100个儿童英语小故事: Rapunzel 莴苣姑娘（在线收听）

070 Rapunzel

Once upon a time, there lived an old couple in a village. The old couple prayed every day that they might have a baby. One day, an old woman moved into the house next door. The Old woman raised lettuce that looked very tasty and delicious.

The old wife wanted to eat the lettuce from next door, and she constantly pestered her husband to let her eat that mouth-watering lettuce. "Dear, I want to have that lettuce." Without knowing what else to do, the husband crept next door and stole the old woman's lettuce.

However, the woman next door was a witch, and she noticed that the husband of her neighbor had stolen the lettuce. The witch said, "You dare to steal another's lettuce. You deserve to be punished." The husband said, "I am sorry, but my wife wants to have the lettuce very much."

The witch said, "Is that so? Then you can take as much as you want. But there is a condition." The husband asked, "What is it?" The witch said, "If a baby is born, you have to give me the child." After a while, his wife got pregnant and gave birth to a pretty girl. The witch swiftly crept off with the baby girl and disappeared into the forest.

She gave the name Rapunzel to the girl, and this child grew up fast to become a beautiful lady. Yet the witch was afraid of losing Rapunzel, so she locked her up in a tower.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, please let down your golden hair." When Rapunzel dropped down her long hair, the witch would climb up in order to prevent Rapunzel from meeting other people.

One day, a Prince happened to pass by the tower. The Prince lost his heart to the beautiful singing voice of Rapunzel. "How can I climb up to the tower?" The Prince decided to wait under the tower until he saw an opportunity.

On the next day, the Prince saw that the witch climbed up to the tower on the lovely yellow hair of Rapunzel. After the witch left the tower, the Prince imitated the witch. He said, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, please let down your golden hair." Then the long hair was dropped from the inside of the tower.

Upon seeing Rapunzel, the Prince fell instantly in love with her. He said, "You are the most beautiful lady in the world." Rapunzel also lost her heart to the handsome prince. The two lovers met each other every night, hiding from the eyes of the witch.

However one day, the witch found out about these secret meetings, cut off the hair of Rapunzel, and sent her to a desert. Then the witch dropped down the cut hair to the Prince, as he came to see Rapunzel. When the Prince climbed up the tower, holding the cut hair, the witch cast off the ladder sending the Prince crashing to the ground.

He fell heavily on the earth at the base of the tower and became blind. The Prince gained strength by wandering around the land in order to find Rapunzel, and finally met her in the heart of the desert. Rapunzel recognized the Prince at once. Upon realizing that the Prince had become blind, Rapunzel's eyes filled with tears, which trickled down into the eyes of the Prince.

At that moment, the Prince gained his eyesight again with the power of love. Then the two people returned to the royal palace and lived happily ever after.