Sleepless Sleeping Beauty

Reflected in the dusty mirror, Neola could see her weary face, clouded in sorrows and fading lines. Her golden brown eyes trace her image up and down. She stretch her tired hand up to her face, feeling the rough texture. Is that really her? Is that the face she has been living with? She turns away, unable to look at herself any longer.

Instead she turn her view to her antiquated home where almost everything are covered in dust. Mildews on her dresser, cobwebs between the doors, around the ceilings, and dirt layered on the cobbled stone walls and floors. It has been many years since she was first brought out here in this remote place with only few of her servants accompanying her. The years had passed so quickly, she could barely remembered what she did.

She parts the faded curtains to see the sun peeking out of the horizon. She yawns, then sighs as her lips turn to a frown. Another day ends but what will tomorrow bring but another disappointing arrow through her lonely heart?

Neola lay back down in her warm bed, pulling the sheets up to her chest, ready to sleep another day away. She closes her sleepy eyes but her mind continued to stay awake. Underneath her dark eyelids, there was peace. Only sleep.

She had spent many restless nights walking the dark halls exhausted but wide awake. Everyone around her were in various stages of sleep, some even laying on the floor, eyes half closed as if to remind her that the world had forgotten them. They will not be tending to her needs anymore. Neola makes sure they are comfort even as their body resisted the urge to stay awake. Often she would cover them in blankets whenever the nights gets too cold. The wind often sweeps through the thinning walls like sandstorms. Even the days blended together as if they too had forgotten themselves.

She wakes up a moment later but doesn't know why. She check the sky and saw the sun had settled into darkness. The moon hides behind sycamore trees. She watches the fading sparkles that framed the dark sky. Once she had made a wish on one of those tiny dots on a very cold night much like tonight. It wasn't anything too hard to forfill but her wish had gone unanswered.

Should she get dress? She started to call out her chambermaid's name but stop when she realized she would not come to her. Even if she did, she would not have the energy to help her. Neola falls to her knees, sadden by the thought.

If no one had come in the hundred years that she had waited, what are the chances they would come now? She sob into her silk gown, too tired to even think. The tears came down so often and yet they still refused to leave her. Another hundred years, what would it matter?

She had pictured so many times what she would say or do if someone did come but those images had long since dissipated in the clouds. She has no more energy for dreaming, not every daydreams.

By the time Neola stopped crying, morning has come. She lift her head up to a splash of sunlight, almost blinding her. Pressing her hands on the window sill to steady herself, she pulls herself up and wipes the last tears off her cheeks.

Something is out there. She can see a blue blur moving, coming near. She try to focus her eyes but the bright sunlight flare out her view. She shade her eyes with her hand but only saw the blurry blue coming closer and closer. Then her heart almost burst out of her skin when she realized what it was.

She runs around the castle, almost skipping, shouting for everyone to wake up. Then she saw what she was wearing and race to back to her room. She will wear her favorite dress, the one with the blue laces and white bows, that always makes her feel the most beautiful. Excitement jump around in her mind. The day has come! It has finally come! One hundred years wasn't such a long way. No, not long at all.


3WW: Picture, Reflected, Stop

Flightless

He couldn't remember when the change came. It swept up everything that was sad and hurtful, good and happy. It swallowed everything like a piece of cheesecake that went down like silk. The intensity of the change found its way to the owner and preyed on him endlessly, turning him into candy floss that slipped between the wind and the stars. It ceased to stop even when it hit a great wall. It climbed over the wall and chased after the owner as he ran into the night. Finally the owner fell down and could run no more. He let the change took over him and turned him into a flightless dark bird.

The dark bird had forgotten everything good and happy but also everything that made him sad. His wings grew back in the summer and he flew around the world without any memories of what happened. His mind a blank canvas but still full of intense emotions that he cannot decipher. He often had dreams where he was a man. He did not understood why he had those dreams, only that their images lingered long after the dream was forgotten.

He often wished for a companion but his loneliness kept him trapped in his caged heart. He cannot helped but keep to himself.

One day he saw a beautiful woman with long red hair walking along the shore. He wanted so much to speak with her but he had no voice of his own. He flew close by but she didn't notice him. He was but a bird.

The woman suddenly smiled and waved to someone. Her face shined so brightly, it almost glowed like the sun. The dark bird's mind suddenly filled with tender images of this woman's face. He made a sound that caught the woman's attention but she soon turn away towards the man that was running to meet her. The dark bird flew towards the woman, making more sounds but the woman just ignored him. She waved her arms for him to go away. The man with blonde hair came and shooed him away, putted his arms around the woman and rushed her away in a red car.

The dark bird had no choice but to fly away, back to his lonely home in the sky. He watched from above at the moving red car, following it with his eyes. He nearly flew into another bird.

That night he dreamt of the woman. In the dream, he was a man holding the woman in his arms. They laughed and kissed with no care in the world. The feelings for this woman was so strong, it triggered a memory in the dark bird.

When the dark bird woke up, he knew instantly that the woman was his former true love. She had left him on a dark and cold night when the rain fell down in heavy successions. She had changed into someone new, someone unfamiliar to him. She had fallen in love with someone else, she told him in a cold voice. He was just not right for her. She wanted someone who can afford luxury cars and big houses with high ceilings. She said he was a loser, someone she could never be with. He had no words to say. He knew he couldn't make her stay.

Then came the final words that cut deep into his subconscious, "I never want to see you again." She walked out the door where a man was waiting outside for her, a blonde hair man with vacant eyes and a flashy, red sports car. He had peeked through the curtains and saw them kissing before driving away.

It was then that he had wished to be someone else. Someone who wasn't him. He cried himself to sleep and when he woke up, he remembered nothing but the one dream where he was chased by something, something that completely changed him. All he knew was, he was a bird whose wings had been clipped.

Now the dark bird wandered the sky. His heart, heavy as stone, his mind, full of memories that he cannot erase. He wished he could go back to the moment when he made that wish. But as the days go by, the allure of the sky pushed those memories farther away. Soon the dark bird's memories faded away, leaving only a faint dream.


This is for Fiction Friday: Write a scene that ends with your character saying: 'I never want to see you again.' Get the Fiction Friday code. About Fiction Friday.

And also for Friday 5: floss, intense, prey, cease, swallow.

Walk

This entry is for Sunday Scribblings: walk.

Walking slowly and timidly among the wet leaves, Nell tries to focus on the path ahead - dark gray with faded patterns of snow. The sky starts dripping with rain. Each time Nell presses her foot down on the gray earth, the snow covers her shoes. Nell turn to see a shadow following her. She quickens her pace, her heartbeat now speeding as each step sends her skipping over wet land.

She rushes onward much too quick and falls into a heap of leaves, toppling them into the air. She turns to see behind her but saw nothing. Just the shadows of the trees covering the ground.

She pulls herself up and starts to walk, faster this time. It must have been her imagination. Nell pause in her steps to look behind her again. A shadow moving in the tree. A person? No, just the wind blowing the dark tree branches.

Nell continues on her way, this time more calmly. She gathers her cape closer and pull her hood on. Then she heard a sound coming behind her. She turns again but sees nothing. The night falling down as she shifts the weight of her feet, from one to another. There's someone there, she is sure of it. A flowing sound, like a bird's wing flies pass her ears. She stands very still, closes her eyes and listen.

Nothing. She turn to her other senses for guidance. There it is again. A bird, a big bird, no, bigger. She bends down and pulls her cape closer, covering herself completely. She waits.

The sound is coming closer and closer. She waits, holding still as stone. She can smell the scent of lavender and citrus. The shadow walks around her, shifting its weight, up and down as if unfamiliar with walking. Nell reminds still, a chameleon of leaves. The creature walks ahead towards where Nell was heading. Nell remind still waiting for it to go farther ahead.

At last the creature couldn't be heard. Nell stands up thinking she cannot go in the same path as the creature. It might detect her even before she make one step. She will have to go up above the trees.

She closed her eyes, gathering strength as she sends her body up among the trees. Nell steps onto a branch and look out upon the land. The night is still far away. The trees are swinging like dancers tuning to the same music.

Up ahead, she saw the house, still very far away. A shadow of a creature moving rapidly among the rows and rows of dark trees. She cannot see what it is at that speed.

Nell flows from tree branch to tree branch hoping to catch up with the creature. One look behind her, she can see the creature slowing down a bit. She forces herself to go faster. Her legs painfully aching away as she flies faster.

Down on the ground, she looks behind her but sees no trace of the creature. She quickens her pace. She can see the house with smoke coming up from the concrete chimney.

At last she is at the front door. She lets herself inside and locks it behind her. A knock came soon after. Nell opens the door and sees the shadow creature staring at her with black eyes.

"You've won," it said as it pulls the feathered cape off and walks inside the house. Nell watches as Elle, her sister, slumps onto the wooden bench, breathing heavily.

Elle had bet Nell that she can be faster than Nell. They had set out two days ago at the starting point, a few hundred miles away from their home. Nell knew she could beat her sister but she had to let her try. They had agreed that each could use whatever method of magic they want. Nell had thought the creature smelled familiar. Elle must have used the spell that their grandmother had taught her.

Nell sits down next to her sister, beaming with pride. She did win. What a race!

Three Wishes

For Fiction Friday. Theme: A character gets three wishes...

Once there was a prince who had everything his heart can desire. He was a spoiled young man with a large appetite for fun. He often would make others suffer for his own happiness. One day an old witch came by the castle and granted him three wishes. Anything he wants, nothing's impossible she said. In return he would have to give up his life as a prince. No one would recognize him - not the servants, nor his parents or his people. Once he make the deal he cannot go back. The prince was so excited by this as he had grown bored by his easy going life that he immediately accepted the deal and thought nothing about the consequences.

The prince was suddenly no longer inside the castle but in a forest. The old witch asked what his first wish was. The prince wanted to know what it's like to be poor. The prince was changed into a poor old beggar and his clothes was changed into rags. On the town, the prince walked among his people. Some were generous to him and gave him bread but others shoved him aside to walked pass him. The prince soon learned he did not like being poor and felt sadden by his status. As he wandered around town, he felt isolated and lonely. The prince was so distraught that he ran back to the castle but was thrown out by the guards as they saw him only as an old man. He called to his parents but the king and queen did not recognized him and told the guards to be gentle with him as they led him out.

The prince walked to the forest and called upon the old witch. She appeared to him and asked him what his second wish was. He wished to be his physical self again living among the people. Wish granted. The prince was back with the people, this time as himself. But of cause he was not recognized as a prince but just another man. The people were kind to him. He was offered a job cutting woods to earn for room and bread. The prince lived happily for a while but when he heard his parents were looking for him, he ran to the castle but once again no one recognized him and he was thrown out like a beggar. The prince got so angry, he ran to the forest to call for the old witch.

The old witch appeared to him and asked him if he wanted to make his last wish. His wish was for things to go back to the way it was. But of cause the old witch could not grant him that since they had a deal and cannot be undone. The prince, frustrated by this, yelled at the old witch and told her his wish shall be granted as nothing was impossible. But the old witch only told him that was not possible. They had a deal and she was not about break it. She will grant his last wish when he thought of a new one. The prince screamed at the old witch but she soon disappeared. He fell down on his knees and started to cried. He scolded himself for being so foolish as to give up his identity just so he wouldn't be bore.

Finally the prince thought, since there was nothing he could do, he might as well make his last wish. He wished to be useful to someone as he had no home nor any family. He wanted to be a servant in the castle so he can be near his family. The old witch granted his wish and sent him to the castle. The prince became a servant to his parents who did not recognize him. They seem to have forgotten they had a son. They treated the prince like he was their son. The prince felt happy to be back even as a servant and thought he shall never again wish to be someone else.

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The End

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Born into a family of darkness, Juniper was not an ordinary child. While her other two older sisters practice magic, she would stare out the window and watch the clouds go by. On sunny days she would run through the fields and chase the clouds above. Instead of turning people into frogs and pigs, Juniper turns them into sunflowers and daisies. Instead of greedily taking, she would ask for nothing.

Her parents, a witch and a warlock, couldn't understand her. They tried to steered her to their ways but it was no use. Juniper was not like them. There was no way of changing that. Each time they to tried to teach her dark magic, she would end up doing the opposite. It was not on purpose. Juniper never knew why she was that way or why she was so different from her family.

It was said she was like her aunt Agnes. No one knew what became of her. It was rumor that she had ran off with some mortal or that a spell had gone wrong ending up killing her. It's true Juniper was like her. She was reluctant to do harm to people.

As she grew older, her conscience became clearer. She understood her family was evil but still loved them. In secret, Juniper created spells to erased the bad deeds her family had concocted but since her powers was not as strong as theirs, she sometimes has to leave it be.

On her eighteenth birthday, it was decided she were be marry to another warlock's son. Snail was his name. A good looking guy but with such an big ego and arrogance, Juniper took to hating him every time she saw him. He tried to kiss her hand as they said hello and she'd make excuses to leave the room. He find her charming and thought she was his perfect mate. She rather throw herself into a well of knives than to be his mate which she told him. He just smiled arrogantly.

During times when she had to spent it with Snail, she tried to bring up subjects that he couldn't possibly know but he surprised her with his wit. Many times he had tried to kiss her but the thought was so revolting to her that she choose to eat garlic whenever she had to be alone with him. He didn't even seem to notice. One time he kissed her by surprise. The instants she felt his mouth on her, she turned his mouth full of daises. Of cause that didn't stop him from trying it again. In front of both of their parents, he pinch her behind. She was so humiliated, she slapped him on the cheeks and then put a spell on him which made him talk like a sheep. She was glad he doesn't have much power. Her parents dismissed Snail's behavior as normal. She was reprimanded for using her powers against him.

One time she was left with just Snail at home alone, with only one servant. At first he seem quiet and a total gentleman. But when the servant had leave to fetch water, he came around again. His slimly hand held hers tightly. He would not let go until she kiss him. She said, "as you wish." But make him promised to close his eyes. While his eyes were closed, she pull out a frog from her dress pocket and press it against his lips. He seem to enjoyed it somehow. She placed the frog back into her pocket just as the servant came back. He didn't seem to notice. She asked how was it and he said, it was great. He was beaming. Juniper smiled at him innocently.

Her father would not budge on the issue. Each time she asked him, he would gave her a stern look and said, "Enough! It's already been arranged. You will marry Snail in a fortnight. I will not speak of this anymore." Then he would storm out to a meeting - a gathering of warlocks of some kind.

Juniper wandered around in her room at night when the others had gone to bed. She will get out of this even if means she had to do bad magic, she thought. When it was all quiet, she sneaked into her father's laboratory and go through his books and potions. Many nights she went there but always came back with tears in her eyes.

Four nights before her wedding, she found a book of her aunt's hidden away in the bookshelf. It was a book of spells, good spells that get people out of trouble. She was ecstatic. She flip through the book but find no real solution. The one that really attracted her was the one turning Snail into a snail. On the last page, was a spell written by her aunt. A strange spell. There was no explanation on what it does. Only these words:

Dark as night
Turn this sprite into light

Juniper copied it down and went to bed. In the morning she tried again to talk to her father but it was no use. She told him Snail's been very ungentleman-like to her. But her father said it was expected, after all she was to be his wife. Juniper was so desperate she even went to her sisters for advice which she never did before. Her sisters who are already married, tried to convince her it was for the best. Their advice was the same as their father's. Juniper show them the spell and asked them if they knew what it does. Both of them acted surprise and said they have no idea. But Juniper knew they were lying. She had to find out. It will be three days before the wedding. What was she to do?

The wedding day came and Juniper was panicking. She hid in her room until she was called upon. As her hand was held by that slimy Snail, her whole body went cold. Her vision became cloudy. She shivered. The cold ran through her body bit by bit. She can feel her whole body becoming lighter and lighter. A feeling of weightlessness came over her. Soon she was looking down at everyone. She did not know what was happening. She felt her troubles lifted off her as if she was flying.

She screamed with joy but no sound came out. She felt odd and yet very happy. As she was ascending, she went straight through the ceiling and into the sky. In the clear blue sky, she felt free. She did not know what she had become until she tried looking at her hands but they would gone, in fact she has no body. Juniper had said the spell that very morning. Chills had ran through her body but she had forgotten about the spell when faced with Snail.

She saw clouds surrounding her, felt their presence, heard their voices. Hello, she said. Their respond was the same. She knew then what she was. A cloud. How wonderful she thought. She giggled with joy. It was the end of Juniper but the beginning of a new life.

Up in the tower - part 2

Read part 1 here.

It was inevitable that I would end up here. My hair was causing all kinds of chaos. It gets in people's houses, into carriages, into people's faces. I can barely walk as it is. Half dragging my hair, half trying to avoid being step on. I tried my best but in the end Father recommended that I stayed at home instead of going to school. I was taught by a woman with small eyes and a big nose with a French accents that seem somewhat fake. From sunrise to sunset and a twenty minute break for lunch, I was taught writing, reading, history, French and various subjects. I wasn't allowed anywhere around the house. I was to stay in my room whenever possible which was on the first floor. Father and his new wife were on the upper floor. I rarely see Father now. He was always busy. If I do see him it was for only a few minutes at a time.

I realized over time, I have been a burden. My hair has cause so much trouble that when the new baby came, I was not allow to see him. I can hear him late at night, as I was laying in bed trying to fall asleep. Eventually, it was decided that I was too much trouble for the new baby. My hair, even when cut every week, has a will of its own. It crawls into furniture, curtains, and even occasionally gets stuck at the door frame. Father said I had to live somewhere else. He had found me a place just a couple of miles away from the house. I was to live there and make my living making dresses. I was only fourteen but I knew I was not wanted.

The day that I left home, I was devastated but complied. What can I do? I begged Father to let me stayed but he would not budge. He said I have cause the family a great deal of pain and embarrassment. If I leave, the family would be better off. I cried all the way to my new home. My hair was dragged along the dusty road, partially in the carriage. As I watched the road behind me, I wonder what will become of me. My hair created a cloud of dust on the road. It was a bright sunny day. Sunlight shine upon my golden brown hair. Even when it's dusty and dirty, it still shine like silk. Father was at the front of the carriage. I can see his back, straight and unnerved by the wild movement of the carriage.

The tower was at least 30 feet tall. A long ladder made from three combined ladders tied together with rope sat against the tower. The tower has only one window with no doors or other openings. I asked Father what it was used for before but he doesn't know. He ushered me to climb the ladder. He told me a servant will be bringing me a basket with food and supplies every week. I was to used the rope in the tower to get the basket up. I wanted to ask how long I was to stay here but couldn't get the words out. Father seem so stern and lately has been a worry look on his face.

As I looked down at Father, a sudden sadness came over me. Father waved goodbye and rode off in the carriage. I stare at the dust leftover by the carriage. I was alone.

Inside the tower, there was one bed, one dresser with a mirror and a couple of baskets with materials for making dresses. That was the one skill I knew I excelled at. During those long nights when I couldn't sleep, I would sit down and sew dresses until the sun rises. Each day was spent trying to figure out what I should be doing to help father. He was never this worry before.

Sometime during the night, the ladder was stolen. Gone from the tower. No one knew where it went. There was no way for me to go down now. I had wonder if Father had taken it but then I knew Father wasn't that kind of guy.

As Father instructed, a servant came each week with supplies and food. I would throw a rope down and the servant would tie it around the basket's handle and I would pull it up. It was working out alright but I was lonely and wish to see Father. But each time I ask for him, they said he was too busy. Step-mother often came to visit. I would pull my hair out of the window and she would climb up. It was painful but Step-mother was a skinny woman and didn't weight that much. She would take the dresses that I have made and told me she would sell them in the market and that half of it will be spent on food and supplies for me and the other half for the family. I was happy that I had helped the family but whenever I asked about Father, Step-mother always said Father was too busy to come.

The servant that use to bring me food and supplies had to be let go. The family has some finance problems. Step-mother said she would be the one to bring me my things. I was very suspicious of her but did not wish to anger Step-mother so I just smile. Each week the supplies were more spare. Step-mother said the family was having even more trouble with money and that I should work harder and make more dresses. She still brings me sewing supplies. I tried my best but only manage to make three dresses a week.

Then one day, Step-mother did not come. Instead a servant who I was not familiar with came and told me that Father had passed a few nights ago. I was devastated. I hadn't seen Father for over a years. The servant also said Father's ashes was scattered into the sea and that I he had left me a token. I pull up the box. Inside was the music box that Father had given mother for their first anniversary. Father used to play it for me when I couldn't sleep at night. I was happy to know at least a part of Father and Mother is still with me. At night when I get lonely I would listen to the music until I fell asleep.

The supplies were getting more spare day by day. The reason given by my Step-mother was that family can longer support itself. I tried my best to make more dresses and even had to gave up some of my own belongings to sell at the market. Still I worked hard. I've lost some weight and fell quite ill once. Still I pressed on. As I got better, my Step-mother visited me one last time. She told me I was on my own. She will still try to sell the last few dresses I have made and will do her best to bring me food and supplies.

I was so skinny and yet my hair kept growing. Each day it seem to have grow at least two inches. I've got so tire dragging my hair around that I just sat in the same spot all day. Eventually an old man came and told me my Step-mother had move away and that I would no longer receive any food or supplies from her. What was I to do? The servant, old as he was, who now does not work for my Step-mother but was kind-hearted and wished to help me. If I can make enough dresses each week, he would help me sell them and would bring me food and supplies. I was glad for the help and agree to make at least four dresses each week. His name was Sam.

Sam came each week with food and supplies. He even brought his wife, Amelia one time. She was very kind and had made a necklace out of lace and threads for me. I was grateful that someone still cares. I gave my only possession, my music box to the old couple for their kindness. I knew the old couple would not last long and yet had hope they would live long enough for me to cherished them. Soon there was no one to help me. I was left alone in this tower. What was I to do?

One day, a young man came to the tower. He said he was the old couple's son and had wanted to know if he can help me. I do not recognize him and felt he might not be who he said he was. As there was also a young man who came a year ago. A knight of some sort. I had ushered him away seeing he does not seem to have the time to stay and help me. I was not used to visitors and felt Step-mother would not have allowed it.

Now looking at this young man, I did not know what to do. I was on my own. My supplies was nearing the end. All I have left was one half of a apple. I can see from up here that he seem sincere and yet I was still very fearful of strangers. As I peer through my glasses, I can see he was alone. No horses or servants. There was no one from miles away. The day was turning into night.

The old couple did mention a son but I wasn't sure if this was him. He does have a kind face. But appearances can be deceiving. I asked him what can he do. He said can help me get down from the tower. I have often tried to climb down but the walls was just too slippery. The rope that I tied to the bedpost was too short and is too worn down. Many days I have spent thinking up ways to get down. The old couple had tried to help but couldn't find enough ladders to reach me. I was also weak with hunger.

The young man, well, maybe I shouldn't call him that after all I was almost the same age as he. It's been five years since I was here. I was fourteen then. But now still immature and unsure of myself. My bones had became weak with hunger and my skinny hands lack the strength to do heavy lifting. If I wasn't so weak, I would not have been this indecisive. Now the man stood down there and I am up here searching for signs. What would it hurt? I was already doom being up here why not take the chance?

He shouted up at me for me to throw my hair down so he can climb up. I was too tired to argue with him so I gathered my hair and threw it out the window. Weak as I was, my hair seem to have all the strength that I couldn't muster. The man seem lighter than expected. I stood there holding my hair trying my best not to move.

At last he was up here and inside the tower. Silence followed but it was not those awkward silence that often happen between people. This was just silence. He smiled at me with those crooked teeth and green eyes. I could not help but like him. Then he took out a rope from his belt and proceed to tie it onto the bedpost. He then tied together the rope that I had and the one that he brought. He wondered if he can cut my some of my hair so he can also use it to lengthening the rope. I did not hesitated. He gently cut off most of my hair using a sharp knife from his pocket. I can smell a sweet scent coming from him. It had been awhile since I was this close with another human being. It was a nice scent to breath in.

When he was done tying hair and rope together, he helped me climbed down. He tied the rope around my wist and slowly lower me down. It was slow at first, the tower wall was slippery. It had rained the night before. I press my bare feet against the wall but still slip a couple of times. My feet was swollen from the climb but I continued. I knew I had to climb if I wanted to live. The man was very strong and skillful. He managed to get me down safely. He then climbed down almost in one quick motion. I was too weak to stand up. The man pull out a handkerchief and placed it on the wet ground, gesturing me to sit. I sat on the ground feeling very tired. The sun had just set causing a ray of golden sunlight to shine upon us. It was a nice, cool evening. I felt the breeze against my cheeks like never before. I was happy.

The man smiled at me and sat down next to me. He told me his name was Joseph and proceed to take out a piece of bread from his coat and offered it to me. I was too hungry to refuse. I wolf down the bread. He then took out a square bag. It was my music box - still in good shape but worn out at the edges, the music was gone. He handed it to me and told me I can have it back. I thanked him and was surprised by how kind his eyes looked.

It was a only a year or two later but I managed to get myself together. For many years I have not appreciated my hair. It had cause me grief but now I have a new appreciation for it. I have to cut it every weak so it wouldn't grow too long. I think now it was me that was keeping me in that tower. I was too afraid to venture out for fear people would not accept me. It was also my hair that gave me the freedom from the tower. Joseph calls me his golden girl because of my hair color. Every day I was grateful that it existed. Everyday I tried to appreciated its beauty. My memories of my father remained with me along with the music box that he had left me. Joseph fixed it and now it plays sweet music for my children.

Up in the tower - part 1

Someone's down below. I could not understand what the shouting was about. I'll just ignore it until it goes away. One hundred and one, one hundred and two...wait, I can still hear the voice. Is it calling me? I put down my hair brush and slowly gather my hair and walk towards the window. I pull the blinds and open the one window in my room.

The guy was too far down, I could not understand what he was saying. I couldn't see him clearly. Where are my glasses? It was on my dresser yesterday, where it is now? Oh, if only I can remember. Why can't I remember?

Oooh, this hair is killing me! Why does it weight so much. Darn it! My hair's caught in the chairs again. What I wouldn't give for a scissor right now. Heck, I would even settle for a rusty knife. Come on hair! Ha! Dumb chair!

Where is my glasses? Come on, hair. Yikes, it's now wrap around the bedpost. Oh....come on! Down onto the floor I go. Okay, one more pull. Got it! What was I looking for again? Oh, yes, glasses! "Hey, you up there!" There he goes again. This time the voice was louder. I can understand what he was saying. Here it is. My glasses. Mmmm. I can see fine but these glasses are just too tight. My head hurts. I tuck at them. Okay, much better.

I gather up my hair and walk towards the window. Down below is some guy wearing a knights' uniform and a sword sticking out of his belt. He was still yelling up at me. His hands cup his mouth. I can't see his face. Who is he?

I adjust my glasses again, "Hello!" I yelled at him as I lean over the window's edge. "Hellooooo!" He responded. He put his hands down and looks up at me with skyblue eyes. How handsome he is. Such smooth skin. How I wish I can come down to talk to him. I smile down at him. God, I wish I was prettier.

He said something else. I could not understand him. I said,"What did you said?" as loudly as I could. He answered this time by cupping his hands to his mouth: "May I come up?" May he come up? How was he suppose to do that? I shake my head no. Not sure what else to tell him. He looked confused for a moment then, "Why not?" he said. Why not? What does he mean, Why not? How the heck is he suppose to come up? I can't let my hair down for him. I haven't got permission from Step-Mother. What will she said if I let him come up? No, no, no way. I am not getting into trouble for him. Plus it is too painful to pull one skinny Step-mother up, how much lighter can he be? He may be cute but that doesn't mean I would like him. Who knows he could be a psycho. Or worse! A kidnapper! I just can't take that chance. "What do you want?" I shouted down to him. "Just to talk," he said. Talk? Who wants to talk. It's late and it's close to my bedtime. "Come back another time," I said to him. "I can't. I am just passing by for today. I have to return to my kingdom tonight," he doesn't seem at all upset. What's with the silly grin? Ha, if he can't come back another time, why should l let him up? Why should I have to stick to his schedule?

I look down at him once more, and shake my head and shouted, "I can't let you come up! Goodbye!" Once more his face looked disappointed but not devastated. I shut the window and pulled the blinds. For a while, I heard no sound coming from below. I thought nothing of him and finish combing my hair. The devil! My hair just refuse to budge. Ouch! Darn you! One more broken brush. Good thing I have more.

After a hour, I decide to check to see if the guy's still there. I pull the blinds and open the window and peek down below. There was no one. Not even a single thing was moving around below. The moon was bright and I can see everything clearly. Shoot! He sure give up so easily. Step-Mother was right, all men are idiots and I shall not give any more thought to him. I gather up my hair and went back to bed.

Read part 2 here.