Punzelina

Long hair, glittering eyes, full lips. Her laugh like a ray of sunshine.

That was Punzelina, the princess locked up high in a tower for her mother's exploitation. A girl so beautiful and so unimaginably intelligent that she could only be coerced into going outside if a devilishly charming royal were to come to rescue her. She dreamed of it day and night. Someone would come at some time.

Her mother left. It was Saturday morning, when the birds were chirping brightly and the moon was still in sight, even though the sun was fully visible. How wonderful a day it was.

And, oh! Would today be the day? When she might get out? She might be free in the world and live a normal life? Could be. But this feeling was not uncommon to her; she felt it nearly every day.

But a surprise came when she heard foot steps in the grass a few minutes after her mother's departure. Could it be? Someone to come and save her? She brushed back her long, long blonde hair behind her ear. It might disturb someone coming to rescue her.

"Yoo-hoo!" She heard a voice call.

A male voice.

"Anyone up there?" Silence. She stood absolutely still. "Alright, I'm coming up. If you're there, speak now or forever hold your peace. I need a place to stay the night." Punzelina rolled her eyes. She knew this. She had read it in storybook after storybook. A man comes to rescue a girl because he has heard the legends, only to then marry her. He was only looking for a partner and Punzelina was only looking to get out of the tower.

She shuttered the windows and stood against them, if he were to punch them open to come in. And he did just that.

A hit came to her back and the shutters immediately opened, sending Punzelina flying onto the floor, tangling her hair into a mess of knots. Not very happy was she.

Then the man climbed through the window, brushing himself off as she hid behind her pool of hair, wishing him away. He ran his fingers through his hair one more time as he noticed Punzelina on the floor.

"Okay..." he started. "Well this is, um...awkward." He stared her up and down and suddenly extended his hand out to her. "Prince Kennedy." Punzelina eyed him up and down. He didn't look like a prince. He had stubble around his whole chin and his clothes were battered and sweat-stained. How could he be a prince?

"You don't look like a prince to me," Punzelina replied, annoyed. "Who are you really? And what was your purpose? I'm sure it wasn't to get a night's sleep here. It is the morning." He chuckled and his cheeks turned red.

"If you're trying to get me to stay and, well, be a prince to a lock-up like you, you're out of luck." His bluntness shocked Punzelina as she stood up. To her surprise she towered over him like a giant seeking its prey. "I don't do the whole kissing thing. Also, why are you coming closer to me..." His voice trailed off as Punzelina approached him. He leaned back as far as possible and she came closer still with no regard for his body language.

"Thank you!" she suddenly screamed, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him until he would perpetually pop. "I knew this day would come! And by the way, this would have been super weird to lead with, but I don't want to kiss you, either." His face fell when he heard those words, as if he might be offended, but Punzelina had a response.

"Don't be offended, Kennedy," she said. "I like kissing girls better." With that, she took his hand and threw open the shutters.

She looked around the room for some blade of some sort and caught a glimpse of Kennedy's pocket - a gleaming something sticking out. She reached for it without him noticing and she was suddenly wielding a small blade. Just the right size for the job.

She held it up, waiting for the right moment to strike. The terror in Kennedy's eyes grew by the millisecond and then SLICE.

Punzelina's hair was shorter than ever.

She fed the remains through the shutter as Kennedy stood, amazed he wasn't killed. She tied one end to the windowsill and motioned for Kennedy to go first.

"Straight men first," she gestured, and he shrugged. "Use the hair as a rope." He looked at the hair, looking a little disgusted, but then grabbed onto it and slid all the way down. Then it was Punzelina's turn.

"And by the way," Kennedy added as they both fell to the ground, "I know a great girl that I seriously do not want to marry back home."

"Is that why you ran away?" Punzelina asked. He laughed and nodded as they started to walk through the thicket. "Then I wouldn't like her either!"

That was the moment Punzelina realized that life was going to be better with a best friend. It wouldn't be lonely anymore up in that tower will an impending death forever closing in on her.

She also realized that she could have easily gotten out of the tower herself that day.