“Well I think he took some of my gold instead!” You rush outside and head to your garden. You crawl into the chasm that the beanstalk created.

  You begin to climb down, but it’s not easy. The beanstalk stretches down through a layer of clouds. It sways in the wind and sags under your giant weight. The rough stalk leaves painful splinters in your hands as you descend.

  At the bottom you find a teeny tiny house that looks like it could use some repairs. You knock on the small door with one giant knuckle, and a little woman peeks out. Her eyes go wide as she glances first at you, then at the beanstalk, then back at you. She looks about to faint.

  “Friend or foe?” she asks meekly.

  “To be determined…” you say, trying not to growl.

  “Well… why don’t you come in before anyone sees you,” she says. “People don’t take kindly to giants around here.”

  You crouch through the doorway, following her inside. You perch on a rickety chair, trying not to break it, and ask, “Who planted that beanstalk? Blasted thing sprouted up in my petunias.”

  “That was my son, Jack,” the woman replies. “He traded our old cow for some silly magic beans, you see. I never thought they would grow.”

  With a quivering hand she sets a cup of “tea” in front of you, but it seems to just be hot water. Suddenly a boy bursts through the door. He proudly holds up your bag of coins. “Mom, look! Our problems are solved!” He skids to a stop when he sees you.

  You look from the boy to his mother and then around the tiny room. It’s a sorry sight.

  To get mad about the stolen coins, press here.

  To take pity on Jack and his mother, press here.

  Poor or not, the boy shouldn’t have stolen from you. “That’s mine!” you shout, standing up. But you forget you are crouched inside a human house. Your head pokes up through the roof.

  Shrieks and screams erupt from neighbors as they spot you. Soon men are rushing at you with pitchforks and axes.

  Lucky for you, the house isn’t much of a house. You simply shrug your shoulders and it crumbles around you. You run to the beanstalk, the villagers hot on your heels. You start to climb. The nimble villagers climb after you. After one painful poke in the bottom from one of their pitchforks, you have no choice but to boot them off the stalk. You send the pitchfork poker flying with a mighty kick. Seeing this, the other villagers change their minds and quickly climb back down.

  You congratulate yourself on handling those pests. But you soon realize you are not out of danger. Thwack! The beanstalk shudders. Whack! Those little beasts are chopping down the stalk!

  You climb faster. You reach up and grab the edge of the chasm just as the stalk collapses beneath you. For a moment you hang there. Then with a grunt, you pull yourself up and head inside your castle.

  “Did you get your gold back?” Fee Fie asks.

  “No,” you growl as you storm past her.

  “Well at least you got rid of that awful beanstalk,” she says with a shrug.

  No more beanstalk means no more mischievous boys coming around. You suppose that’s worth the cost of a small sack of gold.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  You are upset that Jack stole from you. But how can you be angry when they have so little?

  “Jack, where did you get that?” Jack’s mother shouts. “We aren’t thieves!”

  “It’s OK,” you say. “I have plenty of gold, and…” You don’t want Jack to get in trouble with his mother. “And Jack earned it,” you continue. “He did a few chores for me—and my dear wife, Fee Fie. Right, Jack?” you say, giving Jack a stern look.

  Jack gulps. “Um, yep. That’s right!” Then he adds, “I sure did work hard!” You give him a look that says don’t push it.

  Afterward you and Jack go outside. You ask him to cut down the beanstalk once you’re safely home. “I might not be as generous with the next thief I catch,” you warn.

  Jack nods nervously.

  You start your climb. Once you reach the top, the beanstalk shudders. Then it shakes. And suddenly it slips through the hole, into the clouds, and disappears forever.

  You happily go back to counting your coins, but you’ve lost your place. You have to start again. “One, two, three…”

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  Thinking that Fee Fie is up to something, you lift the lid off the pot. You see a human boy inside. “That’s not beef Wellington,” you say.

  “I know, I know,” Fee Fie says. “But I found him sneaking into the castle. And I thought he looked tasty.” The boy tries to scramble out, but Fee Fie takes the lid from you and slams it back down on the pot. “I wanted to make a special treat for you,” Fee Fie says. “If only I had some beans for my stew.”

  “I think a bean plant sprouted up in our garden,” you say. “You could go pick some.” After Fee Fie scurries from the kitchen, you open the lid of the pot and scoop out the boy.

  “Are you going to eat me?” the boy asks.

  “No, no, boys taste terrible,” you say. “Kind of like uncooked spaghetti and mushrooms.” The boy scrunches up his nose in disgust.

  “You best get out of here before my wife comes back. She likes the taste of boy just fine. Now get. I’ll just throw in an old sock and add some mystery meat from the freezer,” you say. “She’ll never know the difference.”

  Without even a word of thanks the boy disappears out of the kitchen. You add the new ingredients to the stew and soon Fee Fie comes back with a handful of beans. You stir the pot, trying to look innocent.

  “Oh drat,” Fee Fie says, looking into the pot and seeing the sock. “I forgot to undress him before tossing him in.”

  “Adds fiber,” you say, patting her back as you leave the kitchen to let her finish cooking.

  To go for a walk, press here.

  To go take a nap, press here.

  You decide to go for a stroll. You head over to the pond where your goose that lays golden eggs lives. As you get close, you hear a loud squawk. Something is wrong! You rush toward the sound. You see the young lad—the one you just saved from being stew meat. He is chasing your goose around the pond.

  “Stop that!” you shout. But he doesn’t stop. He picks up your goose and makes a run for it. Why that ungrateful little…

  The boy heads to the beanstalk. With the goose clutched under one arm, he hops down into the chasm. You run for the beanstalk at top speed, but a lumbering giant does not stop quickly. You grab the stalk to slow yourself down, but the beanstalk seems to grab back. It is growing again, sending out shoots that wrap themselves around your ankles.

  The beanstalk keeps growing, yanking you off your feet. You are pulled up into the clouds. As your home disappears below, you hope that the stalk isn’t taking you to a land where giant giants live.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  Soon your snores are rattling the castle windows. But before long you are awakened by loud singing. “Oh mercy me, there is a thief, where’s he taking me?”

  You blink your eyes open to see the boy you rescued from Fee Fie’s pot running by your door. He has your magic harp. The magic harp that sings lullabies to you.

  You jump to your feet, toppling stacks of coins across your desk and onto the floor. “Ahhhhh!” you scream. Now you’re really mad. You rush after the boy and catch him just as he is about to slide into the hole that the beanstalk created. You pick him up by the scruff of his neck as he shouts, “Don’t hurt me!”

  Lucky for him, you have other plans. “You just wasted a day’s worth of my work, lad,” you say. “You’re coming with me.”

  You carry the boy to your office and plop him down in your chair. “Now count! All of them!” you boom.

  The boy begins counting and you kick back to watch him work. You aren’t sure yet what you will do with him. You might just keep him to count your coins for you. Or maybe you’ll let Fee Fie finally try that blood of an Englishman recipe she’s always talking about.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  CHAPTER 3

  KEEP REACHING FOR THE STARS

  You sit at the kitchen table and wait for your son, Jack, to return. You’d make dinner, but there’s no point. You have nothing to cook.

  As you tap your fingers impatiently on the table, you wonder why you sent Jack in the first place. After all, he’s never been the best at following instructions. Earlier today you asked him to go milk the cow, Milky White. He spent most of the morning running around the pasture with a bucket over his head pretending to be a robot. Milky was probably too confused or too afraid to produce any milk. And now you’re waiting for him to return from trading away poor old Milky White. You just hope he got something more than a handful of beans for her.

  Hours later Jack bursts through the door. He’s wearing a big grin, obviously thinking he did well. He sets a handful of rusty nuts and bolts on the kitchen table. “They’re magic!” he says.

  Jacks waits for your reply, but his grin slowly fades as he notices your look of disappointment. “We can make something with them,” he suggests.

  “What, nut and bolt stew?” you yell.

  Tears well up in Jack’s eyes. Then he rushes up the ladder to his bed in the loft. You feel bad, but you just couldn’t help yourself. You had been hoping for a decent meal tonight, and what did you get? Hardware.

  “Magic?” you mutter. You grab the nuts and bolts, stomp over to the window, and fling them out. “That’s what I think of magic!”

  You feel like banging your head against the kitchen table. At least that would make you forget the hunger pangs wrenching your tummy. But just as you turn away from the window, you hear a clink. Then a clank. Then a colossal clattering begins.

  You turn back to the window. To your amazement, sticks, rocks, broken rake handles, chicken wire, and just about everything else lying out in the yard is whirling about in midair. The objects click together, held in place by the magic nuts and bolts, which seem to be multiplying as fast as needed.

  Leaning out the window, you watch a tower of junk rise up from your yard and shoot skyward. It quickly disappears into the clouds. What on Earth? you wonder.

  To climb the tower, press here.

  To tell Jack about the tower, press here.

  You rush outside, excited. You’ve never seen such a thing! The tower of scraps twists like a corkscrew, spiraling into the sky. You shake your head in amazement. Magic nuts and bolts! You’ve got to see where it goes.

  As you begin to climb, you can’t help but chuckle. You’re doing exactly what Jack would do—something crazy! You have no idea where this tower actually goes or if it’s even safe. It creaks and rattles as you climb. But you keep going. You’ve heard of pots of gold at the end of rainbows. Maybe this tower will lead to something like that. Or at least to a pot of beef stew.

  You move quickly, perhaps even magically. You climb through the clouds, past the moon, and into the black of space. Up ahead, a red dot grows larger and larger. Is that Mars? you wonder.

  Your mind spins with the possibilities. Forget Milky White. You’ve got access to the whole Milky Way! Even if there’s not any treasure at the end of this tower, you could still charge people for the opportunity to climb it to space. Who wouldn’t pay a copper, or even a silver coin for that chance?

  The tower bends down toward the strange planet’s rocky red surface. You consider leaping off to go exploring. But just as you’re getting ready to jump, you see something in the red sand. It looks like a NASA rover and behind it stands a giant greenish creature with eight limbs and two antennae sprouting from its head. An alien? You’ve hit the jackpot! You could probably charge a gold coin for the chance to meet an extraterrestrial!

  To communicate with the alien, press here.

  To go tell Jack about the alien, press here.

  You call out to the alien, “Hello! I come in peace. Also, have you got a spot of milk to spare?” But the alien doesn’t hear you. It’s banging on the rover with a hammer. You wave your arms wildly and screech again. Finally one of the alien’s antennae swivels in your direction. Then it reaches for a gadget hanging from its belt, points it in your direction, and… ZAP! Your last thought is, it serves me right for trying something crazy.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  You scurry back down the tower. “Jack! Jack!” you shout as you near the ground. Most likely he is still moping somewhere. So you yell some more. “Jack! Jack!”

  Finally he stumbles out the door. “What is it?” he asks, clearly in a grouchy mood.

  “Jack, you were right!” You tell him what happened when you threw the magic nuts and bolts out the window. And about what you saw after climbing the tower. But he doesn’t believe it.

  “Mom, are you trying to teach me a lesson? Everybody knows that life doesn’t exist on Mars,” he says sullenly.

  You throw up your arms. This from a boy who once claimed he went on a giant-slaying adventure? He must still be upset for getting in trouble earlier.

  “Jack, this could be the answer to our prayers!” you say excitedly. “People would pay a fortune to visit Mars and meet a creature from another planet. We could even set up a concession stand and sell T-shirts and… and…”

  “OK, Mom, you can stop. You’ve made your point. I’ll stop believing in magic,” Jack says, getting angry. He thinks you’re making fun of him. You’ve got to convince him that this time, he was right.

  To go back to get proof that you saw an alien, press here.

  To make Jack go see for himself, press here.

  “Fine,” you say. “I will get proof I saw an alien.”

  “Could you also bring back a snack?” Jack asks. “I’m starving.”

  Your blood begins to boil. “You—you,” you stammer in anger. He’s the one who traded away Milky White for a handful of scrap metal! And he has the nerve to complain about being hungry?

  Then Jack says, “So, if what you say is true, and we can make some money, do you think we could get Milky White back? I miss her.”

  Seeing Jack so sad makes all your anger wash away. You bite your lip, hoping that Milky White hasn’t been made into shoe leather by now. You give Jack a quick hug and climb back up, determined to prove to him that his silly magic nuts and bolts just might save the family from starvation.

  To steal an artifact from the alien, press here.

  To ask the alien to come home with you, press here.

  When you get back to Mars, the alien has pushed the rover into a hole and is busy throwing sand on top of it. You spy what looks to be the alien’s bag of supplies nearby. Maybe you could find some proof in there to take back.

  You sneak over to it and reach in. You pull out some sort of crystal pipe with strings attached. A musical instrument? Then to your surprise, the thing sings out, “Earthlings, Earthlings are invading the stars. They can’t know there’s life on Mars!”

  The alien’s antennae whirl around to face you. Then it pulls a gadget from its belt and aims it at you.

  You don’t wait to find out what the gadget does—you figure it can’t be good.

  You run, which turns out to be a wise choice, because there’s a blinding flash of light and then a smoking black spot in the sand where you just stood.

  You jump onto the tower and start climbing as fast as you can. The alien follows, but luckily it moves as slow as a zombie, and you’re able to keep your lead.

  When you get within shouting distance of the house, you call out, “Jack! Jack! Grab a wrench!”

  Jack comes out of the house just as you reach the ground. For once he has listened and he’s carrying a wrench. You take it and start loosening nuts and bolts at the speed of a race-car mechanic.

  “Is that the alien?” Jack asks, looking up the beanstalk. “What’s it pointing at us?”

  “Watch out!” you scream, pushing Jack aside as another flash of light burns a black spot into the ground right next to him.

  You loosen the next bolt, and the tower begins to sway and shudder. Then it slowly tips. You jump back, pulling Jack with you.

  The tower crumbles, and the alien crashes down with it. When the dust settles, you are left with a mess in your backyard, including one dead alien. Before your eyes, the alien melts into the soil, leaving a large green stain. Well, there goes that moneymaking opportunity, you think.

  “What are we gonna do now?” Jack cries. “We still don’t have a cow or any food, and now we don’t even have our magic nuts and bolts.”

  After selling the crystal pipe for a small fortune, you have enough money to buy a lifetime supply of stew ingredients.

  Then you buy back Milky White, who retires to the pasture to graze out her last days. Finally you buy a young new cow, Milky White Too, who likes to play robots as much as Jack does—after she’s been milked.

  THE END

  To follow another path, press here.

  This time, when you see the alien, you walk up to it and tap it on the shoulder. “Um, excuse me,” you say.

  It doesn’t turn to look at you, but one antenna twists around and prods at your head.

  “Hello! My name’s Ethel… from Earth. Ah, I have a favor to ask. My son doesn’t believe you exist,” you say. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind coming home with me to meet him?”

 

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