nce there was an apple grower who worked for the King. One day the apple grower was bragging with his friends about their crops. The first would say, "My pumpkins are the finest in the land." "My potatoes outstrip your pumpkins by far!" would state the second. As the argument between the other two farmers heightened, the apple grower thought of what he has to brag about. He could not brag about his apples for they were far too sour. The only thing he had to brag about was his daughter although she was beautiful there was nothing remarkable about her. So he jazzed it up a little. "My daughter can turn apples into gold," stated the apple farmer. The other two farmers were amazed and notified the king.
The King was a greedy man so when he heard of the woman's talents he begged her to stew the apples into gold or he threatened to kill her. The young woman was locked in a room and soon she began to weep not noticing that the door had burst open and a red haired midget entered the room "Why do you weep?" the small man cried. "The king will kill me if I don't turn these apples into gold." she replied, "What will you give me if I turn them into gold for you?" The young woman considered. "I will give you my necklace made out of apple seeds," she offered. So the tiny man took the apple seed necklace and began to stew. By daybreak, there was no trace of the tiny man but a big pot of liquid gold that had once been apples. The King was impressed and ordered her to do the same under the threat of death.
So again, the young woman began to weep and again the red-haired man appeared again. "What will you give me in return if I bake these apples into gold for you?" He queried." I will give you my ring made of an apple core "she said. The vertically challenged man set to work baking the apples into bars of gold. When the king returned, he was delighted with the results. He said that he would marry her if she turned apples into gold once more.
This time the man returned without the young girl having to cry. Instead, he was waiting for her. "I will grate these apples into gold nuggets for you if you give me your first born child." The woman considered his proposal and did not like it however; she was scared of what the king would do to her if she refused. So all night the midget grated the apples into gold nuggets. By morning, the grating was complete. When the King returned he was so delighted that the couple wed the next day.
A year had passed and the queen had just had her firstborn child. She had long forgotten her promise to the little man. However, he had not. So when the baby was born the midget man appeared once again. "Please no, not my baby!" exclaimed the young queen. Her outrage was quite understandable as the baby girl named apple was quite beautiful. She had golden hair and pale blue eyes much like the Queen's. So the tiny man obliged to her request and gave her three days to guess his name.
All day and night, the queen tried to remember every name she had ever heard. Even sending out messengers to find new names they could discover. The next day when the little man came, she started with Casper, Tristan and Hansel, going through all the names she knew. At each, one the man would shake his head and say "No. That is not my name!"
The next day the queen went into every corner of the castle looking for the most unusual names they had ever heard of. When the little man came, again she asked about more names. "Perhaps your name is Short ribs or Muttonchops or even apple turnover?" "No. That's not my name!" he would exclaim in glee.
Then on the third day, the Queen's messenger came to her with a curious recollection. "As I rode my horse through the forest last night," The messenger began "I saw little house with a fire burning out side it. There was a little man hopping on one foot singing at the top of his voice,
"Today I bake,
Tomorrow I brew,
How glad I am that no one knew,
Rumpleappleskin is my name
And so the Queen's child I can claim."
The queen was so overjoyed at the news she started to jump around.
Soon after the little man came in. "Well my Queen?" He said mockingly. "Can you guess my name?" He finished with a flourish. "Is it Conrad?" She pretended to guess. "No!" the little man said with glee! "Could it possibly be," She began "Rumpleappleskin?" The little man flew into a frenzy ranting, screaming, raving and swearing. As scared, as the young Queen was she was pleased to have outwitted him. No one ever saw Rumpleappleskin again though there were rumors that he "whipped" himself into such a fury that he turned into a small vat of cream used on the Royals apple pie that night.