Belle Of The Gays

A Fork in the Road

Maurice hummed to the golden oldies playing on the radio, bobbing his head as he drove along and tapping the steering wheel. He had chosen to take the back roads to the cruise-in instead of the expressway, finding it to be a lot more enjoyable than the alternative.

The wind picked up as he drove causing a tree to fall in front of the road he was on. He caught sight of a side road he had never seen before and swerved onto it, narrowly avoiding the fallen tree. A light sprinkle of rain started to come down, increasing in intensity and making it harder to see the road with the dark clouds now covering the sun.

"Why can't the forecast ever be accurate for once?!" 

His windshield wipers were trying to make it easier for him to see, but you could hardly tell they were making a difference. It was as if night had suddenly fallen even though it was the middle of the day, and his headlights were barely providing enough light for him to see by.

"Oh forget this! Where am I?" Maurice leaned forward in his seat to try and see better, and he slammed on the breaks when he did.

A looming castle sat directly in front of him, the windows bright squares of yellow from the light inside. He pulled his phone out to try and call Belle, hoping she would know where he turned wrong and be able to help him.

Groaning in frustration when he saw he didn't have signal, Maurice got out of the car and sprinted into the castle, hoping whomever was inside would be able to lend him a phone. He shuddered when he stepped through the great oak doors, shutting them behind him.

"Hello? Anyone here? I just need to borrow a phone!" His thoughts were distracted when he saw a fire blazing, and he stepped closer to warm and dry himself.

The entire place looked as though it had come straight from the eighteen-hundreds, leading Maurice to assume that it was a preserved historical sight used for field trips. He felt bad for tracking water in on his shoes, but it couldn't have been helped.

"Hello? Hello?" He called out once more, freezing in place when he heard hushed voices.

"It's a human."

"No duh, it's a human."

"Is someone there?" The hushed voices stopped and Maurice backed away from the fire, uncertain of the castle he had walked into now.

The clattering of silverware in a different room caught his attention, directing him away from the fire and into a dining room. A single place was set on the table, and the biggest smile had formed on his face. He had been waiting to come across a rest stop to eat his lunch at, but now he was too hungry to remember he had his own food just outside.

"Oh thank you! Thank you very much!" He sat down in the chair and picked up the sandwich, taking a bite from it when he saw the tea cup placed in front of him move.

"Mama said I'm not supposed to move, so don't be scared." The teacup spoke, an innocent smile on it's painted face. Maurice froze, setting down the sandwich on his plate.

"Oh no, it's quite alright." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he bolted from his chair and back to the oak doors.

"Thank you, but I think I'll be going now!" He pulled out his phone as he ran in the rain, trying to type in Belle's number without tripping.

It managed to go through this time, but he was sent straight to voicemail. Instead, he pulled up the camera and turned back to face the castle. If he couldn't call her, he could at least send a picture to her.

The flash of his camera illuminated the space in front of him, and a beast jumped down and took Maurice's shirt in his hairy paws. His fangs shown in the minimal light as he growled, the rain matting down his brown fur.

"You think you can just come back with your witchcraft?!" He screamed, and Maurice dropped his phone as he struggled to get away.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" The beast snickered, walking towards the castle with Maurice practically being dragged behind him.

"You're a fool if you think I'm letting you get away this time. Not unless you turn us back."