Once upon a time, a poor widow lived in a cottage with her only son, Jack. Jack was a lazy lad, one day his mother said him: "All we have left in the world worth selling is our cow. Take the cow to the market and get a good price for it."
After much complaining, lazy Jack set out for market, driving the cow in front of him. He had not gone far when he met a butcher.
"That is a fine cow, " said the butcher. "I will give you this bag of beans in exchange for it. You will be making a good bargain." "Very well," agreed Jack, pleased that he did not have to go all the way to market. He gave the cow to the butcher and hurried home. His mother was furious. "A bag of beans in exchange for a cow!" she shouted. "You stupid boy!"
In her anger, she threw the beans out of the window and sent Jack to bed without any supper. After a restless night, Jack woke to find a strange green light filtering into his bedroom. He looked out of the window to see that the leaves of an enormous beanstalk were blocked the sunlight. During the night the beans had taken root and grown so high that the beanstalk disappeared amongst the clouds.
Filled with curiosity, Jack dragged on his clothes and hurrying out of the house, climbed up the mysterious stalk. After a long tired climb, Jack stepped from the beanstalk on to a wild, deserted land. He walked for miles and at last came to a huge castle standing alone and grim. The weary boy blew the horn, which hung by the entrance, and in a few seconds a large lady opened the door. "Good morning," said Jack politely. "Could you give me some food and shelter, please?"
"You had best run away as fast as you can," replied the large lady. "My husband is a giant and if he catches you, he will eat you."
However, Jack was so hungry, he pleaded with the giant's wife to take with in. At last she let him into the kitchen and gave him some hot bread and milk. Hardly had Jack finished his meal than the floor started to shake and he heard a mighty voice singing: "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."
Scarcely did the giant's wife have time to snatch up Jack and hide him in the oven, before the door swung open and a huge giant stamped into the room. "There is an Englishman here," shouted the giant. "Cook him for my dinner, wife."
Luckily the giant's wife was able to persuade him that he was mistaken and he ate a meal of two sheep and six loves instead of Jack.
After dinner, when the table was cleared, the giant took out his bags of gold and counted his mighty fortune. His eyes round with amazement, Jack stared from his hiding place. When the giant was asleep, Jack crept out, dragged a bag of gold from under the giant's hand and staggered to the top of the beanstalk. Down he went and into his mother's cottage. "Look at what I have brought from the top the beanstalk," he shouted.
Needless to say, Jack's mother was delighted with the gold. They lived well for many a long month and then Jack decided it was time to climb the beanstalk once again.
Early one morning, the lad climbed up the beanstalk and stepped once more into the deserted land. He hurried to the castle and blew the horn at the entrance. The giant's wife was not pleased to see him.
"Be off with you," she shouted. "The last time you were here, we lost a bag of gold."
Jack begged and pleaded and at last the giant's wife let him in and gave him some bread and milk in the huge kitchen. Again as the last crust was slipping down his throat, Jack heard mighty footsteps crashing along the halfway and again the voice sang:
"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." With a mighty hand, the giant swung open and yelled: "I smell an English man. I am sure I am right this time. Cook him for my supper."
Just before the giant could see him. Jack hid in the oven.
"Oh, what nonsense!" the wife said to the giant. "You can smell nothing but the ox I am roasting. Eat that and be pleased."
So the giant ate the ox and then ordered his hen to be brought to him. He stood it on the table in front of him and ordered: "Lay!"
Jack peered from his hiding place and saw the hen laid a golden egg.
"Mother would like that hen," he said.
As soon as the giant was asleep, Jack crept from the oven and picking up the hen, hastened towards the door. However, the hen cackled and the giant stirred in his slumber. Jack almost died of fright but found the strength to reach the beanstalk, climb down and give the hen to his mother.
Now Jack could obtain a gold egg whenever he wished. He and his mother were rich and were very happy for several years. Then Jack one day thought of climbing the beanstalk once again for the sake of adventure, he once more climbed up into the clouds.
At the entrance he blew the horn, the giant's wife opened the door. She didn't recognized Jack as he had grown and was well dressed. Nevertheless, she did not want him to come in. "My husband is a giant and will eat you if he gets the chance," she said.
"Anyway, I do not like strangers. Once I let in a stranger, he took some gold and when he came again he took a hen."
However Jack was a handsome young man and he persuaded the woman to let him in and to give him a meal. As before, the giant returned as Jack was eating and chanted:
"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."
Clutching his bowl of bread and milk, Jack ran to hide in the oven. The giant's wife persuaded him that no Englishman was in the castle and gave him a meat pie as big as a bathtub to eat for his dinner. When the meal was over, the giant called for his magic harp.
Peeping from his hiding place, jack saw a lovely golden harp in the shape of a fairy, with her hair as the harp strings. This beautiful little thing did not have to be played. At a word from the Giant, the harp made on music on its own. At once Jack wished to possess it and as soon as the giant was asleep, Jack crept from his hiding place, as he had done before. He picked up the harp and ran towards the door. This time he did not get away so easily.
"Master! Master!" shouted the harp in her tinkling, golden voice.
The giant awoke from his asleep and saw Jack. With a roar of rage, he gave chase. Jack ran as he had never run in his life before. Through the countryside to the top of the beanstalk he ran, with the giant thundering behind him. On to the beanstalk leaped Jack and down he slid. The giant hesitated. "Master! Master!" cried the harp in its tinkling voice. With another roar of rage, giant stepped on to the beanstalk.
Meanwhile, Jack had reached the bottom. He rushed past his mother who wanted to know what was happening. Jack seized an axe and hacked at the beanstalk. He had never worked as hard in all his life. As he heard the voice of giant roaring for his blood, Jack severed the stalk. The huge plant crashed to the ground and the giant with it. Together they made such a deep hole that neither was ever seen again.
Then Jack danced for joy and he and his mother lived happily ever after.
