Modern Fairy Tales Ch. 01

It was like a bizarre nightmare. He half wondered if he was imagining the whole episode. Maybe he would wake up any second to find it had all been a strange dream - a figment of his overactive imagination.

But the warm tears that soaked the collar of his shirt felt real enough. Eventually she lifted her head, her long lashes damp and her eyes huge saucers in her pale face. "I'm sorry, she said. "I shouldn't have dragged you into this mess."

"No, no!" Jakob said. "I want to help!"

"But you can't help." Her voice was flat with resignation.

Jakob thought fast. "I can tell someone, the police, anybody. Surely somebody will be able to do something?"

"You can't do that – if the police are involved, Gotha and the Uncles will hurt my father." Rapunzel gazed at him sorrowfully and he felt his heart break into a thousand pieces.

As much as he didn't really understand why she thought this was the case, Jakob knew he had to respect her wishes for now. The last thing he wanted was to frighten her, or make things worse for her.

"Okay, I can see—"

There was a bang from downstairs and Rapunzel flew off the bed in a blind panic. "You must go, NOW!" she hissed fearfully.

Jakob felt her fear infecting him with its urgency and he shot over to the window. "I'll be back!" he promised, before blowing her a brief kiss. Swinging his legs over the sill, he managed to reach out and grasp the drainpipe. It was far easier climbing down than it had been climbing up.

Once his feet touched the ground, he glanced back up. Rapunzel stood in the window, watching him. She gave him a small wave, then she disappeared from sight and the light went out. Jakob was left in the darkness of the yard with only the feral cats for company.

* * *

Rapunzel pretended to be asleep when Gotha came to check on her. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and huddled stiffly beneath the thin blanket in the vain hope the old witch would leave her alone.

"Wake up!" the witch rasped in her ear.

The girl didn't stir.

"Stupid girl," the witch hissed crossly. Rapunzel heard the clatter of a tray being placed on the table beside the bed, and then the slow shuffling sound of the witch dragging her hideous body across the filthy floor. There was a merciful silence after the door had slammed shut and the bolt had been pushed across once again.

Rapunzel opened her eyes and sat up. She looked down with distaste at the bowl of grey soup on the tray. It looked disgusting and she knew from bitter experience that it also tasted disgusting. With a grimace, she shoved the tray to one side and walked over to the window. It was black and silent outside; Jakob had gone.

She allowed a small smile to curve her lips as she thought about the boy. As fearful as she was about the consequences, she couldn't help but hope he would return as he had promised. It felt like a small chink of light had broken through the door of her miserable world. It wasn't much, but it was a beginning.

* * *

Jakob waited across the road from the house. It was dark and the evening was growing late, but he wanted to see Rapunzel again. He knew it was madness to take such a risk, but he was going to do it anyway. A man walked nearby with his dog, a vicious looking bull terrier, but Jakob ignored his curious glances. The dog growled in the back of its throat as it passed and Jakob took a step back towards the wall nervously.

The sound of a door opening caught his attention and he forgot about the dog. The old witch was leaving the house. Jakob wondered where on earth she could be going at such an hour, but he didn't let that trouble him too much as her departure gave him the opportunity to visit Rapunzel. Once the old lady was out of sight, Jakob carefully opened the side gate and entered the yard. A light was on in the attic window and when he threw a pebble up at the glass, Rapunzel appeared immediately.

"You're back!" she exclaimed happily.

Jakob grinned in the darkness and quickly shinned up the drainpipe. Within minutes he was in Rapunzel's room and they giggled like kids.

"I wasn't sure you would return," she told him.

"I promised I would, didn't I?"

She shrugged. "Promises don't mean a lot to me." She looked at the bag slung over his shoulder. "What's in there?" she asked curiously.

"I brought my sketchpad with me." Jakob looked down bashfully. "I was hoping you might let me draw you..."

"You want me to be your model?" She danced on the spot. "Ooh yes! I would love to!"

"Cool!"

Then her expression fell and she looked worried again. "I don't know how long we have though."

Jakob reached out and held her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll look after you," he said earnestly. It was one promise he almost certainly wouldn't be able to keep, but he felt he needed to at least offer.

Rapunzel's eyes grew moist and her lip wobbled. "Thank you," she said.

Jakob's heart threatened to burst right out of his chest and he struggled to control the wave of emotion that seared his soul. If the old witch had entered the room in that moment, he quite literally would have sacrificed his life for Rapunzel; he felt so strongly about her. Fortunately for both of them, the witch was miles away.

Jakob looked at the bed thoughtfully. "Could you lie down over there?" he asked the girl, anxious to begin drawing her.

She smiled and climbed on to the bed, reclining in an innocently seductive pose. Jakob was once more left speechless. She was wearing a silky shift and now that she was lying down, the material rose up her thighs to reveal long, sleek limbs of creamy white.

Despite the gloomy lighting, he could easily see the dark shadow between her thighs and the gentle curve of her breasts, tipped with rosy aureoles. Struggling to yank his thoughts back to the task in hand, he hurriedly reached into his bag and pulled a sketchpad out.

"Am I okay like this?" Rapunzel asked with uncertainty when he didn't say a word.

"Yes," he coughed. "You look...great." His voice sounded un-natural even to his own ears, but Rapunzel didn't seem to notice. She smiled serenely and relaxed against her pillow with her blonde hair spread out in a wave of lustrous gold.

Jakob sat down on the stool by the window and with a trembling hand he drew the first line of his composition. As he focussed his attention on the drawing, he determinedly forgot the feverish fire flowing in his veins. His practised eye followed the curves of her slender body and translated the image on to the sheet of paper beneath his hand.

Eventually, Jakob placed his sketchbook down and smiled. He was happy with the drawing – it was probably the best work he'd ever done.

"Can I look?" Rapunzel jumped up when she realised he'd finished.

He nodded shyly. She danced across the room with excitement and peered at the page.

"I look...beautiful!" She seemed astonished to see her own likeness on the page.

"You ARE beautiful," Jakob told her earnestly. He turned to see her eyes sparkling like sapphires as she smiled with pleasure at his sincere compliment.

"Do you really think so?"

She really has no idea how stunning she is, thought Jakob with amazement. He could feel himself helplessly drowning in the azure pools of her eyes. Slowly the irises darkened and her pupils dilated. Unwillingly his gaze slid down towards her pink, moist lips, parted expectantly.

It would be so easy to kiss her. He felt the inevitable force of attraction compelling his body closer. Suddenly they were millimetres apart, their breath mingling in the warm air of the room. He reached out and touched her cheek; the soft, velvety skin felt like a downy peach beneath his fingertip.

As he traced a line towards her mouth, listening intently to her shallow breathing, Rapunzel's eyes closed languorously and he watched with total absorption as her breasts rose and fell rhythmically beneath the gauze of her shift.

When he finally touched his lips to hers, he felt the tingle of electricity that arced through them both lift every hair on the back of his neck. She tasted of strawberries - all ripe and succulent. Her lips were soft against his mouth and he fought the urge to crush her to his body passionately.

The sound of a banging door reverberated through the room and Rapunzel jumped like she'd been shot. "She's back!" she gasped in horror.

Jakob needed no second bidding. Despite the heady cocktail of lust swirling like fog in his brain, the fear of being caught with Rapunzel soon cleared the murky fugue. He quickly grabbed his sketchbook and shoved it into his bag. Within seconds he was shinning down the drainpipe like an agile monkey.

Once back on the ground, he looked up at the window, but the light had gone out and there was no sign of Rapunzel. He had to believe she was okay for the alternative was too frightening.

* * *

Mr Lozynsky watched silently as Jakob lifted the heavy trays of fruit and carried them into the storeroom. The boy had been humming a faint tune all morning and appeared lost in a world of his own. Every so often a smile would light up his face and Stefan felt certain something was awry. He had never seen him like this before. It wasn't right. He grumbled to himself as he went back into the main shop area.

His wife raised on eyebrow at him when she came in from the damp street, shaking the raindrops from her umbrella. "What's eating you, old man?" she asked.

"The boy – he's acting funny," Stefan said with a surly scowl. "He's not been himself for a week or more now."

Rosa Lozynsky chuckled throatily. "Are you so old that you can't remember what it feels like to fall in love?" she asked with a rueful smile.

"What are you talking about?" Stefan scratched his head in bemusement. Rosa comes out with some rubbish at times, but this takes the biscuit, he thought with irritation.

"You're a fool, old man," Rosa replied scornfully. "It's written all over his face – the boy is in love." She shook her head and left him to his newspaper. Men, she thought with annoyance. They know nothing!

* * *

Rapunzel heard Gotha leave on one of her nightly excursions and she gleefully stood in the window waiting for Jakob to arrive. Since he had begun visiting her every time Gotha left the house, her pathetic existence had been enriched beyond measure. Despite the Sword of Damocles still hanging over her head, she had almost managed to forget the reasons for her captivity.

Jakob brought her pleasure and he made her feel special. The way he stared at her when he thought she wasn't looking; the way he touched her when they sat together on her bed, talking and laughing about stupid things. The way he kissed her...

It was all new to her. Before she became a prisoner in this miserable house with its bare attic room, she hadn't really spent much time with boys. Father had kept a close rein on her activities; she was allowed to go to school, but not allowed out at any other time. Consequently she was very naïve in the ways of the world.

Jakob had shown her things that amazed her. He brought books with him; books filled with pictures of beautiful paintings and sculptures. For ages they talked about the artwork and what they liked about each piece. A whole new world had opened up and Rapunzel was thoroughly enjoying herself.

She was enjoying other things too. They way her body felt when Jakob kissed her was something she had also never experienced before. He made her skin tingle and her pulse race with excitement. When she was alone, she would lie on her bed and think about him, her body aching with a strange need that she didn't really understand.

During the long days when the house was quiet, Rapunzel dreamt about Jakob and imagined how things would be if she were freed from this attic prison. She pictured them walking through the park, talking and laughing about silly things. Her daydreams were a blissful escape from the reality of her uncertain future.

* * *

Gotha hobbled down the street towards the bus stop whilst Jakob hid behind a rusting wreck of a car and bided his time. Once the old witch had disappeared from sight, he made his way up to the attic where Rapunzel was waiting for him.

The minute his feet touched the moth eaten rung beneath the window, they fell into each other's arms like shipwrecked survivors. Jakob buried his face in the luxurious length of Rapunzel's golden hair as he breathed in her alluring scent.

Tonight she wore a simple dress; a plain white cotton garment that brushed her knees and hung loosely from her slim frame. On any other woman it would have looked shapeless and unflattering, but on Rapunzel the unassuming slip was sexy beyond words.

Jakob ran his hands down her back until he reached the curve of her bottom. She sighed against him and arched her body towards his, inviting further caresses. He had brought some more books for them to look at, but, as his pulse rate quickened, intellectual exploration was the furthest thing from his mind. All he could think about was holding the girl who had consumed every waking moment since he'd first clapped eyes on her.

Unable to stop himself, Jakob slid one hand up her body until he brushed the curve of her breast. He felt her suck in a sharp breath and for a moment he panicked that he had overstepped the mark. But she didn't pull away. Instead she pushed her small mound into the palm of his hand and moaned.

He felt the hardness of her nipple and feverishly wondered what it would taste like. The cotton dress began to slide off her shoulder and more milky white flesh was revealed to his avid gaze. Rapunzel continued to press her sweet body against him and Jakob dimly wondered if she had any idea of the effect she was having on his good intentions.

As much as he recognised that they ought to stop this madness, his hands continued to act of their own volition, apparently unfazed by the huge potential for disaster. With trembling fingers, Jakob pulled the cotton down further until the gentle swell of Rapunzel's breasts were exposed to his adoring eyes. Her tiny nipples were perfect; a delicate rose colour daubed on the tips of her snowy white breasts.

For a moment he paused and gazed into Rapunzel's blue eyes. "Shall we look at the books now?" he asked hesitantly.

Her face registered confusion. "Don't you like me?" she replied with a quivering lip.

Jakob drew her to him and kissed her softly. "I more than like you," he told her, all thoughts of books forgotten again.

Rapunzel relaxed and sighed happily. Shyly she ran her hands down his chest, watching his face intently when he trembled beneath her innocent touch. He held his breath when she reached the leather belt that looped through the waistband of his jeans.

Time stopped in its tracks when he felt the first feathery flutter of her fingers across his bulging crotch. Jakob forgot all the reasons he had for calling a halt, and he closed his eyes in rapturous surrender. Her innocent caresses inflamed his desire more than he ever could have imagined.

"You feel so hard," she said in wonderment as she stroked him through the rough denim.

Jakob could do little more than groan. Needing to touch her too, he reached out and found the delicate swell of her exposed breast and taut little nipple. Hearing her harsh breath when he rolled the bud between his finger and thumb encouraged him to pull her dress down from the other shoulder.

The cotton slipped from her slim frame and pooled in a heap on the floor. Her beauty entranced Jakob; she reminded him of Botticelli's Birth of Venus – one of his favourite paintings. Shyly her hands fell to her sides and she stared at him through the golden strands of her hair.

As much as the artist in Jakob itched to capture Rapunzel's essence on paper once again, the need to touch her was far, far stronger. He traced a path down her body, exploring each subtle contour and velvety plain. When his questing fingers reached the apex of her thighs, he stopped and looked at her questioningly.

Her eyes widened and her lips parted expectantly. Grasping his hand, she pushed it against the dewy folds of her femininity. Jakob felt the heat of her and the thick moisture that coated his fingers.

This was all new to him; he had only kissed a few girls in the past and had never had the opportunity to touch them in this way. Before this shining moment, his only previous experience of naked female flesh was in his life drawing classes and within the pages of art books. None of that had prepared him for the reality that was this living, breathing...trembling girl before him. He felt her quivering and he began to stroke her, testing her responses to his touch.

She grabbed his shoulder and writhed against his hand. "Ohh..." she gasped, closing her eyes. Her body arched towards his and he grasped her waist, fearful that she might fall backwards in her delirium. The small mounds of her breasts were thrust in the direction of his eager lips and he finally did the one thing he'd dreamed of for so many nights.

Taking a sweet rosy nipple into his mouth, he suckled gently. He was rewarded by a keening sound and Rapunzel gripped his shoulder even harder. Her flesh tasted divine and the feel of her breast against his lips was heavenly. Ignoring the insistent ache in his loins, he moved across to the other tender breast.

Rapunzel was becoming increasingly vocal and Jakob decided to move to the bed where they would be more comfortable. He reluctantly released her nipple from his adoring lips and scooped the girl up in his arms.

She clung to him as her hair cascaded down to the floor and they both collapsed on the bed a few feet away. Jakob half lay on top of her, kissing her fragrant skin as her hands reached out for him. Their mouths met in a passionate kiss and he wondered if it was possible to feel such pleasure and still be alive and breathing.

Somehow his shirt came off, followed by his jeans. Her body writhed against him and she found the hardness of his cock with her hand. Just the feel of her fingers wrapped around his throbbing length was almost enough to end it. He tried to pull away, but Rapunzel grasped his hips and they rolled together in a delirious tangle of limbs.

She wrapped her thighs around his waist and with unerring accuracy his cock entered her wetness in a surge of mutual pleasure. When he encountered a barrier, his eyes widened with uncertainty as he looked down at the girl beneath him.

"Don't stop," she pleaded when he hesitated.

She didn't give him the chance to withdraw. Taking matters into her own hands, she firmly thrust against him, gasping as her barrier broke and warm wetness flooded out. Jakob felt her inner muscles spasmodically gripping his shaft and he moved fast towards the conclusion of their pleasure. He felt her teeth biting his neck and her hands scratched his back.

The room faded into grey nothingness as all his focus narrowed to the place where their bodies were joined. In a shining moment of bliss, he cried out his pleasure and emptied his soul into her welcoming heat. He was only dimly aware of her moans of pleasure as he slid from her and collapsed to one side.

They lay together with Rapunzel's head resting in the hollow of his shoulder. Her small hand traced random patterns on the golden skin of his smooth chest while her leg hooked over his. He turned to kiss her tenderly and she sighed softly against his mouth.

It was a moment of pure perfection. He didn't think he had ever been so happy. This girl was everything he had ever dreamed of – and more besides. He wished they could stay like this forever, cocooned in their own private sanctuary of love.

The sound of a door slamming from somewhere below had Jakob jumping up in a thrice. Rapunzel stared at him in wide-eyed terror as he grabbed his clothes and bag. He didn't waste time pulling his clothes on - he simply climbed out of the window, naked, with his stuff clutched under his arm. His last image of Rapunzel was of her lying naked on the bed, her thighs streaked with dark blood.