Chapter 14
When Belle’s father wandered out of the Dark Forest, he was practically insane. His mind had seemed to twist in on itself. Still seated upon his horse, he was dirty and malnutritioned.
After a boy from his village spotted him and helped him back to town, his first words were “monster” and “Belle”. To the boy it seemed like the ravings of a madman. To Belle’s father, everything seemed clear.
Having nowhere else to take him, the boy who had found him walked him back to Belle’s house. The way François mumbled and stared into nothing scared the boy. He didn’t know what he should do.
Was Belle’s father drunk? Being the son of the bartender, the boy had seen a lot of drunks. Belle’s father didn’t seem drunk which meant that François wasn’t going to sleep it off. The boy needed to
