Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff Page A
Authors: Liesl Shurtliff
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down on the treadle. But I kept going.
Whir, whir, whir . Gold, gold, and more gold. I had searched for it my entire life, and here it was, pouring out like water. I hated the sight of it.
Opal fell asleep faster this time, one hand twined in the gold, the other clutching some straw. As the first rays of morning light reached the sky, I grasped the straws from her hand and spun them too. The gold was piled all around me now, and to me it just looked like heaps of shiny straw. I didn’t see why people loved it so much.
Just as I was descending the tower, the door unlatched and King Barf said in his nasally drawl, “Ah, my sweet girl, you are a treasure beyond compare.”
My fingers were stiff and sore. My leg was cramped, and my back and head ached. Climbing down the tower was agony, but all I could think of was going home. Home and food. My stomach rumbled as I touched the ground, but then I heard another rumbling. It was growing louder, and it was definitely not my stomach.
I stood in the middle of the castle grounds, notbothering to hide myself. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t speak, even though my mouth hung wide and my tongue wagged. I started to drool.
A procession of wagons rolled through the gates and up to the doors of the castle. One, two, three … more than a dozen cottage-sized wagons.
Wagons stacked high with straw.
I sat against a tree and watched as the servants unloaded the straw, bundled it up, and hauled it inside. With each bundle they carried in, I felt weight pressing down on me, heavy as gold. I had a hard time breathing, and I realized what should have been obvious to me from the beginning. This was my destiny—to spin gold at the whims of a greedy king for the rest of my life.
I thought that when you found your destiny, you were supposed to be happy about it. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was something you just had to accept. Succumb to. Hadn’t I seen the villagers on The Mountain succumb to their fates all my life? They accepted it because they had always known their name and the destiny that came with it. And they knew those things couldn’t be changed. Maybe I just needed to accept what was in front of me.
I felt very heavy and sleepy. There was so much spinning to do. I should go right back to Opal now, but I needed to close my eyes just for a little while. I moved in the direction of the stables, but someone stopped me. “Ho there, boy, where are you going?”
“To the stables,” I said sleepily. I didn’t care what he thought.
“Not now, lad, we’ve got work to do,” and he droppeda bundle of straw at my feet. “Take it inside and follow the rest.” I looked up and saw a procession of people carrying straw on their backs into the castle.
With a deep breath, I swung the straw onto my back. My knees buckled under the weight. I followed the line, into the castle, up some stairs, and into a chamber. We must have been in a different tower, because this room was three times the size of the last one. The straw was piling up in the corners and crawling up the walls, covering the tapestries, the paintings, and the windows. This would never stop. As long as there was straw in The Kingdom, King Barf would want it spun into gold.
I fell helplessly into the straw and buried myself under it. No one noticed me as the workers piled straw higher and higher until it covered the windows and all the light was shut out.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
One Bargain Too Many
I woke with a start. How long had I slept?
Someone was sobbing. Was I too late? I dug through the straw until I rolled out of the pile and onto the floor at Opal’s feet. Opal squealed. Her face was red and wet, but it got redder, and her sad eyes narrowed to angry slits.
“Where have you been?!” Opal demanded, hands on her hips.
“Unloading straw.”
Piles of straw reached nearly to the ceiling. They were stacked right up against the fireplace, where flames snapped precariously. Opal stood between the fireplace and
Whir, whir, whir . Gold, gold, and more gold. I had searched for it my entire life, and here it was, pouring out like water. I hated the sight of it.
Opal fell asleep faster this time, one hand twined in the gold, the other clutching some straw. As the first rays of morning light reached the sky, I grasped the straws from her hand and spun them too. The gold was piled all around me now, and to me it just looked like heaps of shiny straw. I didn’t see why people loved it so much.
Just as I was descending the tower, the door unlatched and King Barf said in his nasally drawl, “Ah, my sweet girl, you are a treasure beyond compare.”
My fingers were stiff and sore. My leg was cramped, and my back and head ached. Climbing down the tower was agony, but all I could think of was going home. Home and food. My stomach rumbled as I touched the ground, but then I heard another rumbling. It was growing louder, and it was definitely not my stomach.
I stood in the middle of the castle grounds, notbothering to hide myself. I couldn’t move and I couldn’t speak, even though my mouth hung wide and my tongue wagged. I started to drool.
A procession of wagons rolled through the gates and up to the doors of the castle. One, two, three … more than a dozen cottage-sized wagons.
Wagons stacked high with straw.
I sat against a tree and watched as the servants unloaded the straw, bundled it up, and hauled it inside. With each bundle they carried in, I felt weight pressing down on me, heavy as gold. I had a hard time breathing, and I realized what should have been obvious to me from the beginning. This was my destiny—to spin gold at the whims of a greedy king for the rest of my life.
I thought that when you found your destiny, you were supposed to be happy about it. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe it was something you just had to accept. Succumb to. Hadn’t I seen the villagers on The Mountain succumb to their fates all my life? They accepted it because they had always known their name and the destiny that came with it. And they knew those things couldn’t be changed. Maybe I just needed to accept what was in front of me.
I felt very heavy and sleepy. There was so much spinning to do. I should go right back to Opal now, but I needed to close my eyes just for a little while. I moved in the direction of the stables, but someone stopped me. “Ho there, boy, where are you going?”
“To the stables,” I said sleepily. I didn’t care what he thought.
“Not now, lad, we’ve got work to do,” and he droppeda bundle of straw at my feet. “Take it inside and follow the rest.” I looked up and saw a procession of people carrying straw on their backs into the castle.
With a deep breath, I swung the straw onto my back. My knees buckled under the weight. I followed the line, into the castle, up some stairs, and into a chamber. We must have been in a different tower, because this room was three times the size of the last one. The straw was piling up in the corners and crawling up the walls, covering the tapestries, the paintings, and the windows. This would never stop. As long as there was straw in The Kingdom, King Barf would want it spun into gold.
I fell helplessly into the straw and buried myself under it. No one noticed me as the workers piled straw higher and higher until it covered the windows and all the light was shut out.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
One Bargain Too Many
I woke with a start. How long had I slept?
Someone was sobbing. Was I too late? I dug through the straw until I rolled out of the pile and onto the floor at Opal’s feet. Opal squealed. Her face was red and wet, but it got redder, and her sad eyes narrowed to angry slits.
“Where have you been?!” Opal demanded, hands on her hips.
“Unloading straw.”
Piles of straw reached nearly to the ceiling. They were stacked right up against the fireplace, where flames snapped precariously. Opal stood between the fireplace and
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