Rapunzel

In a village beside a beautiful walled garden lived a couple who longed for a child. When their daughter was born, a stern enchantress claimed the girl because of a promise her father had foolishly made. The child was named Rapunzel, after the green plants that grew in the enchantress's garden.

Rapunzel grew into a gentle, curious girl with long golden hair. She loved stories, birds, and the way sunlight moved across the leaves. But when she was older, the enchantress took her to a tall tower hidden in the forest.

It had no door at ground level and only one window high above the trees. The enchantress visited by calling, 'Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!' Rapunzel lowered her long braid, and the enchantress climbed up.

Then she would leave Rapunzel alone again, sometimes for many days. Rapunzel filled the quiet hours with drawings, songs, and stories she invented about the world beyond the tower. She watched clouds drift by and imagined roads running toward distant towns.

She wondered what the sea looked like and how it felt to walk through a marketplace full of voices. One afternoon a young prince riding through the forest heard a beautiful song. He followed the melody until he found the tower.

He searched for a door but saw none. Then he watched from behind a tree as the enchantress called to Rapunzel and climbed the golden braid. After the enchantress had gone, the prince called the same words.

Rapunzel lowered her hair, expecting another visit. To her surprise, a stranger appeared at the window. He spoke gently and apologised for startling her.

The prince told Rapunzel about the villages, rivers, and busy roads he had seen. Rapunzel asked question after question. Over time they became friends, and he returned to share books, maps, and news.

Rapunzel, in turn, sang him songs and showed him the stories she had written. 'I want to see the world for myself,' she said one day. 'I do not want to live inside this tower forever.'

Together they planned a safe escape. The prince brought a length of strong rope on each visit, and Rapunzel patiently wove the pieces into a ladder. But before it was ready, the enchantress discovered the plan.

Angry at losing control, she sent Rapunzel to a distant valley and hid the tower behind tangled branches. The prince returned to find the window empty. For a long while he searched the forests and fields.

Rapunzel was searching too. Though she missed her friend, she made a home in the valley, learned to travel, and asked people for directions without fear. One evening, near a quiet stream, the prince heard a familiar melody.

He followed the sound and saw Rapunzel singing beneath a willow tree. They hurried to greet each other, full of relief and joy. This time Rapunzel made her own choice.

She would travel, meet new people, and learn about the world that had once existed only in her dreams. The prince was glad to travel beside her, and together they set out toward the open road. Rapunzel kept singing wherever she went.

But her happiest song was never about the tower. It was about the freedom to choose where her own story would lead.