Kara Abbey Photography: Beauty and the Beast

once upon a time, in a far away land, a young prince lived in a shining castle

altho' he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind

but then, one winter's night, an old begger woman came to the castle, and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold

repulsed by her haggered appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away

but she warned him, not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within,
and when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress

the prince tried to appologize but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart

and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there

ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world

the rose she had offered, was truely an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year--
if he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken

if not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time

as the years past, he fell into despair and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast

Look there she goes, that girl is so peculiar, I wonder if she’s feeling well. With a dreamy, far-off look and her nose stuck in a book, what a puzzle to the rest of us is Belle.

Ahhh, isn't this amazing? It's my favorite part because, you see, here's where she meets Prince Charming, but she won't discover that it's him till chapter three.

Look there he goes Isn't he dreamy? Monsieur Gaston, oh he's so cute! Be still my heart, I'm hardly breathing. He's such a tall, dark, strong and handsome brute!

It's no wonder that her name means beauty, her looks have got no parallel. It's a pity and a sin though she doesn't quite fit in, she really is a funny girl, a beauty but a funny girl that Belle

It's not right for a woman to read. Soon she starts getting ideas, and thinking..

Ma chère mademoiselle. It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight. And now, we invite to relax, let us pull up a chair, as the dining room proudly presents... your dinner.

"And you need to learn how to control you're temper!"

There's something sweet and almost kind, but he was mean and he was course and unrefined, and now he's dear and so unsure I wonder why I didn't see it there before.

She glanced this way, I thought I saw. And, when we touched she didn't shudder at my paw. No it can't be. I'll just ignore, but then she's never looked at me that way before.

Perhaps there's something there that wasn't there before

Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows, it's a nightmare but it's one exciting ride.

Say a prayer, then we're there at the drawbridge of a castle and there's something truly terrible inside.

Take whatever booty you can find, but remember, the beast is mine

Were you in love with her, Beast? Did you honestly think she'd want you when she had someone like me?

"You- You came back." "Of course I came back. I couldn't let them--oh this is all my fault. If only I'd gotten here sooner." "Maybe its better--its better this way." "Don't talk like that. You'll be all right. We're together now. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see." "At least... I got to see you... one last time."