A/N: Thanks to all the people who have left reviews: namely, Romulan Empress, Lil Lillian 14, and curligurli. You guys totally rock!
As we climbed up the beanstalk, Jack kept glancing around nervously, as if he expected something to happen. Whenever I tried to start a conversation, he would always either yes, no, or maybe, or he wouldn't bother to answer at all.
I figured this kid was just totally mute or something. Maybe his mom had never taught him how to speak, besides a few key words. Or maybe he spoke another language! Now, there's an idea, I thought to myself.
"Hola!" I said loudly, with a heavy 'h'. He looked at me like I was crazy. "No Spanish? Okay, how about...Guten tag!" I looked at him with hopeful expectancy. He continued to climb without glancing my way. I suppose he figured that I was a certifiable crazy girl. "All right, how about this one: bonjour!" He just kept moving.
Finally I decided to use English: "Kid, do you speak English?" "Yeah," he replied, trying to find a strong enough branch to support his weight. "Well, why won't you talk to me?" I asked. "Because, I want this story to go according to the script," he answered tightly. "You're invading my story!"
"Well, it's not like I can help it!" I said, very offended. "I didn't ask to be here! Besides, I'm trying to escape a loony who keeps begging me to marry him!" Jack looked at me with renewed respect. I'm not sure why.
"Listen," I said. "I've already ruined Hansel and Gretel. I just want to get back to my own story. I figure that maybe I can find my way back up here. I just hope I don't have to live in that creepy tower again."
Jack eyed me. "Rapunzel?" he asked. "Well, more like a revised version of it," I said. "I'm her daughter, Lucy." "Nice ta meet ya," he said. "How'd you get out of your tower, anyway?" "Well, I tied together bedsheets and cloth and stuff," I explained as I sat down on a branch to rest. Jack joined me, and we swung our legs out over the clouds.
"So, this loony you're talkin' about," he started. "He's not your Prince Charming?" "Nope," I replied. "He's a jerk called Prince Edri. See, I'm not supposed to meet my true love until I'm 16. I'm only 14. Well, that's what my book says."
"You have a book?" Jack asked, his curiosity piqued. I hauled my hair up and eyed it with dismay. There were so many twigs and leaves. "Yeah," I said, picking chunks of leaves out of my hair. "Fairy Tales for Idiots. I'm in it. So are you. Hey..." A thought struck me, so I pulled the book out of my gown.
I laughed, and showed him Jack and the Beanstalk. There, on the first page, was a picture of us, sitting on the branch we were on now, just talking and looking over the clouds. Jack laughed too, the first time I had actually heard him laugh.
"I wonder what the readers will think of this," I chuckled. "Maybe they'll like it," Jack suggested. "Yeah. Maybe," I said.
"Who's the person doing this, anyway?" Jack asked. "Um, as far as I know- since I looked in the front pages-her screen-name (whatever that is) is qwi13. So I'm assuming she's the one behind my suffering," I said.
Jack looked slightly confused, but nodded. "You ready to keep going?" he asked. "You don't mind if I come?" I asked. "Hey. You're more fun than my own dismal imaginations," he shrugged.
I laughed, and we continued to climb as I thought murderous things about qwi13.
A LITTLE LATER...
We finally reached the top of the beanstalk, and we were both exhausted. Panting, Jack reached down to help me up. It took about two minutes to pull my hair up, which was beginning to really, really, REALLY annoy me. I mean, let's face it: long hair is good for when all you do is mope around inside, but outdoors, it is really just a nuisance. I resolved to have my hair cut- as in yesterday!
We started walking towards the giant castle in the distance, where danger surely awaited us.
AT THE CASTLE...
Jack and I creaked open the huge door-which took both of us, as it was very heavy, and just my luck-my hair got caught.
"Jack!" I hissed to him as he creeped ahead. He glanced back, and his eyes widened in alarm.
He ran back to me, and asked urgently, "Are you okay?" I was in serious pain, but wasn't about to let him see it. He and I had gotten very close, and now he felt just like a little brother. "Um...well...no, not exactly," I winced as a couple of hairs let go.
"Do you have a knife?" I asked. He cut the very ends off, still leaving me a lot of it. I stumbled forward, my head aching with pain. "Thanks," I grunted, and he nodded. "Come on!" he whispered, and we crept forward again.
"You see any geese or harps around here?" he asked me. "There's a goose!" I pointed up to the top of a cupboard. "How will we get up there?" Jack asked, dismayed. "There is a reason I keep my hair long, you know!" I replied tartly, and flicked my hair up to the top of the counter, where it swirled around a stationary loaf of bread.
"Will it hold me?" Jack asked worriedly. "Oh, sure," I said. "Will it hurt you?" he asked. "Only a little," I said. "Besides you weigh less than that overweight witch!" He stifled a laugh, and started to climb. When he was out of earshot I let out a pained, "Ow."
He was finally up, and he grabbed the goose, and jumped down, landing on a pile of crumbs.
Just then, I smelled trouble. "Fee fie foe fum!" came a distant rumble. "I smell the blood of an Englishman!" "And a Gaelic!" I retorted, infuriated. "Come on!" Jack grabbed my hand and we dashed for the door, and were out before the giant even entered the room.
We ran as fast as was possibly possible for the beanstalk, Jack and I taking turns holding the heavy bird. Just as we reached the beanstalk, we heard a roar from the castle. "Uh-oh," Jack said uneasily. "He doesn't sound too happy about losing his fortune!" "He'll get over it!" I blew him off. "Besides, he's just a ninny! Couldn't hurt a fly!" The ground shook as he ran towards the beanstalk. "I take it back!" I slid down the beanstalk, Jack right behind me with the goose in his arms.
We finally reached the bottom, and Jack thrust the goose in my direction as he ran for an axe. But when he got it, he couldn't hold up its weight, and succeeded only in thudding it into the ground.
"Give me that!" I said, giving the goose to him, and taking the axe from him. I spit into my hands, and gave the axe a mighty swing, and in about ten minutes flat, the beanstalk was wavering , supported by only a tiny thread. "Here you go, Jackie boy!" I said, handing him the axe. He looked at me incredulously, and succeeded in chopping down the last little bit of the beanstalk. I yelled, "Timber!" as the beanstalk and the giant fell to the ground.
I heard that the Chinese were not to happy about finding a giant exploding from the ground on their Chinese New Year. He wrecked all the celebrations and gobbled up Chinese bones that were ground into bread...but that's a little too gruesome to retell.
Anyway, Jack and his mother thanked me several times, and I got a little teary-eyed having to leave Jack. He was the closest thing to a relative I really had. Anyway, the bond between us was strong. He would always be my little brother.
But eventually I left, and that night, as I camped out under the stars with a steady fire going, I laughed as I opened my story book and saw an illustration of me chopping down the beanstalk, Jack looking bewildered by my side.
A/N: Please review, and let me know what you think! I had such fun writing this chapter!
As we climbed up the beanstalk, Jack kept glancing around nervously, as if he expected something to happen. Whenever I tried to start a conversation, he would always either yes, no, or maybe, or he wouldn't bother to answer at all.
I figured this kid was just totally mute or something. Maybe his mom had never taught him how to speak, besides a few key words. Or maybe he spoke another language! Now, there's an idea, I thought to myself.
"Hola!" I said loudly, with a heavy 'h'. He looked at me like I was crazy. "No Spanish? Okay, how about...Guten tag!" I looked at him with hopeful expectancy. He continued to climb without glancing my way. I suppose he figured that I was a certifiable crazy girl. "All right, how about this one: bonjour!" He just kept moving.
Finally I decided to use English: "Kid, do you speak English?" "Yeah," he replied, trying to find a strong enough branch to support his weight. "Well, why won't you talk to me?" I asked. "Because, I want this story to go according to the script," he answered tightly. "You're invading my story!"
"Well, it's not like I can help it!" I said, very offended. "I didn't ask to be here! Besides, I'm trying to escape a loony who keeps begging me to marry him!" Jack looked at me with renewed respect. I'm not sure why.
"Listen," I said. "I've already ruined Hansel and Gretel. I just want to get back to my own story. I figure that maybe I can find my way back up here. I just hope I don't have to live in that creepy tower again."
Jack eyed me. "Rapunzel?" he asked. "Well, more like a revised version of it," I said. "I'm her daughter, Lucy." "Nice ta meet ya," he said. "How'd you get out of your tower, anyway?" "Well, I tied together bedsheets and cloth and stuff," I explained as I sat down on a branch to rest. Jack joined me, and we swung our legs out over the clouds.
"So, this loony you're talkin' about," he started. "He's not your Prince Charming?" "Nope," I replied. "He's a jerk called Prince Edri. See, I'm not supposed to meet my true love until I'm 16. I'm only 14. Well, that's what my book says."
"You have a book?" Jack asked, his curiosity piqued. I hauled my hair up and eyed it with dismay. There were so many twigs and leaves. "Yeah," I said, picking chunks of leaves out of my hair. "Fairy Tales for Idiots. I'm in it. So are you. Hey..." A thought struck me, so I pulled the book out of my gown.
I laughed, and showed him Jack and the Beanstalk. There, on the first page, was a picture of us, sitting on the branch we were on now, just talking and looking over the clouds. Jack laughed too, the first time I had actually heard him laugh.
"I wonder what the readers will think of this," I chuckled. "Maybe they'll like it," Jack suggested. "Yeah. Maybe," I said.
"Who's the person doing this, anyway?" Jack asked. "Um, as far as I know- since I looked in the front pages-her screen-name (whatever that is) is qwi13. So I'm assuming she's the one behind my suffering," I said.
Jack looked slightly confused, but nodded. "You ready to keep going?" he asked. "You don't mind if I come?" I asked. "Hey. You're more fun than my own dismal imaginations," he shrugged.
I laughed, and we continued to climb as I thought murderous things about qwi13.
A LITTLE LATER...
We finally reached the top of the beanstalk, and we were both exhausted. Panting, Jack reached down to help me up. It took about two minutes to pull my hair up, which was beginning to really, really, REALLY annoy me. I mean, let's face it: long hair is good for when all you do is mope around inside, but outdoors, it is really just a nuisance. I resolved to have my hair cut- as in yesterday!
We started walking towards the giant castle in the distance, where danger surely awaited us.
AT THE CASTLE...
Jack and I creaked open the huge door-which took both of us, as it was very heavy, and just my luck-my hair got caught.
"Jack!" I hissed to him as he creeped ahead. He glanced back, and his eyes widened in alarm.
He ran back to me, and asked urgently, "Are you okay?" I was in serious pain, but wasn't about to let him see it. He and I had gotten very close, and now he felt just like a little brother. "Um...well...no, not exactly," I winced as a couple of hairs let go.
"Do you have a knife?" I asked. He cut the very ends off, still leaving me a lot of it. I stumbled forward, my head aching with pain. "Thanks," I grunted, and he nodded. "Come on!" he whispered, and we crept forward again.
"You see any geese or harps around here?" he asked me. "There's a goose!" I pointed up to the top of a cupboard. "How will we get up there?" Jack asked, dismayed. "There is a reason I keep my hair long, you know!" I replied tartly, and flicked my hair up to the top of the counter, where it swirled around a stationary loaf of bread.
"Will it hold me?" Jack asked worriedly. "Oh, sure," I said. "Will it hurt you?" he asked. "Only a little," I said. "Besides you weigh less than that overweight witch!" He stifled a laugh, and started to climb. When he was out of earshot I let out a pained, "Ow."
He was finally up, and he grabbed the goose, and jumped down, landing on a pile of crumbs.
Just then, I smelled trouble. "Fee fie foe fum!" came a distant rumble. "I smell the blood of an Englishman!" "And a Gaelic!" I retorted, infuriated. "Come on!" Jack grabbed my hand and we dashed for the door, and were out before the giant even entered the room.
We ran as fast as was possibly possible for the beanstalk, Jack and I taking turns holding the heavy bird. Just as we reached the beanstalk, we heard a roar from the castle. "Uh-oh," Jack said uneasily. "He doesn't sound too happy about losing his fortune!" "He'll get over it!" I blew him off. "Besides, he's just a ninny! Couldn't hurt a fly!" The ground shook as he ran towards the beanstalk. "I take it back!" I slid down the beanstalk, Jack right behind me with the goose in his arms.
We finally reached the bottom, and Jack thrust the goose in my direction as he ran for an axe. But when he got it, he couldn't hold up its weight, and succeeded only in thudding it into the ground.
"Give me that!" I said, giving the goose to him, and taking the axe from him. I spit into my hands, and gave the axe a mighty swing, and in about ten minutes flat, the beanstalk was wavering , supported by only a tiny thread. "Here you go, Jackie boy!" I said, handing him the axe. He looked at me incredulously, and succeeded in chopping down the last little bit of the beanstalk. I yelled, "Timber!" as the beanstalk and the giant fell to the ground.
I heard that the Chinese were not to happy about finding a giant exploding from the ground on their Chinese New Year. He wrecked all the celebrations and gobbled up Chinese bones that were ground into bread...but that's a little too gruesome to retell.
Anyway, Jack and his mother thanked me several times, and I got a little teary-eyed having to leave Jack. He was the closest thing to a relative I really had. Anyway, the bond between us was strong. He would always be my little brother.
But eventually I left, and that night, as I camped out under the stars with a steady fire going, I laughed as I opened my story book and saw an illustration of me chopping down the beanstalk, Jack looking bewildered by my side.
A/N: Please review, and let me know what you think! I had such fun writing this chapter!