Maddie Marquis

Mrs. Alstot

Child Lit. Per. 3

23 January 2020

A Scottish Rapunzel Story

Once upon a time long, long ago​, there was a ​King and Queen​ who lived in a castle on

the shore of the Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. One day the Queen fell ill and the only

thing that would heal her and her baby was a special plant found in the waters of the Loch Ness.

The only problem was that the ​ferocious Loch Ness monster​ inhabited the deep blue water. But

when the Queen began to feel worse, the King decided to take a risk and gather the plant for his

wife. The first two times he fetched the plant, he was successful, but on the third attempt his

worst fear was realized. He was met with the unforgiving Loch Ness monster. The monster was

angry that the King stole from her water, so she demanded that the King and Queen give her

their child. Plagued with fear the King agreed, and when their child, a baby girl named ​Rapunzel

was born, she was handed over to the creature. The Loch Ness monster raised Rapunzel on a

boat on the water, and the older she grew the more the monster feared that she would try to

escape. So she anchored the ​boat in the middle of the Loch Ness​ and guarded it so Rapunzel

could never leave. The monster made sure Rapunzel was cared for, and ensured that she would

never find out who her real parents were. The monster told Rapunzel gloomy tales of how her

parents left her on the shore of the lake, and that the monster took her in as if she were her own.

Though Rapunzel loved the monster she even called her ​mam​, she also felt kind of ​lonely and
longed to know what was out in the world that she had yet to explore​. One morning as

Rapunzel awoke from her slumber

she noticed a man riding on a horse by the shore. She was immediately intrigued as he was

wearing a bright colored ​kilt​ with a ​tartan​ pattern that resembled one of a man from a strong and

wealthy family. The monster had told Rapunzel stories of men competing in the Highland Games

for their family, and she wondered if that’s where he was going. Meanwhile the man riding on

his horse saw a girl with ​hair as long as a river ​trapped in the middle of the deep waters of the

Loch. He wanted to stop, but he knew he had to continue on towards the Games. He vowed to

come back to rescue the girl on his way home. The few days that he was gone were excruciating

for Rapunzel as she had seen a glimpse of the outside world, before it was taken from her. One

day

when Rapunzel was running her fingers through her lengthy dark brown hair she saw a figure

moving on the side of the lake. For a second she thought it could be the man, but she told herself

that he wouldn’t come back. However, the man who was returning from his victory at the

Highland Games, decided to follow through with his promise to himself, and to try to save the

girl. When he got as close to the water as possible he called out to her. “Hello! What is your

name?” Rapunzel filled with joy exclaimed “Rapunzel! What is yours?” He told her it was

Fergusson. Remembering Rapunzel’s endless silky hair Fergusson yelled out to her. “Rapunzel

let down your hair!” After unbraiding her hair, Rapunzel threw it out into the water. Fergusson

waded into the lake, grabbed Rapunzel’s hair, and began to swim towards the boat. He almost

reached her, but was suddenly faced with the wrath of the Loch Ness monster. Fergusson was so

frightened and didn’t know what to do, until he realized that he still had his sword on him. With
one wield of his sword, Fergusson put an end to the Loch Ness monster, giving Rapunzel her

freedom. Even through Rapunzel was saddened at the death or her ​mam​, she was ​overjoyed to

be finally free. ​Rapunzel jumped out of the boat, and her and Fergusson swam to the shore. She

hugged him and thanked him for saving her from her confinement. Wondering what all the

commotion was about, the King and Queen came outside to find their baby girl all grown up, and

finally released from the clutches of the monster. They told Rapunzel that they were her parents,

and the family was reunited. The King and Queen invited Rapunzel and Fergusson in for ​haggis

and shortbread, and they talked for hours. Months go by and Fergusson and Rapunzel are

married and a resident of the King and Queen’s castle, ​living happily ever after.