My Name is Rapunzel

by K. C. Hilton

  “I already told you how old I am and where my parents are.” I could feel my face turning hot. This man needed to leave, now. I had made a mistake trusting him. I should never have written that letter.

  “Oh, right. You're 267 years old and will turn 268 next month on the full moon. See? I didn't forget.” He grinned. “You can drop the act for a minute. Let’s talk business. You’ve convinced me you have a vivid imagination, you’re a decent writer, and you can stay in character no matter what.”

  “I really must get going. You need to leave.” My words rushed out a little too fast. If the dragon saw him, I wasn’t sure what would happen.

  “Let me take you to lunch on Wednesday. Just us. No interview. I'll pick you up around noon?” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket.

  “What? No!” I shook my head. The man had lost his mind. He didn’t believe me and now he wanted me to agree to go to lunch with him in two days? “I don't go into town.”

  “Why? Oh, that's right,” He said, then shook his head. “You think people will recognize you.” It wasn't a question. He did think I was crazy. Maybe it was true. “How long has it been since you've been to town?”

  “Nearly fifty years. I’ve told you this already.” I looked at the ground. Tears welled up in my eyes. Oh, how I yearned to go to town—to see people and talk to them, even if it was only small talk. I wanted more interaction. I needed some socialization. It had been far too long. These past years had gone by too slow. Had it been long enough since I’d last shown my face among people, not counting my stealthy taxi ride?

  “It's not that I hadn't wanted to go to town, because I really do miss being around people. The simple fact is that I don't want to be recognized. I'm afraid of going around old people.” I tried to keep the whine from my voice. “The older people could recognize me from when I last ventured out.”

  When people were suspicious, they became scared. They could send some type of lynch mob after me like they had soon after I’d moved to Paradise Valley. I’d talked my way out of trouble then, but what if I wasn’t so lucky this time? And what about the dragon? People feared what they didn't understand. How could I possibly explain that to someone who hasn't had to live the life I had?

  I must keep my distance from the town and from people as much as I could. Although witch trials and stake burning were a thing of the very distant past. Salem—what a huge tragedy it had been. Proof that people in higher positions of power and influence could make stupid mistakes. The meaningless deaths of those innocent men, women, and children long before I was even born should have haunted them to their graves. Not that I wish ill will toward anyone, but it would have been good to know their guilt drove them insane.

  Those days, witches were burned at the stake, but these days, witches made money from their services. What a difference a century or three could make.

  He covered a small laugh, but I heard it just the same. “Let's imagine that I believed your story. You haven't been to town in nearly fifty years. Hypothetically speaking of course, do you really believe people would recognize you? If you've been isolated that long, away from town, you've just developed a phobia of some sort. Trust me. People don't care about others. They don't pay attention to the comings and goings of anyone, and old folks’ memories fade.”

  He reached out and grabbed hold of both my hands. It felt strange to have another person touch me. I'd sought comfort for so long, I’d forgotten what it felt like. But still, he shouldn't be touching me. Holding hands was intimate.

  “Come on, Rapunzel! What can it hurt?” He smiled. “Surely you can't believe someone will recognize you if you've been away for so long. You have nothing to worry about. Besides, if there were any witch hunters left, they certainly wouldn't come after you. Look at you! You don't even come close to looking like a witch. You know what I mean—green skin, a huge nose with a hairy wart. And what about the black cape, the crooked walking stick, and the black pointy hat? And where's your broom to fly on?” He laughed, still holding my hands.

  “You might be right.” I giggled nervously and looked off in the distance, toward town. If all went well, then I could go to town for the next five years without a problem. But what if someone did recognize me? Then what? My hands shook.

  “Rapunzel, you're beautiful and unforgettable. I'll never forget you, that's for sure.”

  “Unforgettable is basically the same as recognizable. If I'm unforgettable, as you say, someone could…” I wiped a stray tear away. Why did I let myself get so emotional?

  “Someone could recognize you?” He whispered, finishing my sentence. I nodded in agreement. “Don't you worry your pretty little head about a thing. I'll be next to you the entire time, not leaving your side even for a moment. Besides, most people recognize me from the newspaper and I don't mind being the center of attention.” Out of nowhere, he lifted my hand and kissed it, just like a true gentleman. He held my hand close to his lips, waiting for my answer. I felt strange about this closeness.

  What should a lady do when a handsome man kisses her hand? I supposed I should—

  A loud roar sounded in the distance.

  The dragon.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  “What was that sound?” He startled, releasing my hands. His eyes searched the darkening sky.

  “I need to go. You need to go, now! Hurry!” I said, trying to push him toward his car. We were in the open. Did the dragon see us? Did he see John kiss my hand? “It's dark! I'm not supposed to be out after dark. I told you that.” I needed to get back to the castle fast. I needed to light a candle.

  He refused to budge. Stubborn man. “It isn't a wolf. I know the sound of a wolf or coyote very well.” He searched the space around us. The roaring grew closer.

  There he was. I spotted the dark figure above the tree line, in the sky. I had told John about the dragon, but I wasn’t sure he was ready to actually see it. Besides, I wasn’t sure what the dragon would do seeing me with a stranger. If he hadn’t already.

  The dragon was flying just above us now. I had to do something.

  “What is that thing?” John ducked his head as he pointed at the dragon. Had he really not been listening to a single word I'd been saying to him?

  “You need to leave! Now!” I said, trying to push him toward his car again. Why wouldn't he move?

  “Seriously, Rapunzel, you can't honestly believe…” His words were cut off when I pulled him toward me and kissed him. Maybe that would distract him. The dragon swooped down close enough for us to hear his low growl of disapproval, but John was lost in our kiss. I had sworn I would never kiss another man, but there I was, kissing John.

  The dragon was angry. He was, for all purposes, my protector. But even so, I’d never seen him this close before. He was beautiful. I wanted to reach out and comfort him. Tell him everything would be all right. But would it?

  The dragon flew toward the castle and circled around my tower, indicating I should be inside. I never meant to upset him. I really needed to go.

  I gently pulled away from the kiss. Though I didn’t want to.

  John’s eyes were wide. “I'm not sure what that was for,” he grinned. “But I really enjoyed it.” John placed both his hands on the sides of my face and kissed me again.

  This was entirely my fault. Why had I kissed him in the first place? Oh, yeah, so he wouldn't get a good look at the dragon. It might have been better if he had. I couldn’t deny that his lips had felt wonderful and that his kiss rekindled old memories.

  John slowly pulled away and looked at me with promise. Could I ever dream of a future with him? No, that wouldn't be possible. It could never happen.

  “Promise me, you won't say anything about the…anything about the kiss. Our kiss, that is.”

  “Who would I tell? Besides, nobody would care.” He pulled me close to his body in an embrace.

  I shook my head to clear my thoughts. “It's time for you to leave.”

  He grabbed both my hands again and the drag
on roared in the distance, but he ignored the sound. “Let me take you to town on Wednesday. Please? I'm not leaving until you say yes.” He wasn't moving. He was either crazy or stupid, but then again, he didn't know a huge threat loomed above my tower and that threat was an angry dragon.

  “Yes, all right. Pick me up around noon.” I just wanted him to leave.

  “Great! It's a date. See you then.”

  What had I done? I had angered the dragon, kissed a guy I barely knew, and apparently agreed to go on a date. I should never have written that first letter.

  The dragon called like a mother standing on a front porch at dusk.

  I ran the whole way back to the castle. I’d hurry to my room and light my candle. Then I could think about John and my date.

  I entered the foyer and pulled the door shut. Banging came from the direction of the kitchen. And what was that awful smell?

  “Rapunzel? Is that you?” Gretta's voice bellowed out. Oh, no! Gretta had come home early. Had she seen me with John? Had she seen us kiss? “Rapunzel?”

  “Yes, it's me,” I said. Who else would it be?

  I peeked in the kitchen. No one there. I walked just beyond to the library and found Gretta stirring something in that huge cast iron pot, hanging over the fire.

  “What are you cooking in there? It stinks worse than usual.” I hope she didn’t expect me to eat whatever she was brewing.

  Gretta let out an eerie cackle—the same one I heard those many years ago. I took a step back. What was she up to?

  “It's not dinner, if that's what you're asking. Where have you been?” Her back remained to me. She was too busy with her witch’s brew to face me, not that I cared to look in her eyes.

  I cleared my throat, not knowing what to say. I couldn't tell her that I sent a letter to the newspaper and had been spending time with John. Most of all, I couldn't tell her I was telling him my story. “I was just walking the property. It was a nice day for it.” I think she bought it.

  “I saw you with that boy. Don't lie to me, Rapunzel!” I was caught. Gretta's back was still toward me.

  “He's just a friend.” Why was I defending myself to her? It was none of her business.

  “I don't know what you think you're doing spending time with him. And I know you've been seeing him, so don't pretend otherwise, but it needs to stop,” Gretta said in an even tone.

  “You can't tell me what to do!” I raised my voice. How dare she tell me what to do? This was my home and she could leave for all I cared.

  “I have let you think you’re in charge long enough, dearie. You’d better mind yourself or you’ll find out who really holds the keys around here. Speaking of keys…” Gretta steadied her voice and turned to me with narrowed eyes. “Did you really think a lock would keep me out?”

  A chill ran up my spine as a frigid breeze blew through the room.

  “Nothing can come of the friendship you have with that boy. Did you honestly think you could have a life with him?” Gretta raised her voice, gathering strength with each word. “How long will it take before he realizes you do not age and that you may very well be immortal? What will happen then? No man alive would want to be with you, Rapunzel. Not any in his right mind, anyway.”

  What could I say to that? Gretta was right. Who in his right mind would want to be with me? I'm not even sure I could have children. If I did marry someone and had a family, before too long, my children would look older than me, just as Luke had. As much as I hated to admit it, Gretta was right and she knew it. Maybe she truly was trying to protect me.

  “You've angered the dragon.” It wasn't a question. “I heard his roar well before dark. He’s getting bolder. I can't wait to be rid of that beast!”

  “What do you mean? Are you planning something?” I demanded. Did she really want to get rid of the dragon? How could she possibly make it happen? Was she brewing poison in that pot? I folded my arms. I wasn’t leaving without an answer. “I asked you a question, Gretta.”

  “How could I, an old woman, possibly get rid of a dragon?” Gretta said, then laughed under her breath, her back still to me. “It's been nearly 250 years and that beast is still hanging around. I don't care much for it, and I wish it would just go away or die.”

  “That's a horrible thing to say,” I spat out. “The dragon has become my protector and you know it. That’s why you hate him.” Gretta didn't say a word, just continued to stir the brew. She wanted the dragon dead because he defended me. I couldn't let any harm come to it or who knows what would happen. I needed to be more careful and watch Gretta closer. I needed to find out what she was up to, because it was something.

  I couldn't let anything happen to the dragon. My dragon.

  Gretta cleared her throat, and then turned to face me. “Think about it, Rapunzel. If the dragon were gone, we could leave this place. We could travel the world.” She gazed into her pot. “We wouldn't be tied down to any one place, and you would never be recognized.”

  She had a point, but there was no way she meant it. Gretta was up to something and I was going to find out what it was. I stepped closer to the pot she had simmering on the stove and peered inside. Murky blackness. What was in that brew?

  “Since when has there ever been a we?” I asked. She'd never cared about me, ever. She took away my life and Henry…and my Luke. Everyone I’d ever loved. How could I ever hope she’d let me love in peace? Would she go after John next?

  “Rapunzel. My dearest Rapunzel.” Gretta used a fake motherly tone, spreading her arms, welcoming me to her, but I refused. “I have always cared about you. I've never wanted any harm to come to you. I've treated you like you were my own daughter.”

  That was a lie. She'd never done anything for me except give me heartache and tell me what I could and could not do. She'd only ever cared about our agreement, one that could not be fulfilled, since I was cursed. How could I forgive her for what she'd done to me, and what she'd taken away from me?

  “I promised your father that I would take care of you and watch over you like you were my own. I don't break promises I make. Unlike someone I know.” She turned around to stir her smelly brew.

  “Promises? What is a promise when you ruined my life? You cursed me.”

  “Ruined your life? Cursed you? I see it quite differently, Rapunzel. You have lived over 250 years now, and you say that you are cursed?” Gretta laughed. “What people wouldn't give to live as long as we have? What people wouldn't give to live as long as you have with your youth and beauty intact forever?”

  “Beauty without love is nothing but empty vanity. It never satisfies. All I want is more…I’m empty. Dead. Eternally dead.” I pounded my fists on the wall and wailed. What could she possibly want from me? “It’s not my fault that my hair is cursed too. It’s not my fault that you can’t cut it off and use it for whatever it is you do. I don’t know what you want from me anymore.”

  Gretta lifted her face to the moonlight streaming through the window, and cackled. “The dragon is holding us back.” Gretta kept her back to me. “We could leave this place. Think about it.”

  “You could leave anytime you want. No one is stopping you.” I spat out the words and glared at her.

  Gretta simply laughed, her back still turned to me. But it wasn't just any laugh. No, it had an evil edge. She refused to leave this place without me. I knew it.

  What was there to think about? I thought she'd finally lost her mind. “You'd better not hurt the dragon. If you do, then I'll leave, and you'll never find me. Ever.” It was a good threat. I was too afraid to think that far ahead, not knowing where I'd go, how I'd live. It was too much to process at this moment. But I was surprised I even said it at all. It felt good.

  “Besides, you've had 250 years to reverse this curse. What have you done in all that time?” I raised my voice, but I couldn't take it anymore. My heart pounded in my chest and my head was starting to ache. I had to leave this room to rid her from my sight. I stormed out of the kitchen to seek comfort in my
tower.

  I slammed the tower door, and then made sure it was securely locked. As I lit the candle and placed it on the windowsill, I watched the dragon fly through the night sky. I traced my finger on the window over the dragon as it was flying. For a moment, I forgot all other things, except for this creature I had grown to love in some way. My heart rate slowed. My labored breathing stilled. My anger faded.

  He was such a beautiful creature—mystical and magical at the same time. He flew with such grace it left me in awe. I wished I could fly alongside him. I wished I could fly away from there. But I couldn't let anything happen to the dragon. I was his only family. I was more than likely the only person in the world who cared about him, and I had to protect him, just like he protected me.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  No breakfast for me. I had way too much to do. John Jenkins was right, even if he was annoying. If only I hadn’t kissed him. I threw the covers off my body and strode to the armoire. I was done. Done with the hiding. Done with moping. I had a life to live…at least for a little while, until I’d tuck myself away and wait out a new generation.

  What day was it? Tuesday, right? Perfect. I would go to town and surprise Pepper at Starbucks. What was the worst that could happen?

  But did I really want to do it alone? I chewed on my lip. Well, I didn’t have to go parading through all of town. Just to Starbucks and back. What harm could come from that?

  Now. What to wear? This was important. These girls were stylish. They knew exactly what to wear for any occasion, and they wore it well. What should a girl like me wear to a coffee shop?

  Oh! I knew just how to find out. I raced to the stack of magazines on the floor by my bed. I shuffled through the mound until I found one that would do. I flopped on my bed and poured through the pages. I flipped past the red carpet pictures—those certainly wouldn’t help for an outing like this. I looked beyond the worst dressed lists and the bikini pictures. Weren’t there any normal people in Hollywood?