by Robin Edwards

Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived a poor miller and his daughter. The daughter was well educated, excelled in math and science and was headed for a career in medicine. Her father though, did not accept his daughter's accomplishments and was in fact embarrassed that she lacked the common skills of cooking and sewing. He was a foolish old man and bragged to his friends, not of her intelligence, but of a skill she did not possess. He told his friends she could spin straw into gold.

News of this mystical talent soon spread throughout the country. It soon reached the king, who although was a very rich man, was also very greedy and always wanted more gold. He summoned the young women to his castle that very day.

Annoyed at the King's lack of manners, the women stormed into the castle and demanded an explanation. The King immediately took the women prisoner, locked her in a room filled with straw and told her that if she could spin all the straw into gold by morning, he would make her his queen. The woman did not let on that she could not spin the straw into gold, instead she pondered her options. She was anxious to remove herself from the slavery inflicted by her father, but she certainly was not ready for marriage and would not sacrifice her career, especially for a man she didn't love. Instead she offered a compromise. The King must release her and allow her to summon a team of experts to the castle. They would double the amount of straw spun into gold. But in return the King must agree to share, not only the gold but also the kingdom with her and they would rule the countryside equally. The thought of all that gold made the King delirious! He would be the richest in the land. Although hesitant to share his power, the King quickly agrees, believing he will seduce the women with his good looks, get her to marry him and have complete control over her.

The woman quickly calls in her expert scientists and sorcerers. After several hours of experiments, they are still no closer to finding the formula for gold. Suddenly, the door flies open and in it stands a funny little man. "I can spin straw into gold!" he proclaims. "But in return you must agree to marry me!" The woman cannot believe her ears. "Why are men so obsessed with marriage?" she thought. Instead she offered to hire him, pay him a percentage of their profit with full medical and dental benefits and five paid holidays a year. The man agrees, with one exception. "In addition, you must give me your first born child." The woman, who has no plans to marry, never mind have children, quickly agrees. The man gives her the formula and soon the room is full of gold.

The next day, the King returns and is overjoyed by what he finds. Reluctantly though he agrees to their bargain and crowns her co-King and sends word throughout the land that she is now also a ruler.

Many years pass. The King soon dies and the woman is sole ruler of the kingdom. She provides many services for the poor and elderly. All the children receive excellent educations. The kingdom thrives and all who live there are happy and content.

Except the women. Her biological clock begins to tick and she feels very lonely and wishes to have a child. She calls her doctor who agrees to artificially inseminate her. Nine months later a beautiful baby girl is born.

The woman has not forgotten her agreement with the strange man and he soon shows up at the castle to claim the child. The woman, of course, has no intention of giving up her child and asks the man to name his price. Feeling sorry for her, the little man told her that she could have three days and nights to guess his name. If she guessed right, she could keep the baby.

As the man left, the woman quickly brought the baby to the castle day care center and followed the little man into the woods. She followed him day and night. On the third day, she was about to give up and go home when she saw him dancing by the fire and singing a little song: "Today I brew and then I bake, and soon the ruler's child I'll take. For little knows my royal dame, that Rumpelstiltskin is my name!" Jubilant, the woman returned to the castle.

The next day the little man came to the castle with a big smile on his face. He was quite certain that the woman could never guess his name. He asked gleefully if she had any guesses.

"Perhaps you are Rumpelstiltskin?" the woman asked with a wide smile.

The little man could not believe his ears. How could she have guessed his name? He grew so angry that he began to destroy everything in the castle. The woman quickly had him arrested and thrown in the dungeon where he lived the rest of his life.

The woman and her daughter lived happily ever after.