The Miller's Daughter

A tale of greed, power, deception, discrimination and love. Miller, daughter, king— All the actors are present Except the small man. The king summons the miller for some reason. Summons a humble working man. Miller, shaken, scared, Pleases king, saying daughter Spins straw into gold. The king, a very greedy king, says bring her here, then she can spin and be my wife or die. The daughter is very beautiful and also shrewd as well as clever but she's really not up to the task. Daughter locked in room Piles of straw, spinning wheel too. Spin gold or die? Sobs… The next thing she knows is a little man, (manikin, troll, angel?) appears and for a price offers to do the job (not an angel). So she offers her ring and he spins the straw into gold: 'Round about, round, round Lo, behold, straw spun to gold Reel away, more, more When the straw was gone the dwarf man disappeared. The king, next day allowed that that gold was fine but, greedier than ever wanted more (or was that just to prove her worthy wife material?). Another room—straw Piles and piles of it. Again? What now? Oh woe, woe While she was weeping the manikin appeared again but this time offered his services at a price, a huge price: her firstborn child. Well, she thought this job is too big even for the little man's magic and I'll die before I have a child anyway so she said OK and the dwarf set to work. He was fast. Round about, round, round Lo, behold, straw spun to gold Reel away, more—done The great straw pile was gone. All turned to gold in a twinkling. Manikin vanished. The king was delighted and married her forthwith. No more testing. Besides if she's my queen I can make her refill the treasury any time I want. The new queen soon with Child forgot the little man. Time passed; first babe born. King and queen were thrilled. Little man, manikin, dwarf, troll (he really was a troll) was totally forgotten. (Trolls always want human children.) One evening the little troll reappeared in the young queen's boudoire. It's time to pay up. Give me what you promised now. Eyes wide—thunderstruck The queen began to weep inconsolably and shake with alarm. What have I done? What can I give you instead? But the dwarf was adamant. Nothing! I will have the child because I will! The went on and on until the manikin relented somewhat. I'll come back. Three days. Guess my name by then; if not Your son is mine. Mine. Again he disappears and the queen is still stunned. What to do. A plan. She sends all the king's horses and all the king's men out and around to ascertain the troll's name. No luck the first day. No luck the second day. No luck the third day either except for one old huntsman who couldn't keep up with the rest. Sitting on a log in the forest quiet he hears merry singing. Today I brew and Tomorrow I bake; the next Thing—the boy I take! The old huntsman creeps closer and sees the troll dancing around a fire in front of his cave. Oblivious in the dusk he sings: The queen won't ever Know my fame— Rumpelstiltskin Really is my name. Poor Troll. Should not have celebrated so soon. Vary quietly leaving the forest the huntsman races back to tell the queen who, in a funk-had about given up. Tables turned, the ecstatic queen now thinks how she'll string along the manikin when he comes to collect. Tease him with titles Name after name and then- bam! his real cognomen! And so she did; in front of her whole court too. Norman, no, Jake, no, Aloyisius, no—how about RUMPELSTILTSKIN? "Witch, you're a witch," he says. The queen sweetly smiles. Astonished, enraged Rumpelstiltskin jumps—UP— DOWN Down through the floor, deep Rumpelstiltskin stamps so heavily through the castle floor into the earth that he disappears completely— swallowed up, back to troll country. Finis, finis, fin Moral? What can you winkle Out of this story?