Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

Rump follows a crowd of revelers out of the city’s gates and reunites with his donkey. People gather beside the road to watch the king and queen ride by in their carriage and to fight one another for coins tossed by the royals’ servants. Rump recognizes Opal’s father and brothers among those “crawling and scratching to get at the gold” (131). Rump sees Kessler frantically trying to multiply a gold coin and realizes that the peddler has “been driven mad by his magic” (133).

Rump leaves the crowd behind and journeys toward Yonder and Beyond, where his mother’s family lives. A gnome delivers a message from Red in which she berates him for the trouble he’s caused, urges him to stay away from Opal, and reminds him that her grandmother wants him to watch his step. In his reply, Rump says that he’s on his way to Yonder. When Rump enters a forest in search of food, an apple tree laden with ripe fruit tempts him into a snare. A group of trolls bursts out of the woods to inspect their catch.