Bill & the BeastBy Elizabeth Bender

Illustrated by

James Horrick, Timothy Horrick

Elizabeth Bender, & Kellie Tingue

Bill and his father lived in a small cottage outside of town. They were known for their pies. Bill’s father grew wonderful apple trees behind their cottage. The apple trees backed a brick wall, and on the other side grew more apple trees. These trees were greener and taller, and grew apples so sweet you could smell them from Bill’s window.

But the apples belonged to a giant Beast that lived in the cottage on the other side of the brick wall. And it was forbidden to enter the orchards of the Beast.

One day, Bill’s father didn’t collect enough apples from his trees. He

quietly snuck through a hole in the brick wall. He picked apples all

afternoon. By the time he filled two baskets, the sun had set beyond the mountains, and only a sliver of light

stretched across the orchards.

He tried to hurry home, but couldn’t find the opening in the wall. Then,

from behind him came a terrible ROAR. The giant Beast captured

him and locked him away in the house beyond the brick wall and

apple trees.

For days, Bill wondered where his father had disappeared to. In the past he had left town to visit with far off friends and family, but never without saying good-bye.

One night, Bill overheard a rumor in town that his father had been captured by the Beast of the local legend. He decided that very moment, at the first light the next day, he would head over the brick wall and save his father.

And so he did. He found the hole and upon entering the orchard,

found his father’s baskets: apples scattered everywhere.

He quietly crept up to the house and what did he see? His father was

digging a well!

“What are you doing here?” growled a voice from behind Bill.

Startled, Billed answered “I came to save my father.”

“You father lives here and does my bidding now. Leave this place.”

“I will not!”

“Why not? What does he matter to you?”

“My father is my friend. He is my partner, my teammate. We work together to make our life. We clean our house together, we work in the orchard together. We make pies to sell in town together.”

“You’ll have to learn to work alone,” snarled the Beast.

“I will not. The jobs are easier as a team. I need my father and he needs me.”

“Can’t you see I need him to dig this well for me?”

Bill didn’t know what to do. He couldn't overcome the beast, and he couldn’t leave his father.

“I have an idea!” exclaimed Bill.

“If better be good,” growled the Beast.

“We’ll do it together! Like I said, everything is easier if it’s done as a

team.”

So they began to work on the well. At first the Beast wasn’t sure what to do, but as they worked harder,

and things made progress as a team, the Beast easily found

building the well to be fun and no longer such a chore.

While the sun once again began to tuck behind the mountains the Beast, Bill, and his father finished the well.

To celebrate their hard work, Bill poured fresh water from the well for them to enjoy after all their hard work together.

As the Beast drank heavily the bounty of working together, something happened.

POOF! The Beast turned into a girl!

Bill’s father laughed, “I guess teamwork does pay off!”

“If feels good to be me again, to be Beatrice! I guess being a selfish, bossy beast isn’t the best after all.”

Together they

picked apples, made

pies, and always

stayed a team.

The End