Rumplestiltskin is a story of a really messed up-family, when you think about it. The kid might be better off with a goblin than with his greedy, abusive father and his dishonest, shortsighted mother. Therefore:
Prolog: A variation on Rumplestiltskin, in which the queen does not guess the name.
Story: The child is raised by the goblin, and learns goblin skills in a goblin community. But they're marginalized by goblin society. The child is too tall, humans can't be trusted, Rumplestiltskin is viewed with suspicion. Something goes wrong (what?) and Rumplestiltskin is imprisoned, the child driven out.
The child finds his goblin skills inadequate to a rescue. He needs his human family now, so he goes looking for them. He only knows Rumplestiltskin's version of the story; the king, queen, and younger siblings have different ones. He has to learn all the stories to understand the circumstances of his adoption, and must learn human skills and find a place in human society before he can rescue his goblin parent and find his own secure hybrid identity, independent of the sins of his biological and foster parents.
This one falls down on my inability to figure out what Rumplestiltskin is imprisoned for and what human skill is necessary to free him. It'd require a lot of worldbuilding upfront.
Wow, "Rumplestiltskin, Jr." I love it.
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in a variant in which the dangerous accusation of Diabolism ("The Devil told you!") was true.
And it leads me back to my oft-pondered question of how Cinderella's mother ever got to be on such good terms with a fairy . . . .