Joseph and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Charlotte, just a short walk from each other. 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 Joseph could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass, and João’s mother was always grateful. João loved playing tag, and Joseph enjoyed their interest in Robotics. That day, they were playing with Joseph's interest in Robotics, building little robots out of cardboard boxes and bottle caps.
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Joseph, 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 Joseph.
“Hey there, young men,” the old man said. “What are you doing with that cow?”
“We’re going to sell her,” João said, his voice a little sad.
“Well, I have something that could be useful,” the old man said, holding out his hand. “Magic beans! These beans will give you more food than that cow ever could!”
João and Joseph quickly thought, “beans provide more food than milk!” So they accepted the offer!
“How many beans do you want?” the old man asked.
“Just enough for a meal,” Joseph said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
They were both fascinated by the idea of magic beans. They felt like they had discovered a secret that would solve all their problems.
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Joseph. The beans were just ordinary beans, and they couldn’t provide any food.
“I’m sorry, João,” Joseph said, putting his arm on his friend’s shoulder.
João’s mother asked Joseph 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 Joseph to go play.
João and Joseph, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… They climbed with excitement, Joseph using his robotic arms to help them climb faster. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Joseph, 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 Joseph 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.
“Robot planet is much better than this place,” Joseph said as they raced down the beanstalk.
João agreed with Joseph that they would live simply, but when the coins ran out, they would 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 Joseph to take home, repaying the kindness.
“My family will love this cake,” Joseph said, smiling.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Joseph 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 Joseph 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, using Joseph's robotic arms to hold on to the beanstalk as they climbed down.
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 Joseph 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 Joseph’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 Joseph managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. It was difficult for Joseph being only seven years old, but they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need are the essentials, no more, no less, just the essentials!” Joseph said. “And danger wasn’t worth it!”
João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Joseph for a delicious afternoon snack!
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
