Read Online Rapunzel, the One With All the Hair by Wendy Mass - Free Book Online Page A

life, you are indebted to them for life, you know.”
    I nod. Everyone knows that.
    â€œSo the woman told me she needed a cook and a sentry, and did I have any training in either of those fields? As it turned out, I often won awards for my famous dishes, and being the largest of my species for miles around, I frequently had the job of guarding the entry to the caves. I knew now that she was a witch, of course, but assumed she was a good witch. After all, she had saved my son’s life! She hired me to do both jobs and I bid a sad good-bye to my family, although in truth I believed I would be able to bring them along once I got settled. I had expected the witch to lead me to her cottage somewhere, but she brought me to this tower insteadand led me up a dark, musty staircase. At the top was an attic space where I was to prepare a daily meal. The shelves were stocked full of all the ingredients a cook could ever want. For days I practiced new recipes and wandered in the nearby orange grove. But no one ever ate my food, and there was nothing to guard that I could see. I began to wonder what was going on. Then you showed up.” He pauses here to take a deep breath. “And I, still believing the witch was good, believed her when she told me you were being punished for the terrible crime of theft, and I was to feed you one meal a day without being seen. She showed me how the trapdoor worked, and how to oil it nightly so it did not creak. With my natural agility, it was easy to get in and out without being seen.”
    â€œDon’t forget you had a little help by way of the sleeping powder.”
    Steven clears his throat. “Well, okay, there was that. But, anyway, it took only a day or two to see that you were not a thief at all. Only a young girl stolen away from her family too soon.”
    I can’t help but lean over and hug him. He may be bony, but I can feel the strength in his arms as well. He had to be strong — and flexible — to get up and down that rope soquickly. I would not like to be the prisoner trying to run past him. Perhaps I won’t have to be.
    â€œSo you will let me go?”
    â€œSorry, dear child, but I cannot.”
    â€œYes, you could,” I insist. “You could just lift me up on that rope, and I can climb down the staircase from your attic room. You could come WITH me! We would be far from here before she would even notice!”
    He shakes his head adamantly. “I am in her service until my debt is paid off. I must fulfill the terms of my job.”
    â€œHow long is your service, then?”
    His brows furrow. He picks a piece of lint off the rug before answering. “As long as I live. Or else young Stevie will die.”
    I swallow. This witch is surely the most horrid creature in this kingdom or any other. “Then why do you risk her wrath by bringing me gifts?”
    His expression lifts a bit at the mention of the gifts. “The witch shows up so rarely, I figure she will not notice. I could not bear to see you so unhappy.”
    Poor, brave Steven. Risking so much for someone he doesn’t even know. I doubt I would be brave enough to do something like that.
    Sir Kitty walks up and, as if she understands the situation, rubs her face against Steven’s leg and purrs loudly. Steven smiles and picks her up.
    â€œI was so pleased when I saw how much you liked the cat,” he says, scratching her belly. “I worried she might make you sneeze.”
    My eyes widen. “Sir Kitty was a gift from you? I thought she was here before I arrived.”
    Steven shakes his head. “I found her in the bushes beneath the tower and knew you could use the company.”
    â€œBut the witch saw her! You could have gotten caught.”
    â€œDon’t worry,” he says, placing Sir Kitty back on the rug. “Your quick thinking saved me. The witch probably believes the kitten got carried in along with the straw for your bed.”
    â€œAs