In one corner of the room, there are [[piles of straw stacked to the ceiling. -> Straw Corner]]
In another corner sits [[a small wooden table with a spinning-wheel and a reel atop. -> Table Corner]]
In another corner, there are [[barrels and a small window very high up. -> Window Corner]]
In the last corner, [[the door in which you entered stands locked. -> Door Corner]]
(set: $visits to $visits + 1)You see nothing but straw. It's overwhelming. Straw even begins to fall on you. (if: $visits < 4)[Maybe look [[somewhere else. -> Explore First Room]]]
(if: $visits is 4)[
Suddenly, you hear a loud bang at [[the door. -> Rumpelstiltskin Arrives]]
]There lies a small wheel for spinning and a reel. You remember how to spin straw from your mother, but you are still confused as ever on how to spin straw into gold! (if: $visits < 4)[Maybe look [[somewhere else. -> Explore First Room]]]
(if: $visits is 4)[
Suddenly, you hear a loud bang at [[the door. -> Rumpelstiltskin Arrives]]
]A couple of barrels are stacked up high with a window above them. Maybe you can escape! You try to climb up the barrels, but they topple over. (if: $visits < 4)[Maybe look [[somewhere else. -> Explore First Room]]]
(if: $visits is 4)[
Suddenly, you hear a loud bang at [[the door. -> Rumpelstiltskin Arrives]]
]The door is chained shut. There's no chance you can get through without the proper equipment. (if: $visits < 4)[Maybe look [[somewhere else. -> Explore First Room]]]
(if: $visits is 4)[
Suddenly, you hear a loud bang at [[the door. -> Rumpelstiltskin Arrives]]
]A small man slowly pushes the now unlocked door open.
*"Why are you crying?"*
(click: "Why are you crying?")[*"I have to spin this straw into gold but I cannot."*]
(click: "but I cannot")[The small man replied, *"Spinning straw into gold happens to be one of my many talents. What could you offer me if I spin this whole room into gold?"*]
(click:"offer")[You could offer your [[necklace -> "Rumpelstiltskin Spinning Necklace"]], your [[bracelet -> "Rumpelstiltskin Spinning Bracelet"]], or your [[ring -> "Rumpelstiltskin Spinning Ring"]]...]The man snatched the bracelet and hopped up to the table to begin spinning.
You pull over a barrel to sit in awe, watching the his tiny fingers at work.
(click: "at work")[*"Bring me more reels"*, he snarled as he quickly ran through the reels on the table as they filled up with gold. The whirring of the wheels soon brought a wave of drowsiness as the room only seemed to get larger and larger.]
(click: "drowsiness")[*(cycling-link: bind $whirr, "whirr", "whirrrr", "whirrrrrrr")*]
(click: "whirrrrrrr")[Until it was all [[dark -> "King Arrives"]].]The man snatched the necklace and hopped up to the table to begin spinning.
You pull over a barrel to sit in awe, watching the his tiny fingers at work.
(click: "at work")[*"Bring me more reels"*, he snarled as he quickly ran through the reels on the table as they filled up with gold. The whirring of the wheels soon brought a wave of drowsiness as the room only seemed to get larger and larger.]
(click: "drowsiness")[*(cycling-link: bind $whirr, "whirr", "whirrrr", "whirrrrrrr")*]
(click: "whirrrrrrr")[Until it was all [[dark -> "King Arrives"]].]The man snatched the ring and hopped up to the table to begin spinning.
You pull over a barrel to sit in awe, watching the his tiny fingers at work.
(click: "at work")[*"Bring me more reels"*, he snarled as he quickly ran through the reels on the table as they filled up with gold. The whirring of the wheels soon brought a wave of drowsiness as the room only seemed to get larger and larger.]
(click: "drowsiness")[*(cycling-link: bind $whirr, "whirr", "whirrrr", "whirrrrrrr")*]
(click: "whirrrrrrr")[Until it was all [[dark -> "King Arrives"]].]You wake up at the crack of dawn to a blinding light.
(click: "blinding light")[You are surrounded by glittering gold. *"Sir!"* you call out, hoping to find the man to thank him. But he is no where to be found. Suddenly a harsh knock comes at the door.]
(click: "harsh knock") [*"Mistress Miller! The King is here!"* The door creaks open and the king and his servants arrive. Immediately their jaws drop at the sight of the gold.]
(click: "sight of the gold") [The King exclaimed "*Your work is fabulous! I have several other storehouses I would like for you to spin.*" You could either [[agree to help the king more -> "More Spinning"]] or [[rebel against his orders -> "Disagree with King"]].]*What have I gotten myself into? Spinning more straw into gold? That little man better come back again tonight*
The King leads you to another storehouse, quite larger than the first.
"*Well, I'll see you in the morning, Mistress*" the King said...
(click: "...") [The door shuts with a [[THUD -> Second Room]]]*"I am not one to be argued with, Mistress."*
The servants seize you and drag you outside.
*How did I even get in this situation? Everything is happening so quickly*
(click: "drag you outside") [You feel like screaming but when you open your mouth, nothing comes out. This surely [[cannot end well.->Play Again Mistress]]]Again, late into the night, the little man found his way inside the storeroom and offered the same proposition.
(click: "the same proposition") [*"What can you offer me tonight?"*
Once again, you sacrifice more jewelry for his services.]
(click: "you sacrifice more jewelry for his services") [In the morning, the King arrives as pleased as ever to see a room full of gold. Surely you can go home now[[... -> More Storehouses]]]The birds were chirping, but what wakes you up is your dad busting into your room.
(click: "your dad busting into your room") [*"Honey, I need something from you. I promised the King you could do him a favor..."*]
(click: "a favor") [*A favor? For the king? How could I possibly help the king?*]
(click: "A favor?") [[[*"What's that?"* -> Second Passage]]]*"I know it sounds like a bit of a stretch but you need to spin straw into gold..."*
(click: "spin straw into gold") [Umm...]
(click: "Umm...") [Excuse me?]
(click: "Excuse me?") [Surely it was another unfunny dad joke. That would take extraterrestrial powers to do such a thing]
(click: "extraterrestrial powers") [but before you knew it[[... -> First Room]]]Soon, you found yourself spending countless nights in various storehouses across the town, relying on the small man to save you once again.
This time, though, the small man made a *new* proposition.
(click: "a new proposition") [*"I require your first born child as payment for my work"*
At this point, you had no choice but to accept, or did you?]
(click: "or did you?") [You can either [[accept this requirement -> Accept Rumpelstiltskin's Offer]] or [[deny them. -> Deny Rumpelstiltskin's Offer]]]You had nothing to lose at this point; it was this or certain death. So the man once again got busy and spun the whole storehouse into gold without failure.
(click: "spun the whole storehouse") [You sleep through the night and wake up to the King unchaining the doors.
*"Ah, more gold. I shall make you my wife!"*
There's really no arguing with that.]
(click: "no arguing") [*How could your life have turned so [[upside down->Marriage Life]]so quickly...*]*"You will surely regret this"*
With that, the man scampered out of the storehouse.
You gulp. You dread [[the consequences->Play Again Mistress]] you will face tomorrow when the King returns.Ah, Rumpelstiltskin, the old folk tale collected by the Brothers Grimm about the flight of a (cycling-link: bind $mistressAdj, "young", "frightened", "beautiful") woman and her encounters with a (cycling-link: bind $rumpelAdj, "curious", "small", "little", "bizarre") man.
(click: "Rumpelstiltskin,") [The tale is most traditionally told by the perspective of Mistress Miller. But what if we got into the minds of some of the other players within the story. Perhaps the story should be told from the perspective of (cycling-link: bind $perspective, "the miller himself", "the King", "Rumpelstiltskin")...]
(click: "perspective") [How about you choose? Would the story of Rumpelstiltskin be best told by [[Mistress Miller -> Opening Passage Mistress]], [[the miller himself ->Opening Passage Miller]], [[the King -> Opening Passage King]], [[Rumpelstiltskin ->Opening Passage Rumpelstiltskin]]?][[THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE KING -> First Passage King]]Kingship was quite lonely without a queen by your side.
It was just another ordinary day at the castle when one of your head messengers <span class='link-black'>interrupts your morning walk.</span>
(click: "interrupts your morning walk.") [*"There is a man waiting here for you with an offer you will very much enjoy."*]
(click: "an offer") [You respond, *"Bring him to me. I am feeling especially generous today"*, for your day was fairly uneventful and you could use [[a little enjoyment. -> Miller Proposes]]]A (cycling-link: bind $millerAdj, "dirty", "old", "frail") miller tells you, *"My young and beautiful daughter can spin straw into gold."*
Now, at first, this appeared a little suspicious. (click-append: "suspicious")[(Who were you kidding, you didn't believe it at all!)]
(click: "you didn't believe it at all") [You decide to humor him, on the off chance you could literally strike gold with his daughter.]
(click: "strike gold") [*"Bring her to me at the crack of dawn tomorrow. I will test her abilities then."* You head off, thinking nothing of it and that it was just another [[lunatic civilian. -> King Meets Daughter]]]The next day comes, and the miller brings his (cycling-link: bind $mistressAdj2, "beautiful", "gorgeous", "stunning") daughter to show off her skill.
(click: "her skill") [Although she looked exceptionally timid and anxious, you were stern nonetheless.]
(click: "timid and anxious") [*"I have several storehouses across the countryside full of straw. I would like you to spin them all into gold. If not, you must die for your father is a liar."*
Immediately, you escorted her to the closest and smallest of the storehouses, gave her supplies, and locked the door.]
(click: "locked the door") [You were never really bothered by your aggression; it was really just a requirement of [[a king. -> Next Day]]]You wake up, still unbothered as always, for a king really didn't do as much work as most thought.
You tell the executioners to prepare for another kill, as you didn't expect an ounce of gold to be found in that storehouse...
(click: "...") [You unfasten the chains locking the storehouse door, only to be stunned by a blinding light from inside: the sunrise beaming off piles of gold.]
(click: "piles of gold") [Your jaw drops as do your servants'. Suddenly the mistress has become significantly more attractive...
*"This is astounding... I will send you to more storehouses at once!"*]
(click: "more storehouses") [The mistress' stress-filled and sleep-deprived face [[winced. -> More Storehouses for Mistress]]]The king leads you to a large storehouse.
(click: "storehouse")[The storehouse is quite small but full of straw. The king starts screaming about spinning straw into gold but your mind is moving so fast that you can hardly understand him.
(click: "your mind is moving so fast")[*Spinning straw into gold? Am I some sort of magician? Dad will pay for this if I ever make it out of this god-forsaken room.*
You tear up.
(click:"You tear up.")[*Is this the end? No. You can't give up yet. [[Let's look around. -> Explore First Room]]*]
]
]
(set: $visits to 0)Several days passed, and Mistress Miller continued to amaze you and surpass your expectations. Storehouse after storehouse, filled with gold. She has brought so much wealth to the kingdom and didn't look too bad either. You offer one final proposal.
(click: "one final proposal") [*"If you fill this final storehouse with gold, I will marry you."*]
(click: "I will marry you.") [She was the missing piece in your life. You have been lonely for [[too long.-> Up All Night]]]You were up all night. You needed her and you needed the gold.
The next day, you found her once again in a storehouse full of gold.
A grin spread across your face[[...->Marriage]]*Do you take Mistress Miller to be your lawfully wedded wife?*
(click: "your lawfully wedded wife") [*Hmmm.. Do I?* (click-append: "Do I?")[*I think I love her.*]
Is it true love? Of course not.. Or is it...]
(click: "...") [[[*"I do"*->Marriage Yes]]
[[*"I.. I can't"* -> Marriage No]]][[ONE YEAR LATER -> One Year Later]]For the first time in your reign, you felt bad about exploiting for vulnerable, the powerless. You must repay Mistress Miller in some way, and marriage is [[not that way.->Play Again King]]You are a father. You are a husband. Life has really turned around.
(click: "Life has really turned around") [One night, you walk into your bedroom to find the queen weeping.
*"Why do you cry?"*
*"You wouldn't understand..."*]
(click: "You wouldn't understand") [You think nothing of it, but you are puzzled and [[stay alert.-> Three Days]]]For the next three days, there was an air of (cycling-link: bind $marriageAdj, "discomfort", "stress", "uneasiness") in the palace.
You decide it's best to leave her alone, especially since she doesn't want to talk.
Then one day, you hear a [[loud crashing sound in the bedroom.-> Rumpel Dies]]*"What was that noise?"*
*"Oh nothing. Everything is fine now."*, the queen says with a smile...
And you and your queen lived [[happily ever after.->Play Again King]]Hmm.. Now was that version better? Maybe not... Let's try one of the other perspectives: [[Mistress Miller ->Opening Passage Mistress]], [[the miller ->Opening Passage Miller]], [[Rumpelstiltskin ->Opening Passage Rumpelstiltskin]]. [[THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE MILLER -> First Passage Miller]][[THE PERSPECTIVE OF RUMPELSTILTSKIN -> First Passage Rumpel]]Your life sucks. Times are tough. But you're doing it all for your children anyway. They're the reason why you keep pushing each day; your sweet daughter and your baby son.
(click: "sweet daughter") [However, an idea came to mind, albeit a selfish one. Maybe if you can convince the king that your family is valuable to them, then maybe you can get the [[power and prestige->Big Idea Miller]] to help your family.]You remember an old fairy tale your mother used to tell you before you went to bed...
(click: "old fairy tale") [*There once was a little man who could spin straw into gold...*]
(click: "spin straw into gold") [That's it! Just convince the king your daughter can spin straw into gold. Then he might give our family some [[respect and attention.-> Wake Up Daughter]]]*"Good morning, honey. We have a special visit with the king today!"*
*"What for?"*
*"It's a surprise."*
(click: "surprise") [You felt bad for not telling her the truth, but if you did, she'd hate you.
So [[off you go -> Meeting with the King]]to the king's palace...]You call over a servant wandering around the courtyard: *"I have a very important meeting with the king. Can you direct me to him?"*
(click: "Can you direct me to him?") [*"Well I can do my best. I think he is free right now."*
The servant leads you into the palace to see the king, and you offer your daughter's "talent"[[...->One week Later]]][[ONE WEEK LATER -> Sad Dad]]You haven't seen your daughter in a week. Each morning, you go to the palace and ask about her with no success. You are filled with guilt and shame.
(click: "guilt and shame") [*This backfired. All I got was [[loss. -> Play Again Miller]]*]That perspective was a bit depressing. How about another? [[Mistress Miller's perspective ->Opening Passage Mistress]], [[the King's perspective -> Opening Passage King]], [[Rumpelstiltskin's perspective ->Opening Passage Rumpelstiltskin]]. No one really knows who you are. Are you human? You're a hermit at least. You live atop a very tall mountain on the edge of a forest, in a tiny cottage.
One day you feel particularly friendly and [[head into town-> eavesdropping]] to find some goods.You pass by the palace courtyard and see the king wandering around. This is the first time you have seen him; maybe you can steal something from him!
(click: "maybe you can steal something from him!") [You sneak into the bushes and watch him. He seems to be talking with a poor man. You lean in closer for a better listen.]
(click: "a better listen") [*".......spinning straw into gold......."*
What about spinning straw into gold? MY secret talent? I need to [[investigate.->Spying]]]You continue to slink around the King and the miller's daughter for hours until the morning and watch the King lock the daughter in the storehouse. You want to see what's the deal with spinning straw into gold.
(click: "what's the deal") [You unchain the door and open it to see the girl crying in the corner.]
(click: "crying in the corner") [*"Why do you cry?"*, you ask.
*"I cannot spin straw into gold. If I don't, I will die."*
*"I will do it for you, for a price[[...-> more spinning for her]]"*]For a week, you help the girl each night, then leave, adding her jewelry to your stolen goods and personal possessions pile at home.
*You always knew this secret talent would pay off...*
However, there is one thing your thievery and trading could never get you: the loving touch of a human.
(click: "the loving touch of a human") [*"I have one final request: your first born child"*
She looked around at the size of the storehouse and [[reluctantly agreed.-> child birth]]]One year later, the whole town received news that the queen had her first child. You head out of your cottage to go retrieve your reward.
(click: "your reward") [You climb up the pillar under her bedroom window and sneak in the window. When the queen comes in to settle down for the night, [[you jump out from under the bed.->Queen and Rumpel Convo]]]*"I am here to take my child."*
(click: "take") [The queen, obviously forgetting her long lost promise, breaks out in tears.
*"You can have anything else in the kingdom, just not my son."*
However, your days of material greed are long gone and you need that child.]
(click: "need that child") [*"I'll tell you what. I will give you three days to figure out my name. If you can, [[you can keep your son."->dancing at home]]*]That night, you head home elated. You will finally get a son of your own. There is no way she will figure out your name. You don't talk to anyone but yourself.
You decide to light a fire to celebrate.
(click: "celebrate") [*"Today I bake, tomorrow brew
the next I'll have the young queen's child
Ha, glad am I that no one knew
that [[Rumpelstiltskin-> three more days]] I am styled!"*]Three days later, you go back to the queen's room to meet her.
*"Well, what is my name?"*
(click: "my name?") [Perhaps, Rumpelstiltskin?]
(click: "Rumpelstiltskin") [*How did she find out? HOW?*](click-append: "HOW?")[ (No, really, how on Earth?) ]
(click: "No, really, how on Earth?") [In a fit of rage, you stomp through the floor and rip yourself in two. And just like that, [[it was all over.->Play Again Rumpelstiltskin]]]This perspective was a bit gruesome and tragic. Lets look at another? [[Mistress Miller's perspective ->Opening Passage Mistress]], [[the King's perspective -> Opening Passage King]], [[the miller's perspective ->Opening Passage Miller]]. [[THE PERSPECTIVE OF MISTRESS MILLER ->Opening Passage Mistress]]This perspective was a bit more traditional. Try another: [[Rumpelstiltskin's perspective ->Opening Passage Rumpelstiltskin]], [[the King's perspective -> Opening Passage King]], [[the miller's perspective ->Opening Passage Miller]]. The next thing you know, you've been married to the king for a year and are about to give birth! You are content because of the fewer hardships than before, but you rarely see your family.
One night, out of nowhere, you hear tapping at your window. Suddenly, the little man crawls in!
(click: "the little man crawls in") [What on earth is he doing here? [[What does he want with me?->Rumpel Queen Convo]]]*"I heard your first born is on the way. I believe that belongs to me."*
(click: "belongs to me") [You completely forgot the deal, the promise you made to the man.
*"I will give you anything you want: money, riches, jewelry. Not my child."*
*"I will make you a deal. [[Guess my name->Name Guessing]] and you can keep your child."*]For the next three days you guess names. Literally every name you can think of. (cycling-link: bind $names, "Caspar", "Melchior", "Balthazar", "Shortribs", "Sheepshanks", "Laceleg").
*"That is not my name."*
(click: "That is not my name.") [Your messenger tells you one more name that he has heard. *RUMPELSTILTSKIN*. Guessing anything else at this point seems futile. Do you [[guess Rumpelstiltskin-> Correct Guess]] or [[not?-> Don't Guess]]]*"Who the devil told you?"*
Rumpelstiltskin stomps his foot in anger and breaks through the bedroom floor. He tries to rip it out of the ground but tears himself in two.
(click: "tears himself in two") [Appalled yet happy, you give [[a sigh of relief.->Play Again Mistress]]]*"Well, well. I guess you will never know my name nor your child's name for that matter."*
Although the man could not away the child because it was yet to be born, you live in stress and anxiety that this man will come snatch your child in the near future[[...->Play Again Mistress]][[THE TALE(S) OF RUMPELSTILTSKIN: ->Opening Fork]] A DIGITAL NARRATIVE
A Fractured Fairy Tale by Ethan Evans<hr>