Okay…I knew cravings could be…inconvenient.
I never knew they could be
life-changing. Story-worthy.
Downright strange.
Maybe I should back up a little.
Ahem…
A king and queen had been childless
for many long years. Something that wore away at the queen rather drastically.
One day, whilst out and about doing…queenly
stuff, she came across a rather strange old woman who offered to ‘tell her
fortune’. Or something to that effect.
The queen agreed.
Not because she placed all that
much belief in the whole ‘fortune’ scenario.
But because she was a kindly person
and could see the old woman needed both a vocation.
And some money.
Not surprisingly, the
prognostication pronounced upon the queen took a bit of a turn.
Yes, she was promised ‘That which
she most desired’.
But also that she would experience
some distinctly powerful cravings.
The queen was both elated…and a
little…erm…dismayed.
I mean things like pickles and ice
cream, okay.
But let’s not stray into the whole chalk
and dirt fiasco.
Like a friend did.
Moving on…
A few months later, the queen found
she was, indeed, pregnant.
Between bouts drifting from elation
straight through to nausea, the queen began to crave something.
Something green and tasty.
And that only grew in the (hereinafter
known as Gothel the Sorceress) neighbour’s garden.
Now, normally, this wasn’t
concerning. I mean a quick knock on the door. A smile and a ‘would you mind…?’
But Gothel was one of those neighbours. The nasty ones you
hope aren’t out on the street while you’re climbing into your car.
You have to know, the king did try.
He sent servants with entreaties, reasonings and finally, gifts to attempt to
secure the neighbour’s cooperation.
But they didn’t make a dent. Let’s
face it, this woman was hard as glass all the way through.
So the king resorted to theft. And
because he couldn’t place any of his beloved subjects on the wrong side of the
law, he went himself.
Of course, during one of his
forays, he was caught.
Of course there was a hefty penalty.
Somewhere between six and nine
months later, the neighbour appeared to claim her tearfully agreed-upon prize.
The newborn baby girl.
Soulful pleadings did nothing to
sway her. Not even one iota.
I had a neighbour like that once.
We moved.
Because…yikes.
For years, the little girl lived in
a tower located on one of Gothel’s remote properties. The only entry was by
climbing the girl’s once short, now long and lovely locks.
Which Gothel did.
And my girls cry when I brush their hair…
Now we get to the exciting part.
A prince, out and exploring,
happened upon Gothel climbing the ‘all-natural-and-no-animals-were-harmed-in-creating-this’
ladder.
It tweaked his curiosity.
A glimpse of the lovely face distantly
attached to that hair tweaked something even more.
The prince began to hang around.
Finally, he overheard Gothel utter
the magic words, “Rapunzel, let down your golden hair” prior to that long, golden
braid granting entry.
And he thought he’d give it a try.
No sooner said than done.
And he and Rapunzel were face to
face.
Things went surprisingly well, and,
after a few visits, she was more than ready to follow him anywhere.
I mean, he was quite literally the
only guy she had ever known.
Literally.
Only.
Of course he looked perfect.
She was easy to convince.
Then, that slip of the tongue so
common to fairy tales.
One day Rapunzel, in her girlish
innocence, asked Gothel why she was way easier to haul up than the prince.
Of course there was surprise.
Remonstrations.
And consequences.
The end result was Rapunzel, shorn
and fairly helpless, and banished to a far wilderness.
Gothel hung the newly-shorn hair
from a hook and, a day or so later, when the prince requested his ‘hair’way to
paradise (snort), she obliged.
I’m not really privy to what
happened interim-ly, but mere moments later, the prince expeditiously exited
the window.
He landed in some rose bushes
planted conveniently at the base of the tower that (1) Broke his fall, but (2) Damaged
his eyes.
Blinded, the prince began a helpless
wander of the countryside.
Said wander took him, finally, to his
beloved Rapunzel.
Rapunzel bathed him, both
figuratively and quite literally, with her tears.
And when said tears touched his
eyes, his sight was restored.
What is it about fairy tales and
tears?
I think there is a case for medical
research to be made.
Right?
The prince, sight restored, was finally
able to find his way back to his kingdom. Whereupon the oft-postponed marriage
between he and Rapunzel could take place.
I’m assuming a tearful reunion with
Rapunzel’s parents.
And an apropos shutting of Gothel
in a tower.
And everyone—with the exception of
Gothel—lived happily ever after.
Now what do we learn from this
rather hair-y tale?
Don’t steal—even a king is subject
to his own laws.
And never allow cravings to dictate
your actions. They are poor decision-makers.
Each month one of us chooses a number between 12 and 50 and the rest craft a post using that number of words one or multiple times.
This month’s number is: 43
It was chosen by me!
Now go and see what my friends have created!
