Latest / Abide Meditation App / Beauty and the Beast Sleepy Story _ Part 1 _ Fairytale Bedtime Story

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Beauty and the Beast Sleepy Story _ Part 1 _ Fairytale Bedtime Story · Abide Meditation App

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax,
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Thomas. Thanks so
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: much for tuning in. Tonight, we'll begin a dreamy three-part
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: retelling of the classic tale, Beauty and the Beast. It's
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: a perfectly autumnal story to lead you into a good
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: night's sleep. And you'll be able to hear parts two
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: and three on Wednesday and Thursday this week. For our
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: premium supporters, we'll also be releasing a special stitched version
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: of Beauty and the Beast, which is over two hours long,
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: on Thursday. Now then, Before we get to part one
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: of our week-long fairy tale adventure, let's just take a
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: moment to settle in and let go of any unease
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: lingering in the body or mind. Make sure you're comfortable
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: and as you ease into stillness, just allow your breathing
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: to draw out a little longer particularly on the exhale.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: Focus your attention as much as you can on your breathing.
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: Let the slow, steady rhythm of the airflow become a
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: mindful and soothing experience. When I speak to you here,
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: prior to each story, I try to say the things
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: that I know I would want to hear if I
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: were falling asleep to this show. I've found the process
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: of getting to sleep in particular rather difficult throughout much
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: of my life. I still have bad patches nowadays. but
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: I've gradually learned to remain calm and not let it
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: stress me out on those difficult nights. Yes, it can
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: make the next day a fair bit more challenging, but
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: getting worked up about it only brings more wakefulness. So remember,
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: while you listen along tonight, you can use your breath
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: to help pacify any stress, tension or worry. It's a
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: simple yet effective way to calm the nervous system and
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: guide you into a beautiful night's sleep. And that's especially
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: true when you combine those deep breaths with a dreamy
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: bedtime story like this one. It's a tale as old
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: as time. So, without further ado, let's drift into the
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: fairy tale world of Beauty and the Beast. There was
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: once a merchant named Laurent, who staked his entire fortune
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: on a fleet of ships, but lost them all at sea.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Being a widower, he didn't have to take this news
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: home to a wife. However, he had six children who
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: had grown used to a life of relative privilege. When
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: the debts were called in and rumor spread that the
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: family was penniless, most of them took the news hard.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: As days turned into weeks and the ships didn't appear
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: in the port, the merchant had to begin selling their
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: fine furniture, their carriage, and even his daughter's jewelry and
• 5:08
  Speaker 1: expensive dresses. they had to give up their richly appointed
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: house and move to a cottage on the outskirts of town.
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: Laurent was frequently away, visiting business acquaintances and trying to
• 5:28
  Speaker 1: find partners who might invest and help him rebuild his business.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: While he traveled, his children, who were three boys and
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: three girls, were left to keep the house on their own.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: Although they were practically adults, the three boys and the
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: two oldest girls were largely useless when it came to
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: practical skills. They had become quite accustomed to a life
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: of study and idle luxury. The youngest daughter, whose name
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: was Camille, was the most willing to take on the
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: necessary household chores, now that they were without servants. Perhaps
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: it was her more impressionable age, or perhaps it was
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: that she had a sweeter, more steadfast temperament. Whatever the
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: combination of factors, Camille did the best she could to
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: learn the basics of running a household. Indeed, she was
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: the only member of the family who was truly liked
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: by the people in the village. Laurence Brood did not
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: have many friends. To make their situation worse, The five
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: oldest children also made no effort to adjust to their
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: new lives. They did nothing to prove themselves capable or
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: to endear themselves to the neighbors who might have helped them. Camille, however,
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: sought advice from the villagers about unfamiliar skills such as baking, sewing, gardening,
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: and keeping chickens. Their wariness turned to a genuine affection
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: when they grew to appreciate her willingness to learn and
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: to work hard. In this way, over time, she became
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: the glue that held Laurent's household together. while the five
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: older siblings struggled to accept their fate, unable to change.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: Camille ensured that they had a tidy home and that
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: there was food on the table. One day, When the
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: family had been living this way for nearly two years,
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: Laurent received word that one of his lost ships had
• 8:34
  Speaker 1: appeared in the port, its cargo largely intact. The family
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: rejoiced at this miraculous news. The older five siblings, declaring
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: that their lives among the villagers were finally at an end.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: Camille took pleasure in their happiness, but the news did
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: not seem as important to her as it did to
• 9:06
  Speaker 1: the others. She had come to love their small cottage
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: with its tidy garden and comforting aroma of baking bread.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Although it would be a relief to see the rest
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: of her family content, she was unsure as to whether
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: she wanted to return to their former lives of idleness.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: She had become a person who liked being useful. In
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: order to reclaim his property, Laurent had to travel to
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: the port by horseback, and it would be a journey
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: of a couple of days. Once there, he could arrange
• 9:58
  Speaker 1: for the proper dispersal. of his reclaimed wealth and hire
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: a comfortable coach to bring him home. In anticipation of
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: their improved fortunes, he asked each of his children what
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: gift they would like to have from the city. The
• 10:22
  Speaker 1: older siblings demanded finery. They asked for silk shoes with
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: sparkling buckles, hats with elaborate trimmings, velvet capes, furs, and jewels.
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: Only Camille was silent, seeming to think very hard about
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: what her request would be. When her father turned to
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: her and told her to speak up, she hesitated briefly.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: In truth, father, I have always dreamed of seeing a rose,
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: she said. They do not grow in this part of
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: the country, and they are so exotic and expensive. If
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: you could bring me a single rose in any color,
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: that would be lovely. He chuckled at the strange whims
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: of his youngest, but he readily agreed. Privately, he thought
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: he would also bring her a necklace or some sort
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: of bauble to go with the flower. The weather was
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: fine on the morning of his departure. Camille took care
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: to pack his saddlebag with provisions for his journey, and
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: she wished him farewell with a somewhat tearful smile. The
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: others were more cavalier. They were used to their father's travels,
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: They cared only for the gifts they could now expect
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: upon his return. As he rode away down the sun-dappled
• 12:31
  Speaker 1: forest path, Camille alone waited in front of the cottage
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: until he disappeared. She had a strange feeling of misgiving,
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: but she didn't want to speak up. After all, their
• 12:50
  Speaker 1: fortunes had obviously taken a turn for the better. While
• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Laurent's children waited at the cottage, he steadily made his
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: way to the port city, filled with anticipation of reclaiming
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: his wealth and status. It was true, of course. that
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: he had still suffered heavy losses. However, with the cargo
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: in this ship, he could seed a new business, perhaps
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: building up to a new fleet of ships. His head
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: was filled with dreams of the spices, silks, and other
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: goods he might import in the future. It was devastating
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: to him, therefore, to arrive and find his dreams dashed.
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: It was true, his ship had reappeared with most of
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: its cargo unharmed. However, word had spread quickly of his
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: good fortune, and his many creditors had taken swift action.
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: By the time Laurent had come to claim his property,
• 14:23
  Speaker 1: it had already been distributed to pay his many debts.
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: In vain, he contacted one merchant after another, asking for
• 14:38
  Speaker 1: an extension on his considerable bills. But it was no use.
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: At the end of the day, he was a man
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: without debts, but he was empty-handed. There was no money
• 14:59
  Speaker 1: left for him to invest, and there was certainly no
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: money to spend on the gifts he had promised to
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: his family. He was so disheartened, he didn't even want
• 15:15
  Speaker 1: to stay in the city overnight. Without properly provisioning himself,
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: considering the weather, or sending any correspondence ahead of him,
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: Laurent mounted his tired horse again and rode out of town,
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: heading back down the provincial road that had brought him
• 15:40
  Speaker 1: to the port that morning. Laurent was a few hours
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: outside of the city when darkness fell and a storm descended.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: Lightning and thunder crashed all around him, and the wind
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: gusted mercilessly, blowing limbs off the trees. Laurent's horse became
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: frightened and bolted away from the main road, taking him
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: into an unfamiliar forest. Realizing too late that he had
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: been foolish to undertake this nighttime journey, Laurent began searching
• 16:36
  Speaker 1: in the gusting wind for any sort of shelter, such
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: as a cave. How long his horse wandered through the
• 16:47
  Speaker 1: howling gale, he did not know. Finally, he saw a
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: tall stone wall arise before him. He urged the horse onward,
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: hoping he had reached a house where he might shelter.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Arriving at the forbidding wall of rock, he saw that
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: it was not a house. It was the wall around
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: an estate. A tall and imposing iron gate stood ever
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: so slightly open. Having no time for good manners, Laurent
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: dismounted and pushed the heavy swinging gate wide enough to
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: pull his horse through. Together, they slowly headed up a
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: paved walkway that receded ahead of them into the swirling darkness.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: With leaves flying all around and rain pelting him from
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: all sides, Laurent could barely see the massive structure that
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: emerged ahead of him in the wicked gloom. It was
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: a mansion, to be sure. Although his visibility was limited,
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: he could see it had a grand approach and many
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: large rooms with tall windows. It was a very intimidating
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: place for a person to arrive uninvited, but he had
• 18:45
  Speaker 1: no choice. He feared he could not survive the night
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: without a roof over his head. Tying his horse up
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: safely in a sheltered alcove, he walked to the massive
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: front door. and lifted the iron door knocker. He let
• 19:10
  Speaker 1: it fall, hearing the sound echo through the gloom, as
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: if in response to the thunder. When there was no answer,
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: he took a deep breath and pushed the door inward
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: with all his weight. It gave, and he found himself
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: almost falling onto the floor of a grand entryway. Laurent
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: lay on the cold flagstones for a moment, regaining his
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: breath in the eerie stillness. He could still hear the
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: rain lashing the front steps through the crack in the
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: tall door, and thought to himself, how glad he was
• 20:08
  Speaker 1: that he'd found shelter for his horse. Rising in the semi-darkness,
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: he peered about him. He was in a grand reception
• 20:22
  Speaker 1: area with a curved staircase ascending on either side. Suits
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: of armor stood sentinel here and there. Ahead of him
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: there was a set of richly carved double doors. The
• 20:44
  Speaker 1: silence inside the house was profound. He could have heard
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: a pin drop, but there was a light glowing around
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: the cracks of the doors in front of him. After
• 21:01
  Speaker 1: a few half-hearted efforts to call out to the occupants,
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: he took another deep breath and walked toward the lighted room.
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: Pushing the doors slowly open, he leaned inside and scanned
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: the room. A fire was roaring in the cavernous hearth
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: In front of it, a table was set for one,
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: with a few simple dishes, a carafe, and a large
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: drinking glass spread across it. His gaze took in the
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: other aspects of the comfortable room. He saw upholstered chairs
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: and tables carelessly stacked with books. Still, there was no
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: sign of the owner. Laurent awkwardly sat down on one
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: of the armchairs and waited for a few moments. Soon,
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: he could not take his eyes from the simple dinner
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: laid upon the table. The loaf of bread and the
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: aroma of the roasted meat tormented him. and his stomach
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: growled loudly. As minutes passed and nobody appeared, he soon
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: gave in to his hunger and seated himself at the table,
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: first taking just a slice of bread and then slowly
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: eating the entire meal. he passed an hour in contented silence. Perhaps,
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: he thought, the owner was away from home and sheltering
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: from the storm elsewhere. Taking a deep drink of the
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: delicious liquid in the glass, he hungrily polished off the
• 23:26
  Speaker 1: rest of the dinner. Yes, he told himself, The owner
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: was away, and he would be able to explain himself
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: in the morning. Upon finishing all the food, Laurent leaned
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: happily back in his chair and drank the rest of
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: the contents of the carafe. The fire danced before his eyes.
• 23:59
  Speaker 1: crackling and popping with a comforting warmth. Draining the last
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: drop from his large cup, he pulled the letter about
• 24:13
  Speaker 1: his recovered cargo ship from his pocket. Just a short
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: time ago, he had been so full of hope. Now,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: those dreams were gone again. He dropped the letter on
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: the table and pushed it away. Without even realizing it,
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: Laurent fell into a deep sleep. He slumbered through the
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: night without dreaming. When he awoke in the morning, it
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: took him a moment to remember where he was. The
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: fire had long ago burned down, and the plates and
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: glasses he'd used the night before were still on the table.
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: It appeared that his host had not yet returned home.
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: Feeling sheepish that he'd entered a stranger's home without invitation,
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: his embarrassment got the better of him. Rather than wait
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: for the return of the owner, Laurent resolved to slip
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: out of the house as quietly as possible and be
• 25:42
  Speaker 1: quickly on his way. After all, he told himself, the
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: dinner would obviously have gone to waste anyhow. Raising himself
• 25:59
  Speaker 1: from the upholstered chair, Laurent moved across the chamber and
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: pulled the double doors open. The morning light filtered weakly
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: into the entryway, illuminating the austere hallway so that he
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: could see it much better than the night before. Stepping
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: self-consciously into the foyer, he found himself tiptoeing between the
• 26:32
  Speaker 1: vigilant suits of armor, as if they might come to
• 26:37
  Speaker 1: life any moment and bar his path. Peering around him
• 26:45
  Speaker 1: at the twin curving staircases, he noted that their carpet
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: runners appeared neglected and fusty. It was as if nobody
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: had been living here for some time He walked lightly
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: across the flagstones to the enormous front door. He reached
• 27:14
  Speaker 1: for the handles and pulled with all his might. It
• 27:20
  Speaker 1: slowly slid open again, revealing a misty courtyard outside, squeezing
• 27:29
  Speaker 1: himself through the crack and then pushing it shut behind him.
• 27:35
  Speaker 1: he straightened his waistcoat and attempted to muster some dignity.
• 27:43
  Speaker 1: Escaping his forbidding refuge like a thief in the night
• 27:48
  Speaker 1: felt wrong, but he would try to put this entire
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: humiliating journey behind him. Making haste, he returned to the
• 28:03
  Speaker 1: alcove where he'd left his horse tethered the night before.
• 28:09
  Speaker 1: He was glad to find her well. He reached into
• 28:14
  Speaker 1: his saddlebag to feed her an apple he had left
• 28:18
  Speaker 1: over from the supplies Camille had packed for him. Then,
• 28:25
  Speaker 1: untying the horse, he quietly led her down the stone
• 28:30
  Speaker 1: path He had traveled in the whipping wind the night before.
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: Looking behind him, he saw the mansion rising darkly into
• 28:44
  Speaker 1: the growing daylight. It was an enormous chateau. Long, beige,
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: and rectangular, the building had a main center section, and
• 28:59
  Speaker 1: was flanked by identical wings on either side. The windows
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: were tall and narrow, lining all the two large floors
• 29:12
  Speaker 1: with a regimented appearance. They seemed to be staring down
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: at him. The sloping, tiled roof was thickly populated with chimneys,
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: Turning away from the sight of the imposing chateau, he
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: led the horse toward the front gate, taking in the overwhelm.
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: gardens on either side of him. As he was nearing
• 29:47
  Speaker 1: the end of the walkway, he spotted a particularly charming
• 29:52
  Speaker 1: pergola that was overrun with rose bushes. standing in the
• 30:00
  Speaker 1: center of a round seating area, was a rosebush blooming
• 30:06
  Speaker 1: with the most stunning pink roses he'd ever seen. All
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: at once, he remembered his promise to Camille. Resolving to
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: keep his word to his youngest daughter, he eagerly set
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: to cutting blushing roses from the bush with a knife
• 30:31
  Speaker 1: he kept in his bag. One rose would not be
• 30:36
  Speaker 1: enough to make up for the circumstances of his reappearance.
• 30:43
  Speaker 1: He would take them all. Laurent was so absorbed by
• 30:51
  Speaker 1: his task that he didn't hear footsteps approaching. However, as
• 30:59
  Speaker 1: he backed away from the rosebush, now devoid of all
• 31:04
  Speaker 1: its blossoms, he sensed he was being watched. Turning, he
• 31:14
  Speaker 1: saw a tall, fierce-looking man glowering down at him. or
• 31:22
  Speaker 1: at least he thought it was a man. The being
• 31:28
  Speaker 1: who stood before him resembled a human, but he was
• 31:33
  Speaker 1: bristling from beneath a wilderness of facial hair, and he
• 31:39
  Speaker 1: had an abnormally tall and muscular build. Obviously not prepared
• 31:47
  Speaker 1: for company, he was wearing a wrinkled, linen shirt and breeches,
• 31:54
  Speaker 1: as if he had stormed over in a hurry. He
• 32:00
  Speaker 1: appeared to be furious. What do you think you are doing?
• 32:08
  Speaker 1: He said in a loud growl, like that of a wolf.
• 32:15
  Speaker 1: Laurent froze, painfully aware of the bouquet. hanging from his
• 32:21
  Speaker 1: left hand. He stuttered out an explanation, saying that he
• 32:28
  Speaker 1: thought nobody lived here. He said he assumed the roses
• 32:34
  Speaker 1: would not be missed. Then, seeing no change in the
• 32:40
  Speaker 1: man's fearsome He finished weekly with the explanation that he
• 32:47
  Speaker 1: had promised some roses to his daughter. The beastly man
• 32:56
  Speaker 1: in the linen shirt waited in stony silence, as if
• 33:01
  Speaker 1: considering his next words carefully. Then he drew himself up
• 33:09
  Speaker 1: to his full height and said, You took advantage of
• 33:15
  Speaker 1: my hospitality without asking. You ate my dinner. You slept
• 33:22
  Speaker 1: in my chair. All of this I was willing to
• 33:28
  Speaker 1: overlook without confronting you. However, you have now taken every
• 33:35
  Speaker 1: bloom from my most prized rosebush. It has great personal
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: meaning to me. There is not another like it, and
• 33:47
  Speaker 1: each of those flowers is priceless in my estimation. I
• 33:55
  Speaker 1: demand that you make an effort to compensate me for this.
• 34:03
  Speaker 1: Hearing these words, Laurent felt his heart sink. He shook
• 34:10
  Speaker 1: his head in defeat. and told the man that he
• 34:14
  Speaker 1: could not pay anything at all. He had nothing to offer.
• 34:23
  Speaker 1: His stony-faced host regarded him coolly. In that case, you
• 34:31
  Speaker 1: must work off your debt, he responded. I am in
• 34:37
  Speaker 1: need of laborers here at my estate. Laurent gawked at him,
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: trying to formulate another suggestion. But sir, he protested, I
• 34:53
  Speaker 1: have six children at home. I cannot stay here with you.
• 35:00
  Speaker 1: What will become of them? The man appeared unmoved. Either
• 35:09
  Speaker 1: you work off your debt, or someone in your family
• 35:13
  Speaker 1: must take your place, he said. Take your roses. They
• 35:20
  Speaker 1: are no good to me now. Return to your family
• 35:25
  Speaker 1: and make your arrangements. I will expect you or your
• 35:31
  Speaker 1: replacement to be here within a week. If you do
• 35:37
  Speaker 1: not appear, I will find you. With that, the glowering,
• 35:47
  Speaker 1: fierce-looking man turned on his heel and strode toward the house.
• 35:55
  Speaker 1: He never looked back, and Laurent watched him as he
• 36:00
  Speaker 1: disappeared into the chateau. Laurent could see no other options.
• 36:10
  Speaker 1: than to go home and tell his children what he
• 36:14
  Speaker 1: had done. He did not know how, but he would
• 36:19
  Speaker 1: have to make arrangements for them to manage in his absence.
• 36:25
  Speaker 1: Perhaps when the man had cooled his temper, he would
• 36:30
  Speaker 1: see sense and not keep Laurent in his service too long.
• 36:39
  Speaker 1: With the storm past and daylight on his side, Laurent
• 36:44
  Speaker 1: was able to follow his path back to the main
• 36:48
  Speaker 1: road and continue onward towards home. He rode steadily, but slowly,
• 36:58
  Speaker 1: as he considered the news he'd have to share upon
• 37:02
  Speaker 1: his arrival. It was a beautiful day, The mist lifted
• 37:12
  Speaker 1: and the early autumn sun showered him with a cheer
• 37:16
  Speaker 1: that felt out of place. The birds sang sweetly as
• 37:24
  Speaker 1: if nothing was amiss. But his heart was heavy and
• 37:31
  Speaker 1: he was hesitant about what was to come. When he
• 37:38
  Speaker 1: arrived home Late that night, his children greeted him with excitement.
• 37:47
  Speaker 1: After all, they were expecting gifts. Opening and closing his saddlebags,
• 37:56
  Speaker 1: they playfully reached around to find the finery he had
• 38:00
  Speaker 1: promised them. With regret, he instead offered each of them
• 38:08
  Speaker 1: a rose. Camille took hers and smelled it with delight,
• 38:16
  Speaker 1: admiring its perfection. But his other five children demanded to
• 38:24
  Speaker 1: see their real presence. That night, around the crowded kitchen table,
• 38:33
  Speaker 1: Laurent told his children what had happened on his ill-fated
• 38:39
  Speaker 1: journey to the port city. He related the loss of
• 38:45
  Speaker 1: his remaining fortune, as well as the circumstances leading up
• 38:51
  Speaker 1: to his current obligation, to the owner of the mysterious chateau.
• 39:01
  Speaker 1: When he concluded that he would have to return and
• 39:04
  Speaker 1: work off his The five oldest siblings were not pleased.
• 39:12
  Speaker 1: They pouted, asking how they were supposed to manage in
• 39:17
  Speaker 1: his absence. Camille alone was silent. She sat at the
• 39:27
  Speaker 1: table with an unreadable expression. lost in thought. Finally, she
• 39:36
  Speaker 1: called for silence. Her siblings looked at her with surprise,
• 39:45
  Speaker 1: as Camille was usually not one to insert her opinions.
• 39:52
  Speaker 1: Camille announced that she would return to the chateau to
• 39:57
  Speaker 1: take her father's place. Laurent's eyes filled with tears. He
• 40:06
  Speaker 1: protested that he could not and would not allow such
• 40:12
  Speaker 1: a thing. However, Camille's sound reasoning was difficult to counter.
• 40:24
  Speaker 1: father was needed at home to support the family. She, however,
• 40:31
  Speaker 1: could be spared. Furthermore, she did have some household skills
• 40:39
  Speaker 1: and would be able to do whatever cleaning or cooking
• 40:44
  Speaker 1: was allotted to her. No, she concluded, there was not
• 40:52
  Speaker 1: another reasonable solution It was she who would work off
• 40:58
  Speaker 1: the family debt. It only took a day or two
• 41:06
  Speaker 1: for Camille to prepare her modest belongings for the journey.
• 41:12
  Speaker 1: As the rose her father brought her began to wilt,
• 41:17
  Speaker 1: she pressed it in a book to dry. She wanted
• 41:22
  Speaker 1: to have a reminder of why she was leaving home
• 41:26
  Speaker 1: to work for this beastly stranger on a distant and
• 41:31
  Speaker 1: isolated estate. Camille was nervous about leaving behind everything she
• 41:40
  Speaker 1: had known, but she was determined to make her father proud.
• 41:52
  Speaker 1: The morning of Camille's departure dawned bright and clear. She
• 41:59
  Speaker 1: and Laurent packed her things into a small cart that
• 42:03
  Speaker 1: they hitched to their faithful mare. The chateau would be
• 42:09
  Speaker 1: two days' walk, with the horse pulling the cart. Laurent
• 42:16
  Speaker 1: knew of an inn where they could spend the night
• 42:19
  Speaker 1: along the way, her older siblings gathered in front of
• 42:27
  Speaker 1: the cottage to see them off. Among them, there was
• 42:33
  Speaker 1: a mixture of relief and unspoken admiration. They were glad
• 42:41
  Speaker 1: that they would not be left to fend for themselves
• 42:45
  Speaker 1: for very long. It was a somber journey, Laurent and Camille.
• 42:57
  Speaker 1: The fine weather lasted all the first day, and their
• 43:03
  Speaker 1: night at the inn was uneventful. However, the second day
• 43:11
  Speaker 1: of their trip proved to be blustery and sullen, as
• 43:16
  Speaker 1: autumn first began to stake its claim on the forest.
• 43:23
  Speaker 1: The first of the fallen brown leaves blew across their path,
• 43:29
  Speaker 1: and the wind whistled through the trees. Their faithful horse
• 43:37
  Speaker 1: clopped along the road, slowly drawing them nearer and nearer
• 43:44
  Speaker 1: to their partings. When Laurent spotted the turnoff from the
• 43:52
  Speaker 1: main road that would lead to the chateau, his heart
• 43:57
  Speaker 1: began to break more with each step. Sensing her father's
• 44:04
  Speaker 1: sinking spirits, Camille bolstered her courage and smiled at him reassuringly.
• 44:15
  Speaker 1: Don't worry, father, she said soothingly. I am a capable person.
• 44:23
  Speaker 1: I will be fine. He nodded, hoping it would be true. Inevitably,
• 44:37
  Speaker 1: the pair arrived at the gloomy entrance to the estate.
• 44:44
  Speaker 1: Laurent knew the time had come, pushing the gate open
• 44:49
  Speaker 1: once again he led the horse through the opening and
• 44:55
  Speaker 1: approached the forbidding mansion for the second time.
• 46:50
  Speaker 2: You Thank you. you you you Thank you.