Repunzel.

The story always seemed as if Repunzel’s tower was lovely and full of things to do: paint, chores, read, make candles.

But me?

The walls are bare. My room is empty, all except for a tiny cot that I grew out of years ago. There was one tiny window and one tiny door that was always locked.

Ever since I’ve been here they have never so much as unlocked the door, just opened a latch and pushed trays of food beneath it.

That was it. Food.

No books to escape this endless prison or paints to lessen my boredom.

The only thing I ever heard was the occasional bird peeking in the window.

I couldn’t even reach the window it was so high.

I sighed. Stretching to touch well past my toes. After all these years of nothing to do but move and stretch and run, I’d become good enough at it.

I’d say I was more flexible than the average person, if I ever saw another person.

I stared at the light coming through the window near the ceiling.

And then I heard it. A scratching sound. A clanking sound.

Their was a voice. It whispered.

“Hurry hurry. They’ll be here in no time.”

I gasped and held my breath, my pale skin was alive with excited goose bumps. This was it. I was about to see a real person.

The tiny door swung open.

“What the—“

I knew it was a he.

I also knew something was terribly wrong with him.

He was short and kinda fat. The kind of fat that told you that he was spoiled and rich and never worked a day in his life.

But he was also green.

The deep terrible green tinted his skin so darkly, and it was accompanied by boils of oozing bluish pus.

“Simon.” The treatrous looking boy looked behind him. Then at me. Then behind him yet again.

A figure walked in beside him.

“She’s not infected.” The other man said. His skin was slightly green. It could have fooled you into thinking it was normal, just sickly pale.

He was tall and lanky. The first real handsome boy I’d seen.

“Infected? What?” I found myself talking.

Questions.

I had so many. If only they would stop gaping at me.

“What is it like out there? Why I am locked here?” I fired question after question. They ignored me.

“The rumors are true then. They found an uninfected child. Impossible.”

The men talked to each other in whispers after that.

I looked behind them. The door was wide open — still really small — but wide open.

I walked closer to them, their eyes trained on me.

“How long have you been up here?” The tall one asked.

“I don’t remember anything besides this place if that tells you anything.” I answered smoothly, taking several steps closer to the exit.

“What’s your name then? I’m Entrich and he’s Simon.” The short one — Entrich — pointed to the tall one.

“I’m not sure.” I answered, “I was hoping whoever first answered the door would know. Nobody else comes here. Ever.”

“Yes. I know we’re not supposed to be here… but we wanted to know if it was true. He stole his father’s keys and now… well we’re here.” Entrich said. I noticed his eyes land on my skin and stay there.

He must’ve seen me eyeing the door because Entrich stepped away from his friend and crowded up the already too small door.

“You can’t go out there.” He said.

“Why not? You get to go out there.”

“Because your not infected. We are. We don’t know what causes— hey HEY WAIT!”

I didn’t let Entrich finish his little monologue. I squished between the two men and rushed out the door. There were stairs. So many God for sakes stairs. They curved around and around and my stomach hurt by the time I got to the door at the bottom of them. And then with the opening of a latch: light.

My eyes hurt. My skin tingled. I gulped in the air. It was painful but I was hungry for it.

I had to keep going.

I ran.

I ran.

I ran.

Next thing I knew I was surrounded. A village full of people.

Green disgusting people.

I had to cover up before they saw me.

Before they saw I wasn’t infected; that my skin color was normal.

I would have to make it to what I was sure was a waterfall. I could hear it. In the distance.

Once I ran off that cliff. I was home free.