Rapunzel!
Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a couple who had longed for a child. When they finally had a baby, a beautiful little girl, they named her Rapunzel. But sadly, a wicked witch who lived nearby took the baby away. She locked Rapunzel in a tall, tall tower with no stairs or doors, and the only way in was to climb up her long, magical golden hair.
As Rapunzel grew older, her hair became longer and longer, and it sparkled like sunshine. The witch would visit her every day, standing at the bottom of the tower and calling, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Rapunzel would drop her hair out the window, and the witch would climb up.
Poor Rapunzel was lonely in her tower. She had no friends and never got to see the outside world. Every day, she would sing to herself and dream of what life might be like beyond the tower.
One day, a prince was riding through the forest and heard a beautiful voice coming from the tower. He followed the sound and saw Rapunzel singing at the window. He wanted to meet her but couldn’t figure out how to get inside. So, he waited and watched from behind the trees.
Soon, the witch came and called, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” The prince watched as Rapunzel let down her long braid and the witch climbed up. The prince got an idea. After the witch left, he went to the tower and called out just like the witch, “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!” Rapunzel, thinking it was the witch, let her hair down, and the prince climbed up into the tower.
At first, Rapunzel was frightened when she saw a stranger, but the prince spoke kindly to her and told her how he had heard her singing. They quickly became friends, and the prince visited her often, climbing up her hair each time. He told her all about the world outside, the forests, the towns, and the people. Rapunzel was fascinated and longed to see it all for herself.
Together, they made a plan to help Rapunzel escape. The prince would bring her silk each time he visited, and Rapunzel would braid it into a long rope to climb down from the tower.
But one day, the witch discovered their plan. Furious, she cut off Rapunzel’s beautiful hair and sent her to live far away in a lonely place, where she would never see anyone again. When the prince came back to rescue her, the witch tricked him. She let the cut hair fall down the tower, and when the prince climbed up, he found the witch instead. In his shock, he fell from the tower into the thorns below, which hurt his eyes, making him blind.
For many days, the prince wandered, searching for Rapunzel. He never gave up hope. Finally, one day, he heard her familiar singing voice in the distance. He followed the sound and found Rapunzel in the forest. She was so happy to see him! As they hugged, her tears of joy fell on his eyes, and miraculously, he could see again.
The prince took Rapunzel back to his kingdom, where they were married and lived happily ever after.
The end!
Follow-up questions:
- Why did the witch lock Rapunzel in the tower?
- How did the prince find Rapunzel?
- What did Rapunzel and the prince use to plan her escape?