Good Friday Morning to my Flash Fiction Buddies!!
As you know, I'm NaNo-ing this November. I'm up to my elbows in Life After Death (my working title of my NaNoWriMo attempt). I'm closing in on 6000 words, and still feel the story coming on strong. I'm a pantser if you didn't know, I've tried, and I simply get lost in the plot if I try to uncover the story. So, I'm letting it lead me, and so far, I think it's pretty interesting. More to come about the story after I get further in, waiting to see where the story goes.... I've also found myself with extra energy and creativity... at least for now, excitement over NaNo starting is the probable culprit, lol. By the end of the month, my fingers won't even want to get close to my laptop. I've been delving back into my YA MS, and I'm loving it all over again, yay! (More to come as I get closer to the finish!) But, back to the flash fiction....
After staring at the image for this week's flash, I felt compelled to write for it, and it's different for me. What I thought was a fluffy picture, turned dark, and I wrote a continuation of Rapunzel's story....twisted with the moral of the story. Here's my attempt to respond to the prompt.
(Beth Fullaway's gorgeous image)
Rapunzel: A Fairy Tale Gone Wrong
By: Dottie Taylor
word count: 460
Rapunzel stood in the growing darkness, her long tresses floated about her, caught in a breeze like gossamer butterfly wings. Since she escaped her tower, she found herself at a loss. Her prince turned out to be a dude. What was true love anyway? A few kisses, a squeeze, two people caught in the dark with heat between them. Certainly not the great love of her life that she'd thought it would be.
The growing gloom surrounded her, physically and mentally, she needed a distraction. She needed to get out of her increasing funk.
She came to a small pool of water, and sank to the forest floor, her tresses puddled around her, and she gazed into her reflection.
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair.” She repeated the fabled lines to herself. “So I may climb your golden stair.” She glanced down at her golden locks, made silvery by the moonlight. “I should just cut it off, causes more trouble than it's worth.” She tried to push the heavy hair over her shoulders. She sighed, she missed the safety and comfort of her tower.
Since leaving her prince is his cold castle, she'd made her home here in the forest, as it should be. She found a comfortable place beneath the trees, making a bed of pine needles and fallen leafs. She closed her eyes and fell deep into a dream filled sleep.
In her dream, she found herself running, her long hair flowed out behind her, catching on branches and brambles. She could her the cries of her pursuers.
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel!” Their wicked cries came, “let us climb your golden hair!” Magic flowed over and around her, goose pimples broke through her pale flesh. Their cries coalesced into one hoarse voice, the witch who'd imprisoned her to the gilded tower from which she came.
For all of her angst over leaving her prince, there wasn't any way she really wanted to return to the dark tower. She ran faster, harder, her breathing became harsher. Suddenly she stumbled, feet twisted in her golden tresses. The witch was upon her, trapped within her own desires.
When Rapunzel awoke, it was to find the dream turned nightmare a reality. The witch dragged her back to her dark prison, lost, and not even her prince to save her.
“I'll show you.” The witch muttered, the snippers gleamed in her hand.
With Rapunzel's golden locks shorn, her fate became sealed. Only the witch would be able to climb the enchanted tower, sentenced to do her jailor's bidding for now and forever.
Moral of the Story:
Be careful what you wish for, it may come true.
Be thankful for what you have, it could always be worse.
See, dark, disturbing... lol... glad my NaNo story isn't being effected so far!!
Have a great weekend!!
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