Author/Weirdo who had dream note: This was created purely out of boredom. Not from dreaming exactly though, more Day-Dreaming. It's longer than most of the 'little' shorties stories, but I hope it's just as good.
In the town of Hamelin there lived a lonely girl locked away from the misery of the outside world. Though she was in misery from the memories of what had been, until it was ended...
...
"I have never seen such a beauty, with such long golden locks," serenaded the elderly man, intertwining his stubby fingers through the gold strands.
The young girl smiled warmly at him. Her hazel eyes catching the last of the sun's rays. The burgundy haired man heaved up her hair and helped her tread to her single wooden bed. She dumped herself on and slowly began to wrap herself, with the help of the man. Making a gold nest, that cradled her.
"Good night my golden princess," the man said sweetly, pressing his lips to her forehead. Her eye lids collapsed down. She drifted away from her bed. She drifted away from the world. Though she was suddenly starting to be dragged back. Shouting and shrieks were rupturing through her thoughts.
The blood, the lifeless victim, the serrated knife in the hands of that wicked woman. The woman who shattered my life...Gothel.
...
"My dear," she started to say eerily. "Remember not to leave your home." She stroked my dark locks. I flinched and lowered my head. It was more of a towered prison, than a home.
"See you in two days," she said in a disturbingly cheerful voice. "I love you Rapunzel." I sat there in silence. "Rapunzel?!"
"Love you...too," I blurted hesitantly. A shiver of terror rising up my thin spine.She gave one last blinding smile, then made her way out of the tower down my hair. I drew it back up, throwing a look of hatred as she disappeared into the dense forest.
I wondered over to my wardrobe. Believe it or not, Gothel doesn't stop me from doing everything. Sometimes people do go through this area, and when they do, I'm there ready for them.
I thrust open the door and he collapsed with a thud to the worn, wooden floor. The travelling baker who...use to sell the best cinnamon donuts you would ever wrap your mouth around. Now limp and cold. He can't make donuts where he is.
I grabbed his sweaty red dyed apron. The blood still dripping from his quite freshly made stab wounds in his pudgy chest and neck. I pulled him around to the back window and wrenched him up onto the pane.
I don't trust people. All they do is take things away, or give something bad. Even the donut man did. Trying to make me obese with his fattening pastries. I mean I could just say no, but who knows what else he could do. I glanced down, a dark pit filling the ground below. This is where I disposed of the others, and he was going to join them. I heaved him over and watched as his lifelessly bodyfall into the darkness below.
Until the loneliness began to set in. Ever since the murder...or what Gothel says incidental death of my father, I've been kept out of the world and out of the light. My hair and even my eyes have lost their light, and are as dark as the pit. All because of a psycho woman, who couldn't look after her own child. It makes you wonder how her real daughter died.
...
"Where did I put it?!" I exclaimed with frustration. Trying to find the news clippings that I've kept stored in an old biscuit tin. I started it years ago, to remember the things that have happened in the outside world. Especially when it comes to those disasters and crimes. I paced around the room, until a board creaked."Got it."
I wriggled the board out, and reached my arm in gripping the sleek container. Opening it, I went through the articles. There were some about protests, plagues, and even my favourite, the recent disappearance of many children. I wish I was one of them. Any where's better than here. A saddening sigh escaped my rosy lips.
Suddenly a harmonious sound broke out through the isolated range. I clambered towards the window, throwing my head out frame. A tall man, wearing colourful clothes,was walking calmly through the shrubbery, humming to himself.He also wore a hat covered with feathers and shells and bones. It was quite a ridiculous outfit;yet he really caught my eye.
I looped my dark hair round a beam, and lowered myself to the ground. Iscampered across the grass to get a closer look. My feet prickling with joy, at each touch of the soft, smooth grass blades.
I halted behind a Willow tree. He had stopped too. He stood there so still, almost as if he was just a misplaced lawn statue. He started to turn my way. I plastered myself to the tree to stay out of his sight.WhenI swerved my head back round to see...He was gone. I arched my eyebrow. How could he just disappear so fast?
"Is there something I can help you with?" came a calm voice from behind. I jumped up the tree, gripping on a branch above the ground. "Did I scare you?" I looked sheepishly at him.
"Um...you could say that," I said with embarrassment, still tightly hanging on the branch. "And I wasn't following you...I was just in the neighbourhood." He raised his eyebrow at me.
"The neighbourhood? This place is meant to be...well remote." He replied suspiciously. My arms started to tremble, and then there was a snap. The branch had broke and I was falling back to the forest floor. I braced myself for the impact, squeezing my eyes shut. My skin made contact with something, and I warily opened my eyes to find myself in the arms of the melodic stranger.
His eyes were hazel, and underneath his feathered hat was the same. My body felt numb. He carefully dropped me back to my feet.
"So what exactly were you doing?" he questioned. I hesitated and clutched something in my dressespouch.
"I was just simply seeing what that wonderful sound was," I answered shakily.
"Is that a compliment?" he said smugly. I gazed at him, and then began to slowly bring it out.
"Depends," I replied.
"On what exactly?" he asked curiously.
"You" I responded, revealing my serrated knife. Pointing the blade at him. A smirk spread across his face. "What's so funny, I'm threating you with a knife?"
"I can just as easily stop you," he chuckled, dangling a silver pipe which hung from a long scarf in front of me. He had me, not only at a disadvantage, but at a loss. I had no idea what he could do. "Now if you don't mind, could you hand over the blade?" I stared at him then back at my knife. I sighed and threw it at his feet.
"Thanks," he replied sarcastically, wrenching it out of the earth and into his coloured pants. "Do you live out here? No offence but no one lives out here...You need a haircut too"
"Well I quite like my hair, so good bye...bye." I replied hastily, thendarting through the forest.Paranoia driving me away from my tower and the pipe stranger. I need to go somewhere safe. I need to hide. I was growing crazier, the sound of him humming pounding through my unstable mind. Who was he?
...
"Drinks on me boys!" bellowed a slightly intoxicated male, waving his bearded, and dirt crusted arms in the air. The other men hooted and cheered. They were all going to drink more whisky.
Great for them I slurred as I made my way past their lively table. Several of them were jumping and hooting on the table tops, others were just simply smashing and flinging their empty glass at whatever they aimed at.
I'm not sure what possessed me to come to a pub, but I was becoming a bit starving and there's nowhere for miles from here...I'm sure. So that's my logical excuse for being in this pig pen.
As I made my way through this maze of woozy males, I was all of a sudden clutched firmly on the arm. I swung my free arm around to my pocket, but found nothing but air in it. The notion of the humming stranger struck my head, and I thought up a curse for him. Why the hell did I just give it to him?! I shook my head. I felt downrightstupid.
"Hiya there sweetheart," went the obnoxious voice of a drunk knight. His long sword hanging by his side. He pulled my closer, until I was literally sitting on his knee. "Do you need a hand with anything? Perhaps making sure you get to bed safely." My face retorted in disgust.
"Let me go now!" I exclaimed, through gritted teeth. I shoved myself away from him, and bolted for the door. My arm was again wrenched and I fell to the hard, stained floor. Laughter rang out through the room. I clambered to my bruised legs.
"Come here pretty girl!" mocked a man, tugging on my hair.
"Aww look she's scared!" rang out another. I was surrounded, trapped and cheesed off. They were closing in, tightening the gap in between. In one last desperate attempt I threw myself at a man, trying to knock him out of the way. Unfortunately I misjudged his strength, and was slammed into a nearby wall.
"Would you mind letting her go," rang a familiar voice sitting casually at a table. That bizarre hat covering his face. "If you don't, you will all regret it."
"Regret what mister?" asked the knight, plodding over to the pipe stranger. "What are you gonna do about it? Are you going to dance for us?"
"And play your little flute!" hooted another man. They all squinted and snorted at him. That devilish smirk rubbed onto his face.
"So be it," he said calmly, moving the pipe up to his lips.He took a deep breath and blew a note on his silver pipe that spoke to the men of far off places. He blew another note that spoke to all themen of Hamelin. He blew a third note and all of the men in bar started to scurry towardshim.
He skipped out of the bar, and the drunken men blindly followed. The piper was leading them to the slaughter, as if they were lambs...drunk, obnoxious lambs. Close by was a cliff and that was where he was heading. He made his way across watching as the boozed males followed. As they all made their way onto the log bridge, he shuffled his feet underneath, moving multiple stones. And before you knew it, the log descended into the gorge below, and so did the men.
Except for the knight, who was still on the other side. The piper stopped playing and grasped an overhanging tree branch. He made his way back across by climbing the tree, almost like an oversized chimp. He snuck quietly behind the knight, and with a swift movement seized his hair and yanked it back. Sending the knight screeching to his knees.
I stood there watching to my absolute delight, as the piper brought my knife out of his coloured pants, and tore it across the knight's throat. He gurgled and blood seeped out through his mouth, eyes, and ears, until he froze and became another lifeless corpse to add to the gorge. The piper rolled his body and decapitated head over, and he watched with enjoyment as he splattered down.
"And it's a Pipe, not a flute," he murmured to the dead.
He slowly swerved his body to face mine. I gazed at him. He smiled and bowed his head. He had just saved me, even though I threatened to kill him.
...
"May I ask, why did you...I mean how did you find...how long were you there...I mean," I blurted out nervously, hands trembling. He glanced at me, then let out a laugh.
"You ask too many questions," he said with an amused tone. "Just be happy that you're safe. Though I did save you because...well maybe I sort of like you and your hair. Which is odd for me." A wave of red washed over my cheeks. I played with my knife, which he finally gave back to me. It still had some streaks of blood on its blade.
"I guess you're right," I said in a dry, playful tone. He looked at me withbewilderment. "You did save me, and I thank you for that. However you've seen me, and I can't allow you to stay alive for that." I thrust the knife towards him, aiming for his heart. But to my amazement he caught me on the wrist.
"You're something else," he whispered to me, a warm smile wiped on his face. He pulled me closer, until our noses were only inches away from each other.
"You could say that," I replied back tenderly, leaning closer until our lips touched. He wrapped his strong arms around my waist, pulling me even closer. I couldn't help but enjoy it. I swung my pale arms around his neck. I didn't want him to stop.
A voice, a familiar gut-wrenching voice punctured my eardrums. Sending a cascade of goosebumps up and down my spine. He must have felt me quiver, as he removed the connection of our lips and looked at me in worry.
"What's wrong?" he asked with concern, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. I lowered my eyes.
"I need to go now," I uttered wincing at each word.
"Well when can I see you again?" he inquired, as I made my way towards the tower of terror.
"Never... I will never see you again," I muttered, fighting a strong urge to run back to him.
"What, no, why?!" he exclaimed, sprinting to my side.
"Good bye pipe piper," I replied softly, a single tear tumbling down my cheek. I ran off into the distance. Leaving a gobsmacked, oddly dressed piper.
...
"What were you doing out there?!" she bellowed, as I swung myself up the tower, then pulling my hair up. "Leave your hair there and answer me!" I let it return to hanging near the ground.
"I just went for a stroll," I replied dully. Her sour expression turned to sweet.
"Okay sweetie," she crooned, pulling me into an awkward hug. "I just don't want anything to happen to my little girl." I'm still classified as little...I'm 17! I shoved her away. She looked at me in complete surprise. Something inside me had had enough of being trapped in here, and bossed around by this witch.
"Look I'm not a kid," I said firmly, glaring at her with scorn. "I can look after myself, and I always have! I'm going to leave right now, and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" I rotated and was making my way to the door...well window.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that my dear," Gothel answered, reaching for something in her cloak. I let out a giggle.
"And what makes you think that," I replied with amusement.
"This," she crowed, pulling out a dagger and jerking my hair. I clambered onto the wooden floor. She jerked it up again so I could face her. "No hair to climb down, no way to escape!" I gritted my teeth and spat in her contorted face.
I kept feeling a tug on my hair, and it took me a while to realise that it wasn't Gothel. I arched my eyebrow, confused and knees throbbing.
"You're such an ungratefully little wretch!" she squawked into my ears.
"I have to disagree with that ridiculous statement," uttered a recognisably calm voice. "You're the only wretch I see in this room." Gothel eyed the multi-coloured man, wearing a strange hat, which covered his caramel eyes.
"Who is this abomination in creepy clothes?!" she screeched, pointing at him with one of her twisted, bony fingers. A smirk once again formed across his face.
"Do you ever look in the mirror?" he asked smugly, gesturing to Gothel.
"No she doesn't, because she keeps having to buy a new one." I replied, with a wheezy laugh.Gothel gave another almighty tug on my hair. I groaned in pain.
The piper clenched his fists in anger. He brought the pipe to his lips, and when Gothel saw this she locked my head in her arms, holding the dagger in the position of my jumping heart.
"Play that death flute and I will kill her!" she exclaimed, tightening her arms around my air way. He reluctantly lowered it and looked at her in defeat.
"Please let her go," he murmured, staring at her with sorrowful eyes. "Please wicked and mentally insane creature that thinks of herself as a good mother...which you're definitely not...Please let her go. I unquestionably love her and wish for her happiness." She glared at him, mouth wide in disbelief, as did I. He loves me, he actually loves me! I repeatedly shouted in my mind.
"There is something you don't understand," Gothel began, pacing backwards with my head still tightly locked. "She's mine, and will never belong to you! Even if she's dead she won't be yours!" She was up against the back door...well window, and driving the dagger closer to my chest. He sighed.
"I guess you want this to be done the hard way then?" he muttered, striding up towards us. Suddenly he sent a bone from his hat into her neck. She shrieked and started to fall backwards, losing the grip around my head.
She must have scratched me, because a stinging sensation throbbed at my neck. But as Gothel began her descent, she latched onto my hair. I took the dagger from her hands and hesitantly I ran the blade through my dark hair. It fell into the pit, along with the gurgling Gothel. She was gone, and I was finally free.
...
I watched the pit, making sure she was gone for good. I was confused by her absence. I couldn't take it in that she was dead.
"You can call me Anakin," he announced, interrupting the dead silence. I looked at him with smiled.
"You can call me Rapunzel," I announced back, offering my hand to him. He accepted it, but instead of shaking he pulled me into ahug. I draped my arms around him, tears flowing from my eyes and onto his coloured shirt.
When I scanned down at his shirt, my tears seemed to come out red. I gasped in shock, and pain. Where was the blood coming from?! He pulled me away and his eyes expanded.
"Rapunzel...your neck!" He cried out, his eyes beginning to water. I shakily placed my hands over my neck. There was a gash in it, a pretty big gash flooding with blood.
"The dagger...wicked bitch falling...my neck," I slurred, realisation coming to me.
"You're going to be fine okay," he said repeatedly trying to reassure me, and himself. But I knew I wasn't. "I'm not going to let you leave me like this." I couldn't stop myself from sobbing. If I wasn't going to bleed to death, I was going to drown myself in tears.
"I want to ask you something...Anakin," I asked weakly, I'm still not use to his actual name. There's no point now anyway.
"Of course, what is it?" He replied softly, helping me lay down on the floor. My state was deteriorating rapidly, from the gushing loss of blood.
"Why does everyone call your Pipe a flute?" I asked hesitantly. He looked at me blankly. Then as if he was a bursting damn, he doubled over in tears and laughter. Bitter, sweet tears I thought. My blood was coating the floor; it looked like a groovy tree's wood or a very thin burgundy rug.
"I wish I knew," he said with a slightly alarmed laugh. "I promise I will get you back soon." I glanced at him doubtfully.
"How would you do that?" I questioned, my voice choking up at the words.
"You'll see," he answered, lightly placing his warm hand on my icy cheek. "It will be soon, that is a promise I will keep to you. I love you Rapunzel, don't forget that why'll your gone." He strained himself with each word, tears pricking at the sides of his tan eyes.
"I won't forget you," I said through tears. "It was hard enough when I was scared of you." He pulled me into his arms, not even caring about his beautifully odd clothes being stained by me.
We sat on the ground in a pool of my blood. I faded away, listening to his humming, the humming that freed me, the humming that brought him to me, the sweet melody that gave me the one thing I always desired...
...The death of Gothel.