An Ordinary Girl

Belle was seen as a peculiar girl before, and she would surely still be seen as a peculiar girl after, but maybe not for the same reasons.

She was known for being a brainy brunette: always spending her time reading all kinds of books of almost any subject you could name: art, history, fiction, academia. Quite strange for a young woman to pursue those interests in a moment and a place where most of them would focus more on picking a right suitor.

And Belle could even have the best of them all: the handsome Gaston. And yet, she often rejected him.

That’s an unfortunate other yet related issue: as smart as this girl could be, she could also be a little nasty and condescending with others, or so felt three cute blondes who most of the time were nice with her, as well as with almost the rest of the town.

Claudette, Laurette and Paulette were their names, but they knew how Belle called them: the “Bimbettes”. Not a nice thing to do.

True, they weren’t known for their brightness (unless you count “bright disposition”), but they weren’t complete dumb blondes. They were smart enough to forge a little revenge plot with a planted book in the library.

“So, bimbos, uh?” Claudette mumbled as she saw Belle checking out a new book and going back to wander aimlessly through the town’s streets. Not an ordinary one, of course. A special one the three blondes bought from a mysterious foreign girl.

“This one will change the attitude of any woman, no matter how peculiar she is”, that tanned young lady declared as she gave the weird text in a colorful pink and blue cover.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Paulette asked as the three followed Belle from a safe distance.

“Good heavens! Why did I pick this book?!” they heard Belle state as she read those pages. “It’s so dumb!”

“I guess not,” Laurette whispered.

No one would blame the sisters for giving up on hope so easily: nobody wanted to say it, but immediately they all thought the same thing:they were tricked, defrauded by someone who won't ever be seen or heard from again, probably.

But days went by, and as the triplets just followed their usual chores and routines, they noticed it; it might have taken them a while to do so (again: they weren’t exactly known for their smarts).

Belle kept reading that book.

And not only that, but day after day, Belle was looking different; her hair was getting lighter and lighter, reaching a point where she somehow looked blonder than the triples. Her figure was also getting curvier, and her skin was getting a more swarthy, tanned color, more common in the southern part of the kingdom.

But not only her looks were changing, but also her personality; she seemed to be clumsier, her vocabulary sounded more limited, almost like the one from a teenager. She struggled with long words, and her face always looked so confused.

On the other hand, she also seemed a little bit nicer; more gentle, smiling, peppier.

Then, one day, the unimaginable happened: she got closer to the sisters, with the book in hand.

“Hey”, Belle said, “gals, like, can you help me with a little thingy?”

“Oh, sure Belle, what can I do for you?” Claudette asked.

“Can you help me to like, read this thing? I don’t even know why I have it, I think I never learned  to read and stuff, but just like, I thought it may be like, important or something.”

The triplets smiled and looked at each other.

“Of course sweetheart!” Paulette exclaimed. “I guess you’re just a little slow, but that’s normal  for a girl like you.”

Belle just giggled and blushed a little in embarrassment

As days went by, Belle just plain gave up any intention of reading at all. Why would she even need it? It was just more fun to spend time with her new girl friends. And that Gaston man? What a hunk! Maybe if she played her cards well enough, she could get his attention.

She hoped so. After all, in the end she was just an ordinary girl.