Rapunzel the real one

The whole story happens because of a salad. Rapunzel’s father gets caught stealing rampion, a leafy green, from the witch’s garden, and the price is his firstborn child. The robots are going to need a minute with that exchange rate.

And the ending is nothing like you remember: the prince falls from the tower into thorns and loses his sight, then wanders the wilderness for years before the story finds its way to one of the most quietly beautiful endings the Grimms ever recorded.

A preview for parents: what’s different in the original (mild spoilers):

• The deal: one stolen salad, one baby
• Rapunzel accidentally gives the secret away, because she’s honest, not because she’s careless
• The witch’s punishment is exile, not a tower battle
• The prince is blinded by thorns and searches for years
• Tears turn out to be the strongest magic in the whole story

Good for talking about afterward: promises (and terrible bargains), honesty even when it’s costly, and patience. The real kind, measured in years.