Confessions of

(Dedicated to Aisha Khan...heres a happy story hopefully ... I enjoyed writing this based on my favorite fairytale Rumpelstiltskin)

The moonlight shone through the bars, dimly highlighting one figure as he leaned against the wall, his short stumpy arms crossed in front of him. His grey eyes wincing, making the wrinkles in his pointy nose more conspicuous, to see the mysterious figure that stood on the other side of the cell.

“So what do you want to know?” The small man asked with a hint of distrust in his voice, looking this person up and down with such focus and doubt in his eyes. A reporter, his notebook open, pen in hand, waiting for the story that could make or break his career. “I bet you want to know why I did it, that’s what they always ask.”

“Actually I want to know the reasons behind what you did,” the reporter smiled as he took notes of how this small leprechaun looked. His orange jumpsuit dragging along the ground as he moved towards the cell bars, he only stood half as tall as the reporter. His pointy ears sticking out from the mess of orange hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed in years. “All the readers want to find out about the true Rumpelstiltskin.”

Rumpelstiltskin shuddered at the sound of his name. “Well it all started with my curse, the curse of the leprechauns, though some people call it a gift,” he continued excitedly, moving closer to the reporter. “You see my family can turn straw into gold, just from the use of a simple spinning wheel.”

“Is that how you met her?” The reporter asked looking excited with the information that he was getting.

“Yes,” Rumpelstiltskin answered. “But my story starts way before that, back to when I was only a young leprechaun.”

“Go on,” the reporter urged, his eyes shining with anticipation.

“My mother was always, you know, off with another leprechaun.” Rumpelstiltskin told his story with a deep look of sorrow. “It wasn't only leprechauns she consorted with but elves, trolls, and ogres too. She never stayed home. .”

“How did that make you feel?” The reporter asked.

“How do you think? Hey wait a minute, don’t you act like some shrink, I’m not insane I’m just a healthy leprechaun,” Rumpelstiltskin argued waving one tiny finger furiously at the reporter. “I never knew my father; I don’t even think she knew who he was. I was just lucky that he wasn’t some troll or worse a human, ugh.”

“What’s wrong with humans?”

“I don’t think I could bear looking half like, like, like you,” Rumpelstiltskin quivered. “Anyway I always swore that when I had a child, he or she, I wouldn’t mind a little girl you know, would have the home that I never had.”

“Is that why you stole the child?”

“I thought you weren’t going to ask me why I did it!” Rumpelstiltskin shrunk back into the shadows. “If that’s all you want well, then yeah I did take it, that’s all I’ll say then.”

“I’m sorry,” the reporter tried to apologise. “I’m ready to listen to your story.”

“Well with my family life in shambles I moved out as soon as I was old enough to get a job,” Rumpelstiltskin leant against the prison wall and sighed. “Just the odd job around, turning one pile of hay into gold, that sort of thing. It got me by; I earned rings, silk and other small items which I could pawn for silver coins.”

"Isn't gold more valuable than silver coins or the items you would earn?"

Rumpelstiltskin gave a solemn laugh wiping a tear from his eyes. "If that was the case don't you think that all we leprechauns would be filthy rich?" Rumpelstiltskin smiled. "To us gold is not even worth the hay that we spin it from, we all have to work hard to survive. It's not as easy as you think."

“Alright then," The reporter quickly changed the topic. "So is that when you met her?”

“Yes, this is when I met her. I felt sorry for the girl, she sat crying in the dungeon, such a cold and dank place, reminded me of better times.” Rumpelstiltskin smiled warmly, his harsh features melting away. “Just call me a big softy; I didn’t even take my full fee from her. And then the second night, who could say no to those tears. And then came the third night.”

“What happened on the third night?”

“She had nothing to pay me with,” Rumpelstiltskin frowned. “I remembered back to how much I wanted a child and I came up with this crazy notion that I would get her 1st born royal child as payment, and what was even crazier she accepted it. It was a signed deal, I even had the contract written up, but I bet they never tell you that part?”

“I have never heard of any contract.”

“So the deal came to pass, she was able to marry her prince and they had a beautiful baby boy,” Rumpelstiltskin gave a look of joy but his eyes showed a great sorrow deep within. “She complained when I came to collect on our arrangement, I showed her the signed document and she said that it was a fake, she accused me of fraud. I still took the child, but I left her with an option to void the contract. If she was able to guess my name in three nights then she could have her son back.”

“Don’t you think it was mean taking her child?”

“Don’t you think she was also mean and dishonest to say the least, claiming to be able to spin straw into gold,” Rumpelstiltskin shouted in anger as he turned to face the one window, the bars casting shadows on his face. “I thought she would never be able to guess my name, the 1st night came, and then the 2nd. I was home free; I guess I shouldn’t have got too cocky.”

“What do you mean?”

“I guess it wasn’t a very smart thing to do, I mean the singing and dancing my name. But she shouldn’t have spied on me,” Rumpelstiltskin turned around to look the reporter solemnly in the face. “It was like she just cheated. She sent her maid around to spy on me, that’s the only way she learnt my name. Do you think that’s fair?”

“I guess it wasn’t.”

“She took my son away from me.”

“But he wasn’t yours.”

“I can give him a better life than she ever could.”

“But he belongs with her,” the reporter spoke in a calm voice. “He belongs with humans.”

“He doesn’t belong with cheating liars,” Rumpelstiltskin screamed at the top of his lungs as he lunged for the bars, causing two police officers to come charging down the corridor. “I just wanted a family.”

“Is everything alright?” One of the officers asked. “He didn’t hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine,” the reporter assured them. “I’m nearly done here.”

“If you say so,” the other officer nodded as the two police officers turned around and made their way back down the corridor.

“So you still say its unfair how she cheated you out of that contract?” The reporter turned back around to Rumpelstiltskin. “I can see how that could be unfair.”

“He should still be mine,” Rumpelstiltskin stared at the wall, not wanting to make eye contact with the reporter, his voice softened to a whisper. “I didn’t do anything wrong, she is the one that stole him from me.”

“Thank you for your time,” the reporter closed the notebook and shoved his pen behind his ear. “I think I have everything I need.”

The reporter vanished down the halls leaving Rumpelstiltskin alone. He turned around to stare out the window, the moon shining bright in the cloudless sky. He could only think about what he had done but more importantly what they had done back to him.

Copyright © 2010 by Andrea Simmons, All Rights Reserved, "Confessions Of Rumplestilskin"