Young Writers Society

Twenty Years Later
Anno 1789



For every beauty that dies when a new beast doth rise with the song of angry men,
The beating drum echoes the change when commoner's era hath come,
For every Gaston that dies, ten more doth rise to break down the castle gates
The Pots then crack, Candle's flame goes out, and hands of the Clock go still,

A beast no longer, in chateau he lingers, with his noble Belle,
Though once a commoner, but one no longer, her birth won't save her now,
Chaos rings in the city of kings, in July the prison falls,
Aristocracy gone, for freedom is won, by the angry Gauls,

If he remained in his bestial form, the peasants would not dare,
But was due to the love of a commoner that common folk led them away,
They thought their love was salvation after it broke the curse,
but twas' sweet love, like a white dove, that made them a feast for crows,

If beast he remained, kill them he could, or leave them alone they would,
His castle was once a place of fear till' it turned to gawdy home,
If she had stayed and married Gaston, perhaps she would have survived,
But cause' she went and married a prince, she lost her head and died,

Twas' the best of times and the worst of times, as a wiseman once said,
If Pimpernal took them to Albion, they may have protected their heads,
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite, ou la mort,
Was it Montesquieu or was it Rousseau, or was it old Voltaire,

And so love is not always what it does seem, sometimes it leads to pain,
But all depends if blade is sharp or if the blade be dull,
But in the end Beauty and Beast were saved not by God above,
And so it was that demise was because of their impetuous love.

The youngest child, beautiful and loved,
the pride of her father, the king.
With a voice so pure, soft, and sweet,
the sea falls silent to hear her sing.

Yet she longs for a world that can never be hers
and watches the man she loves from afar.
She wishes for a way for them to be together
by the light of a shooting star.

The sea witch stirs in her icy cave
as she hatches her genius plan.
She brews up a storm to topple the boat
of the princess' beloved young man.

The brave girl drags him from the wreck
and safely to the shore.
She stays with him 'till he awakes
and how her heart does soar

His eyes half open, she knows she must go
or soon she will be seen.
The prince is found when the church bells ring
by a woman in a gown of jade green.

Desperate to be with her prince,
the little mermaid seeks aid.
The icy sea witch agrees to help
but there's a price that must be paid.

She arrives on the shore with two long legs
and soon she finds her love.
She is mute and each step brings pain
but still lovely as a dove.

They become fast friends but still he searches
for the woman in the jade green gown.
He finally finds her,they are married at once.
And the littlest mermaid with the voice so pure jumps into the ocean and drowns.

Blood is Red

Here's mine, based on The Little Match Girl (Link in case you haven't heard of it.)

The Three Trials of the Philosopher-Prince and the Warrior-Princess
(Based on Hansel and Gretel)

Prelude
“Hard times call for drastic measures,” said the hungry villagers.
“We’ve had no food for months—if we do nothing, we’ll all surely die!”
A prophecy had long foretold this day: the village, near its end,
Must send its royals to the forest’s heart, where they will face three tasks;
They will return with treasure in their hands (if they return at all).
And so, into the woods the prince and princess went (unwillingly):
One Hansel, wise philosopher; one Gretel, much-feared warrior.

Trial I: The Forest
The royals were alone and lost within the darkness of the woods.
Bent, old trees scratched and tripped their guests; dark, cruel birds mocked them with song.
“Fear not, dear Gretel,” Hansel said. “Soon, I will lead us out of here.”
He knew the path back to the village, for he'd mapped it in his mind.
“The trees grow in a pattern: One branch on the first, six on the next…
Five on the last. If we follow it back, we will be home again.”
They walked and walked; the forest became darker; farther they walked still.

Trial II: Hunger
For days, they wandered in the forest without food or drink or sleep;
Their hollow bellies cried out to be fed, like begging puppy dogs.
At last, into a sun-lit grove they stumbled. Both their jaws dropped down.
Before them was a Promised Land: A cottage standing tall and wide.
Its walls were made of cake and cookies, candy grinned atop its roof,
Cold ice cream filled its gutters, peppermint waved to them on the wind.
“We’re saved!” they cried; the house embraced them. Bite by bite, their hunger fled.

Trial III: The Witch
They stepped inside the house to see what other sweets they might procure.
Instead, they found a witch, who was enraged to see her house devoured.
“You nasty thieves,” she cried, “You have not long to live. I’ll eat you both!”
From in her belt, she drew a knife and fork, while Gretel raised her fists.
“I’ll roast you in the stove!” the witch said. Gretel yelled, “I’ll take you down!”
The witch lashed out with cutlery; she missed her mark and ran right past.
She fell headfirst into the stove; the door slammed closed. That’s how she died.
“Instead of sweets for dinner,” Gretel said, “Why don’t we have witch stew?”

Conclusion
“This house has food enough to last two lifetimes,” Hansel said, mouth full.
“I think we ought to never leave,” said Gretel, chewing window-panes.
They smiled; alone in their safe grove thereafter they lived happily.
Meanwhile, far off, in homes of wood and stone, the villagers all starved.