Mother Is Not At All Pleased

“A capful of magic bean! How much more stupid can you be!” Jack’s mother shouted, giving him a whack on the head.

“I have birthed a fool!” Jack’s mother shouted. “You have ruined us! Starved us! You have killed us and we will never make it another day!”

“But it’s a magic bean!” Jack insisted, feeling that he was about to cry. “Magic. The man dressed all in black said so!”

“We’ve been cheated! You are a fool!” Mother cried. “We are ruined!”

At this, in her anger, Mother grabbed Jack’s Considering Cap filled with the magic bean and threw them both out the kitchen window into the barren garden.

“Go to bed! Now!” Mother screamed.

“But my Considering Cap!” Jack shouted.

“To bed with you! You have killed us with starvation, you foolish, foolish boy! You’re as bad as your father. Oh, if only the giant who comes in the night had eaten you, as he has so many children, and taken us out of our misery. To bed!”

Jack, being an obedient boy, went and lay down on the floor. Jack considered, but without his Considering Cap he wasn’t sure he could consider at all well.

Why couldn’t they, Jack considered, at least cook the bean and have one last warm meal? Why hadn’t the giant eaten him in his sleep long ago, so that he and his dear mother would now be out of their misery?

Oh, the questions. Oh the considering to be done!

Jack wondered and wondered, quietly crying himself to sleep.