Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack lived with his mother in a small cottage at the edge of the fields. They had a garden, a few chickens, and a gentle old cow named Milky White. When money became scarce, Jack's mother asked him to take the cow to market and find a fair buyer.

On the road Jack met a cheerful stranger carrying five curious beans. The stranger claimed they were magic beans, able to grow higher than any ordinary plant. Jack knew he should bring money home, but the idea was so astonishing that he traded Milky White for the beans.

His mother was dismayed. 'We needed food, not a handful of beans,' she said. She tossed them into the garden, and Jack went to bed feeling foolish.

In the morning, golden sunlight shone through an enormous tangle of leaves. A beanstalk thicker than a tree had sprung from the ground and climbed all the way into the clouds. Jack stared up until his neck ached.

Then, careful where he placed his hands and feet, he began to climb. High above the clouds, Jack found a broad road leading to a gigantic castle. At the doorway stood a woman much taller than he was.

She gave him bread and warned him that a giant lived there. Before Jack could leave, heavy footsteps shook the floor. 'Fee, fi, fo, fum!' boomed the giant.

The giant's wife quickly hid Jack behind a great copper kettle. At breakfast Jack watched the giant count bags of gold, then call to a hen that laid a shining golden egg. Finally, he ordered a magical harp to play.

Its music filled the room like a hundred tiny bells. Jack noticed that the treasures were dusty and neglected, though the giant guarded them fiercely. When the giant fell asleep, Jack crept out.

The giant's wife whispered that the giant had taken many treasures from people in the valley below. She helped Jack carry a small bag of coins that could be returned to their owners. Jack hurried down the beanstalk and told his mother what he had seen.

The next day Jack returned, hoping to help the villagers recover more of their belongings. This time he carried the golden-egg hen with the giant's wife's help. On his third visit, he freed the magical harp, which called out in a clear voice, 'Master, wake up!'

The giant sprang from his chair and chased Jack across the cloud road. Jack climbed down as quickly as he could. Far above him came the giant's booming steps.

At the bottom, Jack shouted for his mother to move away and fetched an axe. With several great blows, he cut through the beanstalk. It tipped toward an empty field, carrying the giant back toward the clouds.

When the leaves finally stopped shaking, the road above had vanished. The giant never troubled the valley again. Jack and his mother returned the coins and other treasures to the families who had lost them.

They kept enough to live comfortably, and the little hen helped their neighbours in times of need. The harp played music at village gatherings, where children danced until the stars appeared. Jack learned that curiosity might open wonderful doors, but good judgement was needed to walk through them.

And whenever he passed an ordinary bean growing in the garden, he remembered the extraordinary morning when he had climbed into the sky.