Once upon a time, there was a poor widow who had an only son named Jack and a cow named Milky-White.
They lived off the milk the cow provided every morning, which they took to market to sell.
But one morning, Milky-White gave no milk, and they didn't know what to do.
“What are we going to do? What are we going to do?“ the widow cried, wringing her hands.
“Don't worry, Mum, I'll go and find work somewhere,“ said Jack.
“We've tried that before, and nobody would hire you,“ his mum replied.
“We have no choice but to sell Milky-White, and use the money to start a shop or something.“
“All right, Mum,“ said Jack.
“It's market day today. I'll take Milky-White to sell, and then we'll see what we can do next.“

So Jack took the cow's halter in his hand and set off on his way.
He hadn't gone far when he met a peculiar-looking old man who greeted him
“Good morning, Jack.“
“Good morning to you,“ replied Jack, curious about how the man knew his name.
“Well, Jack, where are you headed?“ asked the old man.
“I'm going to market to sell our cow,“ said Jack.
“Ah, you look like the right sort of lad to sell cows,“ said the old man with a grin.
“But tell me, do you know how many beans make five?“
“Two in each hand and one in your mouth,“ Jack answered quickly, sharp as a needle.

“Exactly right,” said the old man, “and here they are: the very beans themselves.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of strange-looking beans.
“Since you're so sharp,” he continued, “I don’t mind making a trade: your cow for these beans.”
“Oh, come on,” said Jack. “You must be joking.”
“Ah, but you don’t know what these beans are,” said the man. “If you plant them overnight, by morning they'll grow right up to the sky.”
“Really?” said Jack, intrigued. “You’re not serious.”
“I am indeed. And if it doesn’t turn out to be true, you can have your cow back.”
“Deal,” said Jack, handing over Milky-White’s halter and pocketing the beans.

Jack went back home, and since he hadn't gone far, it wasn't even dusk by the time he reached his door.
“Back already, Jack?“ said his mum. “I see you don't have Milky-White with you, so you've sold her. How much did you get for her?“
“You'll never guess, Mum,“ said Jack.
“No, don't tell me. Good boy! Five pounds? Ten? Fifteen? No, it couldn't be twenty.“
“I told you, you wouldn't be able to guess. How about these beans? They're magical! Plant them overnight and-“
“What!“ cried Jack's mum. “You gave away my Milky-White, the best milker in the parish and prime beef to boot, for a handful of worthless beans?“
She was furious.

So Jack went up to his little room in the attic, feeling sad and regretful.
Despite everything, he decided to plant the beans anyway.
Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

When Jack woke up, the room looked strange. The sun was shining into one part of it, but the rest was completely dark and shadowy.
Jack quickly jumped up, got dressed, and went to the window. And what do you think he saw?
There, right where Jack had planted the beans, stood a giant beanstalk. It had grown and grown, reaching all the way up to the sky.
So the old man had told the truth after all.

The beanstalk grew right past Jack's window, so all he had to do was open it and jump onto the beanstalk, which rose up like a giant ladder.
Curious to see where it led, Jack decided to climb it, so he said goodbye to his mum and began his ascent.
He climbed and climbed, higher and higher, until he was surrounded by clouds.
Finally, he reached an enormous green valley in the sky. As he stepped onto the grassy surface, he immediately spotted a massive castle. Nearby, he noticed an old woman.

Jack approached the woman and asked,
“Hello, Madam, is that your home?“
“No,“ replied the old lady. “But I can tell you the story of that castle...
Once upon a time, a noble knight lived in that castle on the border of Fairyland. He was known for his bravery, kindness, and the vast treasures he protected within the castle walls. He, his wife, and their children were beloved by all their neighbours, and the castle was filled with riches-gold, jewels, and magical items-that the knight had collected from his many adventures. One day, an evil ogre attacked the castle, seizing the knight and his children. However, the knight's wife and their youngest child were not at home; they were visiting an old nurse. When news of the ogre's attack reached the wife, she knew she had to stay hidden with the nurse to protect her son and herself.“

She continued, “Eventually, the old nurse passed away, and the woman and her son continued to live at the nurse's modest home, struggling in poverty, far from the wealth they once knew. Meanwhile, the ogre and his wife moved into the castle, taking over the treasures and all that rightfully belonged to the knight's family, and they still live there to this day.“
The old lady paused and looked at Jack.
“Now, let me tell you who the woman and her son are...
The son is you, and the woman is your mum, and that castle, with all its treasures, belonged to your father.
You must reclaim it from the ogre so that you and your mum can have what is rightfully yours.“

Jack was stunned.
“My poor mum,“ he said softly.
“Do you have the courage to face the ogre?“ asked the old woman.
“I must have the courage to do what is right,“ Jack answered determinedly.
“Good,“ said the woman. “To defeat the ogre, you must enter the castle and, if possible, take back the bag of gold, the hen that lays golden eggs, and the harp that speaks. Remember, you are not stealing; everything in that castle rightfully belongs to you and your family.“
Then, suddenly, the woman vanished, and Jack realised she was a fairy.

Jack ran to the castle and rang the bell. An old lady opened the door.
“Hello, Madam,“ Jack greeted politely, “Could you please give me something to eat? I'm very hungry.“
The woman looked at Jack and said:
“You want breakfast? It's too dangerous! You must leave right away, or my husband, a fierce giant, will not be pleased to see you here. He dislikes strangers and can get angry at any moment. You should go quickly because he'll be back soon.“
Jack pleaded,
“Please, Madam, I'm really hungry. No matter how dangerous it is, I'd rather stay and eat than starve to death.“

Just then, Jack heard a loud thump on the stairs, followed by a booming voice calling out:
“Fee-fi-fo-fum,
I sense the presence of someone.
Whether they're near or whether they've fled,
I'll find them, wherever they've tread.“
“Wife,“ bellowed the ogre, “I can sense someone in the castle. Are they trying to steal from me?“
But the ogre's wife quickly responded, assuring him that he was mistaken and that no one was in the castle.
“Don't be so suspicious,“ she said. “You always think someone is after your treasures, but there's no one here. Come and rest; you're just imagining things.“
The ogre grumbled but eventually went to sit down, still casting suspicious glances around the room as if expecting someone to jump out at any moment.
Meanwhile, Jack stayed hidden, holding his breath, hoping the ogre would believe his wife's words.

Later, the ogre went out for a walk, and Jack stayed behind to help the ogre's wife with her many chores around the enormous castle.
As a reward, she served Jack a meal of delicious fruits and vegetables.
That evening, when the ogre returned for supper, Jack quickly hid back in the cupboard, waiting quietly until it was safe again.

The ogre finished his breakfast and then went over to a large chest, pulling out a few bags of gold.
He sat down and began counting the coins, but before long, his head started to droop, and soon he was snoring so loudly that the entire castle shook.
Jack quietly tiptoed out of his hiding place, and as he passed the ogre, he carefully took one of the bags of gold under his arm. He hurried away as fast as he could, racing to the beanstalk.

Jack tossed the bag of gold down, and it landed safely in his mum's garden. He then climbed down the beanstalk as quickly as possible.
When he finally reached home, Jack woke his mum and showed her the bag of gold, eagerly recounting his adventure with the ogre and his wife.
“Well, Mum, wasn't I right about the beans? They really are magical!“
Jack's mum was both stunned and overjoyed at the sight of the gold, realising it would save them from their struggles and lift them out of poverty.

Jack's mum wanted him to stay home and not return to the castle, but Jack convinced her that he had to go back and reclaim their family's castle.
So one fine morning, he woke up early, climbed onto the beanstalk, and began his ascent. He climbed, and he climbed, and he climbed-higher and higher-until at last, he reached the road that led to the great tall house he had visited before.
Sure enough, there on the doorstep stood the ogre's wife.
Jack once again offered to help her with the chores around the castle.
But soon, they heard the heavy footsteps of the ogre approaching, and his wife quickly hid Jack away in the cupboard, just as before.

Everything happened just as it had before. The ogre came in, chanting,
“Fee-fi-fo-fum, Here I come!
Thundering steps, a beat of the drum!
I sense someone, they can't hide,
Through the castle, far and wide!
Fee-fi-fo-fum, you can't run!
I'll find you soon, and then it's done!“
Then, he sat down to a breakfast of three roasted oxen.
After he finished eating, he said
“Wife, bring me the hen that lays the golden eggs.“
She brought it to him, and the ogre commanded,
“Lay,“
and the hen laid an egg made entirely of gold.
Soon after, the ogre began to nod off, and before long, he was snoring so loudly that the whole castle shook.

Jack quietly crept out of the oven on tiptoe, grabbed the golden hen, and dashed off as fast as he could.
But this time, the hen let out a loud cackle, waking the ogre. Just as Jack was escaping the house, he heard the ogre shouting,
“Wife, wife, what have you done with my golden hen?“
His wife replied,
“What do you mean, dear?“
But that was all Jack heard, as he bolted to the beanstalk and began climbing down as quickly as possible.

When Jack got home, he proudly showed his mum the marvellous hen. He said,
“Lay,“
and the hen immediately laid a golden egg. Each time Jack said
“Lay,“
the hen produced another gleaming egg of gold.
Although they now had a source of endless wealth, Jack wasn't satisfied. He knew that there were still many of his family's treasures in the castle that rightfully belonged to them.
Before long, Jack became determined to face the ogre once more at the top of the beanstalk and reclaim all that had been taken from his family.

One fine morning, Jack rose early and headed straight for the beanstalk. He climbed and climbed, higher and higher, until he reached the top.
This time, though, he knew better than to go straight to the ogre's house. Instead, he waited behind a bush near the castle, watching and waiting. When he saw the ogre's wife come out with a pail to fetch water, Jack seized the opportunity to sneak into the house and hide in the cupboard once again.
He hadn't been hiding for long when he heard the familiar thump! thump! thump! of heavy footsteps, as the ogre and his wife entered the castle.

“Fee-fi-fo-fum, Here I come!
Thundering steps, a beat of the drum!
I sense someone, they can't hide,
Through the castle, far and wide!
Fee-fi-fo-fum, you can't run!
I'll find you soon, and then it's done!“ bellowed the ogre.
“I know someone's here, wife, I can sense it!“
The ogre's wife sighed and said,
“There you go again with your fee-fi-fo-fum. I'm just making breakfast, and you must be mistaking the scent of the food for that of a human.“
The ogre sat down to eat his breakfast, but every now and then he would grumble,
“I could have sworn someone was here,“
and he would get up to search the larder, the cupboards, and everywhere else. Fortunately, he never thought to check the cupboard where Jack was hiding.

After finishing his breakfast, the ogre called out,
“Wife, bring me my golden harp!”
She brought the harp and placed it on the table before him. The ogre then commanded, “Sing!” and the golden harp began to play the most beautiful melodies. It continued to sing until the ogre fell asleep and started snoring like thunder.

Jack quietly lifted the copper lid of the closet and slipped out like a mouse. He crept on his hands and knees until he reached the table, then carefully climbed up, grabbed the golden harp, and dashed towards the door.
But the harp suddenly called out loudly, “Help! Help!” and the ogre woke up just in time to see Jack running away with the harp in his arms.

Jack ran as fast as he could, with the ogre chasing close behind. He reached the beanstalk and climbed down for dear life.
From the road above, the ogre saw Jack scrambling below. For a moment he hung back, uneasy on such a shaky ladder.
But the harp cried out, “Master! Master!” and the ogre roared with anger. He seized the beanstalk and began to climb down after Jack, and the whole stalk shook under his weight.

Jack climbed as fast as he could. At last he reached his mother's garden and jumped down safely.
“Quick, Mother! We must cut the beanstalk!” Jack cried.
Together they took an axe from the shed and chopped at the stem with all their strength.

The beanstalk shuddered, broke free from the earth, and curled upward like a withering vine.
It rose swiftly toward the clouds, carrying the ogre with it. He still clung to the chopped stem, roaring with frustration as the wind tugged at his coat and tore a ragged strip from his sleeve.
Up and up they went-the ogre and the broken beanstalk-until both disappeared into the clouds above his castle. Jack and his mother were safe at last, and that magic beanstalk would never grow down to earth again.

Jack showed his mother the golden harp-the last treasure still missing from the castle.
Now he had recaptured all of his family's riches: the bag of gold, the hen that laid golden eggs, and the harp that sang.
With the harp's beautiful music and the wealth from the gold and eggs, Jack and his mother became very rich.
Jack eventually married a great princess, and together they lived happily ever after.