A lady from the Bluebeard neighborhood had two beautiful daughters. Bluebeard asked to marry one of them, letting the lady choose which daughter it would be. Neither girl wanted to marry him because of his creepy beard. They didn’t like him more because he had married several times before, and no one knew what happened to his old wives.
To get to know the girls better, Bluebeard took them, their mother, some of their friends, and some young people from the neighborhood to his country house for a week.
When they came back, the younger sister married Bluebeard.
After a month, Bluebeard told his wife he had to go on a long trip that would take six weeks.
He let her enjoy herself as she wanted while he was gone. Before he left, he gave her three keys: one for the store rooms with gold and silver chests, one for the caskets with all the money, and a small one for a closet she was not allowed to enter under any circumstances.
As soon as Bluebeard was gone, the neighbors rushed into his castle.
They searched through all the rooms, wardrobes, and corridors, taking in the wealth and beauty inside. At the same time, Bluebeard’s wife became curious about the forbidden closet. She wondered what was inside that her husband didn’t want her to see.
At first, she noticed nothing strange since the windows were closed.
But soon, she saw the floor covered in thick blood, and on the walls were the bodies of Bluebeard’s wives, all with their throats cut.
After being shocked, she locked the door and ran to her room to calm down.
She tried to clean the blood off the key but couldn’t get rid of it no matter how hard she tried. When Bluebeard returned, he asked for the keys. She unwillingly gave them to him. He realized she had broken his rule and said she would meet the same fate as his other wives. She begged him to give her time to pray, and he allowed her to do so.
She asked her sister to climb the tower and look for their brothers, who were supposed to visit that day.
She called out to her sister Anne again and again, but each time, her sister gave the same answer, and their brothers weren’t there. Finally, Bluebeard got impatient and shouted so loud that it seemed like the castle was shaking. His wife had to come downstairs. He grabbed her hair, raised his sword, and was about to hurt her when someone knocked on the castle doors.
Two horsemen rushed in as soon as the doors opened.
They were her brothers. While Bluebeard tried to run, they stabbed him with their swords. The wife was too weak to get up and greet her brothers and stayed on the floor, exhausted from everything.
Bluebeard didn’t leave any children, so his money and property went to his wife.
She used part of it to help her sister Anne get married to a man who had loved her for a long time. She eventually married a man who was worthy of her and helped her forget her terrible experience with Bluebeard.
Moral:
Curiosity without caution can lead to danger, but courage can save lives.
Trust should be earned, and secrets built on fear are never safe.
