The stranger with ruby hair put Autumn Rose in a gilded cage. She had a bronze water bowl and a matching tray with a variety of fruit.
“Release me this instant!” she ordered while pushing against the bars.
“Oh, no, I cannot. You are mine.”
Autumn Rose folded her arms. “What do you plan on doing with me? I am not an animal.”
The man bounced around his overly decorated room, skipping every other step. His oversized burgundy frock coat had big golden buttons that closed nothing, and black suspenders held crimson-stripe trousers that were much too short.
“I haven't decided yet,” he said. “Maybe you shall scrub the floors or perhaps bake me a juniper pie or spin me gold from my magical wheel.” He stared at her with wide scarlet eyes and a grin so ridiculous he appeared unwell.
“I will not. My father will come for me, and when he does, you will pay for this.” Autumn Rose glared back, not showing fear, even though her hands shook.
“No one will come, and even if they take you, you'll come back. The magic tied to you ties to me,” he said in a singsong voice, twirling on the last word.
“LET ME OUT!”
“Be quiet, little girl. You are much too noisy.”
“LET ME OUT!” This time, Autumn Rose threw a peach from her food tray through the bars, which splatted on his head. The little man yelped and turned around with a furious expression.
“You are a nuisance and much too loud.” He wiggled his fingers. “Be silent and bother me no more.”
POOF!
“Hehehee.” He laughed and grabbed his belly, pointing at poor Autumn Rose who was now a floppy-eared bunny. He pointed some more before grabbing a bottle of wine and leaving the room, mumbling about crystals and birds.
Gold and red leaf wallpaper covered every space on the wall, and a gigantic stone fireplace crackled and spit. The room was overly decorated with paintings of landscapes shrouded in darkness, and sculptures of creatures: bunnies, fat peacocks and owls with pinchers.
The sculptures depicted angry creatures with misshaped heads and body parts made of machinery. Autumn Rose's eyes wandered to the far right wall where she saw three other cages.
One held a life-size doll in a white petticoat; the other had a golden bird, a mechanical one like her butterfly. The bird rammed itself against the bars over and over again like it was broken.
She leaned against the bars wishing for a rescue, when she noticed at this size she could fit through! Once the strange man's laughter drifted to silence, Autumn squeezed her new body out of the cage and onto the cold stone floor.
Being a rabbit had its benefits.
She scurried, quicker than a mouse, across the room and out the wooden door. From here, she could see a long hallway, but every door along the way was shut, and a bunny couldn't possibly open a door.
Far at the end, she spotted a flicker of candlelight. Her furry feet flew to the source.
A stairwell!
One hop at a time, she jumped up the steps and into an attic where her beady eyes watched a peculiar sight.
In front of the fireplace, with a glass of wine in each hand, stood her kidnapper. “No one will guess. No will know. On and on my collection grows. Each pretty maiden. One for each day. Because no one can guess my name. For I'm the great Rumplestilskin.”
Autumn Rose twitched her nose back and forth, curious about the man who swayed to and fro. A draft from up above caught her attention, and she noticed the open window. Careful not to be seen or heard, she leaped along the edge of the wall.
One.
Two.
Three.
She leaped up onto the chair, onto the dresser, and onto the beam that would take her outside.