Rumpelstiltskin
A book in more than 10 pages
1. Once upon a time there was a poor old miller who depended on his
daughter to run. he isn't important - but his daughter jeannie was very
smart, clever, and cute. She was sick and tired of carrying sacks of
wheat, and grinding wheat all day for her old father and was always
coming up with ideas to become rich and famous.
(She knew the king was greedy)
2. One day when the king, some lords and his guards were riding by, she
made her father run out kneel before the kings horses with a plate with
a few gold coins on it. The king asked what he wanted, the miller told
the king what Jeannie had asked to him say - 'oh lord, these coins are
but a few of the many coins thay my daughter has made by spinning straw
in to gold.'
3. The king ordered that she be brought to him at once. she courtsied to
the king and told him that of course she couldn't spin straw into gold
but, and here she took out her plans, that by taxing water usage he
could raise levies to build a dam that would power more wind mills,
grind more grain and generate even more taxes.
4. The king was not a nice man. He hadn't stayed king by being nice. And
he didn't like being made fun of in front of his lords by anyone -
though she was cute, and obviously clever - he was furious and he wanted
his revenge on her by showing his lords that no one could get the better
of him. 'Give this man a sound thrashing for daring to speak to the king
and leave him in the street,' some of his accompanying guards
immediately started to pummel her father, who was being held by two
soldiers and beaten by two others. Turning to Jeannie, who was being
held back by two other guards, he said 'and as for the girl, through her
in the dungeon, provide her with a spinning wheel and straw, and bring
me her head tomorrow if she hasn't spun the straw into gold.'
6. Jeannie sat with back to spinning wheel and the straw and cried and
cried and cried. She was upset with herself and wished she was back at
home with her father carrying the sacks of wheat or grinding the endless
wheat into flour instead of being locked in the cold, wet, smelly and
rat infested prison waiting to die.
7. Before she had time to feel truly miserable about dying the next day
and leaving her father alone - suddenly there was a knock on the prison
door, and in came a small strange man. Strange because he was so small
and strange because he had opened the door, but she hadn't heard the
turn key turn to unlock it. He looked her up and down and said - 'what
will you give me if I spin this straw into gold?'
8. Jeannie tried to wake herself up - 'I must be dreaming this. I must
be still asleep in my bed in the windmill.'
Jeannie said 'I don't have anything to give you.'
He said 'Give me that gold ring on your finger.'
'That was my mothers wedding ring, the only thing I have left that was
hers. Don't ask for that,' Jeannie pleaded.
'What good is the ring if can't save your life? Do you think the
executioner will not slip it from your finger before he removes your
head?'
'What if you run away after I give you the ring?' she asked.
He gripped her hand with suprising speed and strength - 'I could take it
now,' and then let go.
'Here take my mother's gold ring,' she said slipping it off her
finder.
He put the ring on his necklace, and set to work feeding the straw into
the spinning wheel, and he began to sing a lullaby. And soon the
lullaby, the sound of the spinning wheel and the hypnotic spinning of
the wheel soon put Jeannie to sleep.
9. The sound of the prison door crashing open made Jeannie wake up in a
start. She rubbed her eyes and stood up. The executioner and a guard
were standing in the room with dumbfounded looks on their faces. The
straw was all gone, and in its place was solid gold thread. They were
scared, and closed the door again.
10. The prison door opened again, and in walked the king. The king
blinked and gulped and rubbed his eyes. He had brought with him some of
his ministers who whispered amongst themselves. He had brought a preist
who was sure it was the devils work. He had also brought his master
goldsmith. The goldsmith went down on his hands and knees and felt the
solid gold thread. He looked at it, smelled, and he bit it, checking if
it was gold. He hit it with his hammer and weighed it on his scale. Then
he turned to the king and nodded.
10. A sly and crafty look fell over the king's face. 'So,' he said, 'you
can spin straw into gold. You weren't lying after all. I will put your
talents to good use.' But Jeannie protested - 'my lord, I can't spin
straw into gold! It wasn't me - I swear! It was the little man - he came
in and did the spinning. I gave him my ring.' The king frowned, and and
then called to the guard outside the door - 'guardsmen, bring me the
captain of the guard this instant' The captain of the guard came
running, and panting said 'sire, what is it? What has happened?'
'captain, on your life, did anyone enter this room last night?' asked
the king. The captain starting shaking 'no sire. I posted these two
guards and no one has come in or out.' The king nodded, and the captain
relaxed and looked around for first time and was shocked.
11. 'Miller's daughter, it wasn't you that spun this gold? Was it the
devil that helped you as my chaplain believes? Did my captain of the
guard forfeit his life by failing in his duties and let the devil?' the
king laughed. 'Tonight I will move you to bigger, better guarded prison,
with more straw that my chaplain has sprinkled with holy water for you
to spin on your life in to gold, and we will shall see what will shall
see.' With that the king, very pleased with his cleverness ordered the
gold transferred to his vaults and Jeannie moved to a medium security
prison.
12. Jeannie lay surrounded by straw heaped all around her. Was that
small man really the devil? Then she thought of her dying tomorrow. Then
she thought of all the people she would never see. She thought of the
husband she would never meet, the child she would never have, and the
grandchild she would never spoil. She wondered what having her head cut
off would feel like. She wondered what would happen to her body. She was
doing her best to stay awake since it was to be her last night alive. As
she was starting to go to sleep a familiar voice said to her 'what will
you give me, if I spin this straw into gold?'
13. She opened her aways. It was the little man. She made to run and
pound on the door - but the little man caught her by the wrist with an
iron grip. 'No,' he said. She opened her mouth to scream - when out shot
his other hand, and covered her mouth so she couldn't breathe. 'Not that
either.'
14. She nodded and at once he let her go. 'What are you doing here? Who
are you? Where do you come from? Do you always hang out it prisons
waiting for women to show up that need straw spun into gold?'
