Chapter 7

Dawn had already come, and the tower began to fill with darkness. Prancer had continued to munch over his carrots, and I sat beside him.

Rapunzel was her name, she told me. I watched her light the candles around the living area and kitchen as I sat beside Prancer.

"I've been thinking about the floating lights," I told her. She turned to look at me for a second, but soon continued to light the last few candles. I waited for her to respond to my statement, but I realized that she was waiting for me to continue the rest of my sentence.

"They're obviously not stars, and neither are they asteroids because these lights are much too slow-moving."

She lit the last candle that was nearest to Prancer and I and shook the matchstick she was holding to rid of the flame. She set it down next to the candle and walked towards the kitchen. "Tomorrow's my birthday," she said, stopping in her tracks to half-glance behind towards me. I looked up. She then started bustling around the kitchen, looking for something again.

I felt cold and hungry, and it felt really weird too because this had not happened for more than three hundred years. I felt a rumble in the pit of my stomach and momentarily forgot what she said.

I was thinking about the cold when she suddenly appeared in front of me. "Dinner's ready," she said. I realized that she had squatted down to face me eye level. "Dinner?" I echoed. She took my arm in both hands and helped me up to my feet. I followed her towards the kitchen and sat down at the table. She placed a plate in front of me.

I stared at the crumbly lump on it. "What is that?" I asked. She smiled and turned to get her own plate. "Pastry." I ate up. It was pretty good.

Before she sat down to eat, she placed both hands on the table, shifting her weight on them. Still inspecting my first bite, I looked up at her. "How good is your sense of direction?" she asked.

I swallowed. "Well... It's pretty good. But now that I'm human and in an unfamiliar place, that particular advantageous personality trait is currently an exception."

She pursed her lips. "Right," she said and sat opposite me.

We sat in silence and ate.

"You said that tomorrow's your birthday," I piped up.

She nodded. "Jack, I would like you to take me to see the floating lights."

I looked at her. "Wasn't that your mother coming out of the tower earlier?"

"Yes, but she won't be back in three more days."

"Does she do that every year?"

"Do what?"

"Run away when your birthday approaches."

"Not every year..."

"So, what you're trying to tell me is that you want to get out of the tower without your mother's knowledge?"

"You make it sound as if it's a bad thing to do."

"She could take you to see the floating lights herself."

She looked up at me with an expression of slight resentment. "I've never been out of the tower before, Jack."

I sighed and propped my elbows up on the table and stared at my plate. I considered this for a moment before asking, "You're sure she'll be back in three days?"

She stared at me blatantly. "Yes."

"You seem pretty calm, being the daughter of a paranoid and over-protective mother hen. She even leaves you alone for a few days, completely sure you won't do naughty stuff when she's not around," I said, my lips threatening to break into a sly grin.

Her expression did not change as she continued to stare at me.

I looked down at my pastry and said, "Fine, but first of all we need to get you out of the tower," I nodded reassuringly. She grinned broadly at me and took her empty plate away. "I'll bring you to see the floating lights..." I said a little more quietly.

I then realized that the green lizard seated on the table across was staring at me. "Is that a chameleon?" I asked Rapunzel. "Pascal? Yes," she answered, turning her around to look at me.

"Hi, Pascal," I said, giving my best attempt to smile with friendliness. Pascal did not respond, and turned his back on me to jump off the table. Is it me or am I actually not so much of pleasing company to animals?

Rapunzel brought me some blankets and pillows from her room so that I could sleep in the living area. She would have allowed me to sleep in her mother's room, but the both of us know that it really wasn't a good idea.

I settled down near the window and watched her climb the staircase to her bed chamber. At the top of the landing, she turned around and smiled faintly. "Goodnight, Jack," she said.

I smiled and answered, " 'night."

She smiled coyly (or what may have only been just a shy expression) and entered her bed chamber. It was a little unsettling to know that the room did not have a door, just a thick curtain that divided the two of us. I laid on my side, facing the opposite direction.

Prancer was just laying near my head and I could feel his comforting warmth. Soon, I was in deep sleep.

This was my second time sleeping as a human.