She is modest but not hesitant. She laughs at his bumblings and he thrills to that laugh. But dreams lead nowhere. Konrad gnashes his teeth in his sleep.
Then one day, on the fifth week, the smith remembers another, final detail. “She loves lettuce.”
“Lettuce?” Konrad at this point is willing to follow any lead. But lettuce? “How do you know?”
“Her mother said so.”
Konrad pulls on his fingers, rubs at the back of his neck. “What exactly did her mother say?”
“She said, ‘Let’s go buy that lettuce you love.’” He holds out his hand. “Lettuce, sire.”
Konrad puts a coin in the smith’s hand. Lettuce isn’t much to go on. Almost every farmer hereabouts grows lettuce and sells it in the market. But if the girl lives in the country, surely she grows lettuce in her own garden. So it has to be that the lettuce she loves is somehow special. And the mother said “that lettuce,” so it isn’t just any old lettuce. All right, Konrad will go to every lettuce vendorin the market until he finds the one with the special lettuce that Zel and her mother bought.
Amazingly, a man with only a few lettuce bundles and even fewer teeth claims to remember Zel. “A gentle girl with a winning way. I yank on her braids and she laughs.” He gives an almost toothless grin. “Stupid girls are afraid of me, but not her.” He shakes his head. “She comes to me every summer and buys this.” He holds out a bunch of small, round lettuce leaves. “You can buy it. And pay once again over for the information.”
Konrad looks at the plain, flat leaves. Why would Zel think these leaves are special? The farmer is probably making it up so he can have the money. “What makes you remember her so well?”
“Her smile. She never came without it.”
Konrad remembers Zel’s smile and its effect on him.
“And her eyes.”
Zel’s penetrating eyes, which appear in Konrad’s dreams. “How do you remember that it was precisely this type of lettuce?”
“Ah, that’s easy. Two ways.” The farmer leans toward Konrad. “First, she asks for this lettuce in early July, but it grows best in the spring. I’m the only one around who grows it all summer.” He looks proud of himself, as though he’s waiting for Konrad to praise his wisdom in business matters.
Konrad’s patience is tested. “The second reason?”
“The girl’s name and the lettuce’s name are the same.”
Konrad rubs at his lower lip. “Her name is Zel.”
“Her name is Rapunzel.” The farmer shakes the bunch of leaves before Konrad’s face. “I grow the best rapunzel around. Where’s your money?”
Konrad pushes the lettuce away from his face with indignation. “I am Count Konrad.”
“So you can afford it, then.” The farmer smiles.
Konrad laughs in spite of himself. He wonders for a moment if this farmer and the boy at the goose farm who treated him so rudely are related. He drops a coin in the well-pleased farmer’s hand.
That night he eats rapunzel with oil and vinegar. The next night he eats rapunzel with onions and tomatoes. He has rapunzel with boiled potatoes and rapunzel with strong cheese. Rapunzel with pork and rapunzel with perch. And rapunzel plain. Every day Konrad searches for Rapunzel. And every night Konrad feasts on rapunzel. The farmer comes to expect him in the market early. He saves his biggest, best bunches of rapunzel for Konrad.
But knowing her full name doesn’t help any more than knowing her nickname. For no one Konrad asks knows any more about a Rapunzel than they know about a Zel.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, where have you gone?
L ONELY
Chapter 12
Zel
el leans out the south window. The stone is cold, but the sun has melted off the frost. She has just used the slop bucket and pushed it to the north side so she can escape the odor. The top of a lone spruce moves in the distance; a rogue bear scratches its back against the trunk. Perhaps he will pass this way. If Zel is lucky.
Zel has lived in this tower
Then one day, on the fifth week, the smith remembers another, final detail. “She loves lettuce.”
“Lettuce?” Konrad at this point is willing to follow any lead. But lettuce? “How do you know?”
“Her mother said so.”
Konrad pulls on his fingers, rubs at the back of his neck. “What exactly did her mother say?”
“She said, ‘Let’s go buy that lettuce you love.’” He holds out his hand. “Lettuce, sire.”
Konrad puts a coin in the smith’s hand. Lettuce isn’t much to go on. Almost every farmer hereabouts grows lettuce and sells it in the market. But if the girl lives in the country, surely she grows lettuce in her own garden. So it has to be that the lettuce she loves is somehow special. And the mother said “that lettuce,” so it isn’t just any old lettuce. All right, Konrad will go to every lettuce vendorin the market until he finds the one with the special lettuce that Zel and her mother bought.
Amazingly, a man with only a few lettuce bundles and even fewer teeth claims to remember Zel. “A gentle girl with a winning way. I yank on her braids and she laughs.” He gives an almost toothless grin. “Stupid girls are afraid of me, but not her.” He shakes his head. “She comes to me every summer and buys this.” He holds out a bunch of small, round lettuce leaves. “You can buy it. And pay once again over for the information.”
Konrad looks at the plain, flat leaves. Why would Zel think these leaves are special? The farmer is probably making it up so he can have the money. “What makes you remember her so well?”
“Her smile. She never came without it.”
Konrad remembers Zel’s smile and its effect on him.
“And her eyes.”
Zel’s penetrating eyes, which appear in Konrad’s dreams. “How do you remember that it was precisely this type of lettuce?”
“Ah, that’s easy. Two ways.” The farmer leans toward Konrad. “First, she asks for this lettuce in early July, but it grows best in the spring. I’m the only one around who grows it all summer.” He looks proud of himself, as though he’s waiting for Konrad to praise his wisdom in business matters.
Konrad’s patience is tested. “The second reason?”
“The girl’s name and the lettuce’s name are the same.”
Konrad rubs at his lower lip. “Her name is Zel.”
“Her name is Rapunzel.” The farmer shakes the bunch of leaves before Konrad’s face. “I grow the best rapunzel around. Where’s your money?”
Konrad pushes the lettuce away from his face with indignation. “I am Count Konrad.”
“So you can afford it, then.” The farmer smiles.
Konrad laughs in spite of himself. He wonders for a moment if this farmer and the boy at the goose farm who treated him so rudely are related. He drops a coin in the well-pleased farmer’s hand.
That night he eats rapunzel with oil and vinegar. The next night he eats rapunzel with onions and tomatoes. He has rapunzel with boiled potatoes and rapunzel with strong cheese. Rapunzel with pork and rapunzel with perch. And rapunzel plain. Every day Konrad searches for Rapunzel. And every night Konrad feasts on rapunzel. The farmer comes to expect him in the market early. He saves his biggest, best bunches of rapunzel for Konrad.
But knowing her full name doesn’t help any more than knowing her nickname. For no one Konrad asks knows any more about a Rapunzel than they know about a Zel.
Rapunzel, Rapunzel, where have you gone?
L ONELY
Chapter 12
Zel
el leans out the south window. The stone is cold, but the sun has melted off the frost. She has just used the slop bucket and pushed it to the north side so she can escape the odor. The top of a lone spruce moves in the distance; a rogue bear scratches its back against the trunk. Perhaps he will pass this way. If Zel is lucky.
Zel has lived in this tower
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