The Reader and the Terror
(Image 1 Information: Amsterdam Tulip Season
Image 2 Information: MacLeod's Bookstore in Vancouver, Personal Picture taken July 2020)
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Once upon a time, a pretty girl named Mary lived across the ocean. Now Mary had grown up in the United States, but her family had recently moved to the Netherlands, and more specifically, Rotterdam. Mary had two older sisters, and her dad, Mark, recently passed away. That is why they moved to Rotterdam, as their mom, Martha, had some childhood friends living there. While Mary's family lived in Rotterdam, Martha traveled to Amsterdam four times a year to shop at their market.
The time was upon the girls for Martha to go to Amsterdam. As always, she asked what the girls so desired. They were not overly wealthy, but this was one of the few times a year they splurged on what they wanted or needed. Mary's two older sisters both had long lists and asked for dresses, jewelry, fancy pastries, and the newest, most stylish shoes. Mary only requested her mom bring back some beautiful tulips, as they were her favorite flower and they only bloomed at this time of year.
Martha traveled and loved her time at the market, and loaded up everything her two eldest daughters required. Unfortunately, she forgot to pick some of the beautiful tulips Mary had requested. She remembered this as she was walking home from the train station, when she passed a mansion. Lining the walkway to the mansion was the biggest flower garden she had ever seen. She figured she could snag a few tulips from the front corner and be on her way, but before she even got the first one, a horrendous bear came upon her.
The bear demanded to know what she was doing, and Martha, in tears at this point, stated, "My name is Martha, and my youngest daughter, Mary, had requested some tulips, and I forgot to get them for her." Mary was a great appreciator of natural beauty, and nothing else made her quite as happy.
On hearing this, the bear said, "Martha, you may return home. But in exchange, you must send Mary back to me."
So Martha fled in fear, and relayed the bad news when she arrived in Rotterdam. Mary, a curious girl, longed to see the beautiful flower garden and decided nothing the bear could do to her would be terrible. She packed up a couple bags and began her walk to the mansion, following the detailed instructions her mother provided.
Once Mary arrived at the mansion, the bear asked to learn more about her. Mary revealed that she loved reading, but there were never enough new books at home. The bear was shocked, as he had an entire library of books, stacked from the floor to ceiling.
He said to Mary, "You may read the books and enjoy the flowers, as long as you remain with me. I have way too many and I do not know what to do with them, as I am not a reader. I would love to have someone with whom to share them, and maybe teach me to read so I can experience the joys of reading about new places. I am unable to travel and see the world, and my appearance frightens people."
Torn with love for her family, Mary decided to stay. Books and flowers made her the happiest, and the castle provided enormous amounts of both of these things. She also figured she could help the bear, and as an enneagram two, this would bring her great happiness.
As the weeks and months went on, Mary grew accustomed to her life at the mansion. She enjoyed finding new nooks and crevices to read in, and loved going on walks through the garden with the bear. Eventually, the bear asked her to marry him, and she accepted. After their wedding, the bear turned into a handsome prince, and invited Mary's family to come live at the mansion with them.
Author's Note and Bibliography
The source for my retelling was Josef Baudis' The Key of Gold. In this Czech folk tale, Baudis recounts a story similar to the classic Beauty and the Beast fairy tale most of us know (Disney's version). While crafting this story, I tried to stick to the original while modifying slight details along the way. For example, Mary is the main character in The Key of Gold also, but for the flowers she desired, I chose to use tulips instead of roses.
Changing small details here and there allowed for some added creativity, but hopefully readers will still be able to recognize the original story. I did not want to change it drastically, so I tried to keep the original in mind as I wrote my retelling. I also specified the setting in order to make the story come alive more, as the original is pretty vague in some areas. Additionally, I reverted some of it back to the Beauty and the Beast tale we know and love by writing about Mary's love of reading (like Belle). Because the original is vague in terms of specific details, there was a lot of space to rewrite the story and put a new twist on it!