David and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Indianapolis. The only difference was that João had a huge yard, all grassy, where many cows and chickens used to live. Nowadays, João lived with his mother and a single cow in the yard, named Branca. Sometimes, her milk was all they had to eat in a day. But whenever David could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and David enjoyed their interest in History. That day, they were playing with David’s interest in History.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called David, and with laughter, they headed to the market. But when they passed by a corner, they met a kind old man who quickly came to talk to João and David.
“Hello, young men!” said the old man, smiling. “I see you have a fine cow there. Would you be interested in trading her for something magical?”
João’s eyes lit up. “Magical?” he asked, his voice full of wonder.
“Indeed!” said the old man. “These are magic beans! Plant them, and they will grow a beanstalk that reaches the clouds!”
David’s adventurous spirit bubbled over. “A beanstalk? That’s amazing!” he exclaimed. “Imagine what treasures we could find!”
João, ever the practical one, added, “Beans provide more food than milk!”
João and David quickly thought, beans provide more food than milk! So they accepted the offer! “Alright, old man, we’ll trade,” said João.
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and David. “You fools!” she cried. “Those are just regular beans!”
João’s mother asked David to go home and for João to go to bed. At night, crying because he didn’t know what they would eat the next day, João threw the beans out the window in anger and went to sleep too.
The next day, the beans proved to be magical! A beanstalk that reached up to the clouds had grown in João’s yard! Although João’s mother wasn’t sure what to do with it, whether to sell beans, she didn’t worry and let João meet David to go play.
João and David, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… David, ever the adventurer, scrambled up with João, his green eyes wide with excitement. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and David, and though she was kind, she asked them to leave because her husband was a giant who ate children!
The ground began to shake, and João and David hid. In their hiding spot, they found some gold coins on the ground, and João quickly put them in his pocket. When they thought they could run away from the giant, they did, and managed to climb down the beanstalk quickly.
“Our Time tunnel is better than where we hid,” said David, smiling.
“You’re right, David,” said João. “We’ll live simply, but when the coins run out, we’ll climb the beanstalk again.”
For a long time, João and his mother lived simply but comfortably with the coins João had taken. Now, João’s mother gave pieces of cake for David to take home, repaying the kindness. “My family will be very happy with the cake,” said David, his brown hair bouncing with excitement.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and David decided to climb the beanstalk again, knowing the danger of the giant. This time, they entered the castle and hid in the kitchen. There, the giant was taking care of a fat hen. And when they least expected it, João and David saw the hen lay golden eggs! They waited for the giant to fall asleep, and managed to capture the hen, who didn’t make any noise. Then they climbed down with her! It was difficult, but they succeeded! David, always the adventurer, helped João carry the hen down, making sure she didn’t get hurt.
João’s mother was happy, they would always have something to eat! But João had seen a golden harp on his way out of the castle and thought he would go alone this time.
The next day, João didn’t play with David and climbed the beanstalk again. He intended to be quick since he knew where the harp was. But this time, the giant was waiting for João at the door. The giant chased João, but the boy finally managed to escape!
Very distressed, João went to David’s house and told them what had happened. They had the idea to cut down the beanstalk so the giant could never come down, and anyway, João’s mother was already happy with the fat hen that laid golden eggs.
João and David managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. They succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down. “We only need the essentials, no more, no less,” said David, his green eyes twinkling. “Danger isn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and David for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
