Briar

In a quaint little town, there lived a young man whom none could rival in fairness, or so the locals would say. He was a gentle soul who never dreamed of hurting a fly, and appreciated the little things life had to offer. He suspected his life would always be as peaceful as it was, until an envious sorceress came to know of his existence. She cast a curse upon the fair lad that caused him to appear a hideous beast in the eyes of all except those truly pure of heart, who would be able to see his true appearance past the illusion.

It was a very rude awakening one morning. The word spread like wildfire that a horrid creature had eaten the boy, and only after he had been banished violently into the forest did the young man finally understand what had conspired. At first, he wondered what had done to deserve such a cruel fate, and even made attempts to return to the village and explain. It was no use, of course, even the innocent children who would clearly been able to see him as he was were kept inside their homes. Eventually, the cursed boy accepted his fate and retreated deep into the woods, where he could bother none. He made himself a nice home in a small cottage, and turns to the woodland critters when loneliness strikes.

Perhaps one day, he may encounter someone with a heart pure enough to free him from the spell.