Alchemist Out Of Corona

Curses! Part 4/5

The next morning, Rapunzel wakes up early to take the telescope back to Madame Canardist. But Eugene hops up, and follows after her. Varian watches out the window of the caravan as Eugene carries out his plan and gives the tooth he found to Rapunzel (which he has now attached to a string as a pendant). Judging by Rapunzel's facial expressions, Varian can tell that at first she isn't sure whether to believe it or not. But somehow Eugene manages to convince her, and she eagerly places the tooth around her neck.

With the river water having receded, the gang decide to hit the road again... and continue along the dangerous mountain path. The swaying towers of rock at the end of Lombard's Pass look more intimidating than ever, but Rapunzel seems completely unfazed. With Eugene sitting at her right, and Cassandra and Varian sitting to her left, the princess confidently directs the horses along the route. As they begin to run, she kisses the tooth for good luck. Varian glares at Eugene, who only chuckles nervously in response.

Racing along the narrow path causes all of them apprehension —except for Rapunzel. The closer they draw to the end, the quicker Varian's heart thumps. He instinctively holds onto Cassandra, who surprisingly allows him to do so; the expression on her face gives evidence that she is just as scared as he is.

Once they reach the towers of rock, Rapunzel stops the caravan. The gang stare ahead, wishing more than anything that there was another way across.

"Of all the deadly bridges of swaying rocks I've seen, this is the deadliest!" Lance says from the back of the caravan. "But only the second swayey-est."

"Don't worry guys," Rapunzel tells them confidently. "We've closed the door on disaster." She gives Maximus a nod, and he prepares himself. He and Fidella carefully pull the caravan onto the first swaying rock, which immediately begins to lean forward towards the next tower. Eugene and Varian scream as Maximus times his next move perfectly; he leaps to the next rock tower, as the previous one collapses into the canyon below. He repeats this process, as each tower they cross crumbles to pieces behind them.

Finally, they reach the center of the bridge. Rapunzel halts the horses, steadying the tower. She looks behind them, and sees how far they've come. "Yes! That was impeccable timing!" She shouts, pumping her fist in the air excitedly. She kisses the tooth again and adds, "Didn't see that moose tooth coming, did ya curse?"

Shorty pops his head out of the window next to Cassandra. "Moose tooth? More like my's tooth!" He grabs the tooth from Rapunzel, and sticks it inside his gums where it fits perfectly. "Welcome back, Edna. I kept your room just like you left it." Varian crinkles his nose as Cassandra shoves the old man back into the caravan, then Varian closes the window.

"What is going on here?" Rapunzel asks, confused.

Eugene laughs guiltily. "What are the odds Shorty has the same size teeth as a moose? I never, ever would've guessed that."

Rapunzel's expression grows increasingly infuriated as she begins to realize what has happened. "Eugene! That wasn't a good luck charm, was it?" She asks, rounding on him. "That was just Shorty's tooth. Ugh! And I kissed it, ew!" She cringes in disgust.

     "Twice," Varian reminds her, receiving a glare from Eugene.

     "Thank you for reminding me, Varian," Rapunzel says dryly. "What are we gonna do now?"

Suddenly, the rock tower begins to sway... backwards. The rear of the caravan starts to slide off the rock, causing everyone to panic. Rapunzel shakes her head, and continues yelling at Eugene.

"You lied to me, Eugene!" She says, still in shock. "You said that was a lucky moose tooth!"

"Now, just a second Blondie," Eugene says, holding his hands up defensively. "I didn't lie, I simply relayed select truths."

"What are you talking about?!" Rapunzel shouts.

"Well, I did find the tooth on an adventure. This adventure, to be exact. After taking the book, I stumbled upon the section of anti-curse charms and saw the moose tooth passage. From there, I just kind of rolled with it. I mean, how was I supposed to know it was Shorty's tooth?" He smiles innocently.

"Guys, is this really the time for this?!" Varian shouts.

"I agree with the kid," Cassandra says. "Lie or 'select truths', we're mere inches away from our doom. So can we please focus on that, people?"

"I—I can't," Rapunzel says with a sigh. "The curse!"

The horses whinny nervously as the caravan tilts backward even farther. They try to pull it forward, but the rock tower continues to sway the wrong direction. Lance squeals fearfully.

"Rapunzel, look at me," Eugene says, firmly but lovingly placing his hands on her shoulders. "Think about it: Bad things only started to happen once you thought you were cursed, and good things started to happen once you thought you found the counter-curse. Look, someone once told me that they don't believe in bad luck curses."

Rapunzel smiles, finally realizing the truth. "And someone once told me that the best way to predict the future is to create your own."

"Did I say that? Wow, that is very poetic," Eugene says.

"My luck is no worse or no better than anyone else's," Rapunzel continues. "What matters is what I choose to focus on. And I'm choosing the fact that we've almost made it across this bridge without a scrape, and there's no reason to stop now!"

"That's right, Princess!" Lance shouts. "Show that bridge who's boss!"

"Yeah! You got this, Raps!" Cassandra says encouragingly, pumping her fists. "Tap into that optimism!"

"The odds of us surviving this far were already slim," Varian says. "What's a couple more swaying rock towers of doom?"

"Ain't that the 'tooth'," Shorty says, popping back out the window. But Cassandra promptly shoves him back in.

Staring ahead, Rapunzel once again grabs the reins. "Alright guys," she says to the horses as the others grip onto whatever they can. "Drop your heads, and engage your hocks!" The horses comply, and pull as hard as they can. Just before the caravan is about to tumble backwards into the canyon, they manage to straighten it and steady the rock tower.

Eugene laughs triumphantly, as the others heave a collective sigh. "Yes! That's the Raps I know!"