Rapunzel’s eyes widen. “My parents are still alive?”

“Yes!” I say, trying to remember the fairy tale. “At least, I think they are. Did you think they were dead?”

“That’s what Frau Gothel said.” Rapunzel frowns. “That they died and that’s why she had to take me.”

“Not exactly …” I take a deep breath and then tell Rapunzel the whole story. I try to keep my voice low so the people on line around us won’t hear.

Rapunzel closes her eyes. I can see the pain on her face. “I can’t believe my dad traded me for an herb.”

“If he hadn’t, your mother would have died,” I say softly.

“Or maybe he just didn’t care about me,” she whispers.

“That can’t be it,” I say. “He probably thought he didn’t have a choice.”

“I’m sure they’ll be so happy to see you again!” Jonah says.

“You really think I can meet my parents?” Rapunzel asks, hope creeping into her voice.

I nod, suddenly energized. “Of course! Hey! Maybe that can be the happy ending to your story. Forget meeting the prince. You need to remeet your parents!”

Who cares about this crazy wait? Not us. We’re out of here!

“But how will we find them?” Rapunzel asks before I can step out of the line. “I don’t even know their names.”

I rub my temples with my fingers. “Let’s think.”

“We know they live next door to Frown,” Jonah says. “That was part of the story. Doesn’t that help us? Where does Frown live?”

Rapunzel shakes her head. “I don’t remember. I know it has a lot of rooms, though. For all the animals.”

“The animals?” I ask.

Rapunzel nods. “Frau Gothel has tons of animals. And she names them all after the stuff growing in her garden. Rosemary the monkey. Coriander the sheep. Nutmeg the tarantula. Sage the baby bear. Cinnamon the aardvark —”

Cinnamon? Seriously? “The aardvark’s name is Cinnamon? Did Jonah tell you to say that?” I ask suspiciously.

She shakes her head. “His name is really Cinnamon.”

“C-I-N-N-A-M-O-N. Cinnamon the aardvark.” Jonah doubles over in laughter. “Hey, Abby, wanna try spelling aardvark?”

“No, I do not,” I grumble.

“A-A-R-D-V-A-R-K,” Rapunzel offers.

Show-off.

Jonah stands up straight and turns back to Rapunzel. “Did you get to live with all of the spice animals?” he asks her.

Rapunzel shakes her head. “Frau Gothel kept us all in separate rooms.”

Shivers up my spine make me forget all about spelling. “So she collected animals?”

“She liked having pets,” Rapunzel said.

I remember Frau Gothel referring to Rapunzel as a pet back in the tower. So creepy.

“Is that what she thought you were?” Jonah asks. “A pet?”

Rapunzel nods. “I guess so. I was the pet with really long hair.”

“You’re the pet who escaped,” I say.

“She probably wouldn’t care that I’ve escaped if she saw my hair now,” Rapunzel says, running a hand through her bangs and looking hopeless.

“Your hair isn’t the only thing that makes you special, Rapunzel,” I say, meaning it. “You’re sweet, you have a great singing voice, and you make up amazing lullabies. Plus, unlike me, you’re a really good speller —”

“Oh!” Rapunzel cries. “That’s it! Spellington Lane! I used to live on Spellington Lane!”

“Let’s go!” Jonah cries.

“But, Jonah,” I say, “we still don’t know where it is or have any way to get there.”

The mom in front of us, who’d been busy setting up her tent, turns around. “I can help! Please let me help. I’m sorry to have eavesdropped, but that is the saddest story I’ve ever heard. Please borrow my horse and carriage. It’s not fancy, but it will take you where you want to go. It’s the black-and-white one parked on the street. There’s a map of the area inside. And bananas and onions. Take whatever you need. I’ll even hold your spot for you if you want to come back.”

Bananas and onions? Bananas I get, but onions? “Thank you,” I say uncertainly.

She smiles. “You know what they say. An onion a day keeps the doctor at bay.”

Jonah looks at me doubtfully. “People really say that? I’ll have the bananas. You can have the onions.”

The woman hugs her baby to her chest. “I can only imagine how sad your mother is — and your dad, too — and how much they miss you,” she says to Rapunzel.

“Thank you!” we cry.

“Ruff!” Prince barks.

“No problem,” the mom says, waving us off. “Good luck!”

“Can I drive?” Jonah asks as we start back toward the stone door. “Pretty, pretty please?”

“No way,” I say.

“Why not?” he argues. “It’s not like either of you has your license.”

“Rapunzel’s the oldest,” I say. “She should drive. I’ll navigate. I’m very good with maps.”

“No problem,” Rapunzel says.

We find the black-and-white carriage easily, and as the nice mom said, there is a map and a brown paper bag full of bananas and onions on the front seat. I study the map. It is surprisingly complex and detailed. There are roads and hills and villages and also lakes and waterfalls. The area where I think the tower is is marked FOREST. I guess that’s why no one ever found Rapunzel.

Spellington Lane does not seem too far away. We’ll get there in an hour, find Rapunzel her happy ending with her parents, swing back here to return the carriage, and then find our portal home. I bet it’s somewhere at the palace. There were lots of shiny doors and surfaces to knock on, at least.

It’ll take three hours, tops. In and out in one day. Yay, us!

“Let’s go!” I call, claiming my seat.

We hit the road.

Uh-oh.

Rapunzel may be a great singer and speller, but she is not a great driver.

Neither Jonah nor I usually gets carsick, but after ten minutes, we are both very carriagesick. So is Prince. He’s moaning and sticking his head out the window. I try to ignore the queasiness so I can study the map to direct Rapunzel which way to go, but it’s not easy.

It gets worse as the sky gets darker. Once the sun has set entirely, I can barely read the map.

“I can’t see the road,” Rapunzel says.

“This carriage could really use headlights,” Jonah says. “And the streets could use some streetlights.”

“I could really use the light on my watch,” I grumble. My trade may have been a little hasty.

“So what do we do?” Jonah asks.

Rapunzel points to the side of the road. “We might have to pull over and park for the night.”

A wave of worry washes over me. There goes my three-hour plan.

After pulling over, we eat bananas and onions for dinner. Well, Jonah and I have bananas and onions, but Rapunzel and Prince have only bananas.

Jonah tries to give Prince a piece of his onion, but I swipe his hand away. “Onions are dangerous for dogs,” I say. Obviously, I researched proper dog foods after we got Prince. That’s my job as pet owner.

Hmm. Pet owner. I’m not sure I like being in the same category as Frau Gothel.

“You don’t want an onion?” I ask Rapunzel.

She shakes her head. “I don’t want my breath to be all stinky when I first meet my parents. I already have to worry about my hair.”

I flinch. Right. Her horrible hair. Her messed-up mane. I’m kinda wishing she’d get over what we did to it already.

Jonah and I are too hungry to worry about bad breath. After dinner, we try to get cozy on the seats. At first, the horse disagrees with our plan to get some shut-eye, and keeps jerking us around. Finally, he stops, and the carriage is still.

“Shall I sing a lullaby?” Rapunzel offers.

“Yes, please,” Jonah and I say.

I pull a baby blanket over my legs and place another one over Jonah. Then I cuddle Prince in my arms. Rapunzel clears her throat and I close my eyes.

“Hello, moon; good night, sun.

Close your eyes, sweet little ones….”

I’m not awake for the rest.