Jack and the Giant Tomato Stalk

Once upon a time

In a small farm town called Greenhill,

A poor mother and her son named Jack

Lived on almost nothing except a few dimes.

After the bean plant blight,

Greenhill farmers were left with nothing to grow

And the widow surrendered, telling Jack,

“Go sell our milking cow, Old Bess, for a price that’s right.”

As Jack led Bess through the marketplace,

He noticed an old lady struggling

Under the weight of a crate of tomatoes,

And set Bess aside to take her place.

After completing his job, Jack realized Bess’s disappearance.

“Bessy, Bessy, where are you?” he cried to no avail.

Understanding Jack’s pain, the lady laid one tomato seed in his palm, explaining,

“Care for this well, and you will find new abundance.”

“How much for Bessy?” asked the widow upon Jack’s arrival.

Tears streaming down his face, Jack’s response was clear: nothing.

He chucked his seed out the window,

And ran to his room-- no sorrow could rival.

Instead of waking to the sun’s rays,

Jack found himself enveloped under the shade of huge, green leaves.

His tomato plant had seemingly grown the size of their house overnight,

And could help feed him and his mother everyday!

From that day on, Jack devoted all his free time to his prize:

Plucking weeds around the base and adding compost and water.

By the end of a week, he could see bright red tomatoes

Reaching Old Bess’ own size.

In fact, Jack could not care for the plant on his own,

And began to hire unemployed farmers to help him tend to his green tower--

Fighting off giant aphids and building towering fences to guide the vine’s growth.

One plant had brought new life, work, and food to the entire town.

As the vine grew and grew,

Jack and the farmers reached further and further up.

One day, Jack climbed to the very top

And found a kingdom hidden in the clouds he never before knew.

Jack jumped off, surprised by the clouds’ lightness and fluff.

Seemingly able to walk much faster here,

Jack reached the castle in no time

And found himself face-to-face with a queen familiar and a king rough.

The queen, a younger form of the old lady, cheered, “Ahh Jack you arrived just as I expected. Well done!”

The king drifted down to Jack from his throne and told Jack,

“For your hard work and dedication, you may enjoy a life of the gods forever.”

Jack thought and thought, but confidently replied,

“Thank you, but my happiness lies in my town. Without them, I am none.”