Jack and the Beanstalk (Faerie Tale Collection) Read Free Page B

Ma. I promise to take good care of him.”
    “Aye, take care to drive me nutty.”
    The whole group laughed and gave a final farewell of hugs.
    Just before they left, Hansel slipped a few silver pieces into Jack’s pocket and grasped his forearms for a moment. They exchange a long look before his father nodded. “You are ready. Bring her back.”
    Jack’s heart swelled, the confidence in his father’s eyes doing more for his sudden rush of nerves than anything ever had. “Thank you. I will.”

CHAPTER FOUR
    IT TOOK TWO DAYS for Jack and Jill to make their way to the Larkein village that housed the ruins of the castle. Using the silver coins his father had given him, Jack paid for a room for a night at the local inn and a few meals for their stay. After supper, when they made their way up the creaking stairs, they were pleasantly surprised to find two clean beds with a folded cloth screen separating them.
    Jill had been so exhausted after a nearly sleepless night on the road that she lay upon her pillow and fell promptly to sleep. Jack, on the other hand, had noticed a group of men down in the inn’s tavern and wondered if they would be a good source to ferret out some information about the enchantments in the area and, more importantly, to learn if any one of them had heard of a giant kingdom in the sky.
    He tossed his bags near the small end table by his bed and changed out of his dusty outerwear into more suitable shirt and trousers for the tavern life below. As quickly as possible, he made his way down to the other men. They were a bright, cheerful group who beckoned him to sit with them as they dwindled away their hours before heading home to their womenfolk later that evening.
    Jack ordered a pint of ale, though he was not sure of the brew or how strong it would be in these parts. He only pretended to sip the thing. It was about a good half hour into his chat with one of the men—Charlie, a bearded fellow looking to be in his early forties, with a bellowing voice—when an opening came up for Jack to ask about the giant. Charlie’s Larkein brogue was thick and it had taken several minutes before Jack could follow the conversation enough to find the opening he needed.
    “Me missus and I like to go a’walkin’ out in them woods every now and then, but you gotta be keepin yer eyes on the lookout because you never know what you’s bound to find in them woods. Can clean scare the hair right off yer moustache, them woods do.”
    Jack raised his brows. “And you took your wife out there?”
    “Oh, goodness, no!” The man laughed and pounded the thick wooden table. “Nay. Me wife took me , she did! She likes to scare herself silly and takes me along only ‘cuz it makes her laugh to see me catch fright too.”
    “She sounds like a brave woman indeed.”
    “Aye. She can outride and outshoot any man, and she’s got a temper to match! She’s a mean ‘un!”
    Jack could not imagine his sweet Rachel doing any such thing. His brows rose even more. “My word.”
    “Aye, she be a fine woman indeed. A very fine woman.” Charlie leaned over and nudged Jack with his elbow. The smell of ale on his warmth breath assaulted Jack’s nostrils. “But don’t you go a lookin’ at her and wantin’ her for yerself! With yer pretty looks and bright gold hair, you’d be catchin her eye right quick. But she’s mine there. Mine, I say.”
    Jack coughed, positive by the worn features of the man that his wife no doubt looked to be every bit her age. “You have nothing to worry about, sir. I am engaged to a beautiful maiden. I would not look elsewhere if a world of beauties came flocking to my door.”
    “A pretty speech for a pretty face, but I tells you—when you see her, you be lookin’ away right quick, if you knows what’s good fer ya.”
    Jack chuckled. “I promise, I will!”
    “Good.” The man grinned into his ale as he took another swig. “Anyways, as I was sayin’ afore I got so sidetracked by my lovely