Chapter 20: At Last I See the Light

Author's Notes: This isn't going to be romantic! They're related and 18 years apart!

Rapunzel and I ran to the dock. The dock was a brown, wooden port over the big blue ocean. We got in a brown, wooden canoe. I rowed us out to the middle of the ocean. Then Rapunzel crossed her hands on the sides of the canoe and looked over at the ocean with a concerned look on her face. "You okay?" I questioned.

"What if it's not everything I dreamed it would be?" She asked me.

"Trust me it will be. I come every year to the lantern festival and it never fails to impress." I replied.

"What do I do once I have my dream?" She questioned.

"Then you find a new one I guess.". She smiled.

After a few minutes, we noticed lights arising from the island. Rapunzel looked up at floating, yellow lanterns.

"All those days watching from the windows

All those years outside looking in

All that time never even knowing

Just how blind I've been

Now I'm here blinking in the starlight"

Rapunzel sang. She blinked.

"Now I'm here suddenly I see

Standing here it's all so clear

I'm where I'm meant to be

And at last I see the light"

Rapunzel jumped up on the tall, brown wooden end of the boat.

"And it's like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted"

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you"

Rapunzel sat back down and looked at me.

"All those days chasing down a daydream"

I remember that summer night when I escaped Corona.

"All those years living in a blur"

I remembered my time in Kodo, Nezertnea, Begncore, Galcreast, Pittsburgh, Invarr, Venice, The Philippines, Madagascar, Polynesia, Hawaii, Columbia, and Atlantis.

"All that time never truly seeing

Things, the way they were"

All this time I thought humanity didn't have any kindness left. But, that is true for some people, some people can be good. I thought as I looked at Rapunzel's smiling face.

"Now she's here shining in the starlight

Now she's here suddenly I know

If she's here it's crystal clear

I'm where I'm meant to go"

She reminds me of my daughter. If Rapunzel's here, maybe I'm supposed to stay in Corona, with her.

"And at last I see the light

And it's like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it's like the sky is new

And it's warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything is different

Now that I see you

Now that I see you"

We both sang. We hugged. Pascal jumped in. We both laughed.

Rapunzel looked over to the island. "I should go." She announced. I rowed us back to shore. She picked up Pascal.

"Will you be back?" I questioned.

"I don't know." Rapunzel looked at me with tears in her eyes. She got out of the canoe. I watched her disappear into the night.