The king's men arrived at the tower and were not too happy. 

      "Princess, you there?"

       "Yes, what a silly question because the king sentenced me here."

          Marinette groaned in annoyance as a man in a green suit told her to let down her hair.

             I am no Rapunzel, she thought.

             "Uh, go away,  for you seemed to have entered the wrong fairy tale."

                The goblin and mouse remained quiet inside the back of the tower. 

                    "Oh, fair maiden, I have taken out the king's men, so please do me the honor of becoming my wife."

                     "I beg your pardon,  I will no such thing, for we have only met."

                   "You are not my type, so go."

               Marinette watched as he left, glad to be freed of the strange pest in the green suit.

     He had reminded her of a leprechaun, yet he was an ogre and thought he could charm her with mere words.

            Once darkness fell upon the land, she looked out the window and saw the thorns that started to grow outside the tower.

             She pulled out a red chord that she found and smirked as it grew.

               "Wake up, sleepy head," she said as she touched the goblin's shoulder.

                The goblin awakened and shook his head,  "To dark, time to rest."

                  "Come on, it is time to go on our journey."

                "Journey, where?"

             "To an adventure beyond our wildest dreams," She answered with a smirk.

                 The mouse climbed the cord first, then the girl, and the goblin.

                   Once at the bottom, the princess laughed. The goblin had closed his eyes and had not opened them yet. "It is okay, we are safe now."

                   "I trust you, princess."

                 "Come on you too."

             The princess snatched the cord so that it fell out of the tower's window. No sense in leaving evidence behind that might incriminate them.

              The goblin and mouse followed the princess off in the direction of the caves. Neither could believe the path they took,  but they did not question the young lady about it.

            Soon they came to a clear path.

             "Here, you see, there is a bear that blocks the entrance to that grand cave."

               "Yes, what of it, princess?"

               "I need you to create a distraction for him, so the mouse and I can escape."

              "What?"

             "You heard me, but that is impossible."

               The princess ran past the bear as the goblin made funny faces in horror.

              The mouse was not far behind her. The two made it into the opening inside a cave.

                 The goblin was about to be eaten by the bear when a dust cloud came up and blew its green dust all over the bear. The bear roared, sneezed, whimpered, and ran off.

                 He was stunned. What had caused the bear to react in such a way? He had not seen the dust cloud.  He entered the cave amazed to have lived to see another day.

                He grew tired and dozed off. The princess curled up beside him. The mouse lay at her feet.

           It seemed the adventure would have to wait for another day.

   the story continues in Chapter 8  Sulfur 

   til then, bye-bye, little owlets!

    Summer out!