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ben-the-hyena · 10 months ago

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Ok so a sumup of the tale ! It is a French tale by Charles Perrault, and a classic as much as Snow White, Cinderella etc but unlike them it is quite dark to be sweetened and converted into a kids movie so that's why it might not be as famous, and you'll see why

There was that one old mysterious nobleman, very ugly with a beard that was blue for some reason, having people call him Bluebeard, and he looked quite scary and was not much of a big talker of his past, he had been married several times before (numbers vary depending of versions. 6 most of the time, 7, 8, and I'm pretty kid me heard even 9 or 10) But he also was very rich and galant, making him still popular with ladies who were interested in the good castle life and that was why he had gotten married so many times in the first place. But still some people had a bad feeling about him, something radiating from him, not helped by the fact his former wives just vanished and he never said why or how

But that never troubled the main character of the tale, a young noblewoman who was charmed by his courting and very interested in his wealth and titles. So when he proposed, she accepted immediately. Soon enough they married with a very somptuous ceremony, celebration, honeymoon... he was so rich anything was possible and he just treated her anyway she wanted as many times as she wanted, granting all her wishes and never violent or anything. The first months of her marriage was perfect, a perfect old timey marriage for a noblewoman of the time

One day, Bluebeard had to go on what he called a business trip for a week (or a few more depending of versions or my memory). He gave his young wife full leadership of the castle in his absence and gave her all the keys of their home, explaining to her what each of them were for and what they opened. However, there was one little key that opened a study whose door she always saw locked he strictly forbid her to use. She could do whatever she wanted in his absence, invite her friends, buy things, treat herself, throw parties and meeting, anything ! But whatever happened, let her NOT enter the study

For a good chunk of her husband's absence, that's what she did. She threw parties with her friends, she hosted them in all the bedrooms, used food and wine from the cellar, spent money from the treasurey however she pleased, it was all alright since she was allowed to and could, and she had the time of her life, really that marriage was wonderful. And yet... curiosity kept gnawing the back of her mind. What could the study be like ? Why did Bluebard forbid her to go there ? Now he mentionned it it was true she never saw that door open and even he never went there. Why didn't he tell her what was inside and why not to open in the first place ? The longer he was away, the more it kept her up and haunted her. Her curiosity grew more and more, and she tried to resist. She had made a promise, he counted on her, she was allowed to go everywhere else why be so greedy and want that little study too ? She tried to fighr the best she could... until she couldn't anymore

Her curiosity had won, she HAD to know. So one day, hesitantly and filled with adrenaline, she took the little key to the study and cautiously walked up to its door. She stood there for a long time with a lot of thoughts fighting inside her mind, trying to convince herself that she could just go and that it was not too late, but took courage and disobeyed, unlocking the door with the key, with her hand shaking

When she stepped inside, at first it was very dark, she couldn't distinguish anything and she had to squint. But she still felt like she was walking on something that felt strange. And as her eyes got used to darkness... a vision of nightmare. Everywhere, from the floor to the walls, was scattered with dried blood, and hanging on the walls were beheaded corpses clad in dresses, or the severed heads themselves depending of versions. The former wives were there all along. She screamed in horror and in her shock dropped the key. After a moment of being frozen staring horrifyingly at the corpses, she snapped out of it and with a last boodt of adrenaline picked up the key, dashed out of the study and locked the door again. Now it all made sense. And now she understood that for having disobeyed a man who could do that she was in BIG trouble !

Unfortunately she would find afterward that the key was magical. By falling on the bloody floor, it got dirty, and the blood would just stick. When she realized the key was tainted with blood, fear got her and she did everything to wash it. Soap, soda, coal, sponges, brushes, oil, scratchers... nothing. The blood would just not leave. For the rest of her husband's absence, the wife lived in fear no longer throwing parties, trying vainly to wash the key here and there, trying to come up with answers, and anticipating his reaction

When he ultimately returned home, Bluebeard demanded back all the keys, often in versions in a tone that hinted that he was expecting something, like testing her. Pale and trembling, she obeyed. Of course he saw the blood on the key and promptly asked her where this blood came from. She tried to give an excuse, that it was her own blood anf that she had accidentally cut herself when sorting out the keys, but he did not believe her, not helped by how nervous she was avoiding his eyes. He grew furious and took his knife, accusing her of having disobeyed and roaring that she would join his wives in that study now ! She threw herself on her knees, in tears, begging him to at least pray God and say goodbye to her sister, Anne, who was visiting. He begrudingly agreed, giving her 15 minutes

As she was tearfully embracing her sister and giving her farewells, Bluebeard was preparing himself and sharpening his knife in another room. This was when Anne realized something and reassured her frightened sister. Their brothers, musketeers, had taken their leave and were set to come visit today. Hopefully, they would arrive in time and rescuer her ! That gave back hope to the victim. The sisters ran to the top of the castle til its open rooftop and Anne climbed on top of the highest tower, watching the horizon. For long minutes, the young wife would keep asking wirh growing anxiety a very famous sentence in French "Anne, my sister Anne, do you not see anything come ?" ("Anne, ma soeur Anne, ne vois-tu rien venir ?") And for long minutes Anne would defeatedly answer only sentences describing the sunset landscape starting with "I only see the sun covering [...]", such as the first and most famous answer "I only see the sun covering and the grass greening" ("Je ne vois que le soleil qui poudroie et l'herbe qui verdoie"). All the while Bluebeard little by little comes up, slowly like a predator, knife out, which only makes his wife increasingly more anxious and keep asking her sister

When very close to the end of these 15 minutes the young victim asks one last time on the verge of tears "Anne, my sister, do you not see anything come ?", yes, yes ! Finally Anne sees something ! Horsemen rushing to them from the horizon, clad like musketeers, they had to be their brothers ! But Bluebeard, angrier and tired of waiting, puts a halt to the sisters' joy and grabs his new prey by the hair, brings her close tightly gripping on her scalp, rises his knife, ready to behead her... when suddenly when all hope was lost the door is violently kicked open. The brothers are here, and furiously jump on the monster and stab him together, wounding him to death

Once all that shock passed, thanks cried and tears shed, the new window realizes not only that she is free, but that she inherits both his wealth and castle. The following days and months, she has the dead wives put to rest in actual graves with actual funeral, uses her money to find spouses to her siblings, and after some time ends up finding herself a new husband, but a good one this time. She ends up moving on from these horrors she saw and lived, and gets to live happily ever after

Bluebeard by Marjolaine Roller

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