#99Word Stories; Old Lady & the Beast, 2

The April 10, 2023 99-word story challenge from Charli Mills at Carrot Ranch is to:  In 99 words (no more, no less), write a story about “the old lady and the beast.” What does age have to say about the story? Who is the beast and why? Go where the prompt leads! This second take on the prompt picks up from the Impossibly Blue episode featuring these recurring characters.

Be sure to go to Carrot Ranch to read the complete “Dog In the Desert” collection from last week‘s challenge.

Beauty and the Beast by D. Avery

Katie came to our booth with three slices of apple pie.

“I liked your princess turned artist story,” she said as she slid in beside me.

“Umm, once-upon-a-time… seems so long ago and far away now,” Gloria replied. “Stories change though. Continually.”

“How?” I asked. “What happened to the princess?”

“Sometimes she danced in beautiful light. Other times she stumbled through dark labyrinths, hounded by a beast.”

“A beast?”

“Self-doubt, Penelope. A terrible beast.”

“What happened?”

“She became an old lady. And old ladies and young girls can always defeat the beast of self-doubt.”

Grinning, I stabbed my pie.

In addition to what I post here for the Carrot Ranch challenges, there’s always the Ranch Yarns with Kid and Pal’s responses HERE.