The Peculiar Archives

Case File #1: Rapunzel

If ever you met a girl with the longest golden hair that travelled past her ankles and across the room to hang upon a post, out of the way, would you think of the story Rapunzel? Because, as a matter of fact, I surely did. In a deep forest that harboured both animals and wandering criminals alike, there lived such a girl, except she was no princess of a kingdom, but rather, the master thief. With her hypnotizing looks and long flowing hair half-braided over the side of her shoulder, men offered to do her bidding, and there was much to abide by. With every bag of gold she stole, and every pair of lips she kissed, Rapunzel's reputation eventually came the better of her.

At the edge of a dock, she met a handsome man, and though Rapunzel fancied him, she knew she could never be with him. And so, when the handsome young man came down for a kiss, Rapunzel placed her hands against his chest, feeling for any jewels. But it was then dozens of boots came racing from the other end of the dock. They were king's men carrying guns and shackles. When Rapunzel looked to the handsome man who returned a look of guilt, her face only hardened. Before she could be dragged away and thrown into a jail cell to serve her years, Rapunzel gripped her braid tight, brandishing it in front of her.

The king's men only laughed as they neared her, but then a loud crack echoed in the sky and they stopped. "Come any closer and I'll leave a scar on your face so deep, women and children will scream in terror!" she cried. Some men snickered, but most became reluctant.

One brought up his gun. "You can't whip a bullet, dear."

"I won't need to."

Then he pulled the trigger, a crack escaping his gun. In that moment, Rapunzel brought her untied lock of hair to the front, tossing it ahead of her. There was ping, as if the bullet had hit steel, before it fell to the dock, smoke still rolling off of it. Rapunzel's gold hair was undamaged.

"Wh-What?" the man stammered.

"Just think about trying to shoot me again!" Rapunzel shouted back.

But just after she said that, a hand gripped her wrist, quickly throwing on a pair of shackles. She turned around, spotting the young man with his jacket on the ground, revealing a king's man uniform. She could feel her heart break, but she struggled to keep the feeling to herself, setting her jaw hard.

Rapunzel was known for her long golden hair, but the king would never have guessed what it could do. He had tried everything to cut it off, the strongest pair of scissors barber John had, the sharpest knife chef Ariel could offer, even the largest guillotine executioner Ron wasn't using. None of it worked, only dulling the edges of each blade to the point where they nearly chipped and cracked. It was then the king made the decision to commission a tower so tall it would disappear above the clouds to lock Rapunzel away forever.

When the magnificent tower was finished, Rapunzel was thrown in, and the key was tossed to the side, forgotten forever.

* * *

I came across Rapunzel on a whim, only hearing stories of such a girl ages before hand, and with each story there came a warning that even if this girl were real, she couldn't have still been alive in that tower. But I was determined, and after days of wandering the forest, nearly losing everything from criminals who lived there, I had found it, the tower. To be honest, it wasn't as grand as I imagined, only about as tall as a few skyscrapers in present day, but to these folk, it must've been a great achievement.

As I prepared to climb the vines, a rustling came from the woods behind me, and I quickly dashed to the side, hidden behind some bushes. Who emerged was a man on a horse. He wore a bright red uniform and white pants that matched the horse he was saddled upon. In his hands, a basket. The man brought his leg over the other end of the horse and jumped off, then sauntered to the base of the tower, looking up to the top. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"