"I long to feel the sun on my face
To run and play, to take my place
In the world outside these four walls
But Mother says that it's not safe at all
She locks the door and pulls the blinds
Says I have an illness, and keeps me confined
I don't understand, I feel just fine,
But Mother insists, she says it's not time.
I dream of running through fields of green
But I'm stuck here, my freedom unseen
I'm trapped in this room, unable to fly
Oh, how I long to go out and try
I dream of breaking free and running wild
But Mother's love keeps me confined"
Rapunzel sat at the dining table, staring out of the kitchen window at the world beyond. She had always dreamed of exploring the outside, of feeling the sun on her skin and the wind in her hair. But she couldn’t. She had agoraphobia, a condition that made it nearly impossible for her to leave the safety of her home. And her mother, who was extremely overprotective, had done everything in her power to keep Rapunzel safe, even if it meant keeping her locked up in the house her entire life.
Rapunzel's hair had become legendary in her small, isolated world. At over eleven feet long, it was almost twice her own height and was kept neatly braided most of the time to keep it out of her face and make it more manageable. It was a source of constant fascination for her, with a natural brown streak running through her otherwise blond hair. Her mother made sure to keep it clean and trimmed the split ends herself, but otherwise it was left to grow and flow freely.
Despite the weight of her hair and the limitations of her agoraphobia, Rapunzel had always been a happy and contented child. She had everything she needed inside the house, and her mother made sure she was never bored or lonely. They played games, watched movies, and cooked together, and Rapunzel was always grateful for her mother's love and care.
But as Rapunzel reached her teenage years, she began to feel restless and yearned for more. She wanted to see the world and experience new things, to meet new people and make her own choices. But her mother had always been strict about her never leaving the house, insisting that it was too dangerous.
"Mom, I'm not a little kid anymore," Rapunzel said, frustration creeping into her voice. "I want to be able to make my own decisions and see more of the world. Can't you understand that?"
Her mother sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I do understand, Rapunzel. But you have to understand that the outside world can be a very dangerous place. You have agoraphobia and your condition makes it difficult for you to leave the safety of our home. I just want to keep you safe."
Rapunzel nodded, knowing that her mother only had her best interests at heart. But she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to life than the four walls of her home.
Just then, a car backed up outside. Rapunzel and her mother went to the window to see a new family moving into the abandoned house next door. Rapunzel watched as a boy around her age with bright green eyes, unpacked boxes in the yard. He had a friendly smile and an easygoing demeanor that Rapunzel couldn't help but be drawn to. She wondered what would happen if she called out to him. Would he come over or ignore her voice?
As if sensing her thoughts, her mother said, "Rapunzel, don't even think about it." Rapunzel sighed and turned away from the window. She knew better than to try and interact with people without her mother’s permission.
She found herself thinking about that boy throughout the day, wondering what it would be like to be able to go outside and make friends like a normal teenager. She knew it was impossible, but she couldn't shake the feeling of longing.
As she sat in her room later that day, Rapunzel noticed the boy next door looking at her through the window and waving. She hesitated for a moment before tentatively waving back.
He looked around his room as if trying to find something and reappeared with a pen and paper in hand.
“Hi :),” he wrote on that sheet of paper, “I'm Xander. We just moved in today. What's your name?"
Rapunzel quickly scribbled her name on a piece of paper and held it up to the window.
Xander nodded and smiled before writing something else on his paper.
"This is kind of awkward, talking through notes like this," he wrote. "Do you have a phone we can text on instead?"
Rapunzel shook her head and wrote back, "Sorry, my mother doesn't allow me to have a phone. She thinks they're evil or something like that."
Xander frowned but then his face lit up with an idea. He disappeared from the window and reappeared a few moments later with a string and two paper cups, attaching them to the ends of the string.
"We can make our own phone!" he exclaimed.
Rapunzel laughed at the absurdity of the situation. She opened her window and Xander threw one of the cups into her room.
"Hello?" Xander said through the cup.
"Hello?" Rapunzel replied, holding the other cup to her ear.
"There we go, now we can talk to each other easily," Xander said with a grin.
Rapunzel smiled, grateful for this unexpected friendship.
As they got to know each other better, Rapunzel began to open up about her life and her frustrations with her mother's overprotection. Xander listened attentively and offered words of encouragement.
"It's not fair that you're stuck in here all the time," he said one day as they sat at the window. "You deserve to go out into the world and make your own decisions."
Rapunzel nodded, determined to escape her mother's control and learn more about her agoraphobia. However, as she questioned her mother more about her condition, her mother became paranoid and secretive.
One night, while her mother was asleep, Rapunzel decided to sneak out of the house and meet up with Xander on his porch.
"I can't take it anymore," Rapunzel told Xander, tears streaming down her face. "I need to know the truth about my past and why my mother has kept me locked up all these years. It can't be because of my agoraphobia, because here I am, standing outside of my home and not having a panic attack. Everything my mother told me about my condition has been a lie."
Xander wrapped his arm around her and gave her a comforting hug. "We'll figure it out together," he said.
The two of them spent the night searching the internet for clues and trying to piece together the puzzle of Rapunzel's past. They combed through many documents and records, looking for any information that might help.
As they scrolled through old news articles, they came across a report of a missing girl who had been kidnapped 14 years ago. The description of the girl matched Rapunzel exactly, right down to the distinctive brown streak in her hair.
Rapunzel's heart raced as she read the article. Could it be true? Could she be the missing girl from all those years ago?
Xander looked at her with a mix of shock and concern. "We have to go to the police," he said.
Rapunzel was terrified, but she knew she had to escape and find the truth. With Xander by her side, she gathered her courage and made a break for it.
They ran through the woods, dodging branches and leaping over logs as they fled from the house.
But they had barely made it a few feet into the woods when she saw the lights in her house turn on. Her mother was awake. And she knew that Rapunzel had escaped.
Rapunzel's heart raced as she and Xander ran through the dark and creepy forest, her mother hot on their heels. But she knew she had to keep going.
Xander stumbled and fell, his leg twisted beneath him. Rapunzel's mother was closing in, a stone in her hand as she prepared to strike. Rapunzel knew she had to act fast. She gathered all her courage and jumped onto her mother, tackling her to the ground. The stone flew from her hand as they tumbled to the ground, and Rapunzel and Xander were finally able to escape.
Somehow, they managed to find their way to the nearest police station, where they were greeted by a group of officers. As they told their story, their suspicions were confirmed. Rapunzel's mother was not her real mother, but a kidnapper who had snatched her as a baby.
As Xander called his parents to pick them up from the police station, Rapunzel couldn't shake the feeling of sadness and loss that weighed heavy on her heart. She had been living a lie for all these years. The woman she thought was her mother was just some twisted person who had kidnapped her. She also couldn't help but wonder what had happened to her real parents. Had they been searching for her all these years, or had they given up hope and moved on?
A police officer came down to retake their statements and answer any more questions that they had. As they spoke, Rapunzel was hit with another heart-wrenching revelation.
Her real parents had dedicated themselves to finding their missing daughter, trying hard to not give up hope. But unfortunately, the pain of their loss had become too much to bear. After five long years of searching, they had taken their own lives, unable to cope with the grief of their daughter's disappearance.
Rapunzel's heart was heavy with grief as she faced the reality of what had happened.
But despite the pain and trauma of her past, Rapunzel was determined to move forward and make the most of her newfound freedom. She was taken in by Xander's family, who welcomed her with open arms and helped her to heal and rebuild her life.
And as for her kidnapper, she was never caught. She had fled when she realized the truth had been uncovered, leaving Rapunzel to confront the devastating consequences of her actions.
But Rapunzel refused to let her past define her future. She vowed to live every day to the fullest, embracing every moment and never looking back. With this newfound strength, Rapunzel took a bold step and cut off her long, flowing hair to shoulder length. It was a symbol of her liberation, a way to free herself from the burden of painful memories that had held her captive for so long. As she snipped away the last strand of hair, Rapunzel felt a weight lift off her shoulders, and she knew that this was the start of a new chapter in her life. She felt free and alive, ready to embrace the future and all that it held in store for her. And as she embarked on this new journey, she knew that she was stronger than she ever could have imagined, and that nothing could stand in her way.
Written: 2022
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