Week 14 Story: John Smith

Spinning Wheel from Wikimedia

There once was a girl with an extraordinary talent. If she concentrated hard enough, she could spin straw into gold. She had kept this a secret for most of her life, only spinning gold when her miller father wasn't bringing in enough money.

One day, however, her father became suspicious of where she was magically getting the money when they most needed it. He started following her closely and investigating her. Finally, after weeks of snooping, he caught her in the act of spinning the straw into gold.

"How could you keep such a thing from me?" he bellowed. "We could be living in riches! I demand you spin us more gold."

"I won't do it! You'll only use the money to get drunk! Or worse!" she argued.

"If you won't spin me gold, then perhaps I could get some gold from the King when he hears of your abilities," he mused.

"Father, no!" she cried, but it was futile. Her father had made up his mind to sell her to the King. They set out to his palace the next day.

Upon arrival, the miller's daughter was thrown into a tower prison cell, and her father was given a fat sack of gold, enough to live on for the rest of his life. In her prison cell, there was a massive pile of straw and a spinning wheel. Reluctantly, she got to work spinning the gold, afraid she would lose her life if she didn't.

For weeks, the miller's daughter was confined to the tower. Finally, after spinning more gold than she could fathom, she fell to the ground in tears. If only she could escape this tower.

Magically, as if summoned by the pleas in her heart, a little man appeared. He had long curly hair and appeared as if he hadn't had a good bath in years.

"I can grant your wish, but what shall you give me in return?" the little man said.

"You can get me out of here?" she asked in disbelief. "All I can give you is the gold I spin."

"I haven't any need for such a thing. I, too, can spin gold. Perhaps... you can give me your firstborn child?" he pondered.

She thought on this for a moment. She didn't really see herself having a future with a husband and children, and this was probably going to be her only opportunity to escape. "Fine, you may have my firstborn child," she finally said aloud.

In the blink of an eye, the miller's daughter was back at home. Her father had abandoned the place, probably in search of a nicer home with his sack of gold coins. This worked well enough for her. Over time, she had the place in proper condition and became a miller herself. She also met a man and married him. Then the fateful day arrived --she had a child.

"I'm here to collect!" the little man piped, suddenly appearing at the foot of the miller's daughter's bed.

"Please, is there any way for us to forget this trade? I never thought I'd have a child when I made our deal!" she begged.

He looked at her with false pity and considered this. After staring at her for a few seconds, he finally said, "Sure, little miss, we can nullify our deal --if you can tell me my name." He laughed slightly at his own proposal.

"Deal. John Smith," she immediately replied.

In a state of shock, the little man started screaming, "How did you know that?? I've never told a soul my name!"

"I simply guessed the most prevalent male name in the villages," she stated. She was starting to look triumphant, surprised her guess was good.

With that, the little man fled the scene and the miller's daughter lived humbly with her husband and child.



Author's note:
I rewrote the story of Rumplestiltskin. In the original, the miller lies and tells the king his daughter can spin gold. When she can't spin it, a little man appears. She trades trinkets for days in order to have the little man spin her straw into gold. On the last day, however, she runs out of things to trade. He offers to take her firstborn child after she becomes Queen, something the King promised her if she could spin some gold one more time. She agrees to this deal but later comes to regret it. The little man offers to break their deal if she can guess his name. She never can guess it, but her guard (or something) overheard the little man celebrating in the woods, shouting his own name. She guesses his name right the next time, and their deal is broken.

In my story, the girl actually can spin gold. Her father sells her, and the little man helps her escape. There is still the trade of a firstborn, but when she goes to guess his name to break the trade, it is just an easily guessable name. It falls apart quickly. I just thought that would be funny to be honest.

Bibliography

Ashliman's Brothers Grimm Tales: Rumplestiltskin