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Jack and the Beanstalk
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Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack
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who lived with his poor widowed mother.
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They had sold almost everything they owned
to buy food.
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When their last cow stopped giving milk,
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Jack’s mother sent him to town to sell it.
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On the way to town Jack met a strange fellow
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who told him stories of magic beans.
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“Where can I buy some of these magic beans
for my mother?” asked Jack.
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“I have the last five magic beans
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and I will sell them to you because you are a good boy,”
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the strange man smiled at Jack.
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“Well I have nothing but our old cow
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and we need the money I would get by selling her for food.”
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The man replied, “Trust me, my boy,
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these beans will bring you food and fortune
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and your mother will be proud.”
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Jack hesitated but finally traded the cow
for the beans.
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When Jack returned home his mother was furious
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and threw the beans out the kitchen window, crying.
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Jack went to bed that night, sad and hungry.
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He woke the next morning to find a huge beanstalk
growing in the garden.
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“The beans really are magic!” he cried.
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Jack saw that stalk reached the clouds.
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He remembered stories about the clouds containing gold
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and started climbing the stalk to see what he could find.
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He climbed and climbed.
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When he got to the top he saw a huge castle
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and headed for it.
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The door was so big that Jack could crawl
beneath it.
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Once inside he saw a giant man eating his dinner.
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When the giant was finished
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he called his servant to bring him his bag of gold coins.
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While counting his money
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the giant became drowsy and fell asleep.
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Jack crept up to the giant and stole his bag of gold.
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He struggled down the beanstalk with his money
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and when he got to the bottom he called for his mother.
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Jack’s mother was very happy
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because this money was the same money
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that the giant had stolen from Jack’s father many years ago.
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But she was also afraid
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she knew how dangerous the giant was
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and made Jack promise he would never go back.
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While Jack did promise, after awhile the money began to run out.
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Jack began to wonder if he would find anything
else in the castle.
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Once again, Jack decided he would go back up the beanstalk
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and back to the castle.
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Once again he reached the castle
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and climbed under the castle door.
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And once again he found the giant eating dinner at his table.
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When he was finished this time however, the giant called for his magic hen.
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Jack was amazed when he saw the hen lay an egg of pure gold.
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While the giant was watching the hen
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he again became drowsy and fell asleep.
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Jack crept silently to the table and grabbed the hen.
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When he returned home
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his mother was very angry that Jack had gone back to the castle.
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She grabbed Jack’s axe, intent on cutting the beanstalk down.
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Jack begged her not to
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and showed her how hen that could lay golden eggs.
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Jack’s mother put the axe down
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and watched with delight
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as the hen layed one beautiful golden egg after another.
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After awhile, Jack’s curiosity got the better of him
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and he once again thought about what else he could find in the castle.
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Once again, Jack decided he would go back up the beanstalk
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and back to the castle.
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Once again he reached the castle
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and climbed under the castle door.
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And once again he found the giant eating dinner
at his table.
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And once again, when he was finished this time however
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the giant called for his magic harp.
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Jack watched as the harp began to play beautiful music all by itself.
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The music was so beautiful that before long
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the lazy giant was once again fast asleep.
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Jack crept silently to the table.
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But as soon as Jack picked up the harp
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it began playing very loudly in his strange hands
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and the giant awoke.
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“Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum,” yelled the giant
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and he chased after the boy and his harp.
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Jack raced to the beanstalk and slid down.
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He could feel the stalk shake as the giant began climbing down.
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Luckily his axe was near by and he began chopping
down the beanstalk.
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The beanstalk shook and cracked under the weight of the giant
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and Jack’s chopping.
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Finally the stalk snapped
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and the giant fell to the earth never to be seen again.
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Jack and his mother lived happily ever after.
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The End
