Once upon a time there lived a poor widow. She had an only son named Jack and a cow nicknamed Belyanka. The cow gave milk every morning, and the mother and son sold it at the market - that’s what they lived on. But suddenly Belyanka stopped milking, and they simply didn’t know what to do.
What should we do? What to do? - the mother repeated in despair.
Don't be sad, mom! - said Jack. - I'll hire someone to work for me.
“You’ve already tried to get hired, but no one will hire you,” the mother answered. - No, apparently we’ll have to sell our Belyanka and open a shop with this money.
“Well, okay, mom,” Jack agreed. - Today is market day, and I will quickly sell Belyanka. And then we’ll decide what to do.
And Jack took the cow to the market. But he didn’t have time to go far when he met a funny, funny old man, and he said to him:
Good morning, Jack!
Good morning to you too! - Jack answered, but he was surprised to himself: how did the old man know his name.
Well, Jack, where are you going? - asked the old man.
To the market to sell a cow.
So-so! Who should trade cows if not you! - the old man laughed. - Tell me, how many beans do I have?
Exactly two in each hand and one in your mouth! - Jack answered, apparently the guy was no slouch.
Right! - said the old man. - Look, here are these beans! - And the old man showed Jack some strange beans. “Since you’re so smart,” the old man continued, “I wouldn’t mind trading with you—I’ll give these beans for your cow!”
Go your own way! - Jack got angry. - It will be better that way!
“Uh, you don’t know what kind of beans these are,” said the old man. - Plant them in the evening, and by morning they will grow to the very sky.
Yah? Is it true? - Jack was surprised.
The real truth! And if not, you take your cow back.
It's coming! - Jack agreed, gave Belyanka to the old man, and put the beans in his pocket.
Jack turned back home, and since he did not have time to go far from the house, it had not yet gotten dark, and he was already at his door.
How are you back already, Jack? - the mother was surprised. - I see Belyanka is not with you, does that mean you sold her? How much did they give you for it?
You'll never guess, mom! - answered Jack.
Yah? Oh my goodness! Five pounds? Ten? Fifteen? Well, they won’t give you twenty!
I told you - you won’t guess! What can you say about these beans? They are magical. Plant them in the evening and...
What?! - Jack's mother cried. “Did you really turn out to be such a simpleton that you gave up my Belyanka, the most productive cow in the whole area, for a handful of some bad beans?” It is for you! It is for you! It is for you! And your precious beans will fly out the window. So that! Now you can sleep quickly! And don’t ask for food, you won’t get it anyway - not a bite, not a sip!
And so Jack went up to his attic, to his little room, sad, very sad: he made his mother angry, and he himself was left without dinner. Finally he fell asleep.
And when he woke up, the room seemed very strange to him. The sun illuminated only one corner, and everything around remained dark, dark. Jack jumped out of bed, got dressed and went to the window. And what did he see? What a strange tree! And these are his beans, which his mother threw out of the window into the garden the day before, sprouted and turned into a huge bean tree. It stretched up, up and up, all the way to the sky. It turns out that the old man was telling the truth!
The beanstalk grew just outside Jack's window and climbed up like a real staircase. So Jack could only open the window and jump onto the tree. So he did. Jack climbed up the beanstalk and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed until he finally reached the sky. There he saw a long and wide road, straight as an arrow. I walked along this road and walked and walked and walked until I came to a huge, huge, tall house. And at the threshold of this house stood a huge, huge, tall woman.
Good morning, madam! - Jack said very politely. - Be so kind as to give me breakfast, please!
After all, the day before Jack was left without dinner, you know, and was now hungry as a wolf.
Would you like to have breakfast? - said a huge, huge, tall woman. - Yes, you yourself will end up with others for breakfast if you don’t get out of here! My husband is a giant and an ogre, and he loves nothing in the world more than boys fried in breadcrumbs.
Oh, madam, I beg you, give me something to eat! - Jack did not let up. “I haven’t had a crumb in my mouth since yesterday morning.” And does it matter whether they roast me or I die of hunger?
Well, the cannibal's wife was not a bad woman after all. So she took Jack to the kitchen and gave him a piece of bread with cheese and a jug of fresh milk. But before Jack had time to finish half of it all, suddenly - top! Top! Top! - the whole house even shook from someone’s steps.
Oh my God! Yes, this is my old man! - the giantess gasped. - What to do? Hurry, hurry, jump here!
And as soon as she managed to push Jack into the oven, the cannibal giant himself entered the house.
Well, he really was great! Three calves dangled from his belt. He untied them, threw them on the table and said:
Come on, wife, fry me a couple for breakfast! Wow! What does it smell like?
Fi-fi-fo-foot,
I can smell the British spirit here.
Whether he's dead or alive,
It will be for my breakfast.
What are you doing, hubby! - his wife told him. - You imagined it. Or maybe it smells like that lamb that you liked so much at dinner yesterday. Better go wash up and change clothes, and in the meantime I’ll prepare breakfast.
The ogre came out, and Jack was about to crawl out of the oven and run away, but the woman did not let him.
“Wait until he falls asleep,” she said. - He always likes to take a nap after breakfast.
And so the giant had breakfast, then went to a huge chest, took out two bags of gold from it and sat down to count the coins. He counted and counted, and finally began to nod off and started snoring so much that the whole house began to shake again.
Then Jack slowly crawled out of the oven, tiptoed past the sleeping cannibal, grabbed one bag of gold and, God bless his feet! - straight to the beanstalk. He threw the bag down into his garden, and he began to climb down the stem, lower and lower, until he finally found himself at home.
Jack told his mother everything, showed her the bag of gold and said:
Well, mom, was I telling the truth about these beans? See, they really are magical!
I don’t know what these beans are,” answered the mother, “but as for the cannibal, I think this is the same one that killed your father and ruined us!”
And I must tell you that when Jack was only three months old, a terrible cannibal giant appeared in their area. He grabbed anyone, but especially did not spare kind and generous people. And Jack's father, although he was not rich himself, always helped the poor and losers.
“Oh, Jack,” the mother finished, “to think that the cannibal could eat you too!” Don't you dare ever climb that stem again!
Jack promised, and he and his mother lived in complete contentment with the money that was in the bag.
But in the end the bag was empty, and Jack, forgetting his promise, decided to try his luck once again at the top of the beanstalk. So one fine morning he got up early and climbed the beanstalk. He climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, until he finally found himself on a familiar road and reached a huge, huge, tall house along it. Just like last time, a huge, huge, tall woman stood at the threshold.
“Good morning, madam,” Jack told her as if nothing had happened. - Be so kind as to give me something to eat, please!
Get out of here quickly, little boy! - answered the giantess. - Otherwise my husband will eat you for breakfast. Eh, no, wait a minute, aren’t you the same young man who came here recently? You know, on that very day my husband was missing one bag of gold.
These are miracles, madam! - says Jack. - True, I could tell you something about this, but I’m so hungry that until I eat at least a bite, I won’t be able to utter a word.
Then the giantess was so curious that she let Jack into the house and gave him something to eat. And Jack deliberately began to chew slowly and slowly. But suddenly - top! Top! Top! - they heard the giant’s steps, and the kind woman again hid Jack in the oven.
Everything happened the same as last time. The cannibal came in and said: “Fi-fi-fo-fut...” and so on, had breakfast with three roasted bulls, and then ordered his wife:
Wife, bring me the chicken - the one that lays golden eggs!
The giantess brought it, and he said to the chicken: “Hurry!” - and the chicken laid a golden egg. Then the cannibal began to nod off and began to snore so that the whole house shook.
Then Jack slowly crawled out of the oven, grabbed the golden chicken and was out the door in no time. But then the chicken clucked and woke up the cannibal. And just as Jack was running out of the house, he heard the giant’s voice behind him:
Wife, leave the golden hen alone! And the wife responded:
What are you doing, my dear!
That's all Jack managed to hear. He rushed as fast as he could towards the beanstalk and literally fell down it.
Jack returned home, showed his mother the miracle chicken and shouted: “Run!” - and the chicken laid a golden egg.
Since then, every time Jack told her: “Run!” - the chicken laid a golden egg.
Mother scolded Jack for disobeying her and going to the cannibal again, but she still liked the chicken.
And Jack, a restless guy, after a while decided to try his luck again at the top of the beanstalk. So one fine morning he got up early and climbed the beanstalk.
He climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed until he reached the very top. True, this time he acted more carefully and did not go straight into the cannibal’s house, but crept up slowly and hid in the bushes. He waited until the giantess came out with a bucket for water, and snuck into the house! He climbed into the copper cauldron and began to wait. He didn’t wait long, and suddenly he heard the familiar “top!” Top! Top!”, and then the cannibal and his wife enter the room. oskazkah.ru - website
Fi-fi-fo-fut, I can smell the spirit of the British here! - the cannibal shouted. - I feel it, I feel it, wife!
Can you really hear it, hubby? - says the giantess. - Well, then, this is the brat who stole your gold and the hen with the golden eggs. He's probably sitting in the oven.
And both rushed to the stove. It's a good thing Jack wasn't hiding there!
You are always with your fi-fi-fo-foot! - the cannibal’s wife grumbled and began to prepare breakfast for her husband.
The cannibal sat down at the table, but still could not calm down and kept muttering:
And yet I can swear that... - He jumped up from the table, ransacked the pantry, and chests, and cupboards...
I searched every corner, but didn’t think to look into the copper cauldron. Finally he finished breakfast and shouted:
Hey wife, bring me the golden harp! The wife brought the harp and placed it on the table.
Sing! - the giant ordered the harp.
And the golden harp began to sing, so well that you’ll be able to hear it! And she sang and sang until the cannibal fell asleep and snored as if thunder had thundered.
It was then that Jack lightly lifted the lid of the cauldron. He crawled out of it quietly, like a mouse, and crawled on all fours all the way to the table. He climbed onto the table, grabbed the harp and rushed to the door.
But the harp called loudly and loudly:
Master! Master!
The ogre woke up and immediately saw Jack running away with his harp.
Jack ran headlong, and the giant followed him. It didn’t cost him anything to catch Jack, but Jack was the first to run, and therefore he managed to evade the giant. And besides, he knew the road well. When he reached the bean tree, the ogre was only twenty paces away. And suddenly Jack disappeared. Ogre here, there - no Jack! Finally he decided to look at the beanstalk and saw: Jack, with all his strength, was trying to crawl down. The giant became afraid to go down the shaky stem, but then the harp called again:
Master! Master!
And the giant actually hung on the beanstalk, and it shook all over under his weight.
Jack descends lower and lower, and the giant follows him. But now Jack is right above the house. Here he shouts:
Mother! Mother! Bring the axe! Bring the axe!
The mother ran out with an ax in her hands, rushed to the beanstalk and froze in horror: huge giant knives were sticking out of the clouds.
But then Jack jumped to the ground, grabbed an ax and slashed at the beanstalk so hard that he almost cut it in half.
The ogre felt the stem swaying and shaking, and stopped to see what had happened. Then Jack hits the ax again and completely cuts the beanstalk. The stem swayed and collapsed, and the ogre fell to the ground and broke his neck.
Jack gave his mother the golden harp, and they began to live happily. And they didn’t even remember about the giant.
Add a fairy tale to Facebook, VKontakte, Odnoklassniki, My World, Twitter or Bookmarks
During the reign of good King Arthur, in the county of Cornwall, on the Cape of Land's End, there lived a peasant, and this peasant had an only son named Jack. Jack was a clever guy with such a quick and lively mind that no one could compete with him in anything.
In those days, on an island called Cornwall Mountain, lived a terrible giant - Kormoren. He was eighteen feet tall, three yards in circumference, and had a monstrous face. He was so fierce and menacing that all the surrounding towns and villages trembled before him. Kormoren lived in a cave, in the very heart of the mountain, and when he wanted to eat, he wandered across the water to the mainland and grabbed everything that came to hand. Seeing him, people left their homes and ran in all directions. The giant caught their cattle - he did not care to drag half a dozen bulls on his back at a time, and he simply strung sheep and pigs on his belt, like a bunch of tallow candles. For many years he was the menace of all Cornwall and drove the inhabitants to complete despair.
But a council was convened at the city hall to decide how to deal with the giant, and Jack went there. And Jack asked:
What reward will the one who kills Kormoren receive?
All the giant's treasures! - they answered Jack.
Then entrust this matter to me! - he said. He got himself a horn, a pick and a spade, and as soon as the dark winter evening had fallen, he reached Cornwall Mountain and set to work. Before morning had come, he had already dug a hole twenty-two feet deep and twenty feet across, covered it with long branches and straw, and sprinkled earth on top so that it seemed like it was just a level place. Jack sat down on the edge of the pit, away from the giant’s dwelling, and when daylight broke, he put his horn to his lips and began to play a merry gallop. The giant woke up and ran out of the cave screaming:
Oh, you scoundrel! How dare you disturb my peace? I won't stand for this! Well, you'll pay me dearly! I'll catch you and fry you whole for breakfast!
But before the giant had time to shout out these threats, he collapsed into a hole - here even the Cornish mountain began to shake.
What, giant, got caught? - Jack shouted to him. - Now you'll go straight to hell! There you will get it for your threats. How about you fry me for breakfast? Maybe it's better to eat something else? Why do you need poor Jack?
Having mocked the giant, Jack hit him on the top of the head with all his might with a heavy pickaxe and killed him outright. Then he filled the hole with earth and went to look for Kormoren’s cave. I found a cave, and in it - a pile of treasures!
The city magistrate learned about Jack's feat and announced to everyone that from now on Jack should be called: Jack - the winner of giants
And he granted Jack a sword and a belt, on which the words were embroidered in gold:
This Cornish youth dared -
He defeated Kormoren.
The news of Jack's victory soon spread throughout Western England, reaching another giant, Blandebore, and he swore revenge on Jack at the first meeting. Blandebor owned an enchanted castle that stood in the middle of a dense forest.
And about four months later, Jack went to Wales and walked along the edge of this forest. He was very tired, sat down to rest near a cheerful spring, and fell into a deep sleep. And while he was sleeping, Blandebor himself came to the spring for water; I saw Jack, read the inscription on his belt and immediately recognized that it was Jack the Giant Slayer. Without thinking twice, the giant put Jack on his shoulders and dragged him to his castle.
On the way he had to make his way through the thicket, and the noise of the branches woke Jack up. With horror and surprise, Jack realized that he had fallen into the clutches of a giant; but the worst was yet to come!
When Blandebor entered his castle, Jack saw that everything around was strewn with human bones. And the giant also said that a little later Jack’s bones would be lying around here. Then Blandebor locked poor Jack in a huge room, and he himself went after another giant - his brother, who lived in the same forest - to feast on the young man with him.
Jack waited and waited, then went to the window and saw two giants in the distance: they were walking towards the castle.
“Well,” Jack thought, “now I’ll either die or be saved!”
Then he noticed that there were strong ropes lying in the corner of the room. So Jack took two ropes, tied a secure loop at the end of each, and while the giants were unlocking the iron door, he threw the loops around their necks, threw the ends of the ropes over the beam and pulled down with all his might. The giants gasped. Jack let go of the ropes, drew his sword, and stabbed both brothers. Then he took Blandebor's keys and unlocked all the rooms with them. In the rooms he found three beautiful girls; they were tied to each other by the hair and starved to death.
Beautiful ladies! - Jack told them. - I killed the monster and his cruel brother. You are free!
Then Jack handed the girls all the keys and went on his way to Wales.
Jack was in a hurry and walked very quickly, but got lost. Night found him on the road, and there was no housing nearby. Finally, Jack wandered into a hollow and saw a large house. I gathered my courage and knocked on the gate. And then, to his amazement, a huge giant with two heads came out of the house.
However, he did not seem as fierce as the other giants. After all, he was a Welsh giant, and he did evil to people on the sly, pretending to be their friend. Jack asked to spend the night, and the giant took him to the bedroom. And in the middle of the night, Jack heard his master muttering in the next room:
Even if you lay down on my bed,
You can't get out of that bed -
The dubye will dance along it!
So that's what you're up to! - Jack whispered. - I recognize your Welsh tricks! But I'll outsmart you!
Then Jack jumped out of bed, put a log on it, and hid in the corner. Late at night, the Welsh giant entered the room and began to pound the bed with a heavy club. He was sure that he had crushed all of Jack’s bones, but the next morning Jack came out of his corner and, grinning, thanked the owner for the overnight stay.
Did you have a good rest? - the giant asked him. - Maybe something bothered you at night?
Not really! - Jack answered. “But a rat hit me with its tail a couple of times.”
The giant marveled. Then he took Jack to breakfast and placed in front of him a pound bowl of flour pudding. Jack didn't want to admit that he couldn't eat that much. So he put a large leather bag under his jacket and, while he was eating, quietly put the pudding into it, and after breakfast he told the giant that he would now show him a miracle. I took a knife and ripped open the bag - the whole pudding fell out!
Damn it! - cried the giant. - Such a miracle and we can show you!
He grabbed a knife, ripped open his belly and immediately fell dead.
At this very time, the only son of King Arthur asked his father for a lot of money - he wanted to try his luck in Wales, where there lived a beauty possessed by seven evil spirits. The king tried his best to dissuade his son, but in vain. Finally he had to give in, and the prince set off with two horses - he rode on one, and on the other he carried a pack of money.
A few days later, the prince entered a Welsh city and saw a large crowd in the square. He asked the people why they had gathered, and they answered that they were guarding the dead man - they were not allowing him to be buried, because he owed them a lot of money during his lifetime. The prince marveled at the hard-heartedness of the lenders and said:
Go bury him, and let the creditors come to me - I will pay them everything in full.
Here the prince was besieged by so many people that by evening he had only two pence left.
At this time, Jack the Giant Slayer was passing through the city. The prince's generosity pleased him, and the young man asked to serve him. The prince agreed to take Jack, and the next morning they set off together. As they were leaving the city, an old woman called out to the prince. She said:
It is now seven years since the deceased borrowed two pence from me. Please pay me as you paid others!
The prince reached into his pocket, pulled out the last of his money and gave it to the woman. Jack still had a few coins left, but the travelers spent them on lunch that same day and both ended up penniless.
Just before sunset the king's son said:
Where should we spend the night, Jack? After all, we don’t have money.
To this Jack replied:
There will be a place to stay for the night, my lord! My uncle lives two miles from here - a huge, scary giant with three heads. He doesn't care to fight five hundred armored warriors and scatter them like flies!
Well,” said the prince, “then we have nothing to do with him!” The giant will swallow us in one fell swoop. What is there! After all, you and I can fit in the hollow of his rotten tooth!
Nonsense! - Jack objected. “I’ll go ahead and prepare a meeting for you.” Stay here and wait until I return!
Who's there? Jack said:
It's me, your poor nephew Jack. The giant asked:
What news does my poor nephew Jack bring?
God knows, they are bad, dear uncle! - Jack answered.
But-but! - said the giant. - Is it possible to bring me bad news? After all, I am the Three-Headed Giant. I, as you know, go out to fight against five hundred warriors in armor, and they fly away from me in all directions, like straw in the wind.
Yes, but here comes the king's son with a thousand armed warriors! - said Jack. - They want to kill you and destroy all your property!
That's it, nephew Jack! - said the giant. - Well, this is really bad news! I’ll run and hide, and you lock me with a padlock, a bolt and a bolt, and keep the keys with you until the prince gets out of here.
Jack locked the giant and went after the prince. In the castle, the travelers had fun to their heart's content, and the poor giant lay and shook in the dungeon.
The next morning, Jack stocked up early on gold and silver for his master and advised him to go three miles ahead - after all, the giant could not smell the prince three miles away. Then Jack returned and released his uncle from the dungeon.
How can I reward you for saving my castle from destruction? - asked the giant.
What is there! - Jack answered. - I don’t need anything. Just give me your worn jacket, hat, and even the old rusty sword and night shoes that are lying under your bed.
You don't know what you're asking for! - said the giant. - After all, these are my most precious treasures. Once you put on a jacket, you will become invisible. The hat will tell you everything you want to know. The sword will cut into pieces anything you hit with it. And the shoes will take you wherever you want in the blink of an eye. But so be it! You have served me well. I give you from the bottom of my heart everything you ask for!
Jack thanked his uncle, took the gifts and left. He quickly caught up with his master, and soon they arrived at the house of the beauty the prince was looking for. And she found out that the prince had come to ask for her hand, and she treated him to glory. After the feast, the beautiful lady announced to the prince that she wanted to give him a task. She wiped her lips with a handkerchief and said:
Tomorrow morning you must show me this very scarf. Otherwise, your head won't be blown off!
And she hid the handkerchief on her chest. The prince went to bed in great anxiety. But Jack's omniscient hat told them how to get the handkerchief.
At midnight, the beauty called her spirit friend and told him to take her to Lucifer. And Jack put on an invisible jacket and running shoes and rushed to Satan after the beauty. She entered the satanic abode and immediately gave her handkerchief to Lucifer, who put it on the shelf. Jack immediately grabbed the handkerchief and brought it to his master. And in the morning the prince showed the scarf to the beautiful lady and thereby saved his life.
That day the lady kissed the prince and said that in the morning he should show her the lips that she had kissed the previous night. Otherwise, don’t blow his head off!
Okay, I'll show you! - answered the prince. - Just promise not to kiss anyone else but me!
Be that as it may, - said the beauty, - if you do not follow my order, death awaits you.
At midnight she again went to Lucifer and scolded him for not taking care of her handkerchief.
Well, this time,” said the beauty, “I will not give mercy to the prince!” Let me kiss you, and let him show me your lips!
And kissed Satan. But as soon as she left, Jack cut off Lucifer’s head, hid it under an invisibility jacket and took it to his master.
In the morning, the prince lifted Satan's head by the horns and showed it to the beauty. And immediately the obsession dissipated; the evil spirit left the beautiful lady, and she appeared before the young man in all her glory.
The next day they got married and soon left for the court of King Arthur. There, Jack was knighted by the Round Table for all his great deeds.
After some time, Jack again went in search of giants. He had not gone far when he saw a cave. At the entrance to it, a giant sat on a wooden block with a knotted cast-iron club at his side. The giant's wide eyes burned with fire, his ugly face was fierce, his cheeks looked like pork hams, and his beard bristled like iron rods. His hair fell over his powerful shoulders like writhing snakes, like hissing vipers.
Jack jumped off his horse, put on his invisibility jacket and went to the giant, muttering to himself:
Yeah, there you are! Well, before you even blink an eye, I’ll grab you by the beard!
The giant did not see Jack, because he was wearing an invisibility jacket. And so Jack crept up to the monster and hit him on the head with his sword, but missed and cut off his nose instead of his head. The giant roared as if thunder had thundered, and in a rage began to swing his cast-iron club. But Jack ran behind him and drove his sword into his back up to the hilt. The giant fell to the ground dead. Then Jack cut off his head and sent it along with the head of another giant - his brother - to King Arthur. He had to hire a driver and put the heads on the cart.
Then Jack decided to go into the giant's cave and look for his treasures there. For a long time he walked along long passages and passages and finally reached a large room paved with unhewn stone. In the depths of this room there was a boiling cauldron, and to the right of it a huge table - at this table the giant always dined. A window with an iron grill opened into the next room. Jack looked into it and saw a huge crowd of unfortunate prisoners. They noticed Jack and shouted:
Oh, young man, will you really have to die with us in this terrible den?
Yes,” Jack answered. - But tell me, why are you locked up?
“They keep us here until the giants want to eat,” one prisoner answered, “and then they cut off the fattest one of us.” Besides us, giants eat other people they kill!
Okay, nothing to say! - Jack responded.
He immediately unlocked the gate and released all the captives. They rejoiced, just as death row inmates rejoice when they receive a pardon.
Jack then searched the giants' chests, divided the gold and silver equally among the captives, and finally led them to a nearby castle, where they feasted and made merry, celebrating their liberation.
But suddenly, in the midst of the fun, a messenger brought the news that the two-headed giant Thunderdell had heard about the death of his relatives and had arrived from the northern valleys to take revenge on Jack; he is now only one mile from the castle, and all the surrounding residents are running away from him in all directions. But Jack was not at all afraid.
If he tries to come here, I’ll count all his teeth! And I ask you, gentlemen, to go out into the garden and watch how the giant Thunderdell will be killed!
The castle stood on an island surrounded by a ditch thirty feet deep and twenty feet wide. The ditch was filled with water, and they crossed it on a drawbridge.
And so Jack hired people to cut the bridge from the sides almost to the very middle. Then he put on an invisibility jacket and confronted the giant with a sharp sword in his hands. The giant did not see Jack, but smelled him and shouted:
Fi-fi-fo-fam!
I can smell the British spirit there!
Whether he's dead or alive,
This will be my breakfast!
Ah, that's how it is! - said Jack. - What a glutton you are!
And the giant shouted again:
So it was you, scoundrel, who killed my relatives?! Now I will tear you to pieces with my teeth, suck the blood out of you, and grind your bones into powder!
Catch me first! - Jack answered and threw off his invisibility jacket so that the giant could see him.
Then he put on his running shoes and ran away. And the giant chased after him, and it seemed as if some castle had moved from its place and the earth itself was shaking under his every step.
Jack made the giant chase him for a long time - he wanted to amuse the ladies and gentlemen. Then he decided that it was time to end the game, and easily ran up onto the bridge. The giant rushed after him at full speed with a club in his hands. But before he could get to the middle, the bridge collapsed under a heavy load, and the giant fell headfirst straight into the water and began tossing and floundering in it like a whale. And Jack stood near the ditch and made fun of him. But no matter how angry the giant was, hearing Jack’s ridicule, no matter how much he thrashed about in the water, he was unable to get out of the ditch to settle accounts with the enemy.
Finally, Jack grabbed the reins, threw them over the giant’s heads and, with the help of a team of horses, pulled him ashore, then cut off both heads with his sharp sword and sent them to King Arthur.
Jack spent some time in celebrations and entertainment, and then again left the beautiful ladies and knights and went in search of adventure. Jack made his way through many forests until he finally came to the foot of a high mountain. And there, late at night, I saw a lonely house. He knocked on the door, and an old man with hair as white as snow opened it.
Father,” Jack told him, “let him spend the night!” I got lost and night found me on the road.
Come in, come in! - answered the old man. - Welcome to my miserable little hut.
Jack came in, they sat down next to each other, and the old man spoke as follows:
My son, I see from the inscription on your belt that you are the great Giant Slayer. So listen, my son! At the top of this mountain stands an enchanted castle. It is owned by the giant Galligantua. With the help of an old sorcerer, the giant lures knights and ladies to him and, with magic spells, turns them into different creatures. But I am especially saddened by the fate of the Duke’s daughter. They grabbed her in her father's garden and carried her away in a burning chariot drawn by fire-breathing dragons. She was locked in the castle and turned into a white doe. Many knights tried to dispel the magic spell and free the girl, but no one succeeded - two terrible griffins sit at the castle gates, and they destroy everyone who comes close. But you, my son, will pass by them unseen. And on the castle gates you will see an inscription carved in large letters. She will tell you how to dispel witchcraft.
Jack thanked the old man and promised that in the morning he would try to free the duke's daughter, even if it cost him his life.
The next morning Jack got up, put on his invisibility jacket, a magic hat, and running shoes and prepared for battle.
As soon as he reached the top of the mountain, he immediately saw fire-breathing griffins. But he walked past them without fear - after all, he was wearing an invisibility jacket. On the gate of the castle, a golden trumpet hung on a silver chain, and below it were carved the words:
Who will blow a trumpet of gold,
That terrible castle will break its spell;
The fierce giant will die,
And happiness will come to people again.
As soon as Jack read these lines, he blew into the trumpet, and the huge castle shook to its very foundation, and great confusion seized the giant and the sorcerer. They began to bite their elbows and tear out their hair, sensing that the end of their evil power would soon come!
Suddenly the giant bent down for his club, but then Jack took off his head with one blow, and the sorcerer rose into the air, and the whirlwind carried him away.
The evil spell has dissipated. Everyone that had been turned into birds and animals became people again, and the castle disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Jack, as always, sent the head of the giant Galligantua to the court of King Arthur, and the next day he himself went there along with the knights and ladies whom he had freed.
As a reward for faithful service, the king persuaded the duke to give his daughter to honest Jack.
They got married, and the whole kingdom rejoiced at their wedding. And then the king gave Jack a magnificent castle with rich lands, and Jack lived there with his wife the rest of his days in love and harmony.
Once upon a time there lived a poor widow, and she had only one son, Jack, and a cow, Belyanka. The cow gave milk every morning, and mother and son sold it at the market - that’s what they lived on. But one day Belyanka didn’t give milk, and they simply didn’t know what to do.
What should we do? What should I do? - the mother repeated, wringing her hands.
Don't be sad, mom! - said Jack. - I'll hire someone to work for me.
“You’ve already tried to get hired, but no one will hire you,” the mother answered. “No, apparently we’ll have to sell our Belyanka and use the proceeds to open a shop or do some other business.”
“Well, okay, mom,” Jack agreed. “Today is market day, and I’ll sell Belyanka quickly.” And then we’ll decide what to do.
And so Jack took the reins in his hands and led the cow to the market. But he didn’t have time to go far when he met some wonderful old man.
Good morning, Jack! - said the old man.
Good morning to you too! - Jack answered, and he himself is surprised: how does the old man know his name?
Well, Jack, where are you going? - asked the old man.
To the market, to sell a cow.
So-so! Who should trade cows if not
you! - the old man laughed. “Tell me, how many beans do you need to make five?”
Exactly two in each hand and one in your mouth! - Jack answered: he was a good guy.
Right! - said the old man. - Look, here they are, these same beans! - and the old man pulled out a handful of some strange beans from his pocket. “And since you’re so smart,” the old man continued, “I wouldn’t mind trading with you—beans for you, cow for me!”
Go on your way! - Jack got angry. “It’ll be better that way!”
“Uh, you don’t know what kind of beans these are,” said the old man. “Plant them in the evening, and by morning they will grow up to the sky.”
Yah? Is it true? - Jack was surprised.
The real truth! And if not, take your cow back.
OK! - Jack agreed: he gave Belyanka to the old man, and put the beans in his pocket.
Jack turned back and came home early - it was not yet dark.
How! Are you back already, Jack? - the mother was surprised. - I see Belyanka is not with you, does that mean you sold her? How much did they give you for it?
“You’ll never guess, Mom!” Jack answered.
Yah? Oh my goodness! Five pounds? Ten? Fifteen? Well, they wouldn’t give it twenty!
I told you - you won’t guess! What can you say about these beans? They are magical. Plant them in the evening and...
What?!” Jack’s mother cried. “Are you really such a fool, such a blockhead, such an ass that you gave up my Belyanka, the milkiest cow in the whole area, and a smooth, well-fed one at that, for a handful of some bad beans?” It is for you! It is for you! It is for you! And your precious beans - there they are, out the window!.. Well, now you can sleep quickly! And don’t ask for food - you still won’t get a sip or a piece!
And so Jack went up to his attic, to his little room, sad, very sad: he felt sorry for his mother, and he himself was left without dinner.
Finally he fell asleep.
And when I woke up, I barely recognized my room. The sun illuminated only one corner, and everything around was dark and dark.
Jack jumped out of bed, got dressed and went to the window. And what did he see? Yes, something like a big tree. And it was his beans that sprouted. Jack's mother threw them out of the window into the garden in the evening, they sprouted, and the huge stem stretched and stretched up and up until it reached the sky. It turns out that the old man was telling the truth!
A beanstalk grew right next to Jack's window. So Jack opened the window, jumped onto the stem and climbed up as if on a ladder. And he climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, until finally he reached the very sky. There he saw a long and wide road, straight as an arrow. I walked along this road, and walked, and walked, and walked, until I came to a huge, huge, tall house. And at the threshold of this house stood a huge, huge, tall woman.
Good morning, madam! - said Jack very politely. - Be so kind as to give me something for breakfast, please!
After all, Jack went to bed without dinner and was now hungry as a wolf.
Would you like to have breakfast? - said a huge, huge, tall woman. “You yourself will end up as someone else’s breakfast if you don’t get out of here!” My husband is a cannibal, and his favorite food is boys fried in breadcrumbs. You better leave while you're still alive, otherwise he'll be back soon.
Oh, madam, I beg you, give me something to eat! - Jack continued. “I haven’t had a crumb in my mouth since yesterday morning.” I'm telling the real truth. And does it matter whether they fry me or I die of hunger?
I must say that the cannibal was not a bad woman. She took Jack into the kitchen and gave him a piece of bread with cheese and a jug of milk. Before Jack had even eaten half of his breakfast, suddenly - top! top! top! - the whole house shook from someone’s steps.
Oh my God! Yes, this is my old man! - the cannibal gasped. - What to do? Hurry up and jump here!
And only she managed to push Jack into the oven when the cannibal giant himself entered.
Well, he was great - a mountain! Three calves, tied by the legs, dangled from his belt. The ogre untied them, threw them on the table and said:
Come on, wife, fry me a couple for breakfast! Wow! What does that smell like here?
Fi-fi-fo-fam,
I can smell the British spirit there.
Whether he is dead or alive, -
It will be for my breakfast.
What are you doing, hubby? - his wife told him. “You imagined it.” Or maybe it still smells like the little boy we had for lunch yesterday - remember, you liked him. Better go wash up and change clothes, and in the meantime I’ll prepare breakfast.
The cannibal came out, and Jack was about to get out of the oven and run away, but the cannibal did not let him in.
“Wait until he falls asleep,” she said. “After breakfast he always goes to bed.”
And so the cannibal had breakfast, then went to a huge chest, took out two bags of gold from it and sat down to count the coins. He counted and counted, and finally began to nod off and began to snore, so much so that the whole house began to shake again.
Then Jack slowly crawled out of the oven, tiptoed past the cannibal, grabbed one bag of gold and, God bless his feet! - rushed to the beanstalk. He threw the bag down, straight into the garden, and he began to climb down the stem lower and lower, until he finally found himself at his house.
Jack told his mother about everything that had happened to him, handed her a bag of gold and said:
Well, mom, did I tell the truth about my beans? See, they really are magical!
And so Jack and his mother began to live on the money that was in the bag. But eventually the bag was empty, and Jack decided to try his luck one more time at the top of the beanstalk. One fine morning he got up early and climbed up the beanstalk and kept climbing, and climbing, and climbing, and climbing, and climbing, and climbing, until finally he found himself on a familiar road and reached along it a huge, huge, tall Houses. Just like last time, a huge, huge, tall woman stood at the threshold.
“Good morning, madam,” Jack said to her as if nothing had happened. “Please be so kind as to give me something to eat!”
Get out of here quickly, little boy! - answered the giantess. - Otherwise my husband will eat you at breakfast. Eh, no, wait a minute, aren’t you the same boy who came here recently? You know, on that very day my husband’s bag of gold disappeared.
These are miracles, madam! - says Jack. “I really could tell you something about this, but I’m so hungry that until I eat at least a bite, I won’t be able to say a word.”
Then the giantess was so curious that she let Jack in and gave him something to eat. And Jack deliberately began to chew as slowly as possible. But suddenly - top! top! top! - the giant’s steps were heard, and the giantess again hid Jack in the oven.
Then everything was like the last time: the cannibal came in, said: “Fi-fi-fo-fam...” and so on, had breakfast with three roasted bulls, and then ordered his wife:
Wife, bring me the chicken - the one that lays golden eggs!
The giantess brought it, and the cannibal said to the chicken: “Run!” - and she laid a golden egg. Then the cannibal began to nod off and began to snore so that the whole house shook.
Then Jack slowly crawled out of the oven, grabbed the golden chicken and instantly ran away. But then the chicken clucked and woke up the cannibal. And just as Jack was running out of the house, the giant’s voice was heard:
Wife, hey wife, don't touch my golden chicken! And his wife answered him:
What did you imagine, hubby?
That's all Jack managed to hear. He rushed as fast as he could towards the beanstalk and literally fell down it.
Jack returned home, showed his mother the miracle chicken and shouted:
And the hen laid a golden egg. From then on, every time Jack told her to “go!”, the hen laid a golden egg.
That's it. But this was not enough for Jack, and soon he again decided to try his luck at the top of the beanstalk. One fine morning he got up early and climbed the beanstalk and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed until he got to the very top. True, this time he was careful not to immediately enter the cannibals’ house, but crept up to it slowly and hid in the bushes. He waited until the giantess walked into the water with a bucket, and - he snuck into the house! He climbed into the copper cauldron and waited. He didn't wait long; suddenly he hears the familiar “top! top! top!” And then the cannibal and his wife enter the room.
Fi-fi-fo-fam, I smell the spirit of the British there! - the cannibal shouted. - I feel it, I feel it, wife!
Can you really hear it, hubby? - says the giantess. - Well, if it’s that brat who stole your gold and the hen with the golden eggs, he’s certainly sitting in the oven!
And both rushed to the stove. It's a good thing Jack wasn't hiding in it!
You are always with your “fi-fi-fo-fam!” - said the dude-eater. “Yes, it smells like the boy you caught yesterday.” I just fried it for you for breakfast. Well, I have a memory! Yes, and you are good too - after so many years you have not learned to distinguish a living spirit from a dead one!
Finally the cannibal sat down at the table to have breakfast. But every now and then he muttered:
Yes, but still I can swear that... - and getting up from the table, he rummaged through the pantry, and the chests, and the supplies... He searched all the corners and crannies, but he didn’t think of looking into the copper cauldron.
But then the cannibal had breakfast and shouted:
Wife, wife, bring me my golden harp! His wife brought the harp and placed it on the table in front of him.
Sing! - the giant ordered the harp.
And the golden harp began to sing, so well that you’ll be able to hear it! And she sang and sang until the cannibal fell asleep and began to snore: and he snored so loudly that it seemed as if thunder was roaring.
Here Jack lightly lifted the lid of the cauldron. He crawled out of it quietly, like a mouse, and crawled on all fours all the way to the table. He climbed onto the table, grabbed the golden harp and rushed to the door.
But the harp called loudly and loudly:
Master! Master!
The ogre woke up and saw Jack running away with his harp.
Jack ran headlong, and the cannibal followed him and, of course,
would have caught him, but Jack was the first to rush to the door; besides, he knew the road well. So he jumped onto a beanstalk, and the cannibal is catching up. But suddenly Jack disappeared somewhere. The cannibal reached the end of the road, he saw Jack already below - he was in a hurry with his last strength. The giant was afraid to step on the shaky stem, stopped, stood, and Jack descended even lower. But then the harp called again:
Master! Master!
The giant stepped on the beanstalk, and the stalk shook under his weight.
Here Jack descends lower and lower, and the ogre follows him. And when Jack got to the roof of his house, he shouted:
Mother! Mother! Bring the axe, bring the axe! The mother ran out with an ax in her hands, rushed to the beanstalk, and froze in horror: after all, the giant above had already made a hole in the clouds with his knives. Finally Jack jumped to the ground, grabbed an ax and slashed at the beanstalk so hard that he nearly cut it in half.
The ogre felt the stem swaying violently and stopped. "What's happened?" - thinks. Then Jack hits the ax again - he completely cuts the beanstalk. The stem swayed and collapsed, and the ogre fell to the ground and broke his neck.
Jack showed his mother the golden harp, and then they began to show it for money, and also sell golden eggs. And when they got rich, Jack married the princess and lived happily ever after.
Once upon a time there lived a poor widow, and she had only one son, Jack, and a cow, Belyanka. The cow gave milk every morning, and the mother and son sold it at the market - that’s what they lived on. But one day Belyanka didn’t give milk, and they simply didn’t know what to do.
What should we do? What should I do? - the mother repeated, wringing her hands.
Don't be sad, mom! - said Jack. - I'll hire someone to work for me.
“You’ve already tried to get hired, but no one will hire you,” the mother answered. “No, apparently we’ll have to sell our Belyanka and use the proceeds to open a shop or do some other business.”
“Well, okay, mom,” Jack agreed. - Today is market day, and I will quickly sell Belyanka. And then we’ll decide what to do.
And so Jack took the reins in his hands and led the cow to the market. But he didn’t have time to go far when he met some wonderful old man.
Good morning, Jack! - said the old man.
Good morning to you too! - Jack answered, and he himself is surprised: how does the old man know his name?
Well, Jack, where are you going? - asked the old man.
To the market, to sell a cow.
So-so! Who should trade cows if not you! - the old man laughed. - Tell me, how many beans do you need to make five?
Exactly two in each hand and one in your mouth! - Jack answered: he was a good guy.
Right! - said the old man. - Look, here they are, these same beans! - and the old man pulled out a handful of some strange beans from his pocket. “And since you’re so smart,” the old man continued, “I wouldn’t mind trading with you—beans for you, cow for me!”
Go on your way! - Jack got angry. - It will be better that way!
“Uh, you don’t know what kind of beans these are,” said the old man. - Plant them in the evening, and by morning they will grow to the very sky.
Yah? Is it true? - Jack was surprised.
The real truth! And if not, you take your cow back.
OK! - Jack agreed: he gave Belyanka to the old man, and put the beans in his pocket.
Jack turned back and came home early - it was not yet dark.
How! Are you back already, Jack? - the mother was surprised. - I see Belyanka is not with you, does that mean you sold her? How much did they give you for it?
You'll never guess, Mom! - Jack answered.
Yah? Oh my goodness! Five pounds? Ten? Fifteen? Well, they wouldn’t give it twenty!
I told you - you won’t guess! What can you say about these beans? They are magical. Plant them in the evening and...
What?! - Jack's mother cried. “Are you really such a fool, such a blockhead, such an ass that you gave up my Belyanka, the milkiest cow in the whole area, and a smooth, well-fed one at that, for a handful of some bad beans?” It is for you! It is for you! It is for you! And your precious beans - there they are, out the window!.. Well, now you can sleep quickly! And don’t ask for food - you still won’t get a sip or a piece!
And so Jack went up to his attic, to his little room, sad, very sad: he felt sorry for his mother, and he himself was left without dinner.
Finally he fell asleep.
And when I woke up, I barely recognized my room. The sun illuminated only one corner, and everything around was dark and dark.
Jack jumped out of bed, got dressed and went to the window. And what did he see? Yes, something like a big tree. And it was his beans that sprouted. Jack's mother threw them out of the window into the garden in the evening, they sprouted, and the huge stem stretched and stretched up and up until it reached the sky. It turns out that the old man was telling the truth!
A beanstalk grew right next to Jack's window. So Jack opened the window, jumped onto the stem and climbed up as if on a ladder. And he climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, and climbed, until finally he reached the very sky. There he saw a long and wide road, straight as an arrow. I walked along this road, and walked, and walked, and walked, until I came to a huge, huge, tall house. And at the threshold of this house stood a huge, huge, tall woman.
Good morning, madam! - Jack said very politely. - Be so kind as to give me something for breakfast, please!
After all, Jack went to bed without dinner and was now hungry as a wolf.
Would you like to have breakfast? - said a huge, huge, tall woman. - Yes, you yourself will end up with others for breakfast if you don’t get out of here! My husband is a cannibal, and his favorite food is boys fried in breadcrumbs. You better leave while you're still alive, otherwise he'll be back soon.
Oh, madam, I beg you, give me something to eat! - Jack did not let up. “I haven’t had a crumb in my mouth since yesterday morning.” I'm telling the real truth. And does it matter whether they fry me or I die of hunger?
I must say that the cannibal was not a bad woman. She took Jack into the kitchen and gave him a piece of bread with cheese and a jug of milk. But before Jack had even eaten half of his breakfast, suddenly - top! top! top! - the whole house shook from someone’s steps.
Oh my God! Yes, this is my old man! - the cannibal gasped. - What to do? Hurry up and jump here!
And only she managed to push Jack into the oven when the cannibal giant himself entered.
Well, he was great - a mountain! Three calves, tied by the legs, dangled from his belt. The ogre untied them, threw them on the table and said:
Come on, wife, fry me a couple for breakfast! Wow! What does that smell like here?
Fi-fi-fo-fam,
I can smell the British spirit there.
Whether he's dead or alive,
It will be for my breakfast.
What are you doing, hubby? - his wife told him. - You imagined it. Or maybe it still smells like the little boy we had for lunch yesterday - remember, you liked him. Better go wash up and change clothes, and in the meantime I’ll prepare breakfast.
The cannibal came out, and Jack was about to get out of the oven and run away, but the cannibal did not let him in.
“Wait until he falls asleep,” she said. - After breakfast he always goes to bed.
And so the cannibal had breakfast, then went to a huge chest, took out two bags of gold from it and sat down to count the coins. He counted and counted, and finally began to nod off and began to snore, so much so that the whole house began to shake again.
Then Jack slowly crawled out of the oven, tiptoed past the cannibal, grabbed one bag of gold and, God bless his feet! - rushed to the beanstalk. He threw the bag down, straight into the garden, and he began to climb down the stem lower and lower, until he finally found himself at his house.
Jack told his mother about everything that had happened to him, handed her a bag of gold and said:
Well, mom, did I tell the truth about my beans? See, they really are magical!
And so Jack and his mother began to live on the money that was in the bag. But eventually the bag was empty, and Jack decided to try his luck one more time at the top of the beanstalk. One fine morning he got up early and climbed up the beanstalk and kept climbing, and climbing, and climbing, and climbing, and climbing, and climbing, until finally he found himself on a familiar road and reached along it a huge, huge, tall Houses. Just like last time, a huge, huge, tall woman stood at the threshold.
“Good morning, madam,” Jack told her as if nothing had happened. - Be so kind as to give me something to eat, please!
Get out of here quickly, little boy! - answered the giantess. - Otherwise my husband will eat you for breakfast. Eh, no, wait a minute, aren’t you the same boy who came here recently? You know, on that very day my husband’s bag of gold disappeared.
These are miracles, madam! - says Jack. “True, I could tell you something about this, but I’m so hungry that until I eat at least a bite, I won’t be able to say a word.”
Then the giantess was so curious that she let Jack in and gave him something to eat. And Jack deliberately began to chew as slowly as possible. But suddenly - top! top! top! - the giant’s steps were heard, and the giantess again hid Jack in the oven.
Then everything was like the last time: the cannibal came in, said: “Fi-fi-fo-fam...” and so on, had breakfast with three roasted bulls, and then ordered his wife:
Wife, bring me the chicken - the one that lays golden eggs!
The giantess brought it, and the cannibal said to the chicken: “Run!” - and she laid a golden egg. Then the cannibal began to nod off and began to snore so that the whole house shook.
Then Jack slowly crawled out of the oven, grabbed the golden chicken and instantly ran away. But then the chicken clucked and woke up the cannibal. And just as Jack was running out of the house, the giant’s voice was heard:
Wife, hey wife, don't touch my golden chicken!
And his wife answered him:
What did you imagine, hubby?
That's all Jack managed to hear. He rushed as fast as he could towards the beanstalk and literally fell down it.
Jack returned home, showed his mother the miracle chicken and shouted:
And the hen laid a golden egg. From then on, every time Jack told her to “go!”, the hen laid a golden egg.
That's it. But this was not enough for Jack, and soon he again decided to try his luck at the top of the beanstalk. One fine morning he got up early and climbed the beanstalk and climbed and climbed and climbed and climbed until he got to the very top. True, this time he was careful not to immediately enter the cannibals’ house, but crept up to it slowly and hid in the bushes. He waited until the giantess walked into the water with a bucket, and - he snuck into the house! He climbed into the copper cauldron and waited. He didn't wait long; suddenly he hears the familiar “top! top! top! And then the cannibal and his wife enter the room.
Fi-fi-fo-fam, I can smell the spirit of the British there! - the cannibal shouted. - I feel it, I feel it, wife!
Can you really hear it, hubby? - says the giantess. - Well, if it’s that brat who stole your gold and the hen with the golden eggs, he’s certainly sitting in the oven!
And both rushed to the stove. It's a good thing Jack wasn't hiding in it!
You are always with your “fi-fi-fo-fam!” - said the cannibal. - Yes, it smells like the boy you caught yesterday. I just fried it for you for breakfast. Well, I have a memory! Yes, and you are good too - after so many years you have not learned to distinguish a living spirit from a dead one!
Finally the cannibal sat down at the table to have breakfast. But every now and then he muttered:
Yes, but still I can swear that... - and getting up from the table, he rummaged through the pantry, and the chests, and the supplies... He searched all the corners and crannies, but didn’t think of looking into the copper cauldron.
But then the cannibal had breakfast and shouted:
Wife, wife, bring me my golden harp! His wife brought the harp and placed it on the table in front of him.
Sing! - the giant ordered the harp.
And the golden harp began to sing, so well that you’ll be able to hear it! And she sang and sang until the cannibal fell asleep and began to snore: and he snored so loudly that it seemed as if thunder was roaring.
Here Jack lightly lifted the lid of the cauldron. He crawled out of it quietly, like a mouse, and crawled on all fours all the way to the table. He climbed onto the table, grabbed the golden harp and rushed to the door.
But the harp called loudly and loudly:
Master! Master!
The ogre woke up and saw Jack running away with his harp.
Jack ran headlong, and the ogre followed him and, of course, would have caught him, but Jack was the first to rush to the door; besides, he knew the road well. So he jumped onto a beanstalk, and the cannibal is catching up. But suddenly Jack disappeared somewhere. The cannibal reached the end of the road, he saw Jack already below - he was in a hurry with his last strength. The giant was afraid to step on the shaky stem, stopped, stood, and Jack descended even lower. But then the harp called again:
Master! Master!
The giant stepped on the beanstalk, and the stalk shook under his weight.
Here Jack descends lower and lower, and the ogre follows him. And when Jack got to the roof of his house, he shouted:
Mother! Mother! Bring the axe, bring the axe! The mother ran out with an ax in her hands, rushed to the beanstalk, and froze in horror: after all, the giant above had already made a hole in the clouds with his knives. Finally Jack jumped to the ground, grabbed an ax and slashed at the beanstalk so hard that he nearly cut it in half.
The ogre felt the stem swaying violently and stopped. "What's happened?" - thinks. Then Jack hits the ax again - he completely cuts the beanstalk. The stem swayed and collapsed, and the ogre fell to the ground and broke his neck.
Jack showed his mother the golden harp, and then they began to show it for money, and also sell golden eggs. And when they got rich, Jack married the princess and lived happily ever after.
Illustrations: John Patience
Once upon a time there was a boy named Jack. His father died long ago, and he and his mother were left alone. They were very poor. More precisely, they had nothing except one single cow that gave them milk.
But, alas, the day came when the cow stopped milking, and Jack’s mother decided that it would be better to sell her then. She ordered to take the cow to the nearest town and sell it there at the fair. “Yes, as expensive as possible,” she strictly punished. Jack hit the road. But as soon as he walked a couple of miles, he saw a strange short old man, barely reaching his shoulder, walking along the road towards him.
Hello boy! “Sell me your cow,” the old man suggested. - And in payment I will give you five bean grains. If you plant them in the ground, then very soon they will make you rich.
Before Jack had time to utter a word in response, the old man disappeared along with the cow, as if he had never existed at all. Jack wondered if he had done the right thing by agreeing to such an exchange. What will your mother say to this? But the job was done and with a heavy heart he went back home.
How? Why did you come back so soon? - the mother was surprised. - Well, how many coins did you sell the cow for?
For five bean grains.
What a dumbass you are! We need money so badly, there is nothing to eat in the house! - Mother shouted at Jack. - And how could you come up with such a thing!
She grabbed the beans and threw them out the window, and sent Jack to bed hungry. When Jack woke up the next morning, he could not recognize his little room. She was all flooded
pleasant greenish light. Jack went to the window and saw an amazing picture - the beans that his mother threw out of the window yesterday sprouted overnight, their shoots intertwined into a huge stem that went high, high into the sky.
Jack carefully got dressed so as not to wake his still sleeping mother, climbed over the windowsill straight onto the stem and began to climb up it. He was simply sure that the wealth that the old man told him about was waiting for him up there.
Jack rose higher and higher. He looked down - the ground was so far away that he became scared, he felt dizzy, and Jack almost fell and fell. He decided not to look down anymore and stubbornly climbed up. Finally he got to the clouds, climbed a little higher and saw a long road.
Jack walked along the road and soon saw a huge castle ahead. He walked to the castle gate and knocked. Soon a huge woman opened the door for him.
Get out of here as quickly as possible,” she advised Jack. “If my giant husband finds you here, he will eat you.”
Oh, I beg you, have mercy on me! – Jack begged. – I’m so hungry, do you have anything to eat?
The giantess took pity on Jack. She led him into the kitchen and gave him a piece of bread with cheese. As soon as Jack had time to eat, heavy footsteps were heard outside the door and a thunderous voice roared:
Bang, bang, bang, bang,
I feel the human spirit.
Whether you are alive or dead,
It's all over for you.
Oh my God, it's my husband! You're in deep trouble! - the giantess cried. - Hurry up and get into the oven!
The giant burst into the kitchen, looked around suspiciously, sniffed, but his wife calmed him down.
“It can’t smell like anything here except my oatmeal,” she said, putting a giant bowl of porridge on the table.
The giant grumbled some more and began to eat the porridge. Having emptied the bowl, he took several bags from the cupboard, poured a whole bunch of gold coins out of one of them onto the table and began to count them.
One, two, three, four...
The longer he counted, the more often he yawned and, having counted to ten, fell soundly asleep. All this time Jack was spying on the giant through the crack in the stove door. And, hearing snoring, he came out of the stove and climbed onto the table, grabbed a bag of gold coins and started running.
This gold lasted a long time for Jack and his mother, but the day came when they spent the last coin. Then Jack decided to climb up the beanstalk again and get more money. So he did. The giantess recognized him immediately and asked where the bag of gold had gone.
“I’ll tell you everything,” Jack promised her, “just please feed me first.”
The giantess took Jack into the castle and gave him something to eat. Heavy footsteps were heard outside the door again, and again Jack had to hide. After feeding her husband, the giantess brought him a small chicken.
Chicken, come on, lay an egg for me! - the giant ordered, and the hen indeed immediately laid an egg and it was made of pure gold. Soon the giant fell asleep. Then Jack got out of the oven, grabbed a wonderful chicken, ran out of the castle and quickly descended along the beanstalk down to the ground straight into his garden.
How happy the mother was with their new chicken! She could not get enough of her, seeing more and more golden eggs every time.
Now we will never go hungry,” she said.
Time passed, but Jack began to get bored and decided to climb the beanstalk once again. He guessed that the giantess would not be happy with him, and so he waited until she left the castle to hang up her laundry, and he sneaked into the castle and hid in a copper pot.
Soon the giant came home and, sniffing the air, shouted:
Buh, buh, buh, buh,
I feel the human spirit!
Whether you are alive or dead,
It's all over for you.
But then the giantess came and began to assure her husband that he had imagined it. The giant calmed down and sat down at the table to eat. Having eaten his fill, he shouted:
Come on, wife, bring my harp!
The wife brought the harp and placed it on the table.
Sing, harp! - the giant ordered, and the harp tenderly sang a lullaby.
Soon the giant fell asleep and Jack got out of his hiding place, tiptoed to the table, grabbed the harp and started to run. But this time he was not as lucky as before: the harp suddenly shouted loudly: “Master! Master!" - the giant woke up and ran after the thief. Out of fear, Jack ran faster than the wind and, having reached the beanstalk, began to quickly go down.
Suddenly Jack heard a terrible crash and roar, from which Jack and the beanstalk began to shake - it was the giant descending after him! Jack began to descend even faster.
Mother! – he shouted, finding himself on the ground. - Bring the ax quickly!
Grabbing the axe, Jack swung it, slashed at the beanstalk and cut it down with three blows. The beanstalk swayed - its top appeared from behind the clouds - and fell to the ground with all its strength. And along with the beanstalk, the giant himself collapsed with a terrible roar and crash. The earth shook - from the blow the giant made such a huge hole in it that he could not get out of it.
The beanstalk withered, but it didn’t matter anymore because the hen diligently laid golden eggs, and the harp sang, and Jack and his mother never needed again.
End
English fairy tales for children. Jack and the Beanstalk