JACK'S TIMELINE
KINGDOM
LINKS
EVERYONE KNOWS THE JACK AND THE BEANSTALK STORY
ONCE UPON A TIME, IN A FARAWAY LAND, THERE LIVED A POOR BOY NAMED JACK. HE AND HIS MOTHER LIVED IN A SMALL SHACK ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF A TOWN. HIS FATHER HAD DIED YEARS BEFORE.
JACK AND HIS MOTHER WERE VERY POOR. THEY BARELY HAD ENOUGH TO EAT AND DRESSED IN RAGS. THEY BARELY HAD ENOUGH MONEY TO LIVE ON.
ONE DAY, JACK WAS GIVEN MONEY TO GO TO MARKET BY HIS MOTHER. IT WAS JUST ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY FOOD FOR THE FOLLOWING WEEK. HIS MOTHER WARNED HIM TO GO STRAIGHT TO MARKET AND NOT TO STOP ON THE WAY. HE WALKED THE DISTANCE TO TOWN AND ON HIS WAY, CAME ACROSS A PEDDLER WHO WAS SELLING AN ODD THING- MAGIC BEANS! JACK LISTENED TO THE MAN EXPLAIN THAT IF YOU PLANTED THE BEAN AT NIGHT, IN THE MORNING SOMETHING WONDERFUL WOULD HAPPEN AND FORTUNE WOULD AWAIT YOU.
JACK WAS SO EXCITED AT THE PROSPECT OF RICHES THAT HE PAID THE MAN ALL HE HAD AND TOOK THE BEAN HOME TO SHOW HIS MOTHER. HE KNEW SHE WOULD BE SO HAPPY!
POOR JACK! HE COULDN'T HAVE BEEN FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH. HIS MOTHER WAS FURIOUS WITH HIM, AND BEAT HIM. HE HAD WASTED ALL THEIR MONEY AND WHAT WOULD THEY EAT NOW? JACK WENT TO BED VERY SAD, BUT STILL BELIEVED A MIRACLE MIGHT HAPPEN. HE PLANTED THE BEAN IN THE SOFT EARTH AND WENT TO SLEEP.
THE NEXT MORNING, HE AWOKE TO A WONDEROUS SIGHT, A LARGE BEANSTALK HAD GROWN FROM THE BEAN, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE CLOUDS ABOVE IN THE SKY!
HE WOKE HIS MOTHER TO SHOW HER THE BEANSTALK AND SHE WAS AMAZED, AND WAS EVEN MORE AMAZED WHEN HE TOLD HER HE WANTED TO CLIMB IT AND SEE WHAT WAS AT THE TOP. JACK'S MOTHER WAS AFRAID, BUT SHE DIDN'T DISCOURAGE HER SON. SO, HE KISSED HER GOODBYE AND BEGAN TO CLIMB.
THE JOURNEY TO THE TOP OF THE BEANSTALK WAS FRAUGHT WITH DANGER. THERE WERE A FEW TIMES THAT JACK THOUGHT HE WOULD FALL. BUT, MIRACULOUSLY HE REACHED THE TOP AND WAS ASTONISHED TO SEE THAT GREEN GRASS WAS GROWING FROM THE CLOUDS. HE SAW TREES AND A RIVER, AND IN THE DISTANCE A LARGE HOUSE. A REAL LARGE HOUSE! A GIANT FAMILY LIVED THERE!
JACK WAS CURIOUS. HE KNEW HE SHOULD TURN BACK BUT WANTED TO SEE THE HOUSE SO HE WENT TO THE DOOR AND KNOCKED. SUDDENLY, THE DOOR OPENED AND A GIANT WOMAN ANSWERED THE DOOR. SHE WAS AMAZED TO SEE SUCH A TINY LAD, BUT SAW HE WAS TIRED AND HUNGRY AND DECIDED TO LET HIM COME IN. SHE GAVE HIM FOOD AND LET HIM NAP BUT SAID THAT HE MUST LEAVE SOON, BECAUSE HER HUSBAND LIKED TO EAT LITTLE MEN FOR DINNER! UNFORTUNATELY, JACK OVERSLEPT AND WHEN HE AWOKE, THE GIANT WAS HOME. HE WAS HUNGRY AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK AND ASKED HIS WIFE TO BRING FOOD AND HIS MAGIC COUNTING CHEST. JACK'S EARS PRICKED UP WHEN HE HEARD MAGIC COUNTING CHEST AND WATCHED IN WONDER AS THE GIANT OPENED THE SMALL BOX AND BEGAN TAKING OUT GOLD COINS. TONS OF GOLD COINS! THE CHEST WAS A BOTTOMLESS TREASURE BOX! JACK RESOLVED TO STEAL IT WHEN THE GIANT WAS ASLEEP. NOW THE GIANT HAD A KEEN NOSE AND SAID AFTER AWHILE " FEE, FI, FO, FUM...I SMELL THE BLOOD OF AN ENGLISHMAN.": HIS WIFE REPLIED," DEAR..IT IS JUST THE STEW I AM COOKING FOR TOMORROW." SHE KNEW FULL WELL THAT JACK WAS STILL IN THE HOUSE.
AFTER THE GIANT FELL ASLEEP, JACK SNUCK UP THE TABLE LEG, OVER THE LONG TABLE AND TOOK THE BOX. HE GOT OUT OF THE HOUSE AS QUICKLY AS HE COULD AND CLIMBED DOWN THE BEANSTALK. HE RAN INTO THE HOUSE AND SHOWED HIS MOTHER HIS TREASURE. SHE WAS AMAZED AND A GOOD LIFE WAS THEIRS FROM THAT DAY ON.
LATER, JACK WAS RESTLESS. HE ACHED TO RETURN TO THE GIANT'S HOUSE, SO HE CLIMBED THE BEANSTALK YET AGAIN AND VISITED THE WOMAN GIANT. SHE WAS ANGRY AT SEEING HIS RETURN BUT ONCE AGAIN FED HIM AND LET HIM NAP. LATER THE GIANT CAME HOME FOR DINNER AND ASKED HIS WIFE TO BRING HIM HIS GOLDEN GOOSE. HE ONCE AGAIN SMELLED JACK BUT ONCE AGAIN HIS WIFE MADE EXCUSES.SHE BROUGHT THE GOOSE TO THE TABLE AND JACK WAS AMAZED TO SEE IT LAID GOLDEN EGGS! HE STOLE THE GOOSE AND CLIMBED DOWN THE BEANSTALK AS BEFORE AND MORE GOOD FORTUNE WAS HIS AND HIS MOTHER'S.
SOON, JACK GREW RESTLESS AGAIN AND LONGED FOR ONE MORE TRIP UP THE BEANSTALK. HE CLIMBED THE GIANT STALK AND ONCE MORE VISITED THE GIANT'S HOUSE. THIS TIME HE SNUCK IN A CRACK IN THE WINDOW AND WATCHED IN AMAZEMENT AS THIS TIME, THE GIANT'S WIFE BROUGHT HIM, AFTER HIS DINNER, A GOLDEN HARP THAT PLAYED THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. THE GIANT FELL ASLEEP TO THE HARP'S MELODIES AND JACK GRABBED IT, PREPARED TO RUN AWAY AS HE DID BEFORE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE HARP MADE A RINGING SOUND AS HE LIFTED IT, WAKING THE GIANT IMMEDIATELY!
HE CHASED JACK THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE TO THE BEANSTALK, WHERE JACK FURIOUSLY CLIMBED DOWN, KNOWING THAT HIS LIFE WAS IN THE VERY BALANCE. HE REACHED THE BASE WHILE THE GIANT WAS MIDWAY OWN THE STALK AND YELLED TO HIS MOTHER TO BRING HIM THE AX. SHE DID, AND JACK CHOPPED AWAY AT THE BASE. HE CUT IT DOWN AS THE GIANT WAS STILL ON, INSTANTLY KILLING HIM AS THE BEANSTALK CRASHED TO THE GROUND. FROM THAT DAY ON, JACK AND HIS MOTHER LIVED IN LUXURY FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES, AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER...
OR SO WE THOUGHT.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK AFTER THE FAIRY TALE
- AFTER CUTTING DOWN THE BEANSTALK, JACK WAS PROCLAIMED A HERO. HE WAS ELECTED MAYOR OF THE NEWLY CHRISTENED BEANTOWN. HE BROUGHT HIS MOTHER TO LIVE WITH HIM IN SPLENDOR AT THE MAYOR'S MANSION.
- A STATUE WAS ERECTED IN HIS HONOR AFTER A PARTICULARILY PROPEROUS YEAR. EVERYONE WAS HAPPY AND PARTIES WERE HELD EVERY WEEK. BEANTOWN WAS VOTED ONE OF THE TOP FIVE PLACE TO LIVE IN THE 9 KINGDOMS BY THE KISSING TOWN GAZETTE.
- SEVERAL YEARS LATER, JACK WAS INVOLVED IN A HUGE SCANDAL THAT ROCKED THE TOWN. HE HAD CUT A FEW CORNERS IN THE BUDHET OF BEANSTALK MAINTENANCE IN THE TOWN. THE TOWN BECAME OVERRUN WITH BEANSTALKS, POLLUTING THE LAND AND KILLING ALL OTHER VEGETATION. THE FARMING BUSINESS COLLAPSED AND PEOPLE MOVED OUT FOR BETTER PASTURES.
- JACK, DISGRACED, WAS RUN OUT OF TOWN. IN THE CHAOS, TROLLS MOVED IN AND TOOK OVER THE THIRD KINGDOM. THE ANGRY TOWNSPEOPLE STORMED THE TOWN SQUARE AND DECAPITATED JACK'S STATUE.
- NOWADAYS, OVER 70 BEANSTALKS ARE IN TOWN. THEY SPRING UP AS FAT AS THEY ARE CUT DOWN. THE NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR IS TRYING TO TURN THE TOWN AROUND BY EXPORTING BEANSTALKS FOR PROFIT TO THE SNOW WHITE MEMORIAL PRISON FOR USE AS FOOD FOR THE INMATES.
