RAPUNZEL, A FAIRY TALE /HAIRY TAIL
It was way past midnight, and Gwen was still tossing and turning, her mind churning like some kind of crazy circular trap. Theresa's antics were driving her crazy, and she was not about to stand by idly and let the housekeeper's daughter play house with her man! There had to be a way to make Theresa come clean. She had been a pain in the neck for much too long, and Gwen was developing an even lower opinion of Theresa with this rich, elusive, Mister Perfect fantasy boyfriend of hers... John Dough! "She's such a little liar," Gwen thought. " Most people realize that honesty pays, but with Theresa, it obviously doesn't pay as much as she would make as Mrs. Ethan Crane."
It was so hard to put everything aside. Every incident, every so called accident played one after another, over and over again tearing at her senses-seeing them asleep on the floor at the cabin, hearing about Ethan's surprise kiss, the dance party. the Cinderella opera, and how Theresa had gloated over her fantasy come true night with Ethan, not realizing Gwen was watching her bask in her little fairy tale hopes and dreams. The tangled nest of maddening scenarios wickedly wove through her mind until finally, mercifully and magically, she was able to slip through the confines of consciousness and actually drift off to sleep.
But as one door closed, another opened, and Gwen began to dream her own fairytale. Like most dreams. it was sprinkled generously with familiar characters, both real and fictional who appeared wherever and whenever the need arose.
Everything looked like a fairytale land. An old stone castle stood magnificently against the rolling hills surrounded by spacious meadows and bordered with a tall, dense forest as far as the eye could see. Towering spires seemed to touch the clouds, and a misty curtain threatened to transform itself into a blinding fog. Only the breeze allowed enough movement to reveal through the thick and glistening haze the activities which were taking place outside the grand abode.
The door was open, and Theresa, cloaked in black, stood struggling with her brother, Luis as he attempted to drag her into the medieval castle. Luis was dressed in tight black leather pants and vest cut open to reveal his chiseled and muscular frame. " No, no, you can't lock me away. I'll never see my Prince again. Please Luis, no, I'm begging you." Theresa was wailing and darting her eyes back and forth as she pleaded with Luis who stood steadfast in his will to get her up the winding staircase.
"Listen to me Theresa. I'm doing this for your own good. " Luis steadied her, gripping her shoulders and snapping her back to face him in her hysteria. "He's an evil Prince, Theresa, from an evil empire. His family is responsible for all the wickedness in the kingdom, and you have fallen under his spell. You will stay here in the tower until he chooses a bride. Then, and only then, can you be trusted to return to your home and your life. I'm sorry, Theresa. It's the only way."
Theresa cried out and fainted , then staggered back to her senses. With that, he dragged her whimpering and limp torso up the staircase and locked her away in the tower with only the essentials which in her case included a big hair brush, lots of makeup, and a bulletin board loaded with pictures of Ethan.
"I knew it!" Gwen muttered to herself. "It was Ethan all along. Well, good riddance to her!"
As the days passed in dreamland, Gwen could hear Theresa whimpering and whining in her tower. The poor pathetic creature would stand at the window moaning about fate this and fate that. Her sobbing and sniveling continued throughout the day until one day, fate did step in and who should be riding by but Prince Ethan himself who was immediately distracted by what he heard. He stopped his mighty steed and gazed up at the window.
"Oh yes, yes! Oh yes! Oh yes, yes! Ohhh.....!
"Who's there?" he yelled out. "Tell me, who speaks from this tower?"
"Oh yes! " Theresa continued as she moved over to the window. She had just finished her herbal essence shampoo, but did not hear the prince's voice yet as her shampoo was very exhilarating. She flung her long brown hair out the window, and it tumbled down nearly touching the ground."
"Theresa, is that you? I had no idea your hair was that long!" Ethan remarked seeing the incredible mane tousle down before him.
Theresa was astonished to see the man of her dreams at last, and explained what a great shampoo can do and also how she came to be in the tower. (Dreams can be very weird, you know) Of course, she omitted the part about how he was the love of her life, and what a lying, man stealing, manipulative, closet locking, no conscience having, sneak of a friend she really was. She begged Ethan to help her escape, and together, they came up with a plan. Neither had the bright idea to use the door, but nevertheless, it was decided that Ethan would climb Theresa's tresses, and some how they would escape.
As he climbed, Theresa babbled, " Oh Ethan, thank God you were here for me. I should have known you would save me. I never gave up hope. "
Ethan worried, "Are you okay up there, Theresa? Wow, your hair smells incredible. And it's so strong! I'm surprised that your boyfriend hasn't come to help you out of this mess."
"Yes Ethan, I'm fine." Theresa began to talk to herself. "He thinks I have incredible eyes and incredible hair too! Oh I just knew fate would come to my rescue. I just hope I can find a chiropractor when we get back to Harmony. My neck is killing me!"
"What's that?" Theresa turned to see Ethan had reached the top and was there to rescue her at last.
"Oh, nothing," Theresa smiled, her eyes bulging but happy, and of course, darting back and forth as she spoke. "I was just talking to myself. You do that when you're cooped up for as long as I've been!"
"No, I mean what's that?" Ethan exclaimed pointing to the back of her neck. The long, flowing hair which he had used to climb into the room was not at all what he had expected. Instead of growing from Theresa's scalp, it grew from the back of her neck and continued profusely down her back kinking and curling it's way out of her clothing and out the window.
"Oh that!!" Theresa explained. "I try to keep that under control, you know, hide it under my clothes at work and all, but being here all this time, I really haven't been able to keep my regular electrolysis appointments. It sure came in handy though, didn't it! I would have used the gnarly patch on my stomach, but I think it might have been a little too tender. The braid is pretty sturdy though."
As Ethan stumbled sideways, struggling to maintain his composure, he gasped. There before him was Gwen, tall and beautiful, blond and graceful. "You see, Ethan, there never was a boyfriend", she said pointing out the shrine to him on the bulletin board.
Ethan looked at Theresa with disgust, then back at Gwen. "Darling, I'm so sorry. you were right all along. Can you ever forgive me, Gwen. I love you!"
And, as dreams do, the characters faded off into the distance... a sobbing Theresa with all her hair, a smiling Ethan and his trusty steed, and oh yes, the horse outside too......THE END
Thank you for you devoted readership. I'm sorry it took so long for something new, and I hope you enjoyed my little fairy/hairy tale!