Anshu woke at dawn to find the little woman gone. But the room glittered with gold.
When the Queen came in, her eyes lit up in delight. "But it's not enough for me," she said. "I need you to spin more gold. I have servants to pay..."
She took Anshu to a second room, larger than the one before.
Once again, it was stuffed with straw.
"You have tonight to turn this straw to gold. If you fail, you shall die." said the Queen.
Then she went out, and locked the door.
Anshu sat on the stool and cried. "I don't know how to spin stride too gold," she sobbed.
But that night, the little woman came again.
"Let me in! What will you give me if I spin this time?" she said.
"I'll give you the ring on my finger." Anshu replied.
"Perfect," said the little woman. She pulled off his rig, hung her braid over her ears and began to spin.
Whirr, whirr, whirr went at the wheel, and all through the night. The little woman left as the sun rose.
When the Queen came in she jumped for joy. "But I still need more gold!" she cried.
"After all, I'm a country to run and enemies to fight. I want enough money to last my whole life."
She took Anshu to another room, even larger than the one before. This one who was bursting with great piles of straw.
"You must spin this to all through the night. And if you succeed, you shall be my husband."
That night, the little woman appeared for the third time. "What can you give me now, Master Miller?" she asked.
"Oh!" cried Anshu. "I have nothing left to give."
"Then promise me your first born child," said the little woman.
"And if I refuse?" asked Anshu.
" I won't spin," she snapped.
Anshu thought for a while. "I do want to be King...and she might forget his request..."
Finally he said, "I promise."
The little woman grinned, tied her braid under her chin and began to spin.
Whirr, whirr, whirr
The next morning, the Queen was dazzled by all the gold.
"At last!" she cried. "I have the gold I'll ever need."
"Anshu," she said, "you are both handsome and clever. Will you marry me?"
"Oh yes!" said Anshu, at once. And so Anshu, the poor miller's son, became King.
"My new husband!" the Queen announced.
YOU ARE READING
Rumpelina
AdventureA little woman helps a poor woman's son to spin straw into gold for the queen, in exchange for his first-born child.
