Once upon a time, there lived a poor widow and her only son, Jack. They had a small cottage and one cow named Milky White. But times were hard, and one day the cow stopped giving milk. 'We have nothing left to eat,' said Jack's mother with tears in her eyes. 'You must take Milky White to the market and sell her.' Jack nodded bravely. He loved that old cow, but he loved his mother more.
On the road to market, Jack met a strange old man with a long cloak and twinkling eyes. 'Good morning, young Jack!' said the man. 'Where are you taking that fine cow?' When Jack explained, the old man smiled mysteriously. 'I will give you something better than gold - these five magic beans!' Jack looked at the colorful beans glowing in the man's hand. Something told him they were truly magical, and he made the trade.
'BEANS?' cried Jack's mother when she saw what he had brought home. 'You traded our only cow for a handful of beans?' She was so upset that she threw the beans out of the window into the garden. Jack went to bed without supper, feeling very sorry indeed. But that night, while everyone slept, something magical was happening in the garden...
When Jack woke up the next morning, his room was dark and green. He ran to the window and gasped! An enormous beanstalk had grown during the night - so tall that its top disappeared into the clouds above! The thick green stalk was covered with huge leaves like a ladder to the sky. Jack's heart raced with excitement. Without a second thought, he began to climb.
Jack climbed and climbed, higher than the birds, higher than the clouds, until at last he reached a strange land in the sky. Before him stood an enormous castle made of grey stone, bigger than anything Jack had ever seen. At the door sat a giant woman, as tall as a tree! 'Please, ma'am,' said Jack politely, 'I am very hungry. Could you give me some breakfast?' The giant's wife looked down at him kindly. 'You poor little thing! Come in quickly, before my husband returns!'
The giant's wife had just given Jack some bread and milk when - BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! The whole castle shook with thundering footsteps. 'Quick! Hide in the oven!' whispered the wife. Jack jumped inside just as the door burst open. In stomped the most enormous man Jack had ever seen - the GIANT! 'FEE-FI-FO-FUM!' he roared. 'I SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISHMAN! BE HE ALIVE OR BE HE DEAD, I'LL GRIND HIS BONES TO MAKE MY BREAD!'
'Nonsense, dear,' said the giant's wife calmly. 'You're just smelling the boy I cooked for your breakfast yesterday.' The giant sat down and ate a huge meal, then called for his hen. To Jack's amazement, when the giant said 'Lay!' the hen laid a golden egg! When the giant fell asleep with a thunderous snore, Jack crept out, grabbed the magic hen, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the beanstalk.
Jack returned home a hero! The magic hen laid a golden egg every day, and Jack and his mother were no longer poor. But Jack couldn't stop thinking about the giant's castle. One day, he climbed the beanstalk again. This time, the giant had bags full of gold coins! Jack waited until the giant slept, then quietly took one bag and escaped. His mother begged him never to go back, but Jack was drawn to one more treasure...
On his third visit, Jack discovered the giant's most wonderful treasure - a magic golden harp that played the most beautiful music by itself! But when Jack grabbed the harp, it cried out 'MASTER! MASTER!' The giant woke up with a terrible roar and chased Jack to the beanstalk! Jack climbed down faster than he had ever climbed before, with the angry giant right behind him, making the whole beanstalk shake!
The moment Jack's feet touched the ground, he shouted 'MOTHER! BRING ME THE AXE!' Jack swung the axe with all his might - CHOP! CHOP! CHOP! The beanstalk began to fall, and down came the giant with a tremendous CRASH that shook the whole countryside! And so Jack and his mother lived happily ever after, with the magic hen, the golden harp, and enough treasure to last them all their days. And that is the story of Jack and the Beanstalk!
