DADDY

Daddy

By James Offenhartz

A red rose. Well, I got the red rose and the beast got me. However, although I am an inventor, when I was young, I used to hunt with my daddy and when I hunted, I always aimed between the eyes of the beasts. Unfortunately, I didn’t bring a gun with me today. But, I could always tell what the animal was going to do by looking into its eyes. If the eyes were angry, it would try to attack me. If it’s eyes were scared, it would try to run. The same thing is true in poker, nine times out of ten you can tell if the player is bluffing by looking into the pupil of their eyes.  

So, the beast caught me stealing the rose for my daughter, but when he was dragging me inside, I caught a glimpse of his eyes instinctively, and what I saw was an animal with love in its heart who had been betrayed by its owner. Think about a dog taken from the pound where it was bound to die, happy it was finally saved, just to be beaten daily by its owner. Those kind of eyes.

So, the beast locked me in the basement in a cage. He did this to show masculine strength, which is really masculine weakness. See, us men, not just beasts, but all men, show fake strength during weakness. Like the bully on the playground who instead of admitting he’s scared he’s going to. flunk out of school, beats the hell out of the local geek. The strong thing to do would be admit he was scared and even tell the geek that. That’s what the beast was doing and I knew that. So, when the beast gave me his leftovers from his food, I smiled and said, “Good morning.” He growled and tried to do the strong/weak masculine thing, but I’m too smart for that. Then, I looked him in the eyes and saw his femininity sneak through. “How are you?” I asked.

He looked dumbfounded. No one ever cared how the beast was, so why would I, who had been treated so cruelly by the beast, care about how the beast feels, but I did.  

“Why would you care, prisoner?” The beast asked.

“That’s just how My Maker made me, I care about everyone, man or beast,” I said.

The weakness started to show through his eyes and I saw the red rose behind him in a glass stylized vase.

He had that look in his eyes. The kind where I know he’s either going to laugh or cry, but I can’t tell which yet.  

I could see a pinch of trust starting to develop in his eyes. I remember what they said about a frog. If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out and you won’t have dinner. But, if you put a frog in cold water and slowly heat the wood around the pot, then you’ll have dinner in half-an-hour.  

“Most beasts don’t speak English. I’d like to learn where you learned English, “ I said.

His eyes looked perplexed, then he sighed and started to tell me the story of the witch.  

I actively listened and understood why the witch had done what she had done. He then told me about the rose and the significance of the pedals of the rose. I looked into his eyes again and saw a pinch of freight. This is good. Maybe he’ll start to run and I can escape to my daughter, but I’m not going to show my hand yet.

I also realized some thing inanimate in the house were ianimate. The tea cups can talk, the torch holder had feelings, either that or the beast and I are both losing our minds. I look into the beast’s eyes again and see a touch more fear and sensitivity.  

I know what needs to be done, but it needs to be done alone, without the utensils. He then tells me the curse would be broken if he found a woman who he loved and who loved him. 

“Do you have a daughter?”

I hesitated. Yes, I had a daughter, but every father dreams of his daughter finding Prince Charming, which this beast definitely is not. I look in his eyes and see desperation and a hint of hope.

“Yes, I have a daughter named, Belle.”

His eyes lit with joy.

“Quick, take me to her, prisoner, or you’ll go back in your cage. I mean, could you please take me to her?”

I thought about this for a moment.

“Okay.” There was another awkward pause, then I said, “I enjoyed breakfast this morning, but it’s nearly lunch time and I am getting hungry and want to eat first. Let’s eat together like civilized people and then I’ll take you to meet my daughter.”

The beast looked confused for a moment, then asked, “Do I have your word that you will take me to your daughter after we eat?”

I smiled, “Yes, you do.”

The beast grabbed me like a piece of luggage and took me to the dining room. He dropped me in the wooden seat at the end of the table and went to his end of the table, opposite me.

“What are you eating?”

I thought. I knew what I needed.  

“Steak and potatoes, please,” I said.

“Servants. Get this man steak and potatoes.”

The utensils all said, “Yessir” and “Yes, your Heiness”.

“To drink,” I said, “I’d like water”.  

The utensils brought me everything I asked for. Here’s what I realized though. Some utensils were alive but the utensils I was using to eat weren’t.  I ate my steak and potatoes quickly and then, after eating, slipped the steak knife into my right pocket.

“I am finished, let’s go meet my daughter,” I said.

“Yes,” the beast said.

The dishes did not have time to bus the tables as the beast lifted me up and carried me to the front door.

“Which way is your daughter?” He asked.

I pointed in the direction of my daughter’s home. His eyes looked ecstatic. The kind of look I’d have if I won the local lotto and he sprinted in the direction I pointed.  

I kept my right hand in my pocket to secure the knife. Then, the beast ran out of breath and started walking. He walked past a lake and decided to stop. He placed me down to his left side so he could lap the lake water. I paused, checked my surroundings, and quietly took out my knife and went behind him. I said a small sacrificial prayer and quickly slit the beast’s throat. The blood flowed like confetti. I could see the fear in his eyes as the blood streamed into the lake. In thirty seconds he was dead.  I slit his throat more and tied his shoelaces around the branches of a tree so he would bleed out. After the beast was drained, I got my up my strength and hauled him over my shoulder. My family would eat for weeks.