Once upon a time, poor Jack and his mother, so poor, only one cow and an empty house, absolutely no food, his mother's voice like a siren, a loud angry squeal,
"To the market, boy! To the market with the cow, now!"
toward the market on the empty road with a cow on a leash, Jack in his humble attire, when all of the sudden, a wealthy looking passerby,
"What a nice cow, what a very splendid cow there on that leash! How much? How much gold for that cow?"
such rich clothes on his back, much richer than Jack,
"5 gold pieces."
the clang and cling of several items on the ground, the man in shock,
"For that cow!? Too much, way too much! Away, away from me now, heathen!"
the final steps toward the market like a soldier's dying breath, quiet and slow, Jack in a daze of painful tiredness,
"Hello, boy, that cow for sale? How much money?"
the mysterious merchant with a friendly air, many amazing trinkets in his shop,
"Five gold pieces."
suddenly angry, the merchant's smile now a vicious frown, his face, a vicious stare,
"Out! Out of my shop, now! Why the very idea! Five gold pieces, enough for five cows, five better cows. Away, away at once!"
Effete, hungry, and still poor, Jack's slow steps, even softer than before, no hope, absolutely no hope, an old man in robes of strange color? Definitely not even worth the trouble,
"Ahh, greetings, little one, a beautiful sunset, eh? A beautiful sunset indeed. Oh wow, what a lovely little cow, and your look, that of a peddler, hopefully a peddler of good price. How much gold? How much for your pet?"
Earnestness in his face, eagerness in his voice, willingness in his hands, maybe, just maybe, yes, perhaps this man,
"Five gold pieces?"
"Hmmm, what a strange offer, neither the true worth in milk, nor the true worth in meat, very strange, but very fair, certainly fair enough for me..."
A wide smile, wide as the sun on Jack’s face, but not for long,
“...however, what bad luck, what bad luck indeed,”
An empty purse between the shaking hands, no gold, a frown on Jack's face as sad as a widow, the tears 'round his cheeks, an ocean of streams,
"Why such a sad face, child?"
"My mother."
"Ahhh, your mother. With what words?"
"Five gold pieces or nothing! Five gold pieces or death!"
"Harsh, very harsh indeed, too harsh for a boy your age. Hmm, well, with no gold, and such rotten luck.... "
The fumbling sound of the odds and ends in the old man’s pocket, a curious little Jack, face agleam with dry red skin,
“Here. Here, my offer.”
Five tiny beans on the palm of wrinkly a hand, nothing more, nothing less, Jack’s frown new again, his head toward the ground,
“Beans? No, not beans, ’Five gold pieces or death!’ not beans.”
On the old man’s face, a peculiar little smile,
“How about magic beans?”
“Magic beans? What?”
to be continued..................
