RUMPELSTILTSKIN

Once upon a time there lived a greedy king. He wanted to marry a rich princess but was unable to find a suitable bride. The king had a hobby. He used to move around his Kingdom on his horse, whenever he felt like, without informing anyone.

There also lived a poor miller in another part of his kingdom, who had a very beautiful and talented daughter. The miller was very proud of her daughter and had very high hopes about her future.

One day the king felt that he has not visited his kingdom for a long time and decided to make a visit. He started on his royal horse.

Far away he sighted a lonely house.  The house belonged to a miller. As the king approached the miller, he saluted the king and said “Oh King! Excuse me for my untidy clothes. My house is too small and simple to have you in. But I possess something that you do not have”.  He introduced her daughter to the king as a very beautiful and talented lady.

“Very talented? Can she turn hay into gold?” the king asked the miller sarcastically. Without any hesitation, the miller replied that her daughter is capable of turning hay into gold. The king ordered that the girl be brought to the palace and locked in a cellar with a pile of hay in it.

The King came into the cellar and asked the lady to turn the pile of hay into gold by next morning. She would be given a death penalty if she fails, he said.

The terrified girl sat on the hay and cried, “I can never change this hay into gold. It is certain that I would be put to death.”

As she laid in despair on the hay, she suddenly heard footsteps near the door. She saw the door opening as she got up to sit upright. Through the door, entered a dwarf who was dressed in bright clothes and with a funny hat on his head. He had a long crooked nose with an evil smile on his face.

“Nothing to fear. I have come only to help you,” he told the surprised girl.

“Will you be able to turn this hay into gold,” she asked. “Yes, but if only you can give me something in return,” the dwarf replied. She immediately gave him the gold chain she was wearing and gave it to him. The dwarf was satisfied with what she gave and started his work of changing the hay into gold. The girl went to sleep and when she got up the next morning she was amazed to see all the hay changed into gold. The little was not to be seen.  He disappeared after completing the work.

The king was thrilled but ordered the girl to change more piles of hay, put in a bigger cellar, into gold. The girl was in despair and thought this time she would not be able to escape death. Much to her surprise the dwarf appeared again and the girl asked him to convert the hay into gold and this time she would give him a ring in return. The dwarf did it again and king was surprised to see the hay converted to gold. 

The king for the third time wanted the girl to change another pile of hay into gold.  If she does it this time, the King said that he would marry her girl would be his Queen.” The girl prayed for the dwarf to appear again and come to her rescue. The dwarf appeared. The girl cried for help again and said this time she has got nothing to give in return.

The dwarf agreed to help her on one condition. After she becomes the Queen, he would like to take her first child. Left with no other choice the girl agreed. The entire hay was changed to gold and the overjoyed king married the girl and lived happily.  The Queen enjoyed all the royal life and she forgot the word given to the dwarf.

After a year, the Queen had a lovely boy. One day as she was putting the boy to sleep, the dwarf appeared again and asked her give him her son as per the word given to him.  The Queen pleaded him to spare his son. After repeated requests the dwarf agreed but on a condition. “I shall let you have your child on a condition.  

You need to guess my name within three days. I would come on all the three days.  If you fail to guess my name, I shall take the child with me,” he said.

The Queen ordered the spies to go to differed parts of the kingdom and collect all the unique names. The dwarf appeared on the first day. The Queen read out a list of names. But the dwarf did not find his name in them.

The next again the spies brought another list of names. The dwarf reappeared and the Queen read out a fresh list of names.  The dwarf again did not find his name in them.

Though her messengers brought her a fresh list of names the Queen lost all her hopes and was said that she may have to part with her lovely prince. Her friend read out the names this time, but the dwarf did not find his name again. The Queen with a heavy heart handed over her boy to the dwarf.

The dwarf was leaving with the price when an excited messenger rushed in and said “When I was going round last night for names, I saw a dwarf singing and dancing around a bonfire.  “Ha, Ha, I think the prince is mine now, as the Queen would never be able to guess my name, ‘Rumpelstiltskin’,’’ I heard him sing, he said.

“Rumpelstiltskin, is your name,” the Queen screamed in delight. The dwarf was stunned when he heard the Queen say his name correctly. The Queen snatched the child from him and kissed him. The dwarf disappeared. The Queen, the messengers and her friends were happy and danced merrily.