Jack and the Beanstalk (Faerie Tale Collection) (2 page)

Jack placed his hands on his hips and shook his head, his eyes scanning the sky above them.

His father and mother, Hansel and Gretel, had warned him that life was full of adventures and that one day he would meet one that would change everything he had ever believed about himself. He sucked in a long breath of air. It would seem his particular adventure had met him after all.

There was a certain giant out there who needed to be introduced to the wrath of Jack.

CHAPTER TWO

JACK MARCHED INTO HIS home, his mind whirling with the things he must do. He had been over the entire hill where the giant’s footprints ended to determine what had happened to her. The imprints in the ground did seem to imply that a sort of large, invisible item had been there, but was now gone. Whatever it was, whatever the giant had used, that was his ticket to getting Rachel back.

“Why are you in such a foul-looking mood?” asked his sister. Jill leaned back against the family’s small settee with a book in her hand, her feet on the cushions.

“Have you not heard the news?” he asked, stunned that hearsay of Rachel’s disappearance had not reached Jill yet.

“News? What news?” Her cotton dress brushed the wooden floor as she swung her legs down from the sofa and sat up properly. “Does it have something to do with why Mother and Father have been gone all morning?”

Jack thought of the several people who had descended upon the Staheli’s cottage to be of help while he was there. The word spread so quickly that he left the place to find peace and solve this riddle himself. “Aye. I am assuming so. Though I did not see either of them, that does not mean they were not part of the crowd.”

Tossing her book upon the sofa, Jill stood up. “Tell me everything. What has happened? What reports would put you in such a state?”

He ran his hands through his hair. “Rachel is gone. She was stolen.” At his sister’s gasp, he continued, “Her parents speak of a great giant who reached into her room last night and took her.”

“And no one has tracked him and found her yet?”

Jack was surprised to feel a chuckle escape. “They cannot. No one knows how to get to him.”

“What do you mean?”

He pulled off his suddenly warm overcoat and hung it on a peg in the front closet. “He apparently has a kingdom of some sort in the sky and has taken her there.”

“What? How?”

“That is something no one has been able to figure out as of yet. Though I spent quite a few hours at the last spot where he was seen this morning, it has left me baffled.”

She walked up to him, her hand clutching his shirtsleeve for a moment. “Jack, you must go after her. No one will be able to figure this out but you. You are the best at solving riddles.”

He reached over and held her hand. “No one else
should
figure this out but me. I am the one who must go after her.”

Her blue eyes met his. He watched as a spark of life simmered deep within them. “I believe you have finally found your adventure.”

“Aye. I have.”

She brought her other hand up, sandwiching his hand with both of hers. “You must take me with you. You must!”

He looked at that eager face below him and smirked. “This is not something that can be considered fun and daring—this is not a lark, Jill. This is real. And one of us could die attempting to do what must be done.”

She grinned. “Of course it is fun and daring! How could it not be? And you—you will more than likely solve the puzzle of the giant quicker than you realize! And we will be finding our way up to the kingdom and bringing Rachel back home very soon. I know it. I can feel it bubbling inside me. You were meant to do this—and I was meant to come along and help.”

“Jill,” he said with a voice of warning, “do not become overly excited. I am not convinced it would be wise to take you.”

She pulled away from him. “Then you are a fool to believe you will be able to do this on your own. Two heads have always been better than one—you know this! Have not our parents taught us this every time they speak of their own tale?”

Jack walked toward the basin in the kitchen and fetched himself a cup of water from the pitcher nearby. He knew his sister had incredible sense and could reason much better than he could—usually solving dilemmas in half the time. Mayhap he was foolish to think of leaving her behind. Her defensive skills were good too, and he was a simpleton indeed to believe she could not out-master a dimwitted giant. He took another long drink and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Glancing over, he saw the pout upon Jill’s lips as she sat back on the settee, and attempted to appease her a bit by distracting her with one of her favorite subjects. “That witch our parents speak of was purely wicked to have thought to eat them, and ruin Grandfather as she did.”

“Yes.” Jill did not look up.

Goodness, she was certainly in a mood. “Well now, I did not take you for a little child,” Jack said as he walked into the living area.

She folded her arms, still not meeting his eyes. “You have no right to exclude me and yet you will, simply because I am a girl.”

He stepped directly in front of her, his boots touching hers. “No, you are wrong. If I would not have allowed you to go, it is because I did not want you to die. It has nothing to do with you being a girl.”

“I am seventeen!” she exclaimed. “Well old enough to be considered for adventures.”

“Yes, you are,” he said simply. “Which is why I have decided to let you come.”

She glanced up at him. “What did you say?”

He shrugged and grinned at her. “Besides, I need my navigator. Who would I turn to if I got lost?”

She laughed. “Yes, you do need me.”

“Yes.” He took a deep breath. “Thank you for being willing to support me.”

Rolling her eyes, she stood up, causing him to move back a few paces. “Do not become all mushy and sentimental now. Let us wait until we find ourselves in that kingdom, and then you can thank me all you wish.”

“We need magic. It will be the only way.”

“Aye, I was thinking the same,” she muttered as she brushed past him. “Where could we even begin to look for such a thing? Who do we know with access to it? Without magic, we will by no means be able to reach that kingdom. Even though I have never heard of a giant living in the clouds, there must be someone who has.”

“Yes, I believe so too. This cannot be the only time he has made his way to our land.”

“So where do we go to find a person who could help us?”

“Perhaps they will come forward, now that word is out that Miss Rachel is missing.”

“No!” Jill spun on her heel and turned toward him. Her face held an expression as if she had remembered something. “No! That is not the answer. We do not wait for the person to find us—we must go to the place where the magic was created. The only place we know where true enchantment lies.”

Jack’s gaze met hers. “You do not mean …”

Her smile beamed. “Of course I do! Where else would all the answers we seek be buried but in the Larkein kingdom?”

“Mother’s castle.”

“Precisely. It is the perfect place to begin looking.”

“Jill?”

“Hmm?”

“You are brilliant!”

“I know.” She laughed. “So are you coming or not?”

CHAPTER THREE

BY THE TIME THE two had packed their belongings and gathered up the maps and necessary food to make the trip, their parents were walking in the door.

“Pa!” Jack exclaimed. “I am so glad to see you. Jill was about to go find you both to let you know what we are planning to do, but you made it home.”

“And what is this?” Gretel asked as she took off her blue knit shawl, hanging it in the front closet. “Are you two off to find this giant, then?”

Jack nodded. “Aye. We hope to—I must do something.”

Hansel shared a look with Gretel before saying, “I want you to be careful.”

“I know it would be useless to tell you no when it is Miss Rachel Staheli involved,” his mother said, “but for your own sakes, be safe.”

“Where are you planning to go? Do you have an idea about how to reach the giant’s kingdom?” his father asked.

Jill smiled. “Well, we have heard of your adventure often enough. Jack and I have figured our best chances of finding anything at all of the giant’s home and how to reach it will come from your kingdom, Mother.”

“Mine?” Gretel gasped. “You mean to go to Larkein?” She stepped forward and clutched Jill’s hand. “Children, you do not know what evil magic resides in such a place. The castle has been dismantled and overrun for a reason. I do not wholly trust the village, either, even though it is still standing.”

“But with great evil will also come the answers we seek,” Jill replied.

Jack spoke up. “Mother, we have no choice. I will not allow Rachel’s fate to be determined by our fears. We must go and find what we can.”

“Whatever you do, do not tell them you carry the Larkein bloodline, children. Do you understand me? It has still not been long enough for people to forget all that kingdom did, and I will not have you harmed because of the folly of your heritage. Nor would I like to hear of any malicious person coming after you because of it. We are simple farmers, not heirs to any throne. Do you understand?”

Hansel took a deep breath. However, when Jack glanced over, his father remained silent.

Jill wrapped her mother up in a big hug. “It will be well. We promise not to let anyone know who we are, and we will be vigilant and we will not be attacked by any evil.”

Gretel chuckled and hugged her in return. “The falsehoods you children tell just to appease your mama! I would not be surprised if your nose grew as long as Pinocchio’s!”

Jill laughed. “Well, perhaps not mine. But Jack’s may grow that long.”

“Ha!” He smirked before turning to his father. “Pa, do you mind if I take my cow with me? She is the only thing of value I have to trade, should I need to.”

Hansel nodded. “It may be wise to do so. She is not part of our herd, so will not be overly missed if you should sell her.”

“Those were my thoughts exactly. Thank you.”

“You must take the horse and cart and tie her to the back. There is no reason for you to attempt to walk the whole way there.”

“Will you not miss them?” Jack frowned. “How will you do the work here without them?”

“Do not worry yourself over me. Miss Rachel needs you more than I need the silly horse and cart. All shall be fine—you will see.”

“Well!” Jill was all smiles. “Shall we go and have our adventure, then?”

Hansel reached out and mussed up her fiery red curls. “Be careful what you wish for, little one. Always remember—adventure will find you, but it comes at a price. For it is when we least expect it that we must stand up for what we believe in and love most.”

“Your father is right, children. Be brave. Be strong. But remember, this is not done on a lark, little Jill. This is done because you must—because it is right,” Gretel added.

“When you find out what you must in Larkein, come back and I will see if I am able to make the trek with you to the giant’s kingdom,” Hansel said.

Gretel frowned. “I worry about your back. You were not as young as you once were.”

“Enough, woman.” He waved his hand. “I am fine. Now, let us hurry and say goodbye to these rascals so we may have them returned to us quicker.”

“Do you have a tent?” Gretel stepped forward. “And enough food? Blankets? You will most likely be sleeping in the cart on the edge of the road. Find safe clearings, and remember to follow the signs. Keep off darkened paths as well.”

“Mother!” Jack chuckled as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “We shall be fine. We have been many places and always returned to you. We are not as little as you would like us to be anymore.”

“I know, I know.”

Pa wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek too. “She will always fret. She is your mother, after all.”

“Go, before I change my mind.”

Jack smiled. “Mother, you could change your mind a hundred times and it would not alter the fact that I will be going—I must go.”

“Yes, you do.” She sighed. “I love you.”

Jill added, “Do not worry, Ma. I promise to take good care of him.”

“Aye, take care to drive me nutty.”

The whole group laughed and gave a final farewell of hugs.

Just before they left, Hansel slipped a few silver pieces into Jack’s pocket and grasped his forearms for a moment. They exchange a long look before his father nodded. “You are ready. Bring her back.”

Jack’s heart swelled, the confidence in his father’s eyes doing more for his sudden rush of nerves than anything ever had. “Thank you. I will.”

CHAPTER FOUR

IT TOOK TWO DAYS for Jack and Jill to make their way to the Larkein village that housed the ruins of the castle. Using the silver coins his father had given him, Jack paid for a room for a night at the local inn and a few meals for their stay. After supper, when they made their way up the creaking stairs, they were pleasantly surprised to find two clean beds with a folded cloth screen separating them.

Jill had been so exhausted after a nearly sleepless night on the road that she lay upon her pillow and fell promptly to sleep. Jack, on the other hand, had noticed a group of men down in the inn’s tavern and wondered if they would be a good source to ferret out some information about the enchantments in the area and, more importantly, to learn if any one of them had heard of a giant kingdom in the sky.

He tossed his bags near the small end table by his bed and changed out of his dusty outerwear into more suitable shirt and trousers for the tavern life below. As quickly as possible, he made his way down to the other men. They were a bright, cheerful group who beckoned him to sit with them as they dwindled away their hours before heading home to their womenfolk later that evening.

Jack ordered a pint of ale, though he was not sure of the brew or how strong it would be in these parts. He only pretended to sip the thing. It was about a good half hour into his chat with one of the men—Charlie, a bearded fellow looking to be in his early forties, with a bellowing voice—when an opening came up for Jack to ask about the giant. Charlie’s Larkein brogue was thick and it had taken several minutes before Jack could follow the conversation enough to find the opening he needed.