Bee-uty and the Beast: a Short Story

Hello! Below is a short story I wrote in 2024/2025 using the prompt of “have your main character interact with a supernatural creature/being”. My two friends, Lindsay and Landon, have also written short stories using the same theme. I think our stories are a really wonderful experience to read all together and I highly encourage you to check them out too!

Accidental Baby Acquisition by Landon K. Mar

“Best friends Teddy Ho and Mason Lee are halfway through their second year of university when the unexpected happens: a baby is dropped off the doorstep of their shared apartment! Even stranger, the documents included with the surprise baby seem to indicate that both Teddy and Mason are the baby’s legal guardians. Huh!? Follow Teddy and Mason as they uncover the strange beginnings of the mystery baby and their descent into chaotic parenthood!”

Bats & Breadsticks by Lindsay Paigely

“Brie highly suspects her dinner date is a vampire and resolves to discover the truth before dessert.”

Listen along to the story on YouTube!

Bee-uty and the Beast

The email invite had said to come dressed up in a costume, and so I did. I came dressed in a full, head-to-toe, painstakingly handmade, bumblebee costume with a tiny crown affixed to the top of my head. I did not get the memo that the party was more about “party” and less about the costumes. I feel painfully overdressed having walked into what is essentially a DIY rave run out of the communal staff lunch room. This is not what I expected of my work’s annual Halloween party.

Bright lights flash in the otherwise dark room with loud music booming around me. I came here hoping to make a connection with my new coworkers outside of our usual work setting, but it’s been difficult to find anyone I recognize with the lighting this dim. There are so many people wearing cat ears, others with glowing necklaces over their plain clothes, everyone is blurring together. My headband with my bee annetenna and fake gold crown must stick out like a sore thumb. What was the point of me struggling to put in my contacts tonight if I can’t even see anyone?

I stumble around in the darkness. The glowing ghoulish faces of the pumpkin decorations around the room taunt me, and I feel lost. I feel truly like a bumbling bumblebee that can’t find a flower, when a slender arm slings around my shoulders and a red plastic cup is shoved into my hand. It’s my coworker, Justine, who works at the desk next to mine. With each passing flash of the lights I can see that her dark hair is braided with purple glow in the dark threads and a plethora of glitter all over her face.

“Maisy! You came!” She says loudly into my ear. “We were all taking bets on if you’d be here tonight!”

I laugh nervously and try to shrug off the comment that my coworkers are apparently making money (or losing it) off my appearance tonight.

“What are you wearing? Are you like, a bee or something?” She holds onto my hand and takes in my outfit. “Wow, you really went all in!”

“Yeah, I actually tried to make it into a pun, like a Queen Bee!” I try to tell her over the music. “I really like your glitter!”

Justine nods at me like she can hear me, I doubt she can. Still holding onto my hand, she tugs me towards the crowd of people. “I am so glad you’re here! We’re all doing shots!”

I let her drag me across the room towards a group of coworkers I recognize from the row of desks behind mine. They’re all dancing and swaying to the music beside the water cooler. Someone else I recognize from the other side of our office comes over with a tray of disposal shot glasses filled with a clear liquid.

I try to raise my voice to join in the conversation but once again find myself being drowned out by the music. They’re all laughing together after taking their shots and once again, I don’t know if I belong here. I silently excuse myself and find one of our lunch tables to abandon both my shot glass and the cup I was given.

Like the creature my costume is based off of, I drift around the room. Hang out by the wall. For a while I hover near one of the vending machines that’s been covered with “Caution! Danger!” tape. I sip on the can of soda I found amongst the ice bucket of other cans.

A few other people from around the office come up to me and try to make small talk. I try to return it and find my voice being drowned out by the music. When we discover that we can’t hear each other, they awkwardly excuse themselves and disappear back into the crowd. No one has been able to figure out what my costume is and someone even guesses I’m a wasp. I find myself wishing I didn’t come out at all, wishing I could shrink into myself. I feel like all the nights I spent making my costume have been a waste.

I tell myself I’ll leave in five minutes when I spot fluorescent light from the hallway pouring into the room as the door cracks open. With it comes in a cool rush of air cutting through the stuffy room. Someone pokes their head in wearing what looks to be some kind of beast costume, an anthropomorphized wolf perhaps?

I watch as they briefly take in the room and promptly turn around to leave. The mask is so realistic I swear that their eyes visibly widened. Once the door closes, all that’s left is the green glow of the exit sign above the door.

I don’t know what comes over me, I ditch my soda can and make a beeline for the door after them.

The hallway is painfully bright and looks especially lonely with closed office doors and blinds. My eyes take a moment to briefly adjust to the light. I look up and down the hallway wondering if they disappeared into one of the dark offices when I see a bushy brown tail disappearing from around the corner. Mustering my voice, I call out to them. Please hear me.

“I love your beast costume!” I call out.

I hold my breath and wait for a response. I move towards the bend in the hallway.

“Please, I’d love to see the whole thing!” I call out again, hoping they’ll hear me. Maybe finally I can make a connection tonight.

There’s no sound except for my own breathing and the din of the party from the other room.

Then, from around the corner, he appears. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of him.

It’s clear that he’s dressed in a full werewolf costume. But he’s put a fun twist on it by also wearing what looks to be a snug-fitting dress shirt and pants, and a jacket slung over his shoulder. I’m blown away by what I’m seeing. He’s fully covered in brown fur and wears pointy Elflike ears. It’s like he’s in a full fur-suit that somehow fits his body perfectly. Standing in front of him, I feel underdressed.

We stare at each other. We must both look so out of place in such a mundane setting. It takes me a minute, but when I finally pick my jaw up, I gush out a stream of compliments.

“I’ve never seen such an amazing costume, and I’ve seen a lot of them. It’s so amazing you took the time to get so dressed up tonight. Your werewolf costume is amazing.”

His yellow eyes scan my rotund striped body. He must be wearing contact lenses too.

“I like yours too.” His eyes stop at the top of my head, “Very cool Queen Bee outfit, I like the bumblebee aspect. But uh, I should go. It’s late.”

His voice is gravely and my heart buzzes. I don’t want him to go.

“No wait, please.” I don’t know what to say next, other than the truth. “I felt so alone in there, and you’re the first person I’ve been able to successfully talk to all night.”

His shoulders relax. “I really wasn’t planning on getting dressed up tonight, the party caught me off-guard. I was just trying to get some coffee.”

“How could you not have planned this out?” I ask him, gesturing to his costume.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I didn’t have a choice?”

“What, did you have to wear it as part of a bet?”

“Yes, let’s say that.” He responds gruffly, not making eye contact with me.

Knowing some of the people at work, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had lost one of the bets going around and had to wear the costume tonight. I remind myself not to get involved in any office betting in the future. And maybe he forgot the party was happening? It seems odd, but I don’t want to push him to give an answer, he seems a bit embarrassed about it.

“Well, whatever the case, you’ve done a fantastic job.” I mean it.

He nods. “Thanks. This encounter has been lovely, and you’re a very charming bee, but I really need to get out of here before anyone else sees me.”

“Is the power of the moon fading or something?” I joke with him.

“No… but I’d rather not have to explain my costume to anyone else in the office. This is embarrassing enough. I’ll have to find my coffee elsewhere.”

“Can I come with you? I could use a coffee.”

I really don’t need a coffee, I just want to spend time with him.

His eyes widen and I think he’s about to say no. Instead he says:

“Sure, why not.”

If I was wearing the same outfit as him I’d probably be wagging my tail. If werewolves even wag their tails?

I shift back on my feet, feeling like I could take flight. “I’m Maisy, by the way.”

“Benjamin, or just Ben,” he extends his hand out to me.

“Benjamin!” I exclaim. “I send you my reimbursement requests!”

What I don’t say is that I know exactly who he is. It’s not like I haven’t had a crush on him since the day I started this job. I was instantly enamoured by the cute guy who works in Accounting with the beard and shaggy hair cut. I’m sure he hasn’t noticed me before, whenever I walk by his office he’s always got his eyes focused on his screen.

So I’m surprised when he bears his fang-adorned teeth at me in a wide smile and says, “Of course, you just started a few months ago. I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you as you are. With the face paint and without your glasses, I mean.”

He extends his hand towards me. I take it in mine despite the long nails and extremely thick hair growing out of his fingers. Heat rises to my cheeks. I hope he isn’t able to see it underneath my face paint.

His hand is quite soft and oddly warm. The nails don’t bother me at all. He shakes my hand gently despite the way it completely engulfs mine.

“That’s me, and no worries, I didn’t recognize you in your wolf form.”

“Then we’re even. Shall we?”

Together we leave the tall concrete building. We exit out of the large glass doors that have been decorated with fake cobwebs.

We grab our coffee at one of the nearby 24/7 coffee shops. I get myself a pumpkin spice latte and he gets a latte with oat milk, and an extra shot of espresso. Ben kindly pays for both of our coffees, and when I insist that he doesn't have to, he waves me off. He tells me that he's thankful for my company.

The barista complimented us on our costumes too. They had on a witch’s hat decorated with glistening black roses. Ben was shy about the compliment, but I was eager to accept their thanks for the both of us.

Under the dark starry night sky, we make our way towards Waterfront Station to walk the seawall. As I take in a deep breath of the fresh but slightly salty air, I wonder if it’s difficult for Ben to breathe under his costume prosthetics.

”You could take off the mask if you wanted.” I suggest to him.

“Nah, it’s too much effort. It can wait for when I get home., he says quietly and takes a sip of his coffee. It's so impressive that he can drink so naturally with everything he's wearing. “It’s actually quite comfortable.”

We stop for a moment to stand at the railing that's been trailing our path. We look out together at the dark ocean water. The full moon looms overhead, casting a luminous white glow on the surface of the inky water.

"What were you doing at the office so late?" I can't help but ask.

"I am supposed to get this budgeting done for a large grant we're applying for. It's not due until next week but I know I would be spending all weekend thinking about it if I didn't at least get most of the rough numbers down."

I nod, "Right, I've been helping out with the writeups for it. It's a doozy of an application."

Ben nods, "I'm sorry I didn't ask you sooner, what do you do in the company?"

"Good question," I softly laugh to myself. "I just started a few months ago, and I'm mostly there to help out with marketing and some general admin, but I've found myself helping out whenever someone asks. Officially my title is Office Assistant.“

“It sounds like you’ve integrated well for being here such a short time.”

I wave my hands up in front of me, “No, not really. I feel like I’ve kept myself mostly hidden.”

Ben straightens up and turns to face me, “I don’t think you’re hidden. I’d say you’re very visible, your name often comes up in the emails I get.”

“It does?” I balk at him, “I know I get a lot of emails sent my way but I’m surprised anyone speaks of me outside of asking me to get something done.”

“Right, I often see others saying that you’re the person who’s currently working on a task. You’re not invisible.”

I feel myself shrinking inside myself, heat rising to my face again.

“If anyone is hidden in the office, it’s probably myself. Head buried in my monitor. I do my job and get out,” he sighs.

“I wouldn’t say that!” I blurt out. Way to keep your cool, Maisy. “I mean, uh, the company wouldn’t exist without all that you do with its money, and stuff.”

Ben chuckles a bit and I swear there’s a howl mixed into it. “That’s very kind of you. Though I also try to keep myself hidden somewhat.”

There’s a quiet lull between us and we go back to staring out at the water again.

Ben breaks our silence. “For someone who likes to hide, why were you at the party tonight in such a bold costume?”

“Wow, getting straight to the point, huh?”

“Oh no, I didn’t mean it like that—“

I nudge his arm with my elbow. “It’s fine, I’m just joking with you. Truthfully, I was hoping to finally make a connection with some of our coworkers. We rarely get the chance to talk outside of pleasantries in the break room. I just wanted to get to know them a bit better. And yet somehow I left learning nothing about anyone.”

“One thing I do know about them is how they love our work parties. They get the chance to let loose and drink on the company’s dime. Though, if you’re looking to get to know anyone, I suggest asking if they’d be willing to get lunch with you.”

“Noted,” I say quietly, wondering if I should take the chance and ask him to lunch sometime. Which reminds me, I feel like I have rarely seen Ben ever eating lunch with anyone. Everyone else normally congregates in the break room, or leaves the office to find lunch elsewhere.

“Do you eat lunch?” I ask, because I don’t let myself come up with a better phrasing of the question.

He raises his furry hand to touch the back of his head, “I’m guilty of skipping lunch in favour of working through it. I guess I shouldn’t be giving you advice on how to connect with anyone in the office.”

“No, it’s okay, I appreciate it. Maybe sometime we could get lunch together? Maybe on Monday?”

I swear the skin of his mask flushes pink, though it could be a trick of the light. “Yes, that would be nice. I would like to get to know you better, I’ve wished I could have a chance to ask you about the charm on your bag.”

My brain churns, he noticed that small of a detail? I guess I do walk past his desk every day. My heart speeds up. It would be a lie if I didn’t also mention wanting to ask him about the coffee cup on his desk.

“My D20 charm?” I ask him.

He nods.

On my workbag I have a twenty-sided die that was converted into a bag charm. It rotates on its axis and I often find myself fiddling with it.

“Are you into D&D too? I’ve seen the mug on your desk.”

The mug features two images of a twenty-sided die. On one side, the die displays a 20 and says “Heck yes” and the other side, the die with a one that says “Oh no”. It’s made me chuckle to notice which side he has facing out on any given morning.

“I suppose I am, it’s been ages since I’ve played a campaign. I actually make custom figurines for other players to use in my spare time.”

Ben looks bashful but I’m immediately so impressed.

“Oh, no way! I’d love to see your work. My friends and I have been playing this campaign for a couple months now. At least when we all can arrange a chance to meet together. It would be so cool to have a custom figurine made of my paladin.”

I feel giddy just thinking about it.

“What do you currently use? If I may ask.”

“Since I moved away we’ve been having sessions online. So I use one of the digital pieces. Our DM uses a virtual tabletop for us. I think it’d just be neat to have a physical representation of my character, I’m sure you get it.”

He nods strongly. “Yes of course, there’s something special about seeing what your mind has come up with in physical form. When did you move to Vancouver?”

“Oh, maybe about six months ago? I needed a change.”

“What kind of change?”

I pause for a moment wondering if I should give him the generic answer or the real one. Like all my other answers tonight, I decide to give him the unfiltered version.

“I was starting to feel like I’d never have a chance to change anything in my life. I was sort of living the same days and routines on repeat. And it’s hard to change when everyone in town has watched you grow up. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friends and family. I just had to do something for myself.”

Ben doesn’t say anything and I wonder if I’ve said too much.

“I think that’s quite brave of you. I’m glad you made it here.”

I can’t help but blush.

“I am too, it’s just been a bit lonely. I’m glad we got the chance to talk tonight.”

He turns to smile at me and all my embarrassment fades away. Even with everything stuck on his face, he's still the same Ben underneath it all. And his smile is still just as charming. I want to melt away like warm honey into my shoes.

We're staring into each other's eyes and I feel an electric spark between us. It's like I'm stuck in a trance, studying every inch of his face. Though when I feel that the moment has gone on too long, I break my gaze and look away, down at my shoes.

“Shall we keep walking?” he asks.

I agree and we continue our walk along the seawall. We make small talk about our lunch options for Monday and about our coworkers. Ben has some interesting gossip to share about the people he works with. And soon, we've both finished our drinks and have walked so far that our path has taken us all the way to English Bay.

I pull my phone out of the small pouch I have attached to my hip to look at the time. It's so much later than I thought, it's nearly 2am. By now I'd be soundly asleep in bed.

"It's almost 2am, I can't believe we've been talking for so long."

"I should be sound asleep by now,” he mutters, "Is it weird if I said that I'm not tired?"

“Are you sure it’s not the coffee?” I ask with another playful jab.

“I don’t think coffee has ever woken me up like this before. It must be your company.”

My heart flutters in my chest. I'm not as tired as I thought I would be. Having this opportunity to talk to Ben has been just what I needed from tonight.

I shake my head, "I'm not tired either. Though I know at some point I'm going to crash."

“Then you better get home. Can I walk you home?" Ben asks, "I promise that's all, I just want to make sure you get home safe."

"No, I couldn't trouble you like that. I don't mind taking a taxi or walking by myself. I live out in Kits, and if we walked all the way back to mine it would probably be another hour or so of us walking."

"I don't mind, I probably won't be able to sleep well like this. And I'd like to make sure you're home safe. Who will remind me to eat lunch on Monday?"

My heart flip flops in my chest. I was hoping he'd say yes and we could get the chance to talk for longer.

"If you insist,” I say shyly.

We continue to walk together, side by side. He slows his pace to keep up with me. A cool breeze comes over the water as we cross the Burrard Bridge, and despite my many layers in this costume, I can't help but shiver.

"Are you cold?" Ben asks. Before I can answer he extends his arm out to me. "I'd offer you my coat but I don't want it to wreck your wings."

"Thank you," I say and cuddle up to his arm. He's surprisingly warm and it's comforting. Like holding a stuffed animal.

As we continue to walk, Ben asks me about my costume and how I made it. I tell him about all the details that went into it, from buying the fabric to making the pattern and the many hours spent sewing. He listens intently and eventually opens up about his own hobby of making figurines for Dungeons and Dragons games. I had no idea about what goes into the process. We agree to share tips with each other for future costume or figurine making.

Walking with Ben I feel a sense of calm. Even though he's dressed as an objectively scary animal, I feel like I've found a friend or potentially something more. What began as a night of loneliness has made me feel entirely less alone. He's also encouraged me to reach out to my coworkers more, especially Justine. He is certain that I'll be able to make connections with them too. I think so too, I’d love to ask Justine what brand of glitter she was wearing tonight.

We weave our way through my neighbourhood and admire the different Halloween setups people have in their yards. In one of the yards, a pair of battling giant skeletons with equally giant plastic swords makes us laugh. Our conversation fades and we happily take in the remaining Halloween atmosphere around us.

Our walk comes to an end, and we find ourselves outside of my brick apartment building. The family of Jack-o’-lanterns sitting at the front door smile at us from a distance.

"Well, this is me," I say and release my grip on his arm. I already miss his warmth.

"It has been a pleasure, Maisy. I look forward to Monday." His sincerity makes me want to swoon.

"See you then,” I say as softly as I can.

I reach for my keys in my pouch and we stand there together for an awkward moment. I walk up to my door and he's standing there watching me from the sidewalk. Each time I peek back at him, I can't help but buzz. He's got a large goofy grin on his face.

By the time I let myself into my building, I look outside the front door to see Ben still standing there, waving. Behind him, the sky is an inky dark blue lit by the full moon. I take a few steps in my lobby towards the stairs.

Before I make it there, I turn to take one last look at him before I enter the stairwell.

Somehow, Ben is already halfway down the street. I swear he’s running on all fours and looks even more like a wolf. He tosses his head back and I hear a faint howl. Either he has a really odd athletic hobby or maybe there’s more to his costume that I’m not aware of.

I smile to myself. I’ll have to ask him about it on Monday.