II. The Little Tower Room
Adventure
It happened by accident.
One moment, she was scaling her walls; the next, she was tumbling towards the floor with a yelp. She squeezed her eyes shut as the flagstones rushed towards her, but they never reached her.
Heart pounding, she opened one eye and cautiously looked around.
She was suspended mid-air, her hair knotted around the rafters. She held her breath, waiting to fall, but it never happened. Yelling with delight, she flung her arms wide as if they were wings and threw her weight to one side.
Rapunzel soared around the room – and promptly smashed into a wall.
Romance
There had to be more to life than her tower.
Rapunzel loved her tower and Mother very much, but she couldn't help wondering whether there was something out there she was missing. Whenever Mother was home, she tried to keep a sunny disposition, but as the years passed, that became harder to do as her dreams grew bigger.
The world was so close, yet so far away – she glimpsed it whenever she looked out the window and imagined the people she could see, the places she could go, the dreams she could experience.
They were there, just waiting for her.
Science
When Rapunzel was little, Mother told her how her hair was magical, how it could heal, how she was a precious flower that needed to be protected from evil men who would cut it, destroying its power for cruel, selfish reasons.
As she grew older, she no longer needed to hear the story. She thought about whenever she brushed her hair, or when Mother asked her to use her power. And she wondered, If my hair can do so much good, then why can't I be where I can use it?
Why keep me from the people I could help?
Fiction
When she taught her how to read, Mother said, "These stories aren't real, Rapunzel. Remember that. There are no heroes out there, only villains."
Rapunzel didn't care. She devoured the stories with awe and delight. She read about princesses poisoned by evil stepmothers; headstrong women captured by evil beasts; courageous girls who braved the dangers of the forest. Best of all, each tale had a valiant prince who fell in love with the heroine for ever after.
She thought it was perfect – until Mother took the books away, saying she was too old for fairy tales.
But she never forgot.
Comedy
Rapunzel was making a cake when the little ball of green came flying through her window, landing directly in the batter, splattering it everywhere. She yelped in surprise, staring in shock at the green thing floating in her bowl.
The ball squeaked as it sank deeper into the batter. She suddenly realised it was an animal and quickly scooped it up, lying it on the table and waiting.
The green thing hiccoughed, spitting batter into her face. She giggled, and gently petted its head.
They immediately became fast friends – though Pascal never did learn to like the taste of cake.