.