The Beauty And The Beast
Once upon a time in a far away land, a prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind.
But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Oposed by her haggered appearence, the prince sneared at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be decieved by appearences - the beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's uglyness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment she turned him into a hiddious beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.
Ashamed by his monstrous form the beast hid himself away in the castle. The rose which he had offered was truly an enchanted one and would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love an other 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?