Little Rapunzel and the Big Thunderstorm
KRAKBOOM!
5 years old Rapunzel was slithering down the stairs from her room, in her little pink nightie, as fast as she could. She couldn't see them, the flash of lightning still overwhelmed her vision. She couldn't hear the rustle of her dragging hair, the peal of thunder still echoed in her ears.
She knew exactly where mommy slept and she didn't need those senses to find her, but mommy wasn't there.
Gothel had thrown herself from her bed in the window nook when the lightning had struck the tower itself. Gothel hadn't planned on ending up somewhere in the middle of the floor in her bedclothes, but it seemed like a good idea at the time when she was asleep.
"Rapunzel! Rapunzel!" Gothel shouted, but her ears rang so much she didn't know if she could hear a reply if there was one.
Gothel was worried about Rapunzel. Thunderstorms were bad enough in the forest. In the canyon of the tower they were terrifying. The light reflected off of the rock walls and the thunder echoed forever.
She was blinking her eyes to try to clear the streak of light that had overwhelmed her vision. Gothel had been asleep before the lightning had struck but now she was as wide awake as was humanly possible.
Gothel needed to find Rapunzel, but on her knees in the middle of the floor she was lost, she couldn't see and didn't know where the stairs were.
"Mommy?" wait was the Rapunzel? It sounded so faint or was it only because her ears rung so loudly. Gothel swung her head around trying to see or hear anything. "Rapunzel!"
Flash!Bang! another strike of lightning on the edge of the canyon this time.
Gothel saw she had nearly backed herself into the kitchen. There was a ribbon of hair from the stairs to her bed. "Rapunzel!" Scrambling on all fours she found the end of the golden hair and followed it toward her bed.
Just as she reached the quivering mass of tears that was Rapunzel, there was another strike on the tower.
KRAKADOOM!
For an instant Gothel could see every detail of the canyon etched in stark contrast on her retinas. Rapunzel threw her arms around Gothel's neck and held on with all her strength.
FlaBang!, another lightning strike.
Gothel pushed off of her bed and scrambled to the middle of the floor, one arm around Rapunzel's shaking body. "It's got to be safer here, doesn't it?" she thought.
A roar began to overlay their ears as the rain and hail came, that just added to the terror of the continuous lightning and thunder. Gothel could feel Rapunzel's tears soaking through her nightshirt and her quivering body as she sobbed, but she couldn't hear them, nature commanded their attention completely.
It was getting cold in the tower. The ice of the hail was sucking the heat out of the air. She didn't dare go near the fierce light of the window for a blanket and lighting a fire would be impossible with Rapunzel clinging to her with all her strength.
Gothel's eyes filled with tears. She had never been more afraid in her life. This was the worst thunderstorm ever. Would it never end?
She got on her knees and repositioned herself so she could hold Rapunzel with both arms. And began to stroke and comfort the weeping child and herself.
"The hair!" Gothel realized. They had about 20 feet of hair to wrap themselves with. She quickly wrapped the hair around them, and it was a little warmer. Then she began to sing a desperate lullaby.
"Flower, gleam and glow, let your power shine…" and as she sang a warm golden light filled the darkened tower and held back the terror of the terrible storm. And so they spent the night in the middle of the floor, singing to hold back the terror until the storm broke and the warm sun returned.