Lucas and João loved being neighbors! They lived in houses near each other in Charlotte. The only difference was João had a big yard, with lots of green grass, where cows and chickens used to live. But now, João lived with his mother and only one cow, named Branca. Sometimes, Branca’s milk was all they had to eat in a day. Whenever he could, Lucas would bring some snacks to share with João. This ensured they had fun playing in the yard, and João’s mother was always happy. João loved playing tag, and Lucas was interested in wild animals. One day, they were playing make-believe, pretending to be explorers searching for new animals.
"Look!" João shouted, pointing to a little squirrel scampering up a tree. "There's a wild animal!"
"Wow!" Lucas exclaimed, peering through his binoculars. He squinted his eyes and whispered, "It looks like he's saying something!"
Lucas had a secret, he could talk to animals! It was his superpower.
"He's saying, 'Thank you for the yummy nuts you left for me!'" Lucas told João, giggling.
But their fun was interrupted. João’s mother came out with a sad face.
"João," she said, "We need more than just milk to eat. We need to sell Branca."
João felt a lump in his throat. He loved Branca!
"We can't sell her!" João cried.
Lucas, with his adventurous spirit, quickly came up with a plan. "Don't worry, João! I have a way to help!"
That afternoon, João and Lucas walked to the market. They laughed and joked, trying to keep their spirits up. But as they passed a corner, they saw a kind old man. The old man quickly stepped forward to speak to the boys.
"Hello, young lads!" he said, smiling. "Would you be interested in some magic beans? They are very special, you know! They can grow anything you want!"
Lucas's eyes widened. He loved exploring, and the idea of magic beans sparked his curiosity.
"What could we grow?" he asked, excitedly.
"You can grow more food than you could ever imagine!" the old man said, winking.
João, who was still sad about Branca, thought the beans might be a better option than just milk. They discussed it for a moment, then decided to exchange Branca for the beans.
"Thank you!" João told the old man, shaking his hand. "We'll be back soon to tell you all about it!"
They rushed back home, filled with anticipation. But João’s mother’s face dropped when she heard what they had done.
"Oh, João!" she cried, "You foolish boy! That man tricked us! He just wanted Branca! There are no magic beans!"
João felt a pang of guilt. He had made a mistake!
His mother sent Lucas home, and told João to go to bed. That night, tears streaming down his cheeks, João tossed and turned. He was worried about what they would eat now. In his anger, he grabbed the bag of beans and threw it out the window. Then, he fell asleep.
The next morning, João woke up to a sight that made his eyes pop. A beanstalk, taller than the tallest tree, had grown in his yard! It reached up to the clouds! João’s mother was surprised, but she wasn't worried. She let João meet Lucas to go play.
"Wow!" Lucas exclaimed, staring up at the beanstalk. "It's like something out of a storybook!"
"It's magical!" João agreed.
They were both curious and adventurous, so they decided to climb the beanstalk. They climbed and climbed, until they passed the clouds. It felt like they were climbing forever!
Finally, they reached the top. There, they saw a giant castle! It was even bigger than João's house! A giant woman, taller than any house they had ever seen, greeted them at the door.
"Welcome, little ones!" she said in a booming voice. "My husband is a giant who loves to eat children. Please, go away."
João and Lucas were scared, but they couldn't help but be curious about the giant.
The ground began to shake, and they knew the giant was coming! They quickly hid behind a large flower pot. While they were hiding, João noticed some gold coins on the ground. He quickly slipped them into his pocket.
They waited until the giant was asleep, then they ran out of the castle and climbed down the beanstalk as fast as they could.
"I think our secret forest is a better hiding place than this," Lucas said, laughing.
"You're right," João agreed. "We'll just live simply. We'll climb the beanstalk again when we need more coins."
For a long time, João and his mother lived simply, but comfortably with the coins João had taken. They were able to buy food and were happy. João’s mother even baked delicious cakes for Lucas to take home, to thank him for being a good friend.
"My family will be happy with this," Lucas said, smiling as he took the cake. He couldn’t wait to tell them about his adventures.
But eventually, the coins ran out. João and Lucas decided to climb the beanstalk again. They knew the giant was dangerous, but they were determined to find more treasure.
This time, they hid in the giant’s kitchen. The giant was busy taking care of a fat hen. João and Lucas watched in amazement as the hen laid golden eggs!
They waited for the giant to fall asleep, then they carefully took the hen and hid her in their sacks. They climbed down the beanstalk with the hen. It was difficult, but Lucas's adventurous spirit helped him stay strong.
João’s mother was overjoyed. She no longer had to worry about food.
"Now we can always have something to eat!" she said, hugging João.
But João had seen a beautiful golden harp in the giant's castle, and he wanted to get it.
"I'm going to climb the beanstalk again," he told Lucas. "I’ll be quick this time. I know where the harp is."
The next day, João climbed the beanstalk without telling Lucas. He wanted to get the harp and be back before Lucas even noticed he was gone. But as he reached the top, the giant was waiting for him at the door! The giant chased João, and João barely managed to escape!
João ran back to Lucas's house, distressed and scared. He told Lucas everything that happened.
"We need to cut down the beanstalk!" Lucas said, "The giant can't come down if there's no beanstalk!"
Together, João and Lucas found a sharp axe and started chopping down the beanstalk. It was hard work for a five-year-old, but they kept going. Finally, with a loud crack, the beanstalk fell to the ground.
"We did it!" João shouted, relieved.
"Now the giant will never get down!" Lucas said. "We just need the essentials. No more, no less, just the essentials!"
João’s mother was so happy that the beanstalk was gone, she invited João and Lucas to have a delicious afternoon snack.
And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
