Jack and the beanstalk
There once lived a widow with her young son, Jack.
All she had was a cow which she fondly called Milky White.
She sold its milk at the market place to make a living.
Now Jack was a pretty smart lad, but did not put his brains to good use to help his mother.
Oh, I wonder if I will live to see the day when you make an honest living, you good-for-nothing.
I am getting old, how long will I look after you?
Don’t worry, mother, I’ll look after you very well.
Huh!
I will die peacefully if I know who can look after yourself.
And so life went on. However, one morning when Jack’s mother went out to milk the cow, she got a bad shock.
Jack, Jack!
What happened, mother? Are you okay?
Oh, Jack, there is no milk, Milky White has no more milk to give us.
Oh, what are we going to do?
How are we going to manage?
Don’t worry, mother.
I said I will look after to you.
But what are we going to do now?
Well, though Milky White has been a loyal friend, we have to be practical now.
I will take her to the market place and get a good price for her.
So off Jack went to sell Milky White. As he was walking, he came across a funny looking man.
Well, well, lad, and where are you off to this morning?
Milky White has stopped giving milk, so I’m going to the market place so sell her.
This is your lucky day! Look what I have here.
They seem to be some funny looking beans.
Oh no no no no no!
These are no ordinary beans, they are magical beans.
I’ll tell you what, I will give these beans to you in exchange for your cow.
And why would I do something stupid like that?
Because, like I told you, these are magical beans.
If you plant them, by morning they will have reached the sky. Are you joking?
Not at all, my lad.
Take these, and see what happens.
Jack took the beans and walked home, thinking that his mother would be very pleased.
What!
You gave away the cow for these…these stupid beans?
I should have known better than to trust you to sell the cow.
Jack’s mother threw the beans out of the window.
But when Jack got up the next morning, he saw an amazing sight.
The beans had actually grown so high that they seemed to touch the sky!
Oh my gosh, I can’t believe my eyes!
I wonder where this bean stalk leads to – let me climb up and see for myself.
Jack jumped out of his window, caught hold of the stalk and quickly clambered up.
He climbed and climbed and climbed, and finally reached a wide road that led to a big castle.
There was a tall and big woman standing there, and Jack went up to her.
Good morning, ma’am.
Would you be so kind to give me some breakfast?
Breakfast?
Boy, you better get lost, or my husband will have you for breakfast.
He just loves to have little boys like you on toast.
Oh ma’am, please, I beg of you.
I am really, really hungry.
Oh, all right, come along.
Jack went with her to the kitchen Here is some bread and cheese, you can wash
it down with milk from that jug.
And better make it quick, before my husband the ogre comes home.
Jack started gobbling down his food, but just as he was finishing, there was a stomping
sound which made the house shake.
The ogre’s wife quickly hid Jack in the oven, just as the huge ogre strode in with
three calves hanging from his belt.
Here, wife, make me breakfast with a couple of these. (starts sniffing) Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I smell the blood of an Englishman, Be he alive, or be he dead
I’ll have his bones to grind my bread. Oh, you must be getting the smell of the boy who had for dinner last night.
That smell is still lingering in the kitchen.
Go to your room, I will get your breakfast there.
As soon as the ogre went out of the room, Jack scrambled out of the oven and was about
to run away, when the ogre’s wife stopped him.
You better wait till he takes his snooze after breakfast. If he smells you, he might just make a meal of you for dinner.
So Jack waited for the ogre to fall asleep.
When he finished his breakfast, the ogre called out to his wife.
Wife, fetch me my bags of gold coins.
The ogre’s wife placed two big bags in front of him, and he started to count the gold coins till he fell asleep.
Jack could not resist this opportunity.
He quietly crept up to the ogre, picked up one of the bags of gold coins, and ran back
to the bean stalk.
He threw the bag and quickly climbed down. All the gold coins fell into his mother’s garden, and when Jack reached down, he called
out to his mother. Mother, mother!
Look what I have here.
We can sell these coins and our problems will be over.
Oh Jack, I hope you haven’t done anything wrong? Of course not, mother.
Don’t you trust your son?
Jack’s mother was very happy, and she and Jack lived comfortably for some time, but soon all the gold coins were gone.
Jack decided to climb the bean stalk again and once again try his luck.
Early one morning, he climbed the beanstalk and went up the road to the ogre’s castle. The ogre’s wife was at the door, and Jack went up to her.
Oh ma’am, would you be kind enough to give me some breakfast?
I am really starving.
Off with you boy.
The last time you came, my husband’s bag of gold coins went missing.
Oh ma’am, I’m so sorry to hear that. I hope you don’t think I had anything to do with it?
But I’ll tell you what – you give me some breakfast, and I will tell you something about
that bag of gold.
Hmmm…
I don’t know if it’s a good idea to believe you…
go on, have your breakfast, but make sure you are done before my husband is back.
Jack had just started on his breakfast when he heard the thumping steps of the ogre.
Once again, the ogre’s wife quickly hid him in the oven. Ah, I’m hungry.
Wife, broil these three oxen for me.
Wait a minute… Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman,
Be he alive, or be he dead I’ll have his bones to grind my bread.
Oh, stop it!
You always seems to be smelling the blood of an Englishman.
The ogre’s wife convinced him again that there was no Englishman.
After breakfast, the ogre called out to his wife.
Wife, bring me my hen that lays the golden eggs.
The wife went into a room and returned with a hen which she placed on the table before her husband.
Ah ha!
My wonderful hen.
Lay!
Before Jack’s astonished eyes, the hen laid a beautiful golden egg.
The ogre was very happy, and soon began to doze off.
A hen that lays golden eggs?
I have to have it. Mother and I will never want for anything ever.
Quietly, Jack crept up to the table and pounced on the hen and was off in a jiffy.
But the hen got scared and cackled and woke the ogre up.
Hey you, stop, stop you thief.
But Jack was too quick for the huge ogre.
Before the ogre could even get up, Jack was running down the road and then quickly scrambling
down the beanstalk.
As soon as he reached down, he rushed into the house and called out to his mother.
Now, now, why are you panting so, Jack?
And where did you get this hen from?
Mother, you have to see this to believe it.
Hen, lay! Jack’s mother could not believe what she
was seeing.
Come on Jack, say ‘lay’ once more and see what happens. Jacks says ‘lay’ again, and the hen lays another perfect golden egg.
Oh Jack, we will never want for anything ever again.
You have proved yourself to be a good son. And so time passed.
Jack and his mother sold the golden eggs and lived a happy life.
However, after some time once again Jack wanted to climb the beanstalk and see what he could
get this time. One fine morning, he set off again, reached the same road, and made his way to the ogre’s
castle.
But this time he knew the ogre’s wife knew that he had stolen the hen that laid the golden
eggs, so he hid himself behind a bush when he neared the castle.
Ah!
The ogre’s wife is going out with her bucket to get water.
Now is the right time to sneak into the castle.
Jack quietly entered the castle, but this time he did not hide in the oven, he went
and hid himself behind a large copper pot. Soon the ogre’s wife came in with the bucket of water, and after some time Jack once again
felt the rumbling of the ogre’s footsteps.
"Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman;
Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread!"
I don’t smell anything, and I did not see anyone come in. You and your imaginary smells!
But the ogre was not convinced, and started searching in the kitchen.
He looked everywhere, even in the oven.
Jack was terrified that any minute the ogre would find him, but just as the ogre came
towards him, his wife called out.
Now will you stop this nonsense and come and have your breakfast? You won’t enjoy it if it gets cold.
Oh well, though I could have sworn I smelled the blood of any Englishman.
Jack heaved a sigh of relief when the ogre went away to have his breakfast.
He had been saved just in the nick of time!
Oh boy! I better not be so foolish again.
Thank God for my lucky stars, or I would be between the ogre’s bread slices and he would
be having a Jack sandwich! When the ogre finished his breakfast, he called out to his wife to bring his golden harp.
Oh!
How beautifully the harp sang!
Jack had never heard such sweet music.
As usual, the ogre soon started feeling sleepy and nodding off.
Jack waited a while, then slowly crept up to the ogre and snatched the magic harp.
But alas!
The harp immediately stopped singing and called out.
Master, master, someone is stealing me! The ogre immediately got up, and Jack tucked the harp under his arm and fled for his life.
The ogre was furious, and seized his heavy oak club and ran after Jack.
Now Jack was so tiny compared to the ogre, that his steps were no match for the ogre’s giant strides.
Soon the ogre was getting nearer and nearer to Jack, but Jack managed to reach the beanstalk
and quickly started climbing down.
The ogre also started climbing after Jack, making the beanstalk shake violently.
In the meanwhile, Jack’s mother was getting worried when she did not see him in the house,
and came out to the garden to look for him.
When Jack saw her far below, he called out to her.
Mother, mother, quick.
Bring the big axe from the garden shed.
Oh dear me!
Jack, what is happening?
And who is that huge fellow following you?
No time to explain mother, just go and bring the axe quickly. Jack’s mother ran to the garden shed and came back with the axe.
As Jack neared the ground, he quickly picked up the axe and started cutting down the beanstalk. When he had chopped it half way through, the beanstalk became weak and could not bear the
weight of the huge ogre, who fell down with a huge thud.
Hello, hello (quietly).
Yippee!
The ogre is dead, dead, dead!
And so came to an end the cruel ogre and the beanstalk.
Jack and his mother had all the money they wanted with the golden eggs, enjoyed the beautiful
music of the golden harp, and lived happily for a long, long time.