Rachel/Rapunzel
Rachel sat in her bed on the 4th floor of Tower Hospital, peering out the window into the courtyard below. She was waiting for her Grandma to come visit, as she did each Saturday. Rubbing her smooth scalp, she listened to the ticking clock.
It was half past noon, and Rachel was beginning to wonder if she had been forgotten, left alone in her room; her prison. An energetic girl, Rachel decided to pass the time with a tea party. As she changed into her party dress, going to her tableside mirror to look at herself, she couldn't help but feel self-conscious about the image of a princess without hair. She poured the tea into her plastic cups, spilling some on herself.
"Oh no! Grandma won't like that I spilled." It was then that an elderly woman pulled into the parking lot. Miriam Gothel, her grandmother, walked up to the hospital with a large box in her hands.
Rachel waited as her grandma rode the elevator up to her room. Entering with a stern gaze, Miriam set the box down on the bed then began cleaning immediately, no words of greeting to her granddaughter who had waited all week for her visit. Once the room was up to her standards, she approached the thirteen year old girl, giving her a once over.
"You look well, dear."
"Thank you, Granny. What's in the box? Something for me?" Rachel eagerly eyed the box, which she now saw resembled a large hat box.
"Patience, Rachel. Yes, that box is for you. But before you open it you must listen to me. Under no circumstances are you ever to mistreat this gift. It must remain intact and with you at all times, for it cost a great deal of money." Miriam presented the box to her granddaughter.
Rachel opened the box, revealing a neatly packed wig of golden hair. She delicately fingered the straight and smooth synthetic fibers, feeling hot tears welling down her cheeks. Her grandmother silently removed the wig and helped her only granddaughter place it on her head. She handed a mirror to Rachel, who eagerly looked at herself and cried out, "I'm beautiful! Oh grandma, I'm never taking it off!"
Throughout the week Rachel grew more and more attached to her new look, refusing to ever remove her hair. The doctors and nurses all started calling her Rapunzel, a name Rachel enjoyed. She started opening her window and daring visitors to climb her hair.
The mood of the hospital drastically improved, and Rachel received many gifts from all the patients' families whose days she brightened with her playful games. When her grandmother came for their Saturday visit, she was none too happy to see such a mess.
"The doctors said you have been roaming the hospital." Miriam said as she disposed of flowers, balloons, and cards that cluttered the room.
"Yes, grandma, but I feel a lot better! Doctor Kingston said if I keep this up I can go home in a few months!" Rachel brushed her wig with a brush one of the nurses brought her.
"Stop that! You don't know where that brush has been. Now listen to me, Rachel. That wig cost Grandma a lot of money, and you shouldn't be running around with it. It's not a toy. You could ruin it." Miriam handed Rachel a black comb from her purse, then gathered her things and left.
"Goodbye, Grandma! I love you!" Rachel shouted as she saw her Grandma cross the parking lot. Her Grandma waved without turning around. Once she was gone, Rachel picked up the comb her grandma left, and began humming a sad song as she brushed her locks.
The next evening, while playing with a blind boy on the 3rd floor, Rachel accidentally tripped on the wheel of a dinner cart, which sent spaghetti and jello raining down on her. Realizing that her hair was now covered in marinara, Rachel ran crying to her room. Nurses came to help her clean up, but try as they might they could not remove the stains from Rachel's mishap.
Rachel was terrified to have her Grandmother see the stains in her beautiful hair. She scrubbed and scrubbed all week long, using all her strength, but nothing could bring back the golden locks to their original sheen.
Depressed, Rachel sat in bed all week waiting for her punishment. Each morning the blind boy from the 3rd floor came to visit, bringing cards and board games, which Rachel refused to play.
"I'm ruined, Daniel!" She screamed over and over.
"I bet your grandma hardly notices the stains! Just you wait. I think you're beautiful." Said Daniel, staring into the blackness he had known his whole life. He reached for her hand, and found it, holding it tight. Rachel cried on his shoulder all day.
Saturday came, and unfortunately, Miriam did notice the stains. She snatched the wig off of Rachel's head and began cutting out the parts that were, "Ruined, ruined, ruined!" She forced the wig back on her granddaughter's head and made her look at herself. Rachel cried and begged for forgiveness.
Miriam sent her to live in a new hospital, away from doctors and nurses who allowed such shenanigans. Away from blind boys who were bad examples. Away from her tower that oversaw her land of giving subjects.
Weeks went by as Rachel sat alone in her hospital room, rubbing her head and crying all day long. Her grandma still came to see her, but the little girl missed her blind playfellow. It was beginning to snow before Rachel had any contact with the outside world. It was during the first snow that she received a letter with her name on it, but no return address. She eagerly opened the plane looking envelope and found a handwritten note inside that made all the difference:
Dear Rachel Rapunzel,
I have not forgotten you, and as soon as I finish my recovery I will come to your window and we can run away together.
Here's to our happily ever after!
-Daniel
The End.
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