There was once a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a deal of silver and gold plate, embroidered furniture, and coaches gilded all over with gold. But this man was so unlucky as to have a blue beard, which made him so frightfully ugly that all the women and girls ran away from him. Adding to your disgust and aversion was the fact that he already had been married to several wives, and nobody knew what had become of them. He also just so happened to be your neighbor, and took a liking to you and your sister Anne.
After inviting you and your family to one of his country houses for a week of parties and cheer, your family decided that you and this blue bearded man would marry.
> [[Plead]] with your parents
> [[Confide]] in AnneYour parents chide you for your hysterics. Besides, that the man's beard was not so very blue after all, and that he is a mighty civil gentleman! You’re to be wed on your return
> [[Confide->Confide2]] in your sister Anne
> [[Compose yourself]] for your wedding dayYour sister shares some of your sympathies, but assures you that you’ll be comfortable with such a wealthy man. She warns you to be smart, and to visit often.
> [[Plead->Plead2]] with your parents
> [[Compose yourself]] for your wedding dayYour sister shares some of your sympathies, but assures you that you’ll be comfortable with such a wealthy man. She warns you to be smart, and to visit often.
> [[Compose yourself]] for your wedding dayThe wedding is beautiful, yet leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. You and your new husband set out for his home the next day. It’s a grand estate, a towering expanse against the wooded hills, yet its many rooms are eerily silent.
About a month afterwards, Bluebeard tells you that he is obliged to take a country journey for six weeks at least, about affairs of very great consequence. He desires you to divert yourself in his absence, to send for your friends and acquaintances, to take them into the country, if you please, and to make good cheer wherever you are.
> [[Ask->Ask1]] what these affairs are
> [[Smile and nod]]Your parents chide you for your hysterics. Besides, that the man's beard was not so very blue after all, and that he is a mighty civil gentleman! You’re to be wed on your return
> [[Compose yourself]] yourself for your wedding dayHe frowns, saying that as his wife you need not concern yourself with business, as that is his domain. Instead, you should take to exploring this great house of his. He holds out his ring of keys.
"Here," said he," are the keys to the two great wardrobes, wherein I have my best furniture. These are to my silver and gold plate, which is not everyday in use. These open my strongboxes, which hold my money, both gold and silver; these my caskets of jewels. And this is the master key to all my apartments. But as for this little one here, it is the key to the closet at the end of the great hall on the ground floor. Open them all; go into each and every one of them, except that little closet, which I forbid you, and forbid it in such a manner that, if you happen to open it, you may expect my just anger and resentment."
> [[Take]] the keys
> [[Ask->Ask2]] about the closet doorHe smiles, his tombstone teeth peeking out from behind his blue beard, and holds out his ring of keys.
"Here," said he," are the keys to the two great wardrobes, wherein I have my best furniture. These are to my silver and gold plate, which is not everyday in use. These open my strongboxes, which hold my money, both gold and silver; these my caskets of jewels. And this is the master key to all my apartments. But as for this little one here, it is the key to the closet at the end of the great hall on the ground floor. Open them all; go into each and every one of them, except that little closet, which I forbid you, and forbid it in such a manner that, if you happen to open it, you may expect my just anger and resentment."
> [[Take]] the keys
> [[Ask->Ask2]] about the closet doorYou take the keys. The key for the forbidden door is small with surprising heft and a sharp edge. It jangles quietly against the others
After Bluebeard leaves, you invite your friends and acquaintances over for a party. Your brothers send word that they will arrive delayed, but your sister Anne arrives early with a smile on her face. She is delighted to see that you’re alright, and even more delighted to rummage through all of the riches of this great estate. Your curiosity, however, begins to claw at the back of your mind. Why, why, why that little door? Are you not the owner of this house too? But it would be most uncivil for a host to leave her own party.
> [[Slip away]] now
> [[Wait]] until the party’s overHis expression goes dark, and he refuses to answer, glowering at your insistence. He demands you stop these questions and simply take the keys.
> [[Take]] the keys
> [[Refuse]]He yells out in frustration before throwing the keys onto a nearby table. He demands that before he returns you learn respect for your husband, and leaves in a hurry.
> [[Take]] the keys
> [[Leave]] the keysYou leave the keys on the dresser. However, you can still see the key for the forbidden door, as its peculiarly sharp edge glints in the light of the fireplace.
After Bluebeard leaves, you invite your friends and acquaintances over for a party. Your brothers send word that they will arrive delayed, but your sister Anne arrives early with a smile on her face. She is delighted to see that you’re alright, and even more delighted to rummage through all of the riches of this great estate. Your curiosity, however, begins to claw at the back of your mind. Why, why, why that little door? Are you not the owner of this house too? But it would be most uncivil for a host to leave her own party.
> [[Slip away]] away now
> [[Wait]] until the party’s overYou hasten away from your distracted guests and down a series of increasingly smaller staircases and arrive at the door. It’s plain and unassuming, with a clean lock and handle. You slip the sharp key into the lock and turn, hearing the lock click. You pull out they key and gently push the door open to a dark room.
Your nose crinkles and your lungs stutter as the scent of dried blood and rotting flesh assaults your senses. Your eyes water as they adjust to the dark room to reveal the horrifying site of the bodies of women hanging from hooks on the walls (presumably Bluebeard’s previous wives). You’re in such a state of shock that you drop the key, staining it with blood. You slam the closet door shut and rush upstairs to wash it, yet the blood will not come out.
There is a loud knocking at the front door. You press the key into your palm to conceal it and go to answer the door. It is your blue-bearded husband, returned early from his trip. He greets you with a smile that sends a shiver up your spine. He saw that you invited guests, and asks if you’ve explored the house to your heart's content. Your heart is beating as fast as a rabbit’s, and your voice shakes when you attempt to convince him that you are happy about his hasty return. His eyes narrow, and he asks for the keys. When you produce all but the forbidden key, he roars, “You went into the closet, did you not?”
He grabs a sword from the wall and grabs you by the hair, yanking you back despite your cries. “Very well, madam; you shall go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."
> [[Ask for a prayer->END1]] with your sister Anne
> [[Scream and beg->END2]] for forgiveness
> [[Use the key->END3]]You and your sister, along with your acquaintances, open every room except for the forbidden one. You all go into the two great rooms, which contain the best and richest furniture. You cannot sufficiently admire the number and beauty of the tapestry, beds, couches, cabinets, stands, tables, and looking glasses, in which you might see yourself from head to foot; some of them are framed with glass, others with silver, plain and gilded, the finest and most magnificent that you all have ever seen.
Later in the evening, after all of your guests have departed and your sister Anne has bid you farewell, your curiosity has turned into burning impatience. You hasten down a series of increasingly smaller staircases and arrive at the door. It’s plain and unassuming, with a clean lock and handle. You slip the sharp key into the lock and turn, hearing the lock click. You pull out they key and gently push the door open to a dark room.
Your nose crinkles and your lungs stutter as the scent of dried blood and rotting flesh assaults your senses. Your eyes water as they adjust to the dark room to reveal the horrifying site of the bodies of women hanging from hooks on the walls (presumably Bluebeard’s previous wives). You’re in such a state of shock that you drop the key, staining it with blood. You slam the closet door shut and rush upstairs to wash it, yet the blood will not come out.
There is a loud knocking at the front door. You press the key into your palm to conceal it and go to answer the door. It is your blue-bearded husband, returned early from his trip. He greets you with a smile that sends a shiver up your spine. Your heart is beating as fast as a rabbit’s, and your voice shakes when you attempt to convince him that you are happy about his hasty return. His eyes narrow, and he asks for the keys. When you produce all but the forbidden key, he roars, “You went into the closet, did you not?”
He grabs a sword from the wall and grabs you by the hair, yanking you back despite your cries. “Very well, madam; you shall go back, and take your place among the ladies you saw there."
> [[Scream and beg->END2]] for forgiveness
> [[Use the key->END4]]"Since I must die," you say (looking upon him with your eyes all bathed in tears), "give me some little time to say my prayers." He growls at you, yanking your hair even harder. "I give you," replies Bluebeard, "half a quarter of an hour, but not one moment more." He lets go of you and you scramble away, up, up, up to your sister Anne. You cry to her, "Go up, I beg you, to the top of the tower, and look if our brothers are not coming. They promised me that they would come today, and if you see them, give them a sign to make haste." Anne rushes to the top of the tower and back. "I see," says she, "two horsemen, but they are still a great way off."
"God be praised," You reply joyfully. "They are our brothers!”
Bluebeard bawls out so loud that he makes the whole house tremble. You rush down the stairs and throw yourself at his feet, all in tears, with your hair about your shoulders. “This means nothing,” says Bluebeard. “You must die!” Then, taking hold of your hair with one hand and lifting up the sword with the other, he prepares to strike off your head. At this instant, there is such a loud knocking at the gate that Bluebeard stops. Your two brothers, one a dragoon and the other a musketeer, rush through the gate. Bluebeard drops you and runs to save himself, but your brothers pursue and overtake him. They run their swords through his body and leave him dead.
Bluebeard had no heirs, and so you become mistress of all his estate. You use one part of it to marry your sister Anne to a young gentleman who had loved her a long while; another party to buy a captains’ commissions for your brothers, and the rest to marry yourself to a very worthy gentleman, who makes you forget the ill time you had passed with Bluebeard.
[[END->Mrs. Bluebeard]] Bluebeard bawls out so loud that he makes the whole house tremble. You shake as he yanks your hair back further, but your tears have no effect. “This means nothing,” says Bluebeard. “You must die!” Then, taking hold of your hair with one hand and lifting up the sword with the other, he strikes off your head. You join the other wives in the forbidden room, until another unfortunate wife opens the closet door.
[[END->Mrs. Bluebeard]] Bluebeard bawls out so loud that he makes the whole house tremble. You shake as he yanks your hair back further, looking at him with dying eyes, desiring him to afford your one little moment to recollect yourself. “This means nothing,” says Bluebeard. “You must dice!” Then, taking hold of your hair with one hand and lifting up the sword with the other--
You feel the metal of the forbidden key in your hand, and rage flashes through you. With a roar from deep in your chest, you swing the key up into his awful blue beard. The sharp edge of the key catches the flesh of his neck, and he falls backward with a start. His grip on your hair loosens and it falls in tangles around your shoulders.
He stumbles, trips, and falls dead.
Anne rushes down the stairs and upon seeing your hair in tangles, your dress covered in blood, and your husband dead on the floor, she screams. Your two brothers, having arrived late, burst in the door and rush to your side, looking down at the body of Bluebeard in horror.
You toss the bloody key on the floor. You will not miss your husband.
[[END->Mrs. Bluebeard]] Bluebeard bawls out so loud that he makes the whole house tremble. You shake as he yanks your hair back further, looking at him with dying eyes, desiring him to afford your one little moment to recollect yourself. “This means nothing,” says Bluebeard. “You must dice!” Then, taking hold of your hair with one hand and lifting up the sword with the other--
You feel the metal of the forbidden key in your hand, and rage flashes through you. With a roar from deep in your chest, you swing the key up into his awful blue beard. The sharp edge of the key catches the flesh of his neck, and he falls backward with a start. His grip on your hair loosens and it falls in tangles around your shoulders.
He stumbles, trips, and falls dead.
You toss the bloody key on the floor. You will not miss your husband.
[[END->Mrs. Bluebeard]]