A small man was watching her from the corner. When she stopped to wipe her eyes, she realized that she was no longer alone in the room. Helpless, she sat down at the spinning wheel and began to cry into her hands, because no matter how accomplished she was, she could not of course spin straw into gold. The King left, and Nicola heard six small clicks that told her she had been locked inside. Spin the straw in this room into gold, and if you are not done by dawn, itвЂ™ll be your head,вЂќ said the King coldly. вЂњI have heard of your father speak of your talents. When the door was opened, it revealed a large room filled with straw and a spinning wheel, along with a pile of empty reels, in the corner. He led her past gleaming halls and down marble staircases until they were deep underground and had reached a door with six metal locks. He made polite conversation with her but offered no explanation for summoning her. Upon arriving at the palace, the King, a vain and greedy man, met with Nicola personally. Her suitor, a traveling merchant, was away from the village, so without saying goodbye to anyone except her father, she left. Despite her fatherвЂ™s desperate protests, Nicola had little choice but to leave.

вЂњMy daughter is so clever that she can spin straw into gold.вЂќД«arely a day later, a messenger knocked on the door of the millerвЂ™s small hut and announced that his daughter had been summoned to the royal palace. Finally one day he made a public declaration that reached many ears, including the KingвЂ™s. вЂњEvery morning my daughter sings so sweetly, such that even the tea kettle mutes itself out of respect to her voice,вЂќ he announced to the florist.ДЄs the townspeople became more and more tired of the millerвЂ™s boasts, his tales became wilder, until they were downright ridiculous. вЂњWhen my daughter leaves the house, the sun feels threatened that her beauty might blind it,вЂќ he told the butcher. Every day he went to the market with a new bold claim. In his opinion, there was no finer girl anywhere. Once upon a time in a small kingdom, there was a miller who lived with his gifted daughter, Nicola. Illustration by Walter Crane in a 1886 edition of Household Tales by the Brothers Grimm, first published by Macmillan and CompanyВ (Source: Wikimedia Commons)ДЄВ traditional German fairy tale, with a suggested alternate ending by Shuchi Goyal

Rumpelstiltskin from once upon a time