Bedtime Stories

I was going through all my files and folders from my past years in secondary school when I came across the story of "Rapunzel" that I modified with the help of my friend's sister.

"RAPunzel"

There was once a couple who had wished for a child, but alas, they were granted none. They lived in a shabby little house, behind which a splendid garden could be seen. It was filled with the most beautiful flowers and herbs. However, it was surrounded by a high wall. the garden belonged to an enchantress, who was powerful and feared by many.

One day the wife was looking out the window into the garden and a bed of fresh green Rapunzel and had a sudden desire for it. This desire increased as days go by and she began to grow pale and weary. Her worried husband asked her what was wrong. She told of her craving for the herb and told him she would die if she cannot have it.

Her husband decided to take the rish and go steal some Rapunzel for his dying wife. At twligiht, he clambered dwon over the wall into the garden of the enchantress, hastily clutched a handful and was about to leave when he saw the enchantress standing before him.

"How can you dare," said she with an angry look, "descend into my garden and steal my herbs? You shall suffer for it."

The husband explained that he had to do it out of necessity if not his wife will die. Then the enchantress allowed her anger to soften, and said to him, "If the case be as you say it is, I will allow you to take away with you as much Rapunzel as you want, only on one condition. You must give me the child which your wife will bring to this world."

The man in his terror consented to everything, and when the woman was brought to bed, the enchantress appeared at once, gave the child the name of Rapunzel, and took it away with her.

Rapunzel grew into the most beautiful child under the sun. As demure as she was, she was highly energetic and loves singing. When she was twelve years old, the enchantress shut her into a tower, only accessible via a secret stairway which only Rapunzel's voice can reveal. When the enchantress wanted to go in, she placed herself beneath it and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Sing for the stairs!"

Rapunzel parted her lips and a melodious song magically moved the rock slab which then revealed a long flight of steps up the tower.

After a year or two, it came to pass that the king's son rode through the forest and passed by the tower. Then he heard a song, which was so charming that he stood still and listened. This was Rapunzel, who in her solitude passed her time in letting her sweet voice resound. The king's son wanted to climb up to her, and looked for the door of the tower, but none was to bfound. He rode home, but the singing had so deeply touched his hear, that every day he went out to the forest and listened to it. Once when he was thus standing behind a tree, he saw that an enchantress came there, and he heard how she cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Sing for the stairs!"

Then Rapunzel began signing, much more melodiously than the king's son had ever heard. He saw the secret stairway open and decided to try his luck the next day. The following morning, he went to the tower and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Sing for the stairs!"

She began singing and revealed the stairway. The king's son then climbed up. At first Rapunzel was terribly frightened when a man, such as her eyes had never yet beheld, came to her. But the king's son began to talk to her quite like a friend, and told her that his heart had been so stirred that it had let him have no rest, and he had b een forced to see her. Then Rapunzel lost her fear, and when he asked if she would take him for her husband, and she saw that he was young and handsome, she thought, he will love me more than the enchantress does. And she said yes, and laid her hand in his.

Rapunzel confronted the enchantress and told her she wanted to go away with the king's son. Of course, the enchantress knew about it since she has much power and was admiring the king's son's looks. the enchantress used this opportunity to be angered by Rapunzel's sudden decision to leave and for allowing the king's son to go up the tower. she used her magic to trap Rapunzel's melodious voice inside herself and instead gave Rapunzel now a rough, low and monotonous voice. the enchantress than chased her away, far from the tower.

On the same day that she cast our Rapunzel, however, the enchantress sat by the window on top of the tower, and when the king's son came and cried,

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel! Sing for the stairs!"

As the enchantress sang, the king's son ascended the hidden stairs and instead of finding his dearest Rapunzel, he found the enchantress, who gazed at him with wicked and venomous looks.

However, the enchantress usd magic to bewitch the poor king's son to believe that she was Rapunzel. Blinded by witchcraft and magic, the king's son embraced the enchantress and kissed her. On that very evening, they exchanged vows. the enchantress was joyfully delighted to have finally found a companion for life, while Rapunzel had to suffer in the woods, alone, unable to sing to anyone. However, with her new voice, she decided to improvise and soon, in her boredom, wrote lyrics and rapped in the woods, hoping that someday, someone would hear her and appreciate her voice.