The Beasts Parts One and Two

{Part One}

  The Beasts

  Three sisters lived in a small house together. It was between the village and the woods, which were about a mile apart.

  One night it was raining. The youngest, Poppy, was already in bed. The other two, Hyacinth and Ivy were still awake. They sat near the fireplace and talked quietly to each other, so as not to wake Poppy.

  Ivy turned to the window to see if it was still raining. Out the small window, there was a large oak tree. They watched it sway slightly in the wind. A shadow shot behind the tree, and they could hear a soft cry.

  “Did you see that??” Ivy gasped.

  “Yeah!” Hyacinth cried in disbelief.

  “Well maybe we should go look.” Ivy took Hyacinth by the hand, and they walked outside.

  They got to the tree and peeked behind it. What they found made them feel sick and scared. A huge ugly thing. It was a deep grey with black spots, and large fangs and claws. It was eating a small child, and it paused to look up at them. Hyacinth cried out and pulled Ivy away.

  “Is it following us!?” Ivy yelled. Hyacinth mumbled something that Ivy couldn't understand. They stopped, out of breath. They looked back, but all they saw was Poppy. She was standing in front of the tree. Utterly confused, they walked back to the tree.

  “What are you doing out here, Poppy? There's a terrible creature out here!” Hyacinth scolded.

  “You think I'm a terrible creature?” She said innocently.

  “Wait -- what? No, there's seriously something bad out here!” Poppy grinned at Hyacinth. She grew two feet taller, and her body widened, it grew grey hair with black spots. Sharp teeth and claws came into view. Hyacinth shrieked in terror. Poppy went back to normal.

  “Mother didn't leave us because she didn't love us. That's why she left, because she loved us. She was the oldest of her three sisters, she had the most time. The curse affects the youngest first.

  “Hyacinth will be changing soon. I became this two weeks ago. Each generation shortens the span of time between each sister's time of change. Ivy has close to two weeks left before she, too, is one of us.” She was interrupted by a cry. Hyacinth became the same beast as Poppy had been moments before. Ivy could see the reluctance and sorrow in her eyes.

  “When can she change back?” Ivy asked.

  “Whenever she focuses on being human again. Although I don't recommend it right now.”

  “Why no-” Hyacinth turned human, and she fell to her knees, wailing in pain. She had her arms wrapped around her stomach.

  “Because you must eat. You can see how badly it hurts.”

  “What does she have to eat?”

  Poppy grinned wickedly. “A human.”

  “Nooooo!!” Hyacinth screamed.

  “Do you want the pain to subside?”

  “Yes!!”

  “Okay. Well I'll be right back, then.” Poppy walked towards town.

 

  Thirty minutes later, she returned. A young boy was holding her hand, and he looked half-asleep.

  “When will I get my candy?” He asked Poppy quietly.

  “Come on, Hyacinth. You know you want to!” Hyacinth shook her head as the words came out of Poppy's mouth.

  “Oh, come on. Just don't think about it. You need that pain to quit, right?”

  “No. No. I will NOT!”

  “Suit yourself.” Poppy turned into the beast again. The child screamed. He ran towards the village, still screaming. Poppy didn't follow him. “His parents will think he was sleep-walking. No big deal.”

 

  Two weeks later, Hyacinth was still in pain. She'd held herself over with small animals, even though she was reluctant to that, too. She knew she needed it to live. The only thing that drove her was that she had to survive, somehow.

  Ivy sat outside on a tree stump. She knew what was coming, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. She couldn't hold it off.

  Ivy jerked, and she transformed into a beast. She knew immediately she had to eat a human. She couldn't bring herself to do it, just like Hyacinth. She changed back into a human. Ivy curled up into a ball on the ground and rocked herself. The pain was unbearable. Her vision blurred for a moment.

  Poppy came out of the house. She taunted her the same way she had Hyacinth.

  Ivy changed back into a monster, she ran from Poppy. She found a deer in the forest, and she ate it, despite being sickened by the thought. After eating, she ran back to the house. Hyacinth was sobbing from the pain. Poppy entered the room. She gave them a loaf of bread. It looked a dark pink.

  “Why does it look like that?” Hyacinth asked through her tears.

  “Like what? It looks normal to me.” Poppy replied. “Maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you. You probably think it looks weird.”

  “Oh.” Poppy ripped two pieces off and gave them to Hyacinth and Ivy. They chewed slowly, as if expecting to be poisoned. The hurt and pain faded. They were surprised.

  Ivy realized in horror why the bread appeared pink. She knew why the pain was no longer present.

  “You've put blood in that bread!”

  “You should thank me. You both seem to feel better.”

  “You're a terrible. . . Thing!”

  “We're the same THING. In case you'd forgotten, we're also sisters.”

  “That may be, but you can't choose your family. I didn't pick to be this, either! You're wrong! We aren't the same! You enjoy being this wretched creature. We don't.”

  Hyacinth had escaped the attention of both of them in their argument. She'd went to the kitchen and retrieved the only sharp knife they owned. She'd come back silently. Hyacinth came up behind Poppy, and stuck the knife through her. Poppy looked shocked as she froze and fell forward.

  Hyacinth started crying, and ran to Ivy and hugged her.

  “It's okay. It was for the best.” Ivy tried to reassure her.

  They dug a hole near the oak tree. It was deep. Poppy was wrapped in a sheet, and they rolled her into the pit, and they covered it with dirt. “I'm sorry it had to end this way. I love you, and wish you hadn't been what you were.” Ivy said.