Marshall Public Library staff adapts 'Rumpelstiltskin' story for Halloween family event

"I have to change green beans into candy corn?" asked Children's Services Coordinator Bobby Mackey.

"Yes," said the Princess (also known as Library Director Amy Crump).

Mackey found herself in a confounding predicament during a performance Tuesday night, Oct. 28, at the Marshall Public Library after Trick or Treating on the Square.

The Princess was being forced to eat her green beans before her Halloween candy, but if Mackey could turn those green beans into candy corn, the Princess would be spared the vegetable agony.

And the Princess was willing to pay Mackey in "Hannah Montana tickets," so Mackey agreed.

Mackey asked the children in the audience if they knew any magic words, and together they tried "abracadabra!" and "bibidee bobidee boo!" but nothing turned the green beans into candy corn.

With no way to turn the Princess' green beans into candy corn, Mackey had to rely on a creepy "hunchback lady-man-thingy," also played by the versatile Crump.

"I can turn green beans into candy corn," said The Thingy. But in return, The Thingy wanted Mackey's candy earrings as payment.

Mackey reluctantly accepted and -- voila! -- The Thingy magically transformed the green beans into candy corn!

Mackey called the Princess to give her the candy corn, but the Princess wanted more, so she gave Mackey a bigger basket of green beans to change.

Again, The Thingy came to Mackey's aide, but this time The Thingy wanted her necklace to go with the earrings. Mackey had to give up her necklace so The Thingy would work its magic.

Waiting for The Thingy to come back with the magically altered candy corn, Mackey passed the time by working on her pumpkin carving.

Lo and behold, when The Thingy returned it had a handful of candy corn. But when Mackey called the Princess to give it to her, the Princess wanted more than just a handful.

With the promise of a total of four "front-row-seat Hannah Montana tickets," the Princess requested Mackey change a huge bundle of green beans into candy corn.

But Mackey wasn't sure about it anymore. "Now, if they were Jonas Brothers tickets…" she hinted.

Crump may have been the Princess, but Hannah Montana was the best she could do, and Mackey relented.

Taking the heavy bundle of green beans, Mackey hoped The Thingy would come to help her.

But after The Thingy changed the green beans into a bag of candy corn for this third time, it needed payment:

"I want your pumpkin!" proclaimed The Thingy.

The horror.

"Not my beautiful pumpkin!" protested Mackey. She had worked for hours to carve that pumpkin, and even offered her first-born son, Dakota, to give to The Thingy instead.

The Thingy said it would give Mackey three chances to guess its name, but if Mackey could not, then the pumpkin would go to The Thingy.

Mackey asked the kids to help her think of names. They shouted out names as they thought of them.

"Is your name Maria?" asked Mackey.

"No," said The Thingy.

"Amy?"

Again this was wrong.

"I'm very busy," said The Thingy. "I'm on my way to the library. I'll come back later for your final guess."

Mackey was all out of ideas. But then the children pointed to something The Thingy had dropped; it was its library card and its name was written on it!

When The Thingy returned, Mackey hid the card behind her back. "Hmm …" she played coy. "Let's see … is your name, by chance, Rumpelstiltskin?"

The Thingy was taken aback. "How did you know?"

Mackey didn't let on that she had the library card, and Rumpelstiltskin fled, pumpkin-less, into the night as the crowd cheered.

Crump and Mackey then held a raffle for the prized pumpkin, which was won by Christian Chase, dressed as a Star Wars Clone Trooper.

And they all lived happily ever after.

Contact Jacob Hatfield at marshallpeople@socket.net