Rapunzel and her Migraine

Once upon a time a man and his wife were quite unhappy because they were childless. They had high hopes a child would bless them soon. These unhappy people were my parents. Not too many people know this secret about my father, but it was really he who was careless and heartless. He is not the kind man you have heard about in stories. In truth it was just my mother who wanted a child. My so-called father could have cared less. The witch informed me of this. Beyond their yard, there was a beautiful garden. No one dared to enter however, because a witch occupied that garden. Despite the witch, my mother peered into the garden and created an appetite for the vegetables in the garden. She gradually grew ill and her heart weakened. She was saddened because she knew she could not possibly get any of the vegetables from the garden.

People say my father stole vegetables in response to his heart being crushed to see her so. In reality, my father hadn't a care, but he was tired of her complaining so he jumped over the fence, stole some rampion, and dashed back home. My mother was satisfied, but she felt the need to sample more vegetables from the garden. My father had to return to the garden once more. This time though, the witch stood before him. He shook in fear and explained his situation. The witch felt a little sympathy for him, so she made a little deal. "You may take as much as you want from my garden. And when your first child is born, I will take her and look after her."

My father shrugged. He didn't really care about having a child in the first place. "Sure thing," was all he said. He continued to bring home vegetables for his wife. My mother was completely clueless and uninformed about the deal he made with the witch. When the day came and I was born, the witch appeared and took off with me. She named me Rapunzel.

My mother was in complete shock and she hadn't a clue of why their daughter was taken away. She took one glance at her husband and smacked him on the head. "What did you do?!" she demanded to know.

And the man said, "The witch told me that I could take as many vegetables as I wanted from her garden for you as long as I gave her our child."

"And you agreed?!" the wife shouted. "You idiot!"

And THAT'S the real story concerning my parents. It wasn't the witch's fault at all...My parents had changed the real story so my father wouldn't look bad.

And so I, Rapunzel, lived locked up in a tower, but I didn't mind. The witch was very kind to me and she treated me like a daughter. The witch would enter my tower by climbing my long hair and then she would jump through the window. Years passed on this way.

One day, someone had summoned for me to let down my hair. And so I did. I was a bit alarmed when I felt someone other than the witch was climbing up my hair. I could tell because the witch was much lighter. Who ever it was climbing up my hair had a little too much to eat for lunch that day. "Ow...I'm starting to get a migraine," I thought. "Hurry up, will ya?!" I cried. After what seemed like hours, the prince climbing my hair finally reached the top of the tower.

He asked me to come live with him in his Kingdom. Just then the witch arrived with her staff and saw the prince.

"There's some scary prince in my tower," I explained to her.

I remember her saying warmly, "What is your final decision, dear? Would you like to go off to a kingdom or stay in your tower? I've been the only person you've known. I've treated you like my own daughter." She waited for a reply.

"I'd much rather stay here," I answered.

The witch smiled and pushed the prince down the window.

"That's for giving me a migraine!" I yelled after the prince.

And so down the prince fell into the thorns. Years later, I started to grow tired of the tower. There was no option other than staying in the tower though, because the prince was now looong gone. No one knows if he's blind or just plain dead, but I know I sure got him back for giving me a migraine.

THE END