Jack and the Beanstalk

Right now, Jack had a problem. <br><br>It had all started when he had taken his mother’s last cow to the market to sell. The idea was to let the money sit in their larder for as long as they could, but Jack had been hijacked along the way. As he had trudged up the road, his eyes down and his hands in his pockets, he had been accosted by a man. <br><br>The man was old and ominous, dressed in a long black coat and a top hat. He was tall and skeletal and had all the markings of a ghoul. Jack had tried to run, but the man had reached out and grabbed his shoulder.<br><br>“Your cow, boy,” he said in a voice that sent shivers down Jack’s spine. “How much for her?”<br><br>Jack gulped. He had been ready for this part, but he found it impossible to answer. He had been told to wait for a high offer before closing the deal, and he knew that he would be in trouble if he didn’t bring home as much money as he could. So he did his best to stall. <br><br>“I can let her go for a pound,” he said finally.<br><br>The man laughed. "A pound! I can get a cow for half that price at the market. No, no, my boy, I will give you something much better than gold or money. I will give you magic beans that will make you rich beyond your wildest dreams."<br><br>Jack was hesitant at first, but the man’s words struck a chord in his mind. He had always dreamed of being rich, mostly because his mother was so poor. He had always been told that they didn’t need money to be happy, but he wasn’t so sure.<br><br>“Okay,” he said finally. “You can have the cow, and I’ll take your beans.”<br><br>The man had grinned, showing pointed teeth. He took the cow’s lead from Jack’s grasp and turned away, disappearing around the corner as suddenly as he had appeared. Jack was left standing alone in the road, a small pouch clutched in his hand. <br><br>This was the problem. When Jack got home, he told his mother everything. But when she saw that he had returned with beans instead of money, she became furious. <br><br>“Jack, how could you be so stupid?” she cried. “We don’t have any money, and now we don’t have a cow either. What are we supposed to do? We’ll starve to death!”<br><br>Jack hung his head in shame, holding out the pouch. “He said they were magic,” he mumbled. “He said they would make me rich.”<br><br>“Rich?” His mother laughed. “You stupid boy, there’s no such thing as magic! What were you thinking?”<br><br>Jack shrugged, feeling miserable. “I don’t know,” he said.<br><br>His mother scowled at him. “Well, you have a choice to make. Either you can go to bed without supper, or you can throw those stupid beans out the window. Either way, I never want to see them again.”<br><br>Jack decided to go to bed without his supper. He sat up for a long time, thinking about what his mother had said. But as he finally drifted off to sleep, he reached under his pillow and felt the pouch, still clutched in his fist.<br><br>That was three days ago. Now, Jack was standing by his window, staring out into space. Over the last three days, he had been very careful to keep the beans. He had hidden them under his pillow, in his pocket, even under the floorboards. His mother had never discovered them, and he had begun to relax. <br><br>But now, as he looked out the window, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked around to see his mother standing behind him, tears in her eyes. <br><br>“Jack, I’m so sorry,” she said. “I was too hard on you. I know you were only trying to do your best, and I appreciate that.”<br><br>Jack turned around to her, throwing his arms around her waist. “I’m sorry, mom,” he said, feeling a lump form in his throat. “I messed up, and I won’t make the same mistake again.”<br><br>His mother hugged him tight. “I know you won’t, Jack,” she said. “And just to prove it, why don’t we go out into the garden? I think there’s something interesting that you should see.”<br><br>And with that, she turned and walked away. Jack followed her, wondering what was going on, and as they pushed through the front door he gasped. <br><br>A beanstalk grew out of the ground, towering over the cottage. It shot high into the clouds, the stalk as wide as a house. Jack stared up at it in wonder, his heart pounding in his chest. <br><br>“Wow,” he breathed.<br><br>His mother smiled. “Remember those magic beans?” she asked.<br><br>Jack looked at her in confusion. “You didn’t throw them out?” he asked.<br><br>She shook her head. “No, Jack, I didn’t. I know I said I would, but something about them called to me. They were so perfectly white, so round and pretty. So I threw them out the window, into the garden. Just for fun, I guess.”<br><br>Jack grinned, feeling a surge of joy. “Let’s climb it,” he said.<br><br>His mother rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Okay, Jack, but be careful.”<br><br>He nodded and began to climb. The beanstalk was easy to ascend, the stalk having many notches in the wood to use as steps. Jack found hand and footholds easily, using all his strength to pull himself upward. <br><br>He climbed for what felt like hours, stopping every now and again to look down at the ground. The beanstalk shot downward, the top of the leaves blocking out most of the sun. Jack felt like he was in a tunnel, the green blocking out most of the light. <br><br>As the sun began to set, Jack reached the top. When he looked around, he gasped. The beanstalk ended on a flat piece of stone that stretched out for miles. A lake sat in the center, surrounded by a forest. The forest was made up of towering trees, so tall that their tops were in the clouds. <br><br>Jack wandered forward, staring in wonder. He had never imagined a place like this, and he couldn’t believe his eyes. As he walked, he stumbled upon a small cottage. <br><br>Smoke billowed out of the chimney, and Jack could hear someone moving inside. He approached slowly, wondering who it could be. When he reached the door, he lifted his hand to knock. <br><br>But before he could, the door opened. A giant of a woman stood in the doorway, a scowl on her face. Jack tried to scream, but his voice caught in his throat. <br><br>“Well, well, well,” the giantess said. “What do we have here? A little intruder, come to snoop out our property. What are you doing here, little man?”<br><br>Jack swallowed, trying to speak. But it was too late. A giant appeared behind the woman, roaring as he stomped forward. <br><br>“I can smell the blood of an Englishman,” he said. “I’ll grind his bones and make my bread.”<br><br>Jack turned and ran. He could hear the giants behind him, roaring in anger as they chased after him. He didn’t dare to look back as he reached the beanstalk, using all his strength to begin the descent. <br><br>He heard the giants shouting behind him, furious that their prey had escaped. Jack shimmied down the beanstalk as fast as he could, not stopping until he reached the bottom. There, he grasped the stalk and gave a mighty heave. <br><br>The beanstalk toppled to the ground, the roots ripped from the earth as it fell. Jack stumbled backward, gasping as the stalk hit the ground with a mighty crash. <br><br>But as the dust settled, Jack smiled. He had braved the unknown, and had come out on top. And as he turned to walk back to the cottage, he felt a new sense of self-confidence that he had never felt before. <br><br>He had solved his problem.