The rain flew straight past us

As he grabbed onto my hair

Slowly

Slowly inching his way up the tower

The witch taught me things

Such as cooking, embroidery, and of course magic

But, the most important thing she added to my skill set was patience

I remember

The blood and the screaming

I saw

the stains on the grass

And I heard him call up to me

You are safe

You are safe!

And slowly

I smiled

He tried to get to the top of the tower for days

He brought a ladder

A rope

Even an enchanted carpet

but he could not reach my room

So slowly I tied my hair in a braid

And when he came back the next morning on the verge of giving up

I heaved my locks out of the window

He was hesitant, because of the rain

But I insisted

So slowly he began to climb

He is so close to my room now

I can see his face clearly

Steely determination radiating from his form

And slowly,

Slowly I reach for the scissors