Beauty and the Beast

A poor merchant lived in a small village with his daughter, Brianna.

He loved his daughter very much and wanted to give her everything her heart desired. He knew Brianna’s greatest wish was for a single, perfect rose.

Roses were rare in their village. But the merchant had heard of a castle deep in the dark forest where the flowers bloomed freely. On the day before Brianna’s birthday, he set out to find it.

After much walking through the forest, he came to a crumbling castle. Its gardens were overgrown with roses.

The merchant was so happy! He searched the gardens for the perfect rose. His eyes settled on the biggest, most beautiful flower. He reached out and snapped the flower from the bush.

A dark figure suddenly appeared behind the merchant.