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Fairy Tales of the
Whispering Forest
The dark forest of
twisted pines and unforgiving birch rose up and down
with the hills cresting with gray rocks like the peaks of ocean waves
before crashing down on the little village houses which perched
precariously like bits of flimsy sea foam between the ancient trees and
the rocky sea.
No one walked the
streets of the the dull mustard thatch and light pink
stone village, the only sounds which could be heard over sounds of rats
roaming the streets and birds fighting for roosts were the coughing of
the sick. Overhead above it all loomed a castle of slate colored
granite which rose like a shadow out of the dark forest.

The
Old Männlein
(Rumpelstiltskin)
The ancient fairy sat beside the road and felt the wind brushing
through his leafy hair as he kissed the moonlight causing her to give a
shy giggle which made him smile.
“Its going to be a while isn’t it?”
Rumpelstiltskin
asked the wind, which blew in affirmation. So he sat on an old rock
which bent and softened itself for him providing an unnatural cushion.
Rumpelstiltskin knew that three young men would soon be passing his
way, one after the other, and while he’d already determined
that
it was the third and youngest of them which deserved to rule
Whispershire he still felt he should give the others a chance to prove
him wrong. He whistled cheerfully

as he looked out over what remained
of the wild rye meadow. Perhaps he’d let the trees grow too
far
he mused as a deer and her fawn were forced to stand so close to the
forests that they would have had no warning had wolves been on the
prowl. He closed his eyes and began to envision how the forest would
look if he allowed the grass to push the trees back just a little more.
He was contemplating all the ways he could change the forest when the
oldest of the young men started to walk past.
“Hello,” the ancient fairy greeted the young man
who simply
nodded an affirmation in return. “Where are you off to this
late
at night?” Rumpelstiltskin inquired.
“I’m going to seek my fortune,” the young
man told
the old fairy who nodded as if it were an interesting discovery though
he’d already foreseen that.
“Perhaps I could give you a little advice?” The
Rumpelstiltskin asked.
“No, thank you,” the young man told the old fairy.
“I
think I’ll do well enough on my own.” And although
he was
polite the Rumpelstiltskin could hear his mental scoff at the very idea
that what appeared to be an old man might be able to help him.
The second young man to pass didn’t even make the pretence of
being polite as he brushed the Rumpelstiltskin off. Then at long last
the third young man came by.
“Hello,” Rumpelstiltskin greeted him.
“Hello,” the young man smiled back, his boyish grin
making
him look even younger than he was. It was a grin that had caused people
to mistake him for a fool, but the fairy could see beyond such outward
appearances. “I’m new to this area,” the
young man
told the old fairy carefully. “Yet I’m passing
through to
seek my fortune. Perhaps you could help me some?”
The old man smiled as he peered into the young man’s soul and
saw
up close the goodness that was there. It was just as he’d
suspected, the youngest was the best choice to rule the humans of
Whispershire.
“There is a Lord,” the fairy told the young man,
“who
lives down the road to the right. A lord who is being plagued by a
violent and terrible unicorn and so has promised his
daughter’s
hand in marriage and the shire to anyone who can capture it.”
“That is indeed a very interesting story,” the
young man
agreed. “However, I don’t think I could capture a
unicorn.”
“Perhaps you could share with me some of your
bread?” the
Rumpelstiltskin asked.
“Yes of course, I should have offered sooner,” the
young
man agreed as he pulled the hard peasants bread from his bag and broke
off a piece for the old fairy.
“There is a young girl who is true of mind that lives by
hiding
in people’s barns to keep from being exploited
wrongly,”
the fairy told him. “If you go to the third barn down the
road to
the right you’ll find her. She is so pure and in such need
that
the unicorn will come and be tamed by her. Promise her that if she
helps you you’ll make her one of your knights and
you’ll
have the unicorn and a smart advisor for yourself and your future
wife.”
“Thank you,” the young man said graciously with a
short bow
before he continued on his way.
The old fairy smiled as he hopped down from the rock. He’d
finally figured out just exactly how to arrange the trees and in a
hundred years it would be a beautiful sight to behold.
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