Jack and the Beanstalk.
Once, not twice, but once upon a time there lived a poor widow who
had a son called Jack.
One day she told Jack to sell Milky-White the cow at the market. So
Jack walked and he walked and he walked until he came to a little old
man.
“If you sell me your cow I’ll give you not one, not two, not three, not
four, but five magic beans,” said the old man. But when Jack got
back his mother was furious and she threw those beans right out of
the window.
Early next morning, Jack woke to find that the beans had grown
higher than the sky. So he climbed and he climbed and he climbed till
at last he reached the sky. There he found a road and at the end
was a giant’s castle.
Inside was the giant’s wife. “Quick, hide in the oven. My husband is
coming,” she whispered, opening the greasy oven door.
Sure enough, along came the giant with three bags of gold, thumping,
thumping, thumping. “What’s that I smell?” he roared. “Fee-fi-fo-
fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead,
I’ll use his bones to grind my bread.” Luckily, the giant fell asleep.
Hoping the giant would not catch him, Jack grabbed the gold,
climbed down the beanstalk and escaped. His mother was mightily
pleased.
But in the end, the gold ran out so Jack climbed and he climbed and
he climbed, till at last he reached the giant’s castle.
Inside was the giant’s wife. “Quick, hide in the oven. My husband is
coming,” she whispered, opening the greasy oven door.
Sure enough, along came the giant with his hen that laid golden eggs,
thumping, thumping, thumping. “What’s that I smell?” he roared.
“Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be
he dead, I’ll use his bones to grind my bread.” Luckily, the giant fell
asleep, snoring like thunder. Hoping the giant would not catch him,
Jack grabbed the hen, climbed down the beanstalk and escaped. His
mother was mightily pleased. But in the end, Jack was not content so
he climbed and he climbed and he climbed, till at last he reached the
giant’s castle.
Inside was the giant’s wife. “Quick, hide in the oven. My husband is
coming,” she whispered, opening the greasy oven door.
Sure enough, along came the giant with his golden harp, thumping,
thumping, thumping. “What’s that I smell?” he roared. “Fee-fi-fo-
fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead,
I’ll use his bones to grind my bread.” Luckily, the giant fell asleep,
snoring like thunder. Hoping the giant would not catch him, Jack
grabbed the harp, and began to run. But the harp called out,
“Master! Master!”
Jack climbed down and down and down but the ogre followed him. As
soon as Jack reached the bottom, he called out. “Mother, bring me
an axe.” So Jack chopped beanstalk not once, not twice but three
times. The ogre felt the stalk shake and quiver till he began to
topple down and the beanstalk came toppling after.
So the ogre broke his crown and Jack – why, he married a princess
and they lived happily ever after.
Retelling c Pie Corbett 2012.
