She gazed at the twilight night around her, separated only by her bedroom window, but it seemed as if she were on the opposite side of the world. Her room now suffocated her with each breath she inhaled. She wanted to escape. Last week, her anticipation for this night was unbearable, but now she felt longing and regret.

She should've studied for her spelling test better. Her friends were all outside. They were all together without her. Cinderella, Belle, Ariel and Jasmine would all be roaming the streets of Scranton, but Rapunzel would be absent. No one would notice anyway. The spooky jack-o’-lanterns that illuminated the pathway to her house mocked her as each minute passed. Her friends were all hoarding Kit Kats, Twix and, her favorite candy, King Size Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars. Maybe they would bring her some back. Maybe she should sneak out of her house. Maybe her parents would cave in and let her enjoy this night. After all, it was a holiday that occurs only once every three hundred and 65 days.

The ring of the doorbell startled her. She crept down the flight of stairs and into the foyer grabbing numerous bags of candy. Hopefully, these trick-or-treaters would enjoy Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Skittles and Charm’s cherry flavored Blow Pops. She sure looked forward to these candies every Halloween. As she opened the door, to what she thought would be her friends, were zombies covered in blood staring back at her. They quickly snatched her and proceeded down the jack-o’-lantern lit pathway and onto the deserted street. The only evidence remaining of her disappearance were the four innocuous candy bags left on the doorstep. Was this some kind of cruel joke her friends were playing on her? Did they not like the candy in the bags? What happened to the princesses? How about confident Elizabeth who was dressed as Cinderella or daring Sophia dressed as Belle? Or, innocent Tiffany in her Jasmine costume and her first childhood friend, Isabella disguised as Ariel? It was as if the clock struck midnight and instead of her friends turning back to normal children, they were now malicious creatures. Where were they taking her?

Her body faced away from where they were headed. As much as she attempted to escape, it was impossible. Her body was motionless due to shock. The zombies shuffled as if programmed to take her to a designated place. As much as she pleaded for help, no one noticed. Even if someone did notice, no one would dare interrupt these determined zombies. They were going to turn her into one of them. She prayed that someone would be brave enough to help her escape from these monsters. In the blink of an eye, she was released from the zombie’s grip. She tumbled into a pile of dead leaves and damp mud. She quickly lifted her head from the ground and blinked a few times to regain her vision. This was the park where she and her friends first met. The park where they spent countless hours pretending to be princesses on the play sets. Where they signed an exclusive pact that was now only a sad memory.

She realized she had to save her friends from this curse. Saving someone from a curse was identical to a game they used to play at this park. A game that involved princesses and goblins. She suddenly remembered how to reverse the curse and darted in the direction of the nearest manhole. Manholes were a goblin’s worst fear, especially the gemstone hidden within them. Hopefully, zombies feared them, too. All she had to do was open the cover, take the gemstone and let the zombies see it. Excitement flooded her belly. She quickly opened the manhole cover and leaned forward to grab the gemstone. But, she fell in and plunged toward her death.

She gazed at the twilight night around her, this time confused. Shouldn’t precious Rapunzel know that she could receive one chance to change her own fate?