Mellissa Read-Devine Sydney, Australia
Rapunzel
ONCE UPON A TIME a man and wife lived next door to a beautiful garden
surrounded by a high wall - this belonged to a powerful witch. The woman,
who was pregnant with a long awaited child, craved desperately the rapunzel
lettuce in the witch's garden. The man began to steal this regularly until
the day came when he was face to face with the sorceress.
After begging for his life, the witch agreed to let him have as much rapunzel
as possible - but in return for the child when it was born. The child
was a girl, and the witch named her Rapunzel.
When Rapunzel was 12 years old, the witch locked her into a tower in the
midst of a forest. It had no doors or stairs, and when the witch wanted
to get in she would stand below and call out ""Rapunzel, Rapunzel,
let down your hair" On hearing this, Rapunzel -whose hair was long
and lustrous, would unpin her braids, wind them round a hook by the window
and let her hair drop to the witch who would climb up.
A prince was riding through the forest one day and heard Rapunzel's sweet
voice singing as he hid behind a tree, he saw the witch call out to Rapunzel
and decided to try and reach her himself the next day.
"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair" At once the hair dropped
down and the prince climbed up. Rapunzel at first was terribly afraid,
but the prince wooed her with kind words and told her how much he had
fallen in love with her.
After some time, Rapunzel innocently asked the witch why she was getting
so large in the stomach? Realizing the truth, in a fury the witch cut
off her braids and sent Rapunzel to a desolate wilderness. When the prince
came that evening and called out to Rapunzel to let down her hair, the
witch let the braids down and when he climbed up - there was the witch
in all her fury! In despair the prince jumped out of the window but fell
into thorns which pierced his eyes, blinding him.
He wandered for years in misery lamenting the loss of his wife and his
sight.
The prince eventually wandered to the land where Rapunzel was living with
the twins to which she had given birth. Rapunzel recognized him, ran to
him and embraced him and wept. As her tears dropped into her eyes they
became clear and he could see again.
They all went back to his kingdom where they lived HAPPILY EVER AFTER.
Linocut printed with oil based ink.