Jackson and João loved being neighbors! They lived in nearby houses in Denver. 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, Branca’s milk was all they had to eat in a day. But whenever Jackson could, they brought some snacks to ensure endless playtime on the grass. João's mother was always grateful! João loved playing tag, and Jackson enjoyed their interest in dragons! That day, they were playing with Jackson's interest in dragons!
One day, João’s mother asked him to sell Branca because they needed more than just milk. So João called Jackson, 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 Jackson. “Hello boys, would you be interested in magic beans?” he asked, his voice like a warm breeze. "Magic beans?" said Jackson, "What do they do?" "They grow anything you desire, but they have a secret," the old man chuckled. João’s eyes lit up! “What if we give you Branca for the beans?” he asked. The old man agreed! João and Jackson quickly thought, beans provide more food than milk! "This is a great idea!" exclaimed Jackson. "Let’s do it!"
When they returned to João’s house, João’s mother started crying when she heard the news! The old man had tricked João and Jackson! “Oh João, we need milk to survive, not magic beans!” she sobbed. João’s mother asked Jackson 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 the beans, she didn’t worry and let João meet Jackson to go play. João and Jackson, always curious, decided to climb the beanstalk! And the climb seemed endless… Jackson climbed with João, his curly black hair bouncing with every step. “It’s so high!” Jackson said with excitement. Finally, when they passed the clouds, they found a giant castle! A giant woman, very tall indeed, welcomed João and Jackson. Although 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 Jackson 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. “I think our hiding place, Dragon island, is better than where we were hiding,” Jackson said with a smile. João agreed with Jackson 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 Jackson to take home, repaying the kindness. “My family will be very happy with the cake,” Jackson said, his black eyes sparkling with joy.
Eventually, the coins ran out. João and Jackson 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 Jackson 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! “We did it!” said Jackson, puffing out his chest proudly.
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 Jackson 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 Jackson’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 Jackson managed to cut down the beanstalk with a lot of effort. Even though Jackson was only five years old, they succeeded! And thus, the giant would never come down.
“All we need are the essentials, no more, no less,” Jackson said, his voice filled with wisdom beyond his years. “Danger isn’t worth it.” João’s mother felt relieved with the beanstalk gone and invited João and Jackson for a delicious afternoon snack! And that afternoon, the table at João’s house was full: of bread, cake, love, and laughter! The essentials!
