Cherry's Enchanted Adventure chapter 15

"Belle is planning Christmas, eh?" Forte quiered as he had Cherry in his grip once again. "I'll be sure to tell the Master. Thank you once again for your services, Cerise..." Forte had a wicked grin on his face as he looked down at the little girl.

"What do I get out of this anyway?" Cherry looked up at him, looking slightly aggravated.

"Your award shall be with you soon.... Now, where are you and Belle off to?"

"The Boiler Room, I never did this Christmas tradition before but it's about Yule logs." Cherry shrugged.

"I see... Well, go on to the Boiler Room with Belle, I shall alert the Master of this right away..." Forte deeply gulped down at her. "You adorable little morsel..."

"Umm... Right..." Cherry walked off, leaving Forte to himself until the next meeting.

"I must make her mine.... She keeps pulling away.... I must have her..." Forte hyperventilated slightly. He then calmed down once the Beast came into his room. "Oh Master, you won't believe what's going on with Belle and this whole day of December 24th..." Forte greeted as Belle and Cherry were on their way to meet Mr. Feuerwerker.

The girls made their way to the boiler room to look for the Yule log. There workers there to keep the castle warm and they looked like fire pokers gathering logs together. Belle and Cherry were about to walk further, but passed an oil can on a moving wheelbarrow. "Hey! Come on! Get out-of-the-way! We're working here!" he snapped.

"Oh, excuse me." Belle stepped away.

"Sorry about that." Cherry flattened her dress as the oil can passed in between them.

"Alright you guys!" a Jewish voice called as Belle and Cherry walked closer. "Now get back to work! This castle doesn't heat itself you know!" Mr. Feuerwerker, the axe, turned to the girls. "So, what can I do for you, girls?"

"We're looking for a log." Belle replied as she held onto a log.

"Alright," Mr. Feuerwerker smiled. "Logs we got. Whatya want? Hard wood? Soft wood? We got 'em all! We got birch, maple, pine, oak..." as the logs were juggled through the air, one hit the axe on the head as he looked cross-eyed. "Concrete! My head... Don't worry, it'll pass." Mr. Feuerwerker shook his head and he looked back at the girls. "So, make up your mind already!"

"Is it alright if we just browse?" Cherry asked.

"Suit yourself. Take your time. Me, I got work to do." Mr. Feuerwerker walked off to supervise everyone as the girls looked around the fire logs.

As the girls looked, the castle boiler looked extreme like it was about to overflow of some type. After suspense, the castle boiler calmed, blew a little whistle and steam came out. Everyone smiled and felt calmer as nothing went horribly wrong.

"HEY!" Mr. Feuerwerker yelled at the workers. "What am I paying you for, being boring? Do that on your own time! Get out of here!"

"Anything over there, Cerise?" Belle asked as she searched more logs.

"These logs are too small..." Cherry sighed, then she looked up with shock and awe. "Ooh! I think I found one, Belle! Up there!"

Belle looked and noticed Cherry's good eye and took the log at the top. "Yes!" Belle took it and the logs fell, but not too much or too far to injure either of the girls.

"Now let's hurry before the Beast finds out what you're doing." Cherry warned.

Just then the girls heard a familiar roar.

"I had nothing to do with that..." Cherry said quickly and suspiciously.

The Beast came to the girls as Belle hid the log behind her back.

"What are you hiding?" The Beast growled. The Beast turned Belle around and took the log as he observed it and wondered the purpose of it.

"It's a Yule log." Belle explained.

"What?" The Beast turned to her with slight confusion.

"A Yule log." Belle walked over and put her hand on the log. "It's a wonderful tradition. One log is chosen and everyone in the house touches it and makes a Christmas wish."

"Really?" Cherry asked.

"You can wish for anything you want," Belle turned to her with a smile. "Like peace on Earth or good will toward everyone."

"Wishes are stupid." The Beast sneered at both the girls as he held the log high. "You made a Christmas wish last year. IS THIS WHAT YOU WISHED FOR!?" The Beast roar was so loud and dramatic, that a bunch of bats came out from the boiler room and flew off into the distance.

"No." Belle sighed as she put her head down and the Beast kept growling.

"But we'll keep wishing." Cherry told him.

"And when the log is burned on Christmas morning-" Belle continued, but was cut off.

"There will be no Christmas."

"But!" Cherry cried.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" The Beast roared in her face, pushing her back off her feet. "I am the Master here!"

"How could you be so selfish?" Belle asked with great disappointment.

"You cannot possibly understand," the Beast growled. "You have no idea what it's like to lose everything. To be trapped in your own castle. To be a.... a...."

"A prisoner?" Cherry asked.

"The only one holding us prisoner here is you..." Belle told the beast. "Well Cerise and I aren't giving up!" Belle left the room and Cherry looked at her and back at the beast, unsure what to do next. She just walked off as the two shared silence.