that's the short version of the story. here's the version that no one tells you:
jack grew up extremely poor in a teeny, tiny cottage at the very far end of the village. all the kids at school made fun of him because he wore the same ratty clothes every day, because he could never play after school (he had to work), because he couldn't spell very well, because he didn't have a father. the last one stung in particular. jack's father had died when jack was very young, leaving behind a single mother with a newborn baby and no means of support.
over the years, every day before school, jack would have to wake up extra early while it was still dark outside. he would want to stay in bed and keep dreaming underneath the warm covers, but alas, he couldn't. he would quickly and quietly get dressed in the dark cold, grab a piece of stale bread, then run outside to the garden. he would run up and down the rows, watering each and every plant, while his mother would continually draw water from the well. once the sun would start to peek over the horizon, jack would then start his hour-long morning walk to school.
during school, jack would find it hard to concentrate because he would always be daydreaming. about a life far away from all this drudgery, about a life filled with endless parties and food, about traveling the world, about winning the love of a beautiful girl. he very much liked lia with her silky blonde hair, but she only paid attention to the popular rich boys in school like tom and harry. he would think to himself, "just wait... one day, i will show you all. i will be somebody."
after school, jack would run to the village market to help his mother sell their garden's vegetables. the work wasn't rocket science, but it was hard nonetheless. having to stand on his feet for hours, the haggling, the hustling, the sameness. day in, day out, nothing changed. it was all routine, just to be able to eat, just to maintain a place to sleep. where was there room for dreams?
one day, jack's mother was sick and unable to go to the market. so jack skipped school and headed to the market himself. he worked all day in the hot sun and well into the evening, but even then, only made enough to buy one loaf of bread. he felt ashamed that all his hard work could only amount to such a small pittance.
on his way home, jack decided to sit down on the side of the road to take a break. he took off his shoes and laid on the cool grass, looking up at the night sky. "will i ever have more than this? will i ever amount to more?" jack felt sad, because he thought the answer would clearly be no. how could he ever become more, have more, if he never even got a chance to go anywhere? he had never even been to the annual kingdom's fair like all the other kids!
suddenly, an old man appeared out of nowhere and called out "good evening!" startled, jack wondered where he had come from. "i'm just on my way to the next village, thought i would take a break myself. may i sit down?" jack was suspicious, but he nodded.
"i'm actually on my way home to my mother, she's waiting for me. have a good evening." as jack stood up, the old man said, "that bread there smells delicious, just like the bread they sell at the annual kingdom's fair. i haven't smelled bread like that in years! would you consider giving it to me?" as jack hesitated for an excuse, the old man chuckled and said, "i don't mean for free, of course. i'd trade you something for it."
jack wondered what the man could have, that would be worth a loaf of fresh bread. it wasn't much, but the old man was right - it did smell delicious, and jack had worked all day for that loaf. plus, his mother would be home waiting for it.
"i've got two things here we can trade that loaf for, your choice. i've got this old wheelbarrow. it's not very pretty, but it's in good condition and it's great for carrying heavy loads. i started my journey with a lot of things, but i've slowly traded everything away and now i've got no use for it. what do you think?"
jack's heart jumped at the thought of the wheelbarrow. it would make going to the market so much easier for him and his mother. they hadn't been able to afford one, and now this old man was willing to trade a whole wheelbarrow for a single loaf of bread!
"well, what's the other choice?"
"smart boy, aren't you. here, this would be the other choice." the old man held out a small handkerchief and opened it up in the palm of his hand. in it lay three plain old beans.
jack guffawed, then started laughing at the crazy old man. first of all, this old man was willing to trade an entirely good wheelbarrow for just a loaf of bread! secondly, the old man thought that a handful of beans was worth the same as a perfectly good wheelbarrow! "what a silly man!" jack thought.
"wait a second, son. these beans are not just any beans, but they're magic beans." jack stopped laughing and stared at the man, who now looked quite serious. "they don't look like much, but they are, in fact, worth much more than the wheelbarrow."
"then why would you trade either of these for a simple loaf of bread, sir? that seems quite, well, stupid."
"a man must always know what he wants. and when he sees it, he must be willing to pay the price for it. to you, it is just a loaf of bread. to me, it is the gratitude of a thousand memories and the pleasure of a present moment. so, what do you think?"
jack didn't quite understand what the old man was saying, but he understood that he could walk away with a wheelbarrow. but what if, just what if, this old man wasn't lying and those beans really were magic? what kind of magic could they be?
"what kind of magic beans are they?"
"that, my son, is up for you to discover. i can't tell you their secrets, only they can. all i can promise you is that they are indeed magic."
jack looked at the beans again. they looked like any other regular old beans, green and flat with a slight dimple in the middle. the old man didn't seem to be completely crazy; in fact, he seemed to be quite truthful about the worth of the beans. jack didn't know what to do.
on one hand, he could go home with the wheelbarrow. he knew it would make his mother immensely happy and that it could make their lives much easier. it would all be so quick and simple. jack knew that he was getting the better end of the bargain for sure with the wheelbarrow. on the other...
jack felt a tingling in his gut, and felt his insides were slowly spreading with fire. before he could think anymore, he quickly thrust the bread into the old man's arms and snatched the beans up.
"just a warning, son. the magic of the beans only works when you know what you want and are willing to pay for the price for it!"
what? the old man hadn't mentioned the conditions when he first showed jack the beans! what did he even mean with that statement? jack felt angry and duped, as he looked down at the tiny little beans. as he looked up to yell at the old man, jack realized the man was already gone. stupid stupid stupid stupid!! now what was he going to do? how was he going to go home and explain that he had traded away a week's worth of bread for some stupid "magic" beans? jack felt incredibly panicked, then furious, then hollow. jack had thought he was being courageous and noble in taking a risk, in following his heart, but the only thing he had to show for it now was three pitiful green beans.
to be continued...
(nyc)
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