Rapunzel: The One With All the Hair Read online

  “Far be it from me to break up the revelry,” the queen says, sweeping up behind us, “but the warm parts of the meal are getting cold, and the cold parts are getting warm. The new arrivals must be famished from their journey.” She ushers us over to a newly set table. As Steven takes his seat, a young boy tentatively sticks out his hand and rubs Steven’s arm. Steven smiles and says, “Nope, it doesn’t rub off.”

  The boy giggles and his mother grabs him away, apologizing.

  “It’s all right,” Steven says. “The first time I saw one of you, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, too.”

  “Steven,” I say gravely as the bowls of turtle soup are placed before us, “I tried to save your spoon, truly I did. But my trunk is still in the tower.”

  “On the contrary,” a voice says. I look up to see Andrew behind me. “In her fury, the witch hurled your trunk at the guards below. It burst into pieces, and everything was covered in ink. But one of the guards managed to salvage a small silver spoon from the mess. I suggested it might be important to you. I believe it is waiting for you up in your room.”

  “Thank you, Andrew,” I tell him, my eyes filling with tears as Steven squeezes my hand affectionately.

  “You have found good people,” Steven whispers as Andrew resumes his position a few feet away from the table.

  “I know,” I whisper back, stealing a glance at Ben, who catches my eye and blushes.

  “While we are all gathered here,” the queen says, rising from her seat, “has anyone happened to see my new purple silk robe? It has simply disappeared from my chambers.”

  Andrew slowly backs out of the room while Ben, Elkin, and I slink down in our seats. Elkin coughs and says, “Er, funny story, Aunt. You’re going to laugh….”

  Wendy Mass is the author of the award-winning books for young readers, including A Mango-Shaped Space, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, Leap Day, Every Soul a Star, The Candymakers, and the books set in Willow Falls, 11 Birthdays and Finally. She loves writing the Twice Upon a Time series because who’s to say it didn’t happen this way? Wendy lives in New Jersey with her family. You can visit her online at www.wendymass.com.

  Copyright © 2006 by Wendy Mass. All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First printing, June 2006

  Cover photographs by Michael Frost & © Eva Serrabassa (RF)/Getty Images

  Cover design by Yaffa Jaskoll

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-29625-0

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.