Episode 17: The Beanstalk And Jack

Friday, 26th Of Winter, 1977

Not much happening today. Instead of putting the milk bottles and eggs in the shipping box, I gave them all to Ellen so she can have enough supplies to bake all kinds of cakes for me. I can't wait to see what she'll cook up one day...

Sunday, 28th Of Winter, 1977

All i did today is feed my livestock and give Ellen all the milk and eggs, then we went to church. I remember in the first days when I was married to Ellen, she always reminded me that there are no Sundays in the ranch. I wonder what made her change her mind?

Tuesday, 30th Of Winter, 1977

After using the toilet, I came back to the bedroom to see Ellen looking out at the window sitting in a chair, with Pete sitting on her thighs like a few days before. I approached her standing by her left side and she seemed to barely notice me, but I think she did notice me, she just didn't feel the need to look up at me.

"You're staring out there awfully quiet, honey," I commented.

"That's the thing. Everything is so quiet in winter. Almost as if time stopped," Ellen said, her voice in a slight whisper.

She's right. When none of us are talking, when Koro is quiet, when Pete is quiet, I hear nothing. Even when you step outside into the snow, you still hear nothing but dead silence day and night, no birds chirping, no crickets chirping, nothing.

"... But I'll miss winter. Tomorrow is the New Year Festival, you know. Ellen said, the volume of her voice back to normal.

"Yep. This winter sure gave us a hard time, didn't it?" I nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but there will always be next year," Ellen commented.

She handed Pete to me and stood up off her chair slowly, being careful not to hurt herself and walked to the kitchen. Pete and I followed her into thel iving room and we sat on the couch and watched television while Ellen cooked breakfast. After eating, I stepped outside to give my livestock their food also. But as soon as I came outside, there is Mike, always paying me a quick visit before the day of a festival.

"Mikey."

"Tony. Ready for the new year?" Mike asked me as he shook my hand.

"Yeah. I have a lot to look forward to. The birth of my next baby, my parents coming to see me on the 30th of the summer season..." Before I could say more, Mike stopped me.

"Whoa. Did you say your parents are coming to visit next year?"

"Yeah. In the summer." I nodded. "Why?"

"Because my Dad wanted me to take over my Grandpa's ranch so I can learn "adult responsibilities," I said making air quotations with my fingers. "... and he and my Mom are visiting in a couple seasons to see how I'm doing," I concluded my sentence.

"... Well, good luck to you. I hope they will be impressed with your progress here, because I sure am," Mike complimented me.

I smiled and shook my head.

"Thanks for the compliment. Anyway, have a great new year, Mike."

"You too, Tony." Mike turned and left, leaving me alone.

After he jumped into his pickup truck and drove off, I headed off towards the tool shed to get my materials to take care of my livestock. By the end of the day, Ellen had six rice balls for us to eat. I ate three, Ellen ate three, and she fed Pete blended sweet potatoes that I bought from her mom.

Wednesday, 1st of Spring, 1978

Early in the morning, Ellen and I woke up to head to the mountain peak. Pete was a little grumpy when we woke him up, whining for a few minutes, but he calmed down when we were travelling up the mountainside forest with everybody else. As we headed for the mountain peak, I noticed that all the snow is quickly melting. The cool winter breeze slowly giving way to the neutrally warm Spring season air. Ellen, Pete and I sat down behind Liz.

"Tony," I heard Ellen's mom call. I turned around.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"... May harvesting go well for you this year too," Ellen's mom gave me a warm smile.

"Thank you," I nodded.

Before I could saw a word to Ellen, I heard Mrs. Fortune call me.

"Tony! Could you come here for a second?"

I walked up to her.

"Pick a card. Any card." She showed me three familiar cards in her hands, the middle card lay in between her hands.

"What? Again?" I felt a little annoyed.

"You want to know your fortune, do you? If you really want to know, pick a card and find out," Mrs. Fortune urged me.

"Okay... Uh... I choose the card in the center," I pointed at it.

Mrs. Fortune discarded the other two cards and showed me what is behind the card. its the same one I got last year!

"Excellent luck again! Everything goes well for you once again this year!" Mrs. Fortune gave me a smile.

"That's awesome! Thank you!" I turned and left, heading towards the spot where |Nina and Liz are standing.

"Tony!" Maria called.

"Yes, Maria?" I replied as I turned around to face her as she approached me.

"I hope this year will be good for you and your family," Maria put her hand on my shoulder compassionately.

I gave her a firm nod. "Thank you, Maria. I'll need it, especially with another baby coming."

"I hope your baby grows up to be a strong, healthy boy or girl, too. And I'm certain your firstborn baby will be a good brother," Maria added.

"Okay, everybody. The sun is about to rise. let's pray together," Priest Daniel, standing near the spot where the snow flower once was said.

I ran back to Ellen and sat next to her and Pete.

"Here it comes, Pete. Look up," Ellen whispered.

As we looked up, we saw the light from the rising sun brighten up the area, giving light to the entire area. Even the mountains far, far off in the distance were a shade of orange because of the rising sun.

"Wow...! Wow!" Pete gasped in awe.

"See that, Pete? It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said to Pete.

"... Brootful..." Pete tried to say "beautiful" but mispronounced it, as I knew he would.

Afterwards, we had a new year party all day. Pete enjoyed- he was so energetic! And later at 6:09 p.m., Ellen, Pete and I returned home for a good night rest.

"Good night, Ellen. good night, Pete," I said.

"Good night, darling." Ellen replied before we all closed our eyes.

Thursday, 2nd Of Spring, 1978

On the second day of the Spring season, it is raining. When we woke up, I could hear the rain drops pelting the roof of the house. I could also hear faint rumbles of thunder in the distance.

"Good morning, honey." I said to Ellen as I watched her slowly climb out of bed.

"Yaaaawn... Good morning, darling," Ellen said as she stretched her arms.

I climbed out of bed next and I went over to Pete's bed and helped him get down to the floor as I climbed out of bed. I didn't want Ellen hurting her spine bending over to grab Pete in his crib.

"Good morning, Pete," me and Ellen said at the same time.

"Da-da. Ma-ma," Pete replied.

"Close enough. Ready for a bath, Petey?" I smiled and rubbed my left thumb on his little cute nose.

"Bath! Wheee!" Pete cheered excitedly.

A few minutes after bathing and eating breakfast, Ellen turned on the television and left it on the weather news channel.

"Good morning, everyone, we've gotten off to a crazy, rainy start haven't we? If you expect clear, sunny clouds tomorrow, it's the opposite. Tomorrow it will be raining with winds up to 20 mph. See the rain clouds coming over Louisiana from Texas?" The weatherman pointed at the screen at the thick gray cloud covering most of Texas and the lower half of Oklahoma, steadily moving east towards Louisiana and the lower half of Arkansas. The cloud stops midway between Louisiana and Arkansas then reverses back to Texas and Oklahoma, repeating the pattern because that's the extent of how much the weather forecast knows about the weather for now. "That's the weather forecast for tomorrow, thank you," the weatherman on T.V. said.

Ellen looked over at me. "Honey, are you ready to fix the fences?"

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I prefer to fix them in rain than snow now," I said as I made sure the gloves on my hands were tight enough.

"Good luck, darling, but don't overdo it if you feel that you're catching a cold," Ellen warned me.

"Da-da bye-bye," Pete said to me.

"Woof woof!" Koro barked.

"Guys, don't worry! I'll be fine! I'll be back in a jiffy, okay?" With that said, I walked out the door.

Immediately, I felt my cap being battered by heavy drops of rain. I ran to the tool shed, stomping through puddles of water and partially soft mud. I grabbed the cow brush and milker. Before leaving the shed, I noticed the door that leads into the underground tunnels where those three Harvest Sprites live.

"Hmmm... I wonder how they are doing," I wondered to myself.

I walked towards the back door, opening it and descended downstairs to the tunnels.

As soon as I got down there, I met the three Harvest Sprites who I met the year before last year!

"Hello! It's you again! How is the ranch?" Harvest Sprite #1 said.

"Going great, thanks to the tools that you upgraded," I replied.

"That's good, that's good." Harvest Sprite #3 said.

Then I scratched the tuft of hair that sticks out from under my cap.

"By the way, you guys never told me your names," I said.

"Oh! sorry about that. We forgot to introduce ourselves when we first met you. I'm Nik," Harvest Sprite #1 introduced himself. "He's Nak," Nik pointed over to Harvest Sprite #2. "And he is Flak," Nik pointed at Harvest Sprite #3, which upon further inspection, is the chubbiest Harvest Sprite of the three.

"I'm the one who you gave the mushroom to last time," Nak said.

"Aren't there more of you Harvest Sprites besides you guys?" I asked Nik.

"Sure, they're all over the place! But Nak, Flak and I are the only Harvest sprites in the vicinity. There are more in Mineral Town, Forget-Me-Not Valley, everywhere!" Nik explained to me.

"How many, exactly...?" I asked.

"We aren't sure ourselves- we haven't met them all," Flak said.

"Oh. i see. Well, I better get back to work. It was nice meeting you guys. And thanks for upgrading my sickle and garden hoe," I said before leaving.

I left the tool shed and started taking care of my cows and chickens and all that, and returned to the tool shed to get my super hammer to fix the fence posts that got damaged because of the rain. I gotta tell you, I'm starting to like working in the rain. At least your hands and feet don't get numb like in the winter. After all my jobs are done, I spent the whole afternoon talking to and playing with Ellen and Pete.

Saturday, 4th Of Spring, 1978

I looked out the window.

"Man! If this keeps up, I'll never get the chance to see Pete wear the overalls you made him last season," I moaned in frustration.

"Calm down, honey. Things will get better. Just you wait and see," Ellen said, comforting me.

I wanted to be sure. I walked on over to the television, turned it on and changed the channel to the weather forecast.

"... Heavy rainfall tomorrow with winds up to 26 mph. That's the third time in a row that it has rained..." The weatherwoman said, and she is saying more, but we tuned her out. I looked over at Ellen.

"You were saying?" I said sullenly.

Ellen gave me a "I didn't know!" shrug and look on her face. After eating breakfast with my wife and son, I went outside to feed the livestock and fix the fence posts that are broken. Pretty routine these past three days. Tomorrow will still be the same too. I know it. Looks like we won't be going to church tomorrow.

Monday, 6th Of Spring, 1978

Finally, its not raining anymore!

"Whoo-hoo! Yeah, baby! No more rain! No more rain! No rain! No rain!" I was dancing around all over the bedroom.

Ellen and Pete were watching me with blank expressions.

"...Dah..." Pete said.

Ellen looked at him. "That's just how your father is, Pete," she replied.

After eating breakfast, Ellen and Pete joined me outside. Finally I get to see Pete wear his own overalls! He looks so cute in them! all he needs is a blue cap like mine, then we'll really look like father and son! Ellen got started washing all the dirty bath towels and keeping a close eye on Pete, making sure he doesn't wander off too far, while I fed the livestock and took their milk and eggs to the kitchen as cooking supplies for Ellen, and then I went to Neighbor Town to go buy some grass, turnip and potato seeds. I got more than enough money to clean out the shelves, now!

"Good morning, Tony! I bet you're happy it stopped raining today, aren't you?" Liz greeted me.

"You know it! I'll take all the grass, turnip and potato seeds you have," I said.

Liz totally freaked out once I made that request.

"WHAT?! Well... if you can pay for it all, sure. 18 bags of grass seeds... 16 bags of turnip seeds and 15 bags of potato seeds, right?"

"Right," I nodded.

"Harvesting must be more than good for you, I bet," Liz gave me a weak, uneasy smile.

"You betcha!" I smiled back.

A minute later, I left the flower shop with a large bag full of all the seeds I bought. I now have $45,555, so I'm all good. When I got back to the ranch, I saw Ellen hanging the washed clothes and towels on the clothesline for the sun to dry.

"Welcome back home, honey," Ellen greeted me.

"Da-da!" Pete said excitedly.

"What's in the bag?" Ellen asked me.

"Crop seeds. A lot of them," I replied as I walked towards the tool shed to store the bag of seeds.

Then I took a few of them and began planting the grass seeds then the potato and turnip seeds. Next I had to sprinkle water on them, and I'm feeling pretty tired already, running to Neighbor Town and returning to the ranch with a heavy bag of more than a dozen bags of seeds. After I was done sprinkling the potato and turnips seeds I planted, I felt so weak... My arm muscles ached, and my legs felt like they are going to give in any minute.

I checked my watch. 4:36 p.m. Derek should be arriving any minute, but I'm too tired to chat with him. I walked into the house with Ellen. I carried Pete as I walked into the house since Ellen has a basket of dry, clean bath towels and clothes in her hands.

"Darling... I'm so tired..." I said in a voice no higher than a whisper.

I sat down on the dinner table, hoping Ellen will cook something to give me some of my stamina back.

"Hold on, darling. I'll give you a apple pie that I've been cooking while you were gone to town."

After eating the cake, I felt so much better! Later than night, both me, Ellen and Pete fell fast asleep.

Tuesday, 7th Of Spring, 1978

At 7:59 a.m., after eating breakfast, I went outside to feed my livestock and water the potato and turnip seeds. Then I went out into the forest to chop and bring back some firewood because I've noticed that I have 100 logs of wood in my firewood shed now. At 4:00 p.m. I came back home to store up all the wood I chopped then I ran to Neighbor Town to Ellen's uncle's livestock shop to ask him if he would let me sell one of my cows.

"Tony! How are you, son?" Dale greeted me as soon as I came in.

I didn't reply immediately.

"Are you here to buy another cow or chicken?" He asked me.

I put my arms on the counter as I looked him in the face.

"Nah. The opposite. I want to sell one of my cows," I replied.

Dale looked a little surprised at my request.

"Sure. Why didn't you say so? Give me a little time to get ready. I'll be at your ranch before 6:30 p.m. Don't worry," he assured me.

"Okay. I'll get ready," I said and left.

I ran as fast as I could back to my ranch, because since it's a two hour long walk, I estimated I'll be there around 6:00, which means Dale will be 30 minutes behind me. I better do this thing quick before Ellen gets upset at me for staying out after 6:00. As soon as I got to the ranch, I entered the cow house. I looked at Aloe, Star and Nova.

"Man... This is difficult..." I mumbled in depression.

The truth is, I don't have the heart to sell either Aloe, Star, or Nova. I've grown quite attached to them... But I gotta help a friend out. Suddenly I remembered how sad it was for Ellen when she had to let go of P-Chan. Now I'm in Ellen's shoes. Who would have expected that? I shook my head, chuckling at the comparison. I'm more like Ellen than I thought. I chose to sell Aloe. I pushed her out of the cow house.

"Come on, Aloe. It's time I let you go," I said.

Outside, I guided Aloe to the spot near the shipping box where sold livestock are supposed to wait for the buyer. I looked up at the sky. It The night sky has almost covered the setting sunlight.

"Come on... Where is he? He should be here by now..." I mumbled to myself, checking the watch. 6:24 p.m. Great. A minute later, some shady guy who looks similar to the guy who sold me the tree with the bells on it appeared to me. He looked exactly like the other guy! He even carried a huge bag like him!

"Whoa! Who are you?" I demanded.

"Mooo." Aloe mooed.

"I'm a wandering hawker." He replied.

"Yeah, well, get out of here. I'm waiting on somebody," I ordered.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second, sir. I'm just here to show you something interesting. Care to look?" He asked me.

I frowned, thinking it over. "... Shoot," I told the guy.

"Today, I have a very rare seed. You'll see the wonder when you plant it in the soil. I can exchange it with one of your cows. It's a bargain." The shady guy told me.

This is the most difficult decision I have ever made. If I give this guy Aloe and I get the rare seed, Dale will have my legs broken if he finds out that I gave the cow to someone else... But I am curious to know how special this seed is. I just hope that I don't regret this later on.

"... You got yourself a sale, buddy," I agreed with him.

"Okay, this cow is mine now. Here's the seed," the guy gave it to me.

"Plant it on the top of the mountain. Something good will definitely happen," the guy told me with a smirk that made me doubt my decision.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

The guy didn't answer my question.

"See you," he said and left with Aloe.

I felt like I should punch myself in the face. Have I been swindled? Anyway, I stayed near the gates of my ranch, for the next five minutes waiting for Dale to arrive. When he did arrive, he looked confused to why I am standing here alone.

"Okay, I'm here. Where's the cow? You're supposed to have it with you," he said.

"Yeah, about that... Before you arrived, this guy came by, and I... I, uh... sold it to him for some strange seed," I said nervously, feeling scared about being lectured or berated by him.

"You said what? Oh Lord... Tony, you were supposed to sell it to me, not some shady character! What in the world were you thinking? I'm leaving." Dale stormed off in frustration.

I felt guilty... Extremely guilty. With the seed in my hand, I walked into the house, changed into my pajamas and got in the bed with Ellen. She didn't yell at me, but she gave me a warning not to stay out late again, because she was worried sick about me.

Wednesday, 8th Of Spring

That morning, I fed my livestock (Star and Nova seemed a little depressed that Aloe is gone... I don't blame them. Then to compensate for Aloe's departure, I bought another cow from Ellen's uncle and named her Cloe. Then I traveled up to the mountain peak to plant the big green seed that hawker guy gave me yesterday. After planting it in the same spot where I planted the snow seed last year, I left, returning to the ranch to be with my wife and child for the rest of the day.

Thursday, 9th Of Spring, 1978

I was watching a cartoon with Pete as Ellen was cooking strawberry flavored oatmeal, not just for Pete, but for all of us.

"Honey, when do you think our next baby will be born?" I asked Ellen, keeping my eyes glued to the T.V. screen.

"Well... I don't know. Sometime next week, I guess. All I know is, every day, the baby makes my body feel more and more heavier," Ellen said from the kitchen as she stirred the oatmeal in the pot with a big wooden spoon with her left hand and rubbing her swollen belly with her right hand, she could feel Pete's brother or sister moving around restlessly.

"I'm hoping Sunday," I replied.

"Why Sunday?" Ellen asked me.

"Because I want our next baby's birthday to be on the 12th of spring, just like Pete's birthday is on the 12th of summer." I replied.

"Hmmm... I like that idea, darling... All of a sudden you got me hoping that, too," Ellen said, amused.

Later, she gave us our bowls of oatmeal. I gotta tell you, strawberry oatmeal tastes great, especially with milk and some sugar mixed in it! my wife is an expert at cooking! Afterwards, I went outside to work while Ellen stayed inside to wash the dishes and later come outside with Pete to check on Zara. I fed, brushed and talked to Cloe, Star and Nova and fed my chickens, then I watered the potato seeds and sprouting turnips, then after that, I decided to go to Neighbor Town and buy another cow, so that Star and nova won't feel so sad about Aloe being gone, but they're getting used to Cloe.

"Okay, you want another cow?" Dale asked me.

"Yes, sir." I nodded.

"Okay, I'll bring it on over to your ranch. Give me a while, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded and left.

Many minutes later, when I came to the part of the road where two detours branch off near the smashed bird statue, I decided to take the detour to the mountainside forest and see how that seed I planted is doing.

"Hey, Tony! How's it going, man?" Toby greeted me.

"I'm on my way to the hill's peak, that's what's going on," I replied.

"What's up there? You going up there to see the view and think deeply about a few personal things?" Toby asked me as he watched me walk off.

"Yeah. Something like that," I replied as I looked back at him, keeping on moving forward.

"I see. The kid has a lot of things to think about..." Toby muttered to himself and drunk some of Eve's "juice", which is actually blackberry flavored wine.

As soon as I reached the mountain peak, I got the shock of my life!

"What the sam hill?!" I exclaimed in sheer shock!

I looked up! The seed I planted yesterday grew into a huge beanstalk! A beanstalk so huge, it probably touches the clouds! You know the story "Jack and The Beanstalk"? Yeah, the beanstalk that grows high into the clouds, it's that big. I slowly stepped closer to the beanstalk in awe.

"Oh my lord..." I whispered in amazement.

When that hawker said something wondrous would happen, I wasn't expecting this! I stood near the base of the beanstalk. I had a nagging urge to climb it, but I was nervous. What will I find up in the clouds? A giant that will grind my bones to make bread? I hope not.

"Oh man... This is nuts..." I muttered to myself.

But slowly I gained the courage and I climbed the beanstalk. I climbed for what felt like almost two hours! As I was climbing, I kept on encouraging myself not to look down, otherwise I'd lose my nerve and panic. I kept my head up. Soon, I was able to see my destination. A castle in the clouds!

"What in the world...?" I muttered to myself.

Now I've seen everything. And the beanstalk ended at a small hole under a section in the castle. Soon I climbed up to the end of the beanstalk and found myself in the castle. I checked out my surroundings.

"Whoa... This is unreal..." I said to myself in utter disbelief.

A castle high up in the clouds? How come people flying airplanes haven't discovered this yet? This is too weird for words! I looked down and saw that my feet were standing on clouds! And I'm not falling through them! It felt like I am standing on ground made of thick cotton.

"This... is strange," I muttered.

I moved on forward, climbing up some stairs ahead of me. Soon I found myself on a short bridge. At both sides of the bridge I could see the clouds right next to me! It is too unbelievable!

"Wow...! Get a grip, Tony..." I calmed myself down and moved forward.

I passed by two rows of pillars in this new room, then I found myself in front of the most amazing, beautiful water fountain I have ever seen to my life! And to the fountain's left and right, two rectangular patches of grass suspended by platforms made of silver-blue bricks. I stared at the water fountain in awe. The water was pouring from the cylinder shaped statue in the middle, and the water is beautifully swirling around it.

"Wow... This is too amazing. Whoever decorated this place is one heck of an artist," I said to myself, checking out the place.

I passed by the water fountain and moved forward, until I saw a set of short golden steps leading up to a platform where a- get this, a chicken with golden feathers was sleeping!

"A gold chicken?! This is stranger than fiction..." I whispered to myself.

I slowly approached the gold chicken. I softly stepped up the stairs and stood 5 inches close to the chicken.

"Um... Hello?" I called out to him.

"Huh?!" The chicken sprung awake!

And did I hear right? Did that chicken just say "Huh"? The chicken looked at me.

"... Ah, you're the first human in well, how long had it been since the last human being came here?" The chicken asked me.

It can talk! A talking chicken! Oh my God! And it had a feminine voice too, which means it is female, which should have been obvious to me since it does not look like a rooster at all.

"It... Talks..." I whispered in sheer disbelief, fighting the feeling that I might faint.

"... Hey, you, human. Are you a farmer?" The gold chicken asked me.

"Yes..." I said while slowly nodding.

"Are you working hard?" The chicken asked me as I was daydreaming.

I broke out of my trance. "Me? Uh, yes, I have. I have a wife, a child, and another child coming soon." I replied to the chicken.

Then the golden chicken stood up on her talons then stepped back, revealing that she just laid a golden egg.

"Whoa..." I gasped.

"Now, take this with you. You can sell it at an expensive price," the gold chicken told me.

"I can?" I looked at her.

She nodded. "Work hard from now on," the gold chicken told me.

"Don't worry. I'm no slacker," I replied as I grabbed the egg and put it in my pocket.

I looked around. "... So, uh, how do I get out of here?" I asked the gold chicken.

When I turned around to face her, I saw a opening appear on the wall behind him.

"I suggest you return home as soon as possible," The gold chicken advised me.

I nodded and approached it. Next to it is a sign that said: "It's the way back, It's connected to the world below."

So without hesitation, I stepped through the opening and suddenly I had this feeling that i am falling back down. But the strange feeling is that I got this feeling that I'm actually being transported down. Soon I found myself standing outside of town, near the bridge. I entered town to see someone who would be interested in seeing a rare item. Like the peddler woman, for example, the one who sold me the blue feather.

"Check this out!" I laid the golden egg on the peddler's table.

Her eyes widened in surprise as soon as she saw it!

"Good Lord! This is a golden egg! I never expected to see it with my own eyes..."

"Give me $5000 for this thing," I ordered.

"Alright, $5000... No, $10000 for it! Will you please sell it to me?" She asked me.

I grinned. "I bet you're glad to see something rare in your lifetime, huh?" I asked her.

"Yes, yes, living long means something for sure," she replied.

After getting paid my wallet is practically bulging with hundred dollar bills and a few 20's! Too bad Neighbor Town does not have a bank. When I got back home, I found my newly bought cow and named it Jade. Now I got 4 cows and 7 chickens! I entered my deluxe house, ate dinner with Ellen and Pete and later that night, got some shuteye.

Sunday, 12th Of Spring, 1978

I was right! All along I was right! A few minutes after Ellen, Pete and I woke up, Ellen started to go into labour, feeling the painful sensations of her uterus contracting, trying to push the baby out of her body. Just like I speculated a few days ago, today is the day her body is ready to release our second baby.

"Ugggh... Honey, go get Mrs. Fortune!" Ellen exclaimed as she lay in our bed, breathing heavily.

"Okay, honey!" I ran to the living room and called Mrs. Fortune and Ellen's mom by the telephone to let them know Ellen is ready to deliver my second child.

Less than 30 minutes later, Daniel, Ellen's mom and Mrs. Fortune arrived. Man, this is like deja vu when Ellen was giving birth to Pete. I watched Mrs. Fortune do her thing, waiting to catch the baby under the bed sheets and urging Ellen to keep pushing. Back then, I was traumatized and nervous. Now, I feel a little more calmer. I can't say the same for Pete, though. He was laying in his bed, looking over at his mom, who is in pain trying to deliver his little brother or sister.

"Ma-ma? Ma-ma?" Pete kept calling to Ellen.

I walked over to Pete.

"Come on, Pete. Come outside with Daddy," I said as I got him dressed in his overalls.

I walked up to Ellen as she laid in the bed, her body covered under the bed sheets like last time and drenched in her own sweat.

"Honey, we're worried about you," I said.

"Ma-ma." Pete said, trying to reach out to her.

"I'm okay, honey. You two just go outside and wait. I'll be fine," Ellen said.

"We will," I nodded.

Pete and I left the room.

"Come on, Ellen, you can do it! Just like before! Push! Push!" Mrs. Fortune urged Ellen.

"Uggghhhh...!" Ellen strained with all her might, breaking a few more beads of sweat.

As soon as we stepped outside, me and Pete saw three birds standing in front of us!

"Wheee! Bird!" Pete giggled.

The birds flew away as soon as they heard Pete's voice. As I did my work, taking care of my livestock and all that, I was showing Pete how I did all that. He was paying attention really well behaved for a toddler. He let nothing distract him. I showed him how I brushed, milked and fed cows and chickens, and what I did with their milk and eggs, and how I sprinkled water on the potato seeds (I shipped all the turnip seeds yesterday.) After we were done, Pete and I returned to the farmhouse.

As soon as we came in...

"Waaah... Waaaah..."

I gasped.

"Pete! Hear that?" I looked down at him in excitement.

"Congratulations, you two!" Daniel said to me and Pete as he emerged from the doorway leading into the bedroom.

"Come on, Pete, let's go meet your sibling," I led Pete to the bedroom.

"It's a boy, Tony. A healthy boy," Mrs. Fortune announced as soon as me and Pete came in.

"Hear that, Pete? You got yourself a little brother!" I exclaimed as I picked him up.

"Wheee! Da-da bro!" Pete said excitedly.

I walked over to the side of the bed and saw Ellen laying next to Pete's little brother.

"You see that, Pete? You were just like that last year." I told Pete.

"Ba-ba! Wow!" Pete smiled.

"Darling, please name him." Ellen said.

"Okay. I've been waiting for this moment... Our new baby's name will be... Jack." I announced.

I gave my second son that name because climbing that beanstalk yesterday reminded me of how much I loved the fable story of Jack and the Beanstalk when I was a kid.

"Pete, meet your little brother, Jack. Jack, this is your big brother Pete," I introduced the babies.

"Thank you, darling. We have two babies now... I'm so happy..." Ellen said with a weak smile, feeling tired from delivering Jack.

I crouched down on my knees so my face is at her level.

"Dear, you deserve to be proud of yourself. I'm glad to be able to be with you forever." I kissed her nose.

Ellen let out a soft chuckle and fell asleep, exhausted while Jack muttered and blabbered next to her. And so, on Sunday, 12th of Spring, our second baby, Jack, is born. I'm so glad to know that Pete has a little brother now.