It was Friday night and Loque Bella was working her usual 01 to 06 shift. It was around 03 in the morning and the diner was empty; the only people there were her and the cook who was in the kitchen watching a football game on the small TV mounted in the corner on the wall, whilst she was sitting behind the counter flipping through a fashion magazine, wishing she looked as beautiful as the women in it. Loque Bella was stunning but she never saw it and she definitely never felt it. The large thick frame glasses she wore on her face made her feel unattractive and the fact that she couldn't afford make up to make herself look even a little better didn't help either.
Just then the door swung open and hitting the bell at the top, Loque Bella lifted her head and there was a woman walking in. She was about sixty years old and was wearing a wholly blanket over her long brown dress; she looked somewhat homeless. Her name was Gorette.
"Good morning?" Loque Bella said closing the magazine.
"Good morning child," Gorette responded; her voice hoarse like she hadn't had a drink of water in days.
"How can I help you?" she asked coming out from behind the counter to meet her.
"May I please sit down?"
"Of course," she said and Gorette sat down in one of the booths, giving out a heavy sigh.
"Uh that's better."
"What can I get you?"
"I . . . I don't have any money. What do you have that is free?" Gorette asked.
"A cup of coffee."
"Great I will have that."
"Are you not hungry?" Loque Bella asked.
"Oh my darling, you have no idea how hungry I am. I haven't eaten in days but I have not even a single coin on me. I can't afford to buy anything."
"Right, let me get you that coffee."
"Thank you dear," Gorette said and Loque Bella went to prepare her a big cup of coffee; pouring some milk into it and even adding a few tiny marshmallows. She then put it on a tray and delivered it to her and looking down at the tray Gorette's face lit a little up. "Uh what is this?"
"You said you were hungry so I cut you a pie of apple pie."
"No darling, I have no money I can't afford this, you have to take it back."
"It's on the house," Loque Bella said.
"What?"
"It's on the house."
"Oh my dear, that is so so kind of you. I'm sorry hungry. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome," Loque Bella said and Gorette immediately dug in. "If you need anything else just let me know o.k., I'm by the counter," she then said and walked way.
"Wait." Loque Bella stopped and turned back to her.
"Yes."
"Would you mind sitting down and keeping me company?"
"Uh . . . Not at all sure," she said and sat down opposite her.
"Do you want a bite of my pie?"
"Oh no it's fine, I just ate thank you."
"Right," Gorette said and ate on; as Loque Bella watched her for a bit and then turned her head to the window to look outside at the full moon. A faint smile grew on her face as she looked on and got lost in its gorgeous yellow light. "I love it too," she then said and Loque Bella turned to her.
"Sorry?"
"The moon . . . I love it too."
"It's just so beautiful. Every time I look at it it just brings this weird happiness inside of me, like . . . Like it's speaking to me you know," Loque Bella said.
"What does it say?"
"No it's stupid," she said chuckling.
"Go on tell me, I would love to hear it."
"You promise you won't laugh?"
"I promise," Gorette said.
"It tells me that one day I will find a place where I truly belong. That I won't be this nobody for the rest of my life and that I will finally find the happiness that I have been looking for my whole life."
"Oh darling, that's so beautiful."
"You don't think it's weird that I get all that just by looking at the moon?"
"Not at all; if you can hear the moon speaking to you then you must be very special."
"Or just really weird, it's a thin line," Loque Bella said and they laughed.
"What is your name child?"
"Loque Bella."
"Oh what a lovely name, what does it mean?" Gorette asked.
"I have no idea." They chuckled. "All I know is that my mother, whoever she was, left a request in a letter that whoever adopted me should name me Loque Bella."
"Your mother gave you away?"
"Yes she did. Right when I was born," she said.
"Oh sweetheart, I am so sorry."
"Yeah."
"I'm sure she did what was best for you," Gorette said.
"So they told me," she said and silence swept for a moment.
"Did you find a good foster home?"
"I did; I got adopted by the Henry's and they were so nice. They gave me everything I needed and they never missed a chance to tell me they loved me; life was good, I couldn't have dreamed of it being any better. But then one night, an accident happened and my whole world went dark. I lost my guardians and I lost everything that made my life the special thing it was. And just like that everything changed. They told me that if anything happened to them that I'd be taken care of but it seems someone greased the lawyers because when the will came out, my name was nowhere in it. I got kicked out of my own home with not so much as change to pay for the bus. It's been five years and I have been fending for myself ever since."
"Oh my darling I am so sorry," Gorette said.
"I used to hear talks about them not liking me and not considering me family but I didn't think they would go as far as writing me out of the will and abandoning me. No one hugged me, no one wished me well, no one even walked me out to make sure I made it to the bus stop o.k. they just stood there and watch me leave and that was it."
"That is such a sad story," she said, with a hand to her chest even.
"It's alright, that's life right. Sometimes it knocks you down and sometimes it really knocks you down but whatever, you just dust yourself off and you keep going."
"Such a brave girl. I know the Henry's are looking down on you and are so proud of who you've become."
"Are they really? There's nothing to my life," Loque Bella said tearing up.
"Uh uh don't you dare say that about yourself, nothing to your life, you're alive, that's something."
"Yes but look at my life, I'm a waitress who gets paid scraps. I live in a worn out one room apartment because I get paid scraps. I can't get a better job because I didn't finish high school; this is my life and this is all it will ever be."
"What if I told you you could be so much more?"
"Listen lady I like you but I am not selling my soul to you," she said and they chuckled. "Things are bad but things are not that bad." They chuckled on.
"Worry not your soul is safe."
"Thank you."
"But it is lost," Gorette said.
"Tell me about it; every day I wake up feeling empty, like there is so much more to my life but I have absolutely no idea how to access it. Like there's a huge part of me missing and I don't know where that part of me is."
"I do."
"You do what?" Loque Bella asked.
"I know where that missing part of you is."
"Really?"
"Oh yes," Gorette responded.
"Where is it?"
"Not where my darling . . . When," she said and Loque Bella just sat there looking at her with a wondered look on her face. Did she just say when? What was she going on about?
"When?" Loque Bella asked."Yes when," Gorette said."What does that even mean?""It means another time.""The part of me that's missing is in another time?" Loque Bella asked."Yes.""Like past and future another time?""The past actually, that's where the truth of your being lies. If you are to find that missing part and live out the truth of who you really are, you must travel to the past," Gorette said."Uh huh . . . Alright it was nice chatting with you, I am going to leave you be and go and do literally anything else," Loque Bella said standing up."You are living but not to the fullness of who you really are." She stopped. "Your spirit is calling out for things this time cannot give it and as such it is sad because it knows what it can really do, what it really is but this time will not let it because a spirit like yours is extincted and can no longer have the freedom it once did because it's not supposed to exist
The kingdom was called Hampshen and it was in a time similar to that of the Victorian Era. It was night time and opening her eyes Loque Bella found herself lying down on a bed in a bedroom. There were four beds, including the one she was on, with a chest of drawers against the bare wall and burning oil lamps on the walls. She sat up; wearing a simple dress with her long dark hair flowing down her back and onto the bed.Downstairs, her family sat; father, Mr. Braun, and her three sisters. He was sitting on his sofa by the fire place as the girls set the dining table; singing a song they loved with their voices blending together like angels singing. The first born was Ida, the second was Kima, the third Miro and the last was Loque Bella. Listening in and watching them, Mr. Braun smiled, his daughters were quite a sight, all of them spitting images of their late mother. They lived in a secluded farm house in the outskirts of the village and were a lower middle class family
An hour later, they were done with dinner and the sisters were in their room sitting on their beds. They were changed into their night dresses and could bring themselves to stop talking about the news the queen just brought. Loque Bella was marrying Prince Callum.“Goodness gracious I can’t believe I’m going to be a princess,” Loque Bella said.“Princess darling you’re going to be a queen, queen of Hampshen,” Miro said.“Queen Loque Bella,” Kima said and they chuckled.“Oh gosh I am so nervous, I can’t believe I’m actually going to marry the prince. Me, oh dear, what if I muck it up?” Loque Bella asked.“You are not going to muck it up,” Ida said.“I know nothing about being queen. I can't even handle you lot what more an entire kingdom of all sorts of people.”“You’re going to learn,” Miro said.“What i
"And just like that I never stepped another foot into the night ever again," Loque Bella said."Oh my Loque Bella I am so sorry," Prince Callum said."I don't even like to look into the night through the window. My family knows it too. We close the curtains and lock the doors just when the sun is going down and then we all stay in until the sun comes back up again.""Wow, what happened that night really changed your life.""It did. Now just that the mere sight of the sun setting in the sky brings a coldness to my skin," she said."Have you ever tried to face your fear?""Go out into the night? No. The thought of it shrinks me back to that little girl and I get scared all over again. I know I should do something about it, I'm a big girl for goodness sake, I can't be afraid of the dark. I wake up every morning feeling brave to take on anything but when the sun begins to go down, I become that little girl and all the bravery I had leaves me and
Two days later, father and his daughters went to the palace to meet with Queen Roselyn and Prince Callum for lunch. They were sitting down by the large table in the dining hall enjoying a wide variety of foods laid out on the table, as the guards stood spread out against the walls and at the door. “Thank you for having us your majesty,” father said. “Oh please the pleasure is all mine,” Queen Roselyn said. “And I must say you all look so wonderful,” she then said. “Yes you do,” Prince Callum said, with his eyes glued on Loque Bella. He knew of her beauty but with her hair bundled up opening her face and her navy blue dress complimenting how her skin shined underneath the light of the chandeliers, he was completely taken. “Thank you,” the girls said slightly bowing their heads. Loque Bella looked at Prince Callum and finding him looking at her, butterflies flooded her tummy and she looked down smiling to herself. He too smiled to himself and they carri
The following day and as planned Loque Bella and Prince Callum went to the stream to have a picnic; sitting on a blanket and enjoying delicious treats whilst enjoying the lovely day. They spent hours out there and in those hours they talked and got to know more about each other, deepening the bond that came to life the first day they met. They talked about how different they grew up and discovered that even though they lived two totally different lives they had so much in common. They talked about their lost parents; Loque Bella's mother and Prince Callum's father and shared wonderful memories about them. Prince Callum shared all the beautiful places he had travelled to and promised to take her to see each one and even took the opportunity to give her a gift he specifically had made for her; a small white box nicely wrapped with a pink ribbon. "What is this?" Loque Bella asked. "Open it," Prince Callum said and she removed the ribbon and pulled the li
Minutes later Loque Bella and her sister bridesmaids were ready to leave for the church. Covered with the veil falling over her face, she was helped into her white and flower decorated wedding carriage by her sisters and together they rode down the road to the church; with the village people, men, women and even children, standing in the sides of the road waving to the carriage and throwing petals into the air and Loque Bella inside the closed carriage waving back at them. A moment later they arrived at the church and Loque Bella's sisters helped her out of the carriage and up the steps of the church where father was standing nicely put together in a brown suit waiting for her. He saw her and his eyes immediately began to water. "My love," father said. "Hello father," Loque Bella said and they shared a warm hug. "Oh my goodness, it's like looking at an angel. My love, you look so beautiful." "Thank you father." "You are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen," he said looking
The fayagan breathed out a black flames to the people and seeing the flames coming straight for them they ducked and the flames passed above them. It breathed on and the heat of the flames caused them to scream even louder as the walls, the ceiling and the double door caught fire and the windows burst; scattering the broken pieces into the streets and immediately startling the people that were waiting outside to see the married couple. Inside, the people had their heads down as just then the fayagan stopped breathing fire and looked down at Loque Bella; also on the floor and with her head low. It then gave out another spine chilling squeal and grabbed Loque Bella. It held her firm in its huge clawed hand that almost completely covered her and then leaped off the floor and flew out, flapping its massive wings and creating winds that raised the dust and debris of the broken wall off the floor and into the air, blinding their sight as the fagayan flew off further into the distance. "Loqu