The Beast

O N E : U N F A M I L I A R

He sat there, looking at the small thing sleep in his bed. He had no idea why he had simply not frightened her into running away from that part of the forest.

Instead, the dried tear marks on her cheeks had made him bring her into his home, a place where no creature but him had lived for a long while.

He watched her sleep, the up and down movements of her chest strangely fascinating. He knew that when she woke up she was going to be frightened of him, like all other humans, but she evoked emotions in him he did not dare place names on.

How can an ordinary human keep me this preoccupied, he thought in bewilderment, suddenly growing angry at the innocent girl. She had done nothing but evoke unfamiliar feelings in him and just for that he resented her.

He got up angrily and stalked out, decided to go and hunt for when she woke up.

†††

Jessie woke up to an unfamiliar room. She sat up quickly on the bed she found herself on. She gasped; she had gone into the really deep parts of the forest and the only person whom she knew resided there was... The Beast.

She looked around the room which was quite spacious and surprisingly clean and organized.

Jessie quickly swung her legs over the bed and decided to go in search of the beast. She couldn't help her curious nature. Even though he could be dangerous, she wanted to see him.

She opened the door cautiously and walked out, having difficulty seeing in the dim lights. She followed what she thought was a hallway and found herself in a kitchen.

It was very big and as organized as the room. The pots and pans in one corner, the plates in another and so on.

She stalked hesitantly into the room and sighed in bliss. This was the type of kitchen she had always wanted, spacious and organized.

Maybe..., she thought hopefully, maybe it's not the Beast who lives here after all?

***

Theo sighed as he went into the woods. He didn't know why he felt so attracted to this human. She was a simple human! She wasn't perfect. He had seen far more beautiful women in his lifetime but there was no pull towards them.

He caught sight of a buck that would make an excellent meal for that night's dinner, that is if the human survived looking at him.

He chuckled bitterly at his thoughts even though they were not so far from the truth. He had learned to accept over the years the fact that he would always be alone but that did not mean that he did not yearn for companionship.

He took aim and shot the buck, making it fall with a thud. He stalked towards it and shook his head, as if trying to erase the thoughts he was having from his head.

†††

Jessie was still in the kitchen. Surprisingly, even though the house was situated in the heart of the forest, it still had all modern amenities like a refrigerator, a dishwasher, an electric cooker equipped with an oven, and a microwave.

Seeing this, Jessie managed to convince herself that it was not The Beast but a really kind soul who had taken her into his home (his because of the mainly masculine articles of clothing she had seen in that room)