Resuming his natural breathing pattern, Sam ran his fingers through Jack’s chest hairs. He pulled his lover down beside him. “You certainly know how to make a man feel better.”
“That’s my job. Now, try to enjoy this weather. It may not last. We should go to market tomorrow after we milk the cows. Then we have the whole day to do absolutely nothing but this.” Jack kissed Sam.
Spring’s warm, sunny weather presided for the remaining days of the week. Jack kept Sam preoccupied with the beauty of nature surrounding them. They made frequent visits to the knoll, to watch puffy clouds float across the sky. They fantasized dancing from cloud to cloud to go back to the land where Sam was born. They watched birds building nests amongst the pink blossoms billowing in the blooming cherry tree near the house. In the evening, they sat on the front porch, and watched the brilliant orange, scarlet, and pink of the sunset fade into the starry nights.
When Zeke and Adam returned from town on Monday, the bean seeds had sprouted into young beansprouts. Since the soil had become dry, they irrigated the fields with the water from the pond.
But by mid-week the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The spring’s door of warmth and passion slammed shut. Black murderous clouds blocked the sun’s glow. Falling back into the grips of winter, a late spring snowstorm smothered and decimated the tender beansprouts. Disaster hit the farm. The entre bean crop was lost.
The night of the blizzard, Sam tossed and turned until he screamed in his sleep, waking Jack. He had a deathly dream about his father, more vivid than any previously.
“Sam, wake up.” Jack attempted to stir Sam. “You’re having a nightmare.”
“He’s really sick. He has Giant Fever.” Sam revealed what he remembered. His father was critically ill. “I’m afraid he will die.”
“Calm down.” Jack covered him with the sheet and blankets Sam had kicked off in his sleep. “It’s a nightmare. It’s probably not that true. He may not be that sick, like you said about your dreams before. Your brothers are there. They can take care of him.”
“What if they can’t? What if no one can go to the castle and get meat?” Sam’s dark hysteria reflected the weather outside.
“You have to have faith that your brothers are able to go to the castle and get the food.” Jack held Sam tightly, attempting to calm him, but he was concerned about the storm raging outside. He worried for Sam and the crops.
Neither Jack nor Sam slept well for the remaining night.
Jack surmised the situation after the snow melted. The milk from the cows would suffice to trade for feed for the animals and food for everyone. If it were not for Pearly White and the other cows, the farm would be meant for ruin. The chicken would not give any more golden eggs without feeding her the prized seeds from the magical beanstalk and those few seeds had to be saved. The men worked extra hard to till the land to plant the remaining crops for grain to feed the animals for the next winter. Jack made a schedule for going to market to trade the milk for food and supplies. Jack and Zeke went on Mondays and Fridays. Sam and Adam went on Thursdays and Saturdays. Lorene cooked and cleaned when she was able. Jack and Sam assisted her when they had time. Sundays were the only days for rest. The whole adopted family contributed cooking big Sunday dinners celebrating their survival.
Sam’s nightmares of an ailment crippling his father haunted him for the next few nights. He feared his father would die if he could not find a way to go back home, high up in the sky. Withdrawn and quiet during the day, Sam hid his worries like a turtle retreating into its shell when approached by danger. In this case, the fear was death, his father’s.
Sam’s misery made Jack despondent. He pondered ways to take Sam to the land high above obsessively, but could never find a solution. He continuously brooded over why planting the seeds from the giant magical beanstalk had not grown to climb as the one from the magical seeds. Why did they only spread across the land for hundreds of yards? There must be a way he could get Sam back to his home.
*
The next Thursday, Sam and Adam hauled the milk to market as planned. They hauled, and hauled, and hauled the wagon. They traded their milk for the supplies they needed. Upon returning home, they rode, and rode, and rode in the wagon very far, until Sam spotted an old, peculiar man dressed only in a red bikini. He remembered the story about a similar man Jack had mentioned when he had traded Pearly White for five magical beans.
“Stop the wagon, Adam.” Sam stood up. “Stop for a moment.”
Adam pulled the reins on the horses. The horses stopped.
“Let me talk to this man.” Sam jumped off the wagon.
“But he’s nothing but an old man swindling naive people,” Adam protested.
“I’ll be brief. I won’t give him anything.” Sam approached the man.
“Well, hello, Sam. You are a very handsome, wise man, I can tell by your beautiful green eyes.” The peculiar man slipped two fingers down his red bikini underwear, and played with his balls.
“You know my name. How is that?” Before the strange man could answer, Sam begged an answer to a more urgent question, “Do you have any more of those magical beans you traded my partner, Jack? Do you remember him? He traded you his prize cow, Pearly White, for magic beans.”
“Ah, yes, I remember Jack. He was an intelligent, young man. Those magical beans grew high, high, and high up to another place Yes, I remember. He bought his cow back with a gold coin.” His hand reached behind his back and slid behind his butt, retrieving a bouquet of daises. “Like magic, these mysterious, lovely daises might ease your sorrows. You could show your affection to that man you love.”
“No, strange man. I was wondering if you had any more of those magical beans you traded Jack. I’m willing to trade almost anything.”
“Ah, unfortunately, I am all out of those. I would need seeds from that magical beanstalk and, perhaps, something gold, like an egg. Do you have something to trade me today?” He played with his balls again, waiting for an answer.
“Kind, sir,” Sam whispered.
“Lean closer. I can barely hear you, Sam.”
Sam leaned closer, and whispered in the peculiar man’s ear. “Not today, but next Saturday I can bring the seeds and a golden egg.” He heard Adam calling.
“Marvelous, Sam. You are a shrewd man. I can tell. I’ll meet you here at the same time. Don’t be late. There is something you must do in order for the seeds I give you to be magical. You must keep our trade a secret.
“That’s my job. Now, try to enjoy this weather. It may not last. We should go to market tomorrow after we milk the cows. Then we have the whole day to do absolutely nothing but this.” Jack kissed Sam.
Spring’s warm, sunny weather presided for the remaining days of the week. Jack kept Sam preoccupied with the beauty of nature surrounding them. They made frequent visits to the knoll, to watch puffy clouds float across the sky. They fantasized dancing from cloud to cloud to go back to the land where Sam was born. They watched birds building nests amongst the pink blossoms billowing in the blooming cherry tree near the house. In the evening, they sat on the front porch, and watched the brilliant orange, scarlet, and pink of the sunset fade into the starry nights.
When Zeke and Adam returned from town on Monday, the bean seeds had sprouted into young beansprouts. Since the soil had become dry, they irrigated the fields with the water from the pond.
But by mid-week the weather had taken a turn for the worse. The spring’s door of warmth and passion slammed shut. Black murderous clouds blocked the sun’s glow. Falling back into the grips of winter, a late spring snowstorm smothered and decimated the tender beansprouts. Disaster hit the farm. The entre bean crop was lost.
The night of the blizzard, Sam tossed and turned until he screamed in his sleep, waking Jack. He had a deathly dream about his father, more vivid than any previously.
“Sam, wake up.” Jack attempted to stir Sam. “You’re having a nightmare.”
“He’s really sick. He has Giant Fever.” Sam revealed what he remembered. His father was critically ill. “I’m afraid he will die.”
“Calm down.” Jack covered him with the sheet and blankets Sam had kicked off in his sleep. “It’s a nightmare. It’s probably not that true. He may not be that sick, like you said about your dreams before. Your brothers are there. They can take care of him.”
“What if they can’t? What if no one can go to the castle and get meat?” Sam’s dark hysteria reflected the weather outside.
“You have to have faith that your brothers are able to go to the castle and get the food.” Jack held Sam tightly, attempting to calm him, but he was concerned about the storm raging outside. He worried for Sam and the crops.
Neither Jack nor Sam slept well for the remaining night.
Jack surmised the situation after the snow melted. The milk from the cows would suffice to trade for feed for the animals and food for everyone. If it were not for Pearly White and the other cows, the farm would be meant for ruin. The chicken would not give any more golden eggs without feeding her the prized seeds from the magical beanstalk and those few seeds had to be saved. The men worked extra hard to till the land to plant the remaining crops for grain to feed the animals for the next winter. Jack made a schedule for going to market to trade the milk for food and supplies. Jack and Zeke went on Mondays and Fridays. Sam and Adam went on Thursdays and Saturdays. Lorene cooked and cleaned when she was able. Jack and Sam assisted her when they had time. Sundays were the only days for rest. The whole adopted family contributed cooking big Sunday dinners celebrating their survival.
Sam’s nightmares of an ailment crippling his father haunted him for the next few nights. He feared his father would die if he could not find a way to go back home, high up in the sky. Withdrawn and quiet during the day, Sam hid his worries like a turtle retreating into its shell when approached by danger. In this case, the fear was death, his father’s.
Sam’s misery made Jack despondent. He pondered ways to take Sam to the land high above obsessively, but could never find a solution. He continuously brooded over why planting the seeds from the giant magical beanstalk had not grown to climb as the one from the magical seeds. Why did they only spread across the land for hundreds of yards? There must be a way he could get Sam back to his home.
*
The next Thursday, Sam and Adam hauled the milk to market as planned. They hauled, and hauled, and hauled the wagon. They traded their milk for the supplies they needed. Upon returning home, they rode, and rode, and rode in the wagon very far, until Sam spotted an old, peculiar man dressed only in a red bikini. He remembered the story about a similar man Jack had mentioned when he had traded Pearly White for five magical beans.
“Stop the wagon, Adam.” Sam stood up. “Stop for a moment.”
Adam pulled the reins on the horses. The horses stopped.
“Let me talk to this man.” Sam jumped off the wagon.
“But he’s nothing but an old man swindling naive people,” Adam protested.
“I’ll be brief. I won’t give him anything.” Sam approached the man.
“Well, hello, Sam. You are a very handsome, wise man, I can tell by your beautiful green eyes.” The peculiar man slipped two fingers down his red bikini underwear, and played with his balls.
“You know my name. How is that?” Before the strange man could answer, Sam begged an answer to a more urgent question, “Do you have any more of those magical beans you traded my partner, Jack? Do you remember him? He traded you his prize cow, Pearly White, for magic beans.”
“Ah, yes, I remember Jack. He was an intelligent, young man. Those magical beans grew high, high, and high up to another place Yes, I remember. He bought his cow back with a gold coin.” His hand reached behind his back and slid behind his butt, retrieving a bouquet of daises. “Like magic, these mysterious, lovely daises might ease your sorrows. You could show your affection to that man you love.”
“No, strange man. I was wondering if you had any more of those magical beans you traded Jack. I’m willing to trade almost anything.”
“Ah, unfortunately, I am all out of those. I would need seeds from that magical beanstalk and, perhaps, something gold, like an egg. Do you have something to trade me today?” He played with his balls again, waiting for an answer.
“Kind, sir,” Sam whispered.
“Lean closer. I can barely hear you, Sam.”
Sam leaned closer, and whispered in the peculiar man’s ear. “Not today, but next Saturday I can bring the seeds and a golden egg.” He heard Adam calling.
“Marvelous, Sam. You are a shrewd man. I can tell. I’ll meet you here at the same time. Don’t be late. There is something you must do in order for the seeds I give you to be magical. You must keep our trade a secret.