By Nicolin Odel and Eric Kao

1. Acid Rain Fell From the Skies…
2. … The Beanstalk Withered, the Land it Cries
3. A Hunger Deep, A Darkened Fire…
4. … To Break the Curse…
5. … One Must Feed…
6. … Jack’s Desire

Acid Rain Fell From the Skies…

“Master Jeld. There is something you need to see about the Beanstalk.”

Jeld groaned and rolled over, pulling his blankets over his head as the servants dragged open the delicate silk drapes of his bedchamber with a discomforting screech. “The Beanstalk is the Beanstalk. I’ve looked at it a million times.”

“It’s raining.”

“As nature demands.”

“People are screaming.”

Jeld threw off the bedding and rushed to the window. He was naked, except for the ornate golden pouch around his neck—the family heirloom. Sickly rain splattered like piss onto the rooftops of the village below. It landed with a hiss, and vapor wafted from the roof tiles.

People ran to and fro in the muddy streets, crying in pain and seeking shelter as the rain ate through their clothing and flesh, leaving trails of steam. Some screamed and pointed in horror up the Beanstalk beyond his window, though it was hard not to flinch away from their trembling fingers.

His servant placed a robe around Jeld’s shoulders. “They point to the Beanstalk, not you and your family pouch, my lord.”

“My…?!” Jeld whipped the robe closed, concealing his nakedness, and his hand touched the pouch on his chest. “Oh.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, yes, I know that, of course.” He absently tapped the pouch as he observed the rain eat through the roof of a farmer’s produce stand. Acidic rain? Like in the Poem of Jack?

The rain dripped through the hole in the stand’s roof and ran down the legs. It corroded through the thin wood, and the crash jolted Jeld from his thoughts. “A glove!”

A manservant appeared beside him. Jeld pulled on the leather glove and stuck his hand out the window opening. The substance fizzled against the hide and burned through the leather. “Ah! Get this off me!”

The servant grasped the smoking glove with his bare hands and yanked it off. The servant cried out and threw the glove to the stone floor.

Jeld waved the man away. “You’re dismissed.” He turned to the remaining servants. “Quickly, now get me dressed.”

He still stood before the window as a trio of manservants hurriedly outfitted Jeld in a pristinely white high-collared shirt, dark-cut trousers, and fine polished leather boots—finally, an embroidered olive coat with the Jacks’ family crest on the breast and more prominently on the back. The towering Beanstalk with twisting vines and leaves, and at the peak, a shining starburst with rays of golden light—my family’s legacy.

The rain subsided, and the people emerged from their homes in droves and headed directly toward his castle.

Jeld exited his extravagant bedchamber, striding toward the courtyard of the Jack family castle. The courtyard, overlooked by a large balcony, was where the townfolk gathered to express their grievances to Jeld and his family. The castle was built around the base of the giant Beanstalk that his great-great-great-grandfather, Jack, had planted long ago. The walls snaked around the base, sometimes over or under the massive roots protracting from the ground. Still, the wall was miles long, for the base of the Beanstalk was the thickest around. Many years had passed since anyone dared to climb into the clouds—and none had ever returned. This wall his family built segregated the rich from the poor. Jeld’s family—uncles, aunties, and cousins, tied to the Jack family name, given titles of Lords, Ladies, Dukes, and Duchesses—lived inside under the shade of massive protective leaves from the stalk. Everyone else lived outside.

The courtyard was the only entrance that allowed ordinary people to enter the walls. Even then, they could not bypass the courtyard or come close to the Beanstalk.

Jeld slowed as he smelled fresh bread from the kitchens and turned on his heels to take a slight detour.

“Master Jeld,” one of his servants called after him. “The people are waiting.”

“And how can I address said people’s needs with an empty stomach?”

“Of course, Master,” the servant intoned flatly.

The rain has stopped. They can wait. Jeld entered the kitchen, where a breakfast table and cushioned chair were placed before him. He ate his fill of bacon, eggs, freshly baked bread with creamy butter, and jelly preserves. Most of these goods were shipped in from the surrounding cities as it was well known that crops were notoriously tricky to grow in this area. Regular-sized beans grew all about the base of the giant stalk. Beans were plentiful and… well, damn right, healthy—great fiber and protein and whatnot. Jeld didn’t touch the bland, pasty things. His family was responsible for harvesting and distributing beans to the townsfolk. Jeld personally oversaw that the goods were sold at a fair price to the people.

As he ate at leisure, he tried to recall the poem of his ancestors—the Poem of Jack. He vaguely remembered his dear mama telling it as a bedtime story. Gods rest her soul. Try as he might, the words did not come to mind. He clapped his hands, and one of his many manservants appeared at his flank.

“Master Jeld?”

“Do you know the Poem of Jack?”

“Of course, my Lord.”

“Recite it.”

The manservant cleared his throat.

“In days of old, a beanstalk grew, to realms above the skies of blue.

Its leaves so green, its stalk so tall, With treasures hidden, known to all.

But time wore on, the stalk grew weak, Its once strong roots began to creak.

Acid rain fell from the skies, The Beanstalk withered, the land it cries.

Yet legends spoke of this dark hour, When Jack’s descendants hold the power.

To climb the stalk, despite its fate, Unlock the fruits before too late.”

Jeld applauded and gestured for the kitchen staff and servants to join in. “Well-remembered, my dear man.” Jeld stood, meeting the eyes of the other servants before extending a hand out to the man. “For that, you’re dismissed for the day.” Jeld applauded again and gestured for the kitchen staff and servants to join.

The servant bowed and backed out of the chamber.

“Acid rain fell from the skies, The Beanstalk withered, the land it cries,” Jeld repeated aloud. “That does not sound… good.” He mulled over the poem as he chewed a strip of bacon. “When Jack’s descendants hold the power. What power?” He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. “To, uh… To comb the stalk? No, that’s not right. Now, what was it again?” He snapped his fingers and pointed to the door. “Quick. Where’s, uh, you know? The man who was here before.”

A servant craned down beside him. “He left for the day, my Lord.”

Jeld tutted and nudged the servant to the door. “Go get him. I need him back here.”

The servant ran from the room and returned a few moments later with the man. Another servant rushed past the pair and skidded into the room. “Master Jeld! The people are beginning to revolt. They can’t wait for you any longer.”

“All right!” Jeld threw his fork and knife down on the plate. “I’m coming. Can’t a man simply enjoy a meal in peace?” He walked past the resummoned servant and patted him on the shoulder. “I need to hear that poem again once I’m done dealing with this nonsense.” He waved a hand over his shoulder as he strode down the hall. “Stay here until then. And don’t go wandering off this time!”

As he followed the servant toward the courtyard, many overlapping cries reached him.

“Save us, Lord Jeld! The rain burns our flesh!”

“Where is the protection you promised?”

“Our children are suffering! Do something!”

“What crops we had are burned and gone!”

“By Jack’s name, help us!”

“End this acid rain, or we will revolt!”

“Justice for the village! The Beanstalk is dying!”

Someone took up the chant that rose above all else and repeated it as the people stamped along in time.

“Cut down the stalk! Cut down the stalk!”

Jeld took a deep breath. “Damn bean-eaters.” He stepped onto the balcony and raised his hands. “People! My people!”

A hush fell over the crowd.

He grinned inwardly. I’m practically their god. The Beanstalk towered directly behind him from where he stood on the balcony. “There is no need to worry, my dear people. The Jack family will always look out for you. This phenomenon has passed and will not happen again.”

“How do you know?” someone shouted.

“Look at the stalk! It’s dying!”

Jeld suppressed a flicker of annoyance from crossing his face and leaned over to the servant. “Prepare baskets of beans to toss on my mark.”

The servant nodded and headed off. Within a few minutes, several servants had collected baskets of beans and stood poised behind Jeld.

Right, that will satisfy them for some time. “My dear people, I have prepared relief from this strange burning rain. Do not say the Jack family doesn’t look out for its own.” He raised a hand and stepped to the side. The servants marched up to the edge and raised the baskets.

Thunder boomed from above. Jeld flinched and looked up at the darkening sky. No, the yellowing sky. An ominous yellow-green mist had formed high up near the top of the Beanstalk. To his utmost horror, the leaves on the lower vines were browning and withering away.

“The Beanstalk is dying!” someone wailed.

A new voice boomed from the crowd. “It is time to end the Jack legacy and cut the Beanstalk down.”

“Aye! Delnic speaks the truth!”

Jeld focused on the man, Delnic, and looked upon a most attractive young man with dark hair, a brooding frown, and arms the size of Jeld’s legs. Oh my.

“You there!” Jeld pointed at the man. “Come forth and plead your case. As your Lord and sovereign, I will do my best to consider it.”

People placed their hands on Delnic’s shoulders and ushered him to the forefront of the crowd. Delnic, ever frowning, came directly below and craned his neck to look up where Jeld stood. “Perhaps the good Lord could speak to me on equal terms.”

Jeld’s eyebrows raised and he leaned to one of his servants. “What does he mean by that?”

“I-I believe he means to speak with you face-to-face.”

Jeld’s eyes widened. “Of course, he does! Have a rope ladder thrown over.”

The servant bowed and disappeared.

Jeld stood by the balcony rail, his fingers drumming the banister. Boredom got the better of him. “So, uh, some dreadful weather we’re having, wouldn’t you say?”

The crowd surged, shouting and cursing at him.

The servant reappeared with the ladder and Jeld climbed down. A few heartbeats later, he stared at Delnic’s muscular chest. The man stood a head taller than himself. Oh my, oh my. Jeld gave the man a once over. He tapped Delnic’s broad shoulders appreciatively. “Good stock, eh?” Jeld suppressed a wince at the unfortunate phrasing and cleared his throat.

Delnic’s clothes fit tightly but had seen better days and were stained with sweat. There were a few burn marks on his tawny vest and undershirt and some red splotches on his tanned skin from the acid. A massive axe was clipped almost magically to Delnic’s back. Jeld’s gaze finally rested on Delnic’s grim, stubbled face, curtained by black curly waves. Jeld looked up into those dark, smoldering eyes and nearly fainted.

Delnic snorted. “You gonna say something or just keep gawking?”

“Uh, excuse me?”

“Make a painting, it’ll last longer.”

“I mean… I could call for an artiste.”

“After I finish chopping that abomination down.” Delnic reached over his shoulder for his axe.

Gods, his biceps… Jeld shook himself and signaled to the waiting servants. “Now!”

They tossed the baskets into the crowd. Beans hailed down, and several people cried out as the baskets fell on their heads. Jeld inhaled sharply and swept an arm at the servants. “Not the baskets themselves, you fools!” He sighed as the crowd broke into tumultuous clamoring.

A melee erupted as people spooned beans into any possible container. Some filled their aprons full of the green and yellow pods, while others broke into fistfights over the baskets.

A pair of men wrestling over a jar stumbled toward Jeld. Delnic’s strong arm jerked him out of their way before they crashed into him. “Is that how you solve our problems?” Delnic’s dark eyes burned into Jeld.

“Uhm…” Jeld looked from side to side at his servants. One of them just shrugged. Then, as he gazed at one familiar-looking servant, he blurted out, “The Poem of Jack!” He hurried to the rope ladder and clambered up a few rungs. “Silence, my people.”

The crowd quieted, and all eyes turned up at him once more.

Jeld pulled a hand from the ladder and waved to the servant he had recognized. His body pitched outward, and he hastily regripped the ladder, his arms already burning. “The Poem of Jack. Recite the prophecy of my family.” He nodded to the servant.

The man hurried over. “Yes, Master?”

“Recite the poem like you did just a bell ago.”

“M-my lord?”

Another servant leaned in. “Master Jeld, that was Gregory.” Jeld blinked at him, and the servant squirmed. “W-who you sent home for the day? This is Oswald.”

“Oh yes, Oswald.” Jeld coughed and hopped down from the ladder. They expect me to know their names!? “Quite right, well, which of you knows the Poem of Jack?”

“I do, my Lord,” the second servant said.

“Ah, wonderful, Oswald.”

“I’m Maxwell, my Lord.”

“Of course, my dear Maxwell. Be a good man and recite it for our fine peoples.”

“Yes, Master Jeld.” Maxwell cleared his throat precisely as the last one had and began:

“In days of old, a beanstalk grew, to realms above the skies of blue.

Its leaves so green, its stalk so tall, With treasures hidden, known to all.

But time wore on, the stalk grew weak, Its once strong roots began to creak.

Acid rain fell from the skies, The Beanstalk withered, the land it cries.

Yet legends spoke of this dark hour, When Jack’s descendants hold the power.

To climb the stalk, despite its fate, Unlock the fruits before too late.”

For a long moment, silence gripped the crowd. Even Delnic looked more in thought than before, pondering the words. Then, all began muttering and whispering to one another.

“What could it mean?”

“Climb the stalk?”

The voices became louder with each inquiry.

“Jack’s descendant?”

“Our Lord Jeld?”

“Lord Jeld must climb the stalk! Jeld will save us!”

Jeld choked and drew back. “Uh, no, no.” He held up his hands. “Now hold on…”

The people’s words rang out over the course, and they took up the chant.

“Climb the stalk! Climb the stalk!”

“Save us, Lord Jeld!”

Something began to grow, not only in Jeld’s pants… his ego. I would be their hero. No, their savior. He scaled back up a few rungs of the ladder, and the crowd once again hushed. “Fear not, my people, I will climb the stalk”—the ladder swung precipitously beneath him, nearly bucking him, and he flung out a hand, steadying himself on Delnic’s shoulder—“and find the treasure. Mark my words, and I will share its fruits with you all.” For a reasonable price. Fair is fair, after all.

Delnic swiped Jeld’s hand from his shoulder. “And I will go with him.” Delnic loosed his axe and thrust it overhead. “To make sure our honorable lord keeps his questionable word.”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Jeld swung behind Delnic on the ladder, clinging to it as it almost spun. Damn him! A servant steadied the ladder, and Jeld hurried off. As he eyed the handsome man, he shrugged. Spend a few nights alone on the stalk with such a fine fellow. Ha ha. Don’t mind if I do.

Delnic sidled over, his broad frame nearly dwarfing Jeld. “What are you smiling about?” Jeld smoothed his face, and Delnic lowered the axe, his thumb stroking the bottom edge of the metal. “What about this power you are said to hold?”

“Power…?” Jeld jerked his eyes back from Delnic’s thumb. I can’t admit I have no clue. “It’s this.” He pulled the family’s golden heirloom from around his neck. “This is the power of my family.” I think that’s what my dear mama droned on about once. He patted the pouch against his chest. Gods rest her soul, of course.

Delnic’s frown deepened, but after a moment, he grunted, “Fine. Let’s go.”

“Right this minute?” Jeld glanced at the towering Beanstalk and caught himself before he shrank down. “We should have lunch first, no?”

“No.” Delnic strode past him and turned, leveling the axe at Jeld. “How do we get to the Beanstalk?”

“Ah ha, allow me.” Jeld waved, and a servant led the way through the castle and into the gardens that edged the giant stalk. From high above, thunder rumbled like a distant roar. The sound had always put Jeld’s nerves on edge. There was something not right about it. Thunder should have come from the sky, from the clouds, from different directions.

So why did it always come from the top of the Beanstalk?

And why did it sound so agonized?

…The Beanstalk Withered, The Land It Cries

A horde of servants prepared to ascend at the base of the stalk. Each strapped a pack full of provisions to their back. Jeld began to look forward to this leisurely little outing. I can have them set up a pavilion for Delnic and me—

“Ha!” Delnic bellowed. “You need your posse of boys to do a man’s job?”

Jeld’s spine stiffened. “I beg your pardon?” Pride reared up within him. “I need no one’s help but my own. In fact, you should stay behind as well. I’ll be up and down before you can say ‘beanstalk’.”

Delnic prowled up to Jeld and leaned down until their faces almost touched. Jeld’s heart hammered, and Delnic smirked. “Beanstalk.”

Was that the first time he smiled? If you can call that a smile. “I’ll have you know—”

“Ah, shut it.” Delnic turned away and faced the Beanstalk. “Have one of your servants give you a pack, a weapon, and a pair of balls.”

“I have ba—” Jeld drew back. “A weapon? Whatever for?”

Delnic grinned again. “Beasties… Bugs… Birds… who knows what things creep and crawl on a giant magical beanstalk.”

Jeld’s stomach churned. I may lose my breakfast. He seized the nearest servant’s arm. “Get me a sword.” He eyed Delnic’s axe and swallowed. “As big as you can find.” The servant scurried off and returned quickly with an ornate sword, almost as long as Jeld’s leg. It was even bigger than Delnic’s axe, to Jeld’s delight. He strapped it to his waist, frowning at its unfamiliar weight. A servant hefted the pack up, and Jeld slid his arms through the straps. “Well, now, this isn’t so bad.” The servant released their hold, allowing the full weight to settle on Jeld’s frame, and he nearly tipped over.

Delnic watched him, amusement playing on his lips.

Jeld straightened his back, puffed up his chest, and marched toward the first manufactured steps, allowing him access to the lowest massive leaves.

Delnic overtook him on the wooden stairs, which were no more than makeshift scaffolding butting up against the stalk. Jeld vaguely recalled that his grandfather had ordered planks to be fastened directly into the Beanstalk’s flesh, but the outer crust was too tough. The few they managed to nail in were pushed out shortly after by the Beanstalk’s unnatural regeneration. The steps were, at first, wide enough for two, and there was even a railing on the outer side. By their second revolution around the Beanstalk, the railing had vanished. A rope tied to posts at intervals was their only handhold.

Jeld peeked over the side, and a wave of nausea washed over him. The town already seemed miles away and was spinning. Movement caught his eye. He squinted and made out a cluster of his servants bouncing and waving their arms below. Are they… celebrating? How dare they? He shook his fist at them and opened his mouth to shout a reprisal.

The nausea wrung his stomach, and he heaved. His partially digested breakfast rained down, and Jeld stumbled away, bracing his back against the Beanstalk. Shouts of shock and curses were hurled up at him. Jeld cringed and wiped his mouth. “Ahem.”

Delnic, several steps ahead, turned back. “What’s that, oh lordy lord?” He peered over the rope at the shouting villagers.

Jeld’s neck flushed, and he resumed hiking up the steps. “None of your business.” He chewed his cheek as he passed Delnic. It’s best to get friendly with Delnic. So we can… uhm… get close. He eyed Delnic’s barrel chest and thick arms. Who knows how cold the nights get up here? “It seems my servants are celebrating something.”

Delnic snorted and stomped on the step, causing the structure to wobble. “Your departure—and I don’t blame them.”

Jeld sucked in a breath and squeezed the rope in a death grip. The groaning of the steps sent chills raking down his spine. “You are incredibly rude to your liege lord.”

“Who proclaimed you to be my liege lord?”

“Well, it’s my right, by my ancestors. By the one and only Jack.”

“Jack had no right—and neither do you. He planted this abomination, and now it sucks up all the fertile soil.” Delnic stalked up to Jeld, who still hadn’t turned around or released the rope. “And now your family hoards all the beans it produces and sequesters the rest of us outside your walls.”

Jeld released the rope and spun around. “Jack planted the Beanstalk to stop a famine! He saved the land!”

“Droughts happen. We don’t need a bloody magic beanstalk to provide for us. It does more harm than good.”

“Well, I beg to differ!” Even a step above Delnic, Jeld was still slightly shorter and had to tip his head back to meet his eyes. He backed up a step to gain some additional height and stumbled. The heavy pack brought him down, and he landed on his butt.

Delnic grinned and stood over him. “Beg away. Convince me that this Beanstalk benefits us all.”

Jeld huffed and pushed to his feet. “Without my family—”

Thunder screeched from high above, and the stairs shifted beneath them. The entire Beanstalk swayed slightly. Delnic stumbled to the side, and Jeld caught his arm without thinking. They stabilized each other and met eyes, all anger forgotten. Delnic’s arm felt warm under Jeld’s fingers, making them tingle. After his hand lingered, Delnic nodded to him, and Jeld whipped his arm back as he flushed. Delnic chuckled but made no comment, and they continued up the last steps.

Where the steps ended, a twisting vine, wide enough for three people to stride abreast, protruded in their path almost perfectly to form a ramp to continue skyward. The first of the massive leaves they came across was faded and crumpled to nearly nothing. Further up, the gigantic leaves jutted out from the vine more and more, creating a labyrinth canopy of intermingling yellow-green leaves and cord-like vines. Delnic rubbed a portion of a browned leaf, and it crumbled between his fingers. “Strange.”

“Eh? What’s that?”

Delnic craned his head back, peering through the withered vegetation. “The Beanstalk looks healthier higher up.”

Jeld followed his gaze and shrugged. “So?”

Delnic frowned and let the crumbled leaf remnants flutter down. “It’s almost as if…”

Jeld drummed his fingers against the hilt of his sword. “Who cares what—”

“…the Beanstalk is pulling all the nutrients to the top.”

Jeld fell silent and squeezed the hilt. The top… where the noise always came from. “It’s probably nothing. Just the way nature grows.”

“Hmm.” Delnic brushed his hands off and continued trekking up the thick vine. He stopped as he reached a large gap between it and the next vine. “Nothing for it.” He grinned maniacally back at Jeld. “Gotta jump.”

“No!” Jeld cast around wildly, looking for another path upward. “W-we’d never make it.”

“What do you do all day?” Delnic snorted. “Sit in your castle and diddle yourself?” He rolled his shoulders a few times, then swung his arms in and out as he warmed up for the leap.

Jeld’s mouth fell open. “I-I don’t always sit.”

“What?”

“I mean, of course not!” Jeld wrung his hands and avoided looking at the ominous gap. “I enjoy breakfast, lunch, tea, dinner, and sometimes late-night snacks. I order my servants to entertain me. I—”

Delnic stopped his warming up. “You do sit on your ass all day doing Jack-shit.”

“How dare you speak to me like this, y-you muscle-brained bean-eater—”

Delnic whirled and snatched the lapels of Jeld’s coat. “Bean-eater?”

Jeld patted his hands. “No need to be offended. It’s merely what you are.”

Delnic’s expression darkened further, and he lifted Jeld off the ground. “You think you’re so much better than us. Because your great grand-daddy said so.”

Jeld struggled to break free, but Delnic’s grip was like iron. “Put me down, you oaf.” Delnic bared his teeth into the crazed grin, and Jeld’s eyes flicked to the gap. “No. No-no-no. On this side—aghhhh!”

Delnic grunted as he hurled Jeld across the gap. Jeld’s arms windmilled as he tried to claw through the air. He landed with a painful splat and slid through a clear, sticky substance. It glistened and clung in strings as he pushed away from it. “Oh gods, get it off me!”

Delnic hopped across the gap and knelt beside him. He touched the strange goo with two fingers, and a visceral string pulled tight. It snapped back to the leaf, making Jeld scowl, and Delnic chuckled. “Thought you’d be happy to be back on your precious Beanstalk.”

Jeld stood and drew in the deep breath necessary for the coming tirade. “I—” He deflated slightly and extended his hand. “I-I should thank you.” Delnic’s eyebrows shot up, and he tilted his head. His roughened hand clasped Jeld’s in a firm handshake, and Jeld pulled them both into a hug. “For all that you’ve done.”

“Maybe I was too harsh—” Delnic jerked back. “Are you wiping your hands on me, you little…?”

Jeld smirked and patted Delnic’s cheek, smearing more of the ichor. “Gratitude—like I said. For everything you’ve done to me.”

Delnic caught Jeld’s wrist and pulled him back. “Oh, I’ll give you something to be thankful for.”

Jeld tipped off-balance, and he fell against Delnic. Their bodies pressed together, and the angry heat in his chest shifted downward. Delnic held him close, his grip no longer vindictive but no less urgent. Jeld glared into his brown eyes, equally torn between enraged and aroused. “You are…” Their faces neared each other.

Delnic’s chest pressed against Jeld like a bellows. Lower down, his body responded with a flare of heat. “Are what?”

“So—”

“Shhh.” Delnic’s head whipped to the side. He put a calloused, sticky finger to Jeld’s lips. “Did you hear that?”

The sticky substance tasted incredibly sweet, like syrup. Or nectar… The slightly salty taste of sweat—of a hard-working man—enriched the sweetness, and all the heat built through Jeld’s body flushed up to his cheeks.

A strange chittering sound built from above them and rapidly approached. Jeld looked about frantically, peering through the leaves. Dozens of oblong green bugs, the size of pigs, swarmed toward them. They crawled down the stalks and vines, and more appeared underneath the massive leaves. The six-legged insects chittered and chirped as they descended upon them.

Delnic unclipped his axe with a wild grin. “Time to use that sword.” His eyes glistened with fervor.

“My s-s-sword?” Jeld struggled to extract the long blade from its sheath.

With a shout, Delnic surged forward, axe overhead, and slammed it into the first green insect. It burst with green-white slime, and the surrounding creatures converged on Delnic. He hacked, kicked, and punched the bugs in a whirlwind of splattering green-white goop.

A single bulbous bug took notice of Jeld, the sword now trembling in his hands. It chirped furiously as it leaped at him.

Jeld stumbled back with a squeal. Several other insects on the overhanging leaf oriented to his high-pitched terror. They cascaded off, landing on his leaf and causing it to bounce with the new weight. His foot stepped in some of the clear slime, and he slipped along the leaf-top. He dropped his sword, desperately clawing at the leaf for traction, but slid to the edge. The leaf bowed downward under his weight, causing him to pitch forward even faster. For a moment, the crisscrossed grey lands far below were revealed. A gigantic starlike pattern where the roots spread through the ground filled his vision. Surrounding the bulging network of roots, the land was barren, as if a parasite had leached the nutrients from the soil. The Beanstalk… it’s killing the land.

His sword darted past him, and he caught the hilt just before it plunged away. He stabbed it into the leaf, and the blade tore through the fibers. He finally slowed to a stop, his legs dangling over the edge. A hissing chirp jolted him back to his senses. Using his sword, he clambered back onto the thick leaf. A green bulbous body launched past him. He shrieked as it brushed by him and flew over the edge where he had just been.

That was too close. He laughed giddily, high on fear.

One of the creatures landed on his back and latched on, its hairy legs digging into him.

“Oh, gods!” Jeld twisted, smacking his own back with the flat of the sword. “Get off!” He spun in circles, and a second bug landed on his chest. It chittered its mandibles inches from his face.

“AHHHH!” He fell to the leafy floor and screamed as more bugs piled on, their prickly bodies blotting out the light.

A spray of green-white blood filled his mouth as Delnic’s axe cleaved through the bug on his chest. The light returned as Delnic pulled the insects off by hand and tossed them over the edge.

Jeld gagged on the slime as Delnic pulled him to his feet. Jeld clung to Delnic’s chest as he hyperventilated. “Oh my gods, I thought I was dead. I thought that was the end.”

Delnic steadied him on his feet. “Oh no, it’s not over yet. It’s only just begun.” He cocked an eyebrow at Jeld. “And a ‘thank you’ wouldn’t kill you, either.” He shook his axe at Jeld, flicking bug blood off. “Since I saved your sorry ass.”

Jeld wiped his face, smearing the slime off. “I…” He bit back a caustic response. Delnic had saved him. “Thank you.”

Delnic slowly grinned and held out his hand. Jeld reached out to clasp it but stopped. Blood still coated his hand, and he pulled it back to wipe it off on his pants. Delnic caught his hand before it’d drawn back, their palms meeting in a wet squelch. Jeld blinked in surprise and met Delnic’s eyes. They both chuckled simultaneously, and Delnic squeezed Jeld’s hand firmly. “How you feeling?”

“Honestly? A bit hungry.”

Delnic roared with laughter and spun Jeld by the shoulders. “Well, then. It’s time you learned to hunt.” Delnic spread Jeld’s stance with his strong hands. “Plant your feet.” He took Jeld’s hands in his with the sword between them. “Hold the sword like so…”

Jeld’s heart fluttered.

“…and when a bugger comes close.” Delnic demonstrated slamming the weapon down as if he were chopping logs. “The end.”

A sudden need to prove himself came over Jeld as he hefted the blade as demonstrated.

“Good.” Delnic scanned the leaf and pointed. A single straggler bug, one of its back legs cut, limped away. “Target practice.”

Jeld nodded and slowly approached.

The bug took notice and chirped frantically.

Jeld raised his weapon.

The insect gave a pleading squeal.

Jeld lowered his weapon partially. “It’s defenseless. Should I do it?”

The pleading squeal became a high-pitched whine that echoed through the foliage. An answering cry came back through the overgrowth, then another… and another.

“Blast, you little bastard!” Jeld swung at the bug, but it skittered away deceptively quickly, given its previous limp. His sword struck the air, and the bug scurried out of sight.

Delnic groaned and palmed his face. “Good gods, Lordy.”

Jeld wiped the sweat from his brow. “This is why I never helped pull weeds in the garden. I’m just not made for manual labor.”

“No. You’re just a spoil—”

Hundreds more green insects appeared, swarming toward them.

Delnic whipped his axe into position with a feral grin. “Guess we’ll never know what’s at the top.”

Jeld snatched his arm. “I can’t die here! Do something.”

A massive shadow eclipsed the veiny leaf above them as a far larger bug landed on it.

A Hunger Deep, A Darkened Fire…

An enormous insectoid face appeared with white, splotchy eyes. The massive ladybug, as big as a horse, leaped down in the path of the oversized aphids. A red-orange shell with black spots opened, and the beating of its wings thundered. Its black mandibles reached eagerly toward the green insects, tearing through them.

The leaf sagged from the weight of the ladybug. Delnic grabbed the edge and pulled Jeld beside him. “This is our chance! Get up here!”

Jeld jumped and grabbed the leaf. His slime-covered hands could not hold on, and he fell back down.

“Hurry up.” Delnic glanced back at the encroaching carnage. “I don’t want to be here when that larger bug gets back!”

Jeld ground his teeth. He jumped and plunged his sword into the leaf’s surface. It gave him enough purchase to heave himself up the rest of the way.

Delnic hopped up after him, and immediately, the entire leaf rebounded upward. Jeld would have gone flying if he hadn’t been holding onto the sword for dear life. Delnic arced over his head and collided with the central stalk. Somehow, he gripped the stalk in a massive hug. He groaned hoarsely as he slid down a foot.

Jeld jumped to his feet, ripping the sword from the leaf. “Delnic? Are you alright?”

With many aching grunts, Delnic slowly climbed down to where Jeld waited. “That was… fun.” Delnic squinted in pain, one hand on his shoulder as he rotated his arm.

“Fun? We nearly died!” Jeld drew back, clutching the sword to his chest. “Worse. I nearly died.”

Delnic rolled his eyes. “Let’s find somewhere to eat and rest. It will be night soon.”

As if in answer, Jeld’s stomach growled loudly. “Ah ha.” He caught himself and tried to play it off. “I mean, I suppose I could eat.” He sheathed his sword and unhooked his pack from one side. Delnic neared the central stalk and grabbed a hold of a vine. Jeld glared at him accusingly. “I thought we were eating.”

“Best move up a few more shoots in case that big one likes to come back here.”

Jeld sighed and re-slung his pack on his aching back. He followed Delnic up a few vines that led them higher. Soon, Delnic found a small opening between two vines that looked like they could squeeze through. Delnic helped push Jeld through, and as he slipped through to the other side, he found himself in a little natural shelter.

“Ooo, this will be cozy.” Jeld smiled mischievously.

“What’s that?” Delnic squeezed his large frame through the narrow opening with slight difficulty.

“Oh, I was just saying I’m feeling dozy.”

Delnic snorted and unslung his sack. He slid down along the wall and opened the sack. “Skip dinner then?”

Jeld’s stomach growled again. He fished a loaf of soggy bread out. “Ah, bean-lickers. That slime got into my pack. It’s ruined.”

“Here.” Delnic broke his unspoiled loaf in half and held one piece out.

Jeld’s mouth fell ajar. “I-I thought you didn’t like me.”

“I don’t. Not as a ruler, anyway. But I can’t leave you to die now, can I?” He tapped his forefinger against the loaf. “Hmm… can I?”

Jeld snatched it before Delnic had the chance to change his mind. “Uh, thank you. And thank you for saving my life from those dreadful things.”

“Ha, well, look on the green side. If you had died, things would probably be better for the villagers, not to mention your servants.”

“The people love me.” Jeld tore into the bread and shook the loaf at Delnic while he chewed. “My servants adore me.” It was too complicated for Delnic, a mere laborer, to understand. Besides, what did he know about love?

“They’re paid to adore you.”

“So you think no one could ever like me without me paying them?” Hurt reared up in Jeld as he swallowed the hunk of bread. It scraped down his throat and sat like a stone in his stomach. It would ease the hunger for a bit, though nothing ever quite took it away. “If-if-if I’m such a curse, why don’t you just kill me yourself?”

“I won’t deny that I’ve thought about it.” Delnic gave him that crazy grin he had right before leaping into battle against the bugs.

Jeld leaped to his feet. “You came up here to get rid of me! This is all part of your plan, isn’t it?” He tried to pace frantically, but there was only room to spin in circles.

“Oh, trust me, all I would have to do is leave you alone. You wouldn’t last a day on this stalk, let alone make it to the top.”

“I don’t need some Jack-off bean-eater’s help to do what my family prophecy bids. It’s my destiny! Go home. Delnic. I don’t need you.” He flung the bread at Delnic and turned away, fuming at the stalk wall.

“Have it your way.”

Delnic rustled behind him, and a moment later, there was silence. Jeld turned around, and his shoulders sagged. Delnic was gone.

***

Jeld dreamed of being wrapped in Delnic’s strong arms. His sweet, sappy scent. His prickly cheek brushed against Jeld’s. “You’re so furry, Delnic.” Jeld moaned with pleasure.

Delnic chirped affectionately in answer.

Jeld’s eyes shot open. His arms were wrapped around a fuzzy aphid that was purr-chirping happily. “Ah, get off me!” Jeld shoved it away and scrambled backward until his back was against the wall. “Stay away from me, you—”

The creature clicked and approached, walking with a slight limp. It rubbed Jeld’s boot with its face like a cat. Its big round insectoid eyes were oddly… cute.

Jeld bent an eyebrow. “Wait, you didn’t eat me?”

The bug chimed and spun in a circle playfully. The motion was bumpy because one of its back legs moved slower than the others. A cut ran down its length, and Jeld wagged a finger at the bug. “Oh, you’re the one from before!”

The bug nuzzled him again, and Jeld chuckled. “Well, well, aren’t you a friendly little guy?” Tentatively, he put a hand on its head. It hummed similar to purring. “Aww, who’s a good boy. Do you want to come with me?”

The creature hopped back and forth, and its whole body seemed to wag.

“I think I will call you… Kroozy and you will be mine.” Jeld held up his hands in mock contrition. “Now, Kroozy, I can’t pay you to accompany me. Are you sure you still want to come?”

Kroozy trilled and ran circles around Jeld’s feet.

Jeld snorted and dropped his hands. Servants paid to adore me, indeed! All it took was Delnic leaving, and things are already greener. He shouldered his pack and patted his leg. “Well, we don’t need no muscle-brained man to get to the top. Let’s go!”

Easier said than done. It took him a good ten minutes to squeeze through the thick vines and out onto the expansive leaf. Once out, he scanned the area, looking for the most straightforward course. The next leaf upward had a tangle of smaller vines draping from it. Jeld sauntered over and grasped the vine. He strained upward and his feet hardly lifted off the ground as his face reddened with exertion.

“Hah,” he gasped. “Maybe–I–should–have–exercised.” Little by little, he inched his way up the vine, digging his feet into whatever footholds he could find. He reached a halfway point where a stem had budded out enough for him to stand on while clinging to the vines.

Kroozy chirped down at him.

Jeld craned his head up. The little bug perched on the edge of the leaf above, wiggling expectantly.

“Hey Kroozy! Wait for me!” Jeld tossed his sword up over the edge, then his pack. If a bug can do it, so can I. He pushed himself beyond what his arms could take and dug into a foothold in the vines. With a final scream of exertion, he pulled himself up over the lip and rolled onto his back. He breathed deeply to soothe his burning arms, legs, and lungs.

His eyes focused on what was above him when he finally caught his breath. The next leaf was even higher. “Oh, bean-stalks.” Through a gap between the monstrous leaves, the strange yellow haze from the day before had formed directly above him, almost like a cloud of piss.

A thunderous sound boomed out from above. It was deep and guttural—almost like a roar.

Kroozy squeaked and tugged on Jeld’s arm. Jeld groaned as he rolled in the direction of the little creature. Rain pattered behind him then hissed and popped. The acid rain pelted where he had laid. The yellow substance ate a hole through the leaf—a growing, steaming hole right toward the branch that held the leaf to stalk. Jeld’s hole puckered in alarm. The ground shook beneath him. He looked about frantically. It was too high to jump up to the next leaf.

Kroozy trilled wildly from the edge of the leaf, pointing its bulbous green body over the side. It leaped off.

Jeld ran over just as the leaf buckled. He put his trust in Kroozy and jumped.

His ass hit slippery vine growth that twisted and turned as he slid round and down the stalk. He swore he did a loop-de-loop at one point. Kroozy slid ahead of him, mandibles waving in the wind as if his arms were in the air. Jeld fumbled for his sword but couldn’t draw it at this angle. The path split, and Kroozy raced to the left, trilling wildly.

Jeld’s body took him right, and he crashed through a tangle of leaves and overgrowth into darkness. He landed with a thump on an oddly cushioned ground.

“Huuungeeeeer.”

“What the fu—” Jeld scrambled to his feet, drawing his sword.

A sickly yellow glow pulsed in the darkness before him.

“Feeeeed.”

The light grew as the voice echoed around him, then dimmed as it trailed off.

Jeld stumbled to the side, desperately searching for a way out.

The voice changed, less grotesque, more human. It began to sing.

“But time wore on, the stalk grew weak, Its once strong roots began to creak…”

Jeld frowned and tilted his head. “How do you know that poem? You didn’t start at the beginning.”

“Acid rain fell from the skies, The Beanstalk withered, the land it cries…”

Jeld took a step closer. The singing caused the yellow light to pulse along in time. Down at his feet, fleshy pink tissue formed the floor.

The singing picked up in tempo as he approached.

“Yet legends spoke of this dark hour, When Jack’s descendants hold the power…”

Jeld saw it now—an open maw, a grotesque blend of nature’s darkest terrors, like a menacing Venus flytrap. Jagged thorns dripped a viscous, acidic sap that lined the edges of the maw.

“To climb the stalk, despite its fate, Unlock the fruits before too late…”

The maw’s opening was large enough to engulf a man whole. Its cavernous throat pulsed with a yellow light that drew Jeld closer despite a part of him screaming in the recesses of his mind. Within the depths of the maw, rows of smaller, razor-sharp teeth glistened—fleshy tendrils covered in a mucous-like substance wriggled from the throat as if beckoning him to come closer.

Something with teeth that lives in the giant fucking Beanstalk probably wants to eat me… But how does it know the song? His hands sheathed the sword, almost without his own thought.

“Yet whispered tales of Jack’s desire, A huuunger deep, a darkened fire…”

Jeld took a step back. He swore he’d never heard that part before… or have I?

A sticky tendril shot out from the maw and wrapped around his ankle.

“The Beanstalk’s magic fueled his need, To draw life’s essence, wild and freed…”

Jeld recoiled and cried out as the tendril pulled him toward the maw.

“And in the stalk, his spirit bound, Its roots with greed spread through the ground…”

He tore his sword back out while struggling to keep his footing.

“The legends say, to break the curse, One must feeeeeed the stalk, for better or worse.”

Delnic’s wild grin flashed before his face, and Jeld instinctively raised his sword. The words came in rapid pulses now.

“In fruit and leaf, the power lies—

He slammed the blade down and severed the coil with a spurt of yellowish, off-white plant blood. The glow flashed red, and a sickening scream rocked the chamber.

Jeld fled to a vine-covered wall and stabbed his blade deep into it.

The thing screamed again. Tendrils lashed out, wrapping around his pack.

He tore free from his straps, and his pack was ripped back into the maw. The teeth-like thorns shredded it while Jeld lunged for a vine.

A tendril lashed out and slapped against the wall near his hand.

Jeld gripped a vine in one hand, pulled the sword free, and slashed upward at the wriggling snake-like entity. It scored flesh, and more yellow-white fluid oozed from the wound. He clawed upward, adrenaline fueling his ascent. Yet there was no exit, only darkness above. Light glimmered through a crack in the vine-like wall. He hacked at it, struggling to hold on and use the weapon at such an awkward angle.

A tendril caught his leg and constricted around it.

Jeld cried out and swiped blindly at it. “No!” His grip slid, his sweaty hand prying away from the vine.

There was a high-pitched trill from outside.

A rough fist punched through the vines, veined forearm tensing, and gripped Jeld by the collar. Jeld slashed through the tendril around his leg, and the arm ripped him through the wall.

Jeld collapsed into Delnic’s arms, breathing heavily as relief washed over him. Delnic’s sturdy form held him up. “You”—he gasped for breath between each word—“came–back.”

“Never truly left.” Delnic’s chest rumbled against Jeld’s face. “Like I said, I can’t just leave you to die.” His arm wrapped around Jeld, almost in an embrace.

Jeld’s heart swelled with gratitude and something deeper, more profound. He clung to Delnic. When was the last time someone held me like this? “How did you find me?” he whispered, his voice cracking.

“I’ll always find you.” Delnic’s heart throbbed hard enough for Jeld to feel it against his own chest. Jeld straightened, his arms sliding around Delnic’s neck. Delnic cleared his throat and ran a hand through his curls.“Annnnd I watched you climb up the leaves but lost sight of you when you jumped off.”

Jeld pulled back playfully. “Stalker much? Or should I say… bean-stalker?” He let his hands fall from Delnic’s neck and patted him on his large chest.

“Oh gods,” Delnic groaned in agony. “Actually, your little pet here led me to you.” Delnic nodded toward his feet.

Kroozy chirped happily and rubbed up against both men’s legs.

Jeld fell to his knees and petted the bug. “Kroozy!” He scratched the furry little aphid. “Oh my, yes, you’re such a good boy. Who wants a treat?”

Kroozy trilled and wagged enthusiastically.

Jeld reached to his back and froze. His pack was lost in that strange cavern. “Oh, bean-munchers, I have nothing to give you.”

Delnic tapped his chin. “I don’t think he eats our food anyway.” He tentatively crouched down and extended a hand out to Kroozy. “I’m not sure the aphids would have even hurt us yesterday, especially after watching this one interact with you from afar.” He patted Kroozy firmly on the head, and the bug trilled. “Last night, I watched a swarm of them devour an entire leaf higher up, then shit out that clear sticky sap all over one another.”

As if Kroozy understood Delnic’s words, the dog-sized aphid began munching on the edge of a leaf nearby.

“Oh no, now I feel awful for almost executing Kroozy…” Jeld smacked his forehead. “What a fool I am.” He smacked himself again.

Delnic grabbed Jeld’s hand firmly, but not painfully, and held it away. “We didn’t know. Now we do. We all make mistakes.”

“Mistakes are all I seem to make. Have you looked below? The Beanstalk is draining the land of life. A toothy, singing plant wanted to eat me inside the stalk. We haven’t figured out where the acid comes from, obviously from higher above, but why?” Jeld paced back and forth, his hands carving through the air in wild gestures. “My people eat beans because that’s all there is to eat, and even then, I charge them an arm and a leg.”

Delnic squeezed his hand reassuringly. “Mistakes can be fixed. The hard part is taking that first step to change. We can do it toget—”

A thumping hum reverberated through the air. Two massive ladybugs thundered around the corner nearly a hundred feet out from the stalk. The two black-headed beetles took notice and turned straight for Jeld and Delnic.

Kroozy squeaked and fled.

Delnic unclipped his axe, sizing up the rapidly approaching creatures.

“Wait!” Jeld flung an arm as a wave of newfound magnanimity toward the insects coursed through him. “Maybe they’re friendly, like the aphids.” Jeld noticed that these ladybugs, unlike the previous one, had green-brown thorn-like protrusions extending from their backs and legs, but he shoved aside the knee-jerk horror and held his palms out. “Hello, ladies.” He gestured to the leaf behind them. “May we interest you in a snack?”

One of them screamed, its mandibles clacking and dripping with yellow froth.

“Nope!” Delnic snatched Jeld by the back of the coat and pushed him ahead. “RUN!”

…To Break the Curse…

Jeld and Delnic half-sprinted, half-crawled, up a wide vine of the spiraling Beanstalk, the rough surface scraping their hands and knees as they ascended. The hum of the massive ladybugs grew louder, their wings beating the air with a terrifying rhythm. Jeld cast a frantic glance over his shoulder. The ladybugs landed on the stalk. Their thorny legs scrambled with frightening speed, and hissing yellow fumes spewed in their wake.

Delnic, with a sturdy hand on Jeld’s back, urged him onward. “Keep moving! I did some scouting last night. I have an idea!”

The Beanstalk’s twisting vines created a maze of paths, some leading upward, others plunging into shadowy depths. Jeld’s heart pounded in his chest as he raced the only direction his mind could fathom—upward, away from the ladybugs. Delnic leaped in front of Jeld and veered sharply to the right, down a narrow, overgrown passage.

Jeld slammed to a stop. “Where are we going?”

“Trust me!” Delnic shouted back.

Jeld hesitated in front of the foliage Delnic had disappeared through. Every instinct screamed at him to keep climbing upward. And yet…

He dove through the leaves, plunging downward after Delnic.

They burst into a small clearing, where thick, web-like strands stretched between the vines. Delnic pulled Jeld behind a large leaf, concealing them from view, and they huddled close together. The ladybugs burst into the clearing, their massive bodies shaking the Beanstalk.

The ladybugs’ aggressive movements tangled them in the web. The insects screeched in fury, their powerful legs thrashing as they struggled to free themselves. The thick strands vibrated with their movements, sending eerie ripples upward.

From the shadows above, a monstrous spider emerged, dwarfing the trapped insects in size. Its body was dark and bulbous, its legs extended and spindly, and its eyes gleamed like polished obsidian. The spider moved with predatory grace, descending slowly toward its trapped prey. The ladybugs thrashed, ensnaring themselves further as their screeches became shrieks.

Jeld’s eyes widened in horror and fascination. He craned forward, his head peeking out from the leaf. The spider’s mandibles clicked eagerly as it approached the struggling ladybugs. It struck, stunning one of the rotund ladybugs with a sickening bite. It wrapped the giant insect in thick silk with swift movements. The entire web shuddered as the other ladybug writhed to free itself. Despite the bucking of the web, the spider remained perfectly balanced and continued calmly wrapping the first ladybug.

Delnic gripped Jeld’s arm. “This is our chance. We need to move quietly.”

They crept away, careful not to disturb the webbing. The shrieking of the second ladybug fell silent, and Jeld quickened his pace through the tunnel of overgrowth. Any moment, the spider would finish securing its prey—and Jeld didn’t want to be anywhere near when it did. As they approached the end, the light grew.

A massive shadow loomed over the entrance.

Jeld squealed in terror, clinging to Delnic, his heart pounding. “This is the end!”

The shadow trilled, and Kroozy hopped happily into the tunnel.

“Ha!” Delnic slapped his thigh. He knelt and welcomed the little bug into his hands for more pets. “Watch out, Lordy, or the vicious Kroozy might get ya!”

“Hmph.” Jeld straightened with all the royal dignity he could muster. “Well, I never.” He groaned and rubbed his eyes. “I don’t think my heart will survive this Beanstalk.”

Clicking reverberated from the tunnel behind them. All three of them yelped in unison, sprinting from the tunnel into the light of day. Jeld risked a glance back and stumbled. The spider skittered up the tunnel toward him when something even larger crashed behind it. Before the spider could turn, several vine-like appendages shot out and wrapped around the its body. Whatever grabbed it wrenched it back, and the spider disappeared, followed by a sickening crunch. Jeld fled. I hope I never meet whatever that was.

They climbed for some time before finally stopping to catch their breath. Whatever had killed the spider wasn’t chasing them—Jeld hoped. He laughed nervously, putting his back against the stalk wall and sliding to a seat. Delnic sat beside him with a huff, and his exasperated laugh echoed Jeld’s.

Kroozy danced and trilled along with them.

Jeld leaned his head against Delnic’s shoulder. Delnic clasped his hand and intertwined their fingers, making Jeld’s stomach flutter and his face redden. The simple touch sent emotions crashing over him—relief, gratitude, and something more. Something that had been locked away for a long time.

Delnic turned his head slightly, his breath warm against Jeld’s ear. “Still alive,” he whispered, his voice filled with exhaustion and triumph.

Jeld nodded, unable to find the words to express the whirlwind of feelings inside him. He lifted his gaze to Delnic’s dark eyes, seeing a reflection of his own emotions there—fear, relief… and maybe more.

Jeld leaned in closer, his heart pounding in his chest. Close—but not all the way. Inches apart, the distance was too great. A lifetime in the fortress, the people below, but always—the distance. And now they were here, high above, only inches apart and still too far. What did he know of hunger?

Jeld dropped his chin. Too much. And not enough.

Delnic tipped Jeld’s head back up, his eyes soft. He closed the distance between them, their lips meeting in a hesitant kiss.

The world seemed to fade away, leaving only the two connected in a moment of understanding. Of the empty: distance and hunger. The kiss deepened, filling the void—if only for a heartbeat. When they finally pulled away, both were breathless, their foreheads resting against each other.

“I never thought I’d find someone like you,” Jeld murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Delnic smiled, his thumb caressing the back of Jeld’s hand. “And I never thought I’d feel this way.”

Under the thunderous shrieks and over the dying village, amidst the Beanstalk’s leaves and surrounded by the echoes of their laughter, Jeld knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, they would face them together.

***

The putrid, tawny haze thickened as they climbed. It was difficult to discern what lay ahead through the fog—scraping, humming, chittering. The occasional noises, disembodied like mist, sent chills through Jeld. The last stretch had been a straight vertical climb up the tangle of vine-like hair cascading from the Beanstalk’s peak. Kroozy had stayed below; the little aphid had refused to follow them higher, sitting on its rump, giving a clicking whine as they reluctantly left him behind. With one final burst of exertion, they crested a cliff of overgrowth and found themselves in a mist-filled clearing. Jeld folded over, hands braced against knees, as he wheezed. His lungs burned. The air was thin with what his body craved and thick with the toxic haze. It made his entire chest sting, and pins prickled his hands and feet constantly now. It had made gripping the vines harder. He tried not to think about how it’d affect gripping a sword.

Something rustled, and Jeld jerked upright, orienting toward the center of the clearing. A wind picked up, and for a moment, the haze subsided. His pace calmed—there was nothing except a mound of vine overgrowth. He sucked in clean air greedily, but his breath caught in his chest as he surveyed the rest of the clearing. They had reached the top of the Beanstalk.

Before them lay a vast, eerie landscape, shrouded in a murky mist that clung to the ground and hung in the air. Near the lip of the clearing, branches umbrellaed outward, dotted with large, pulsating pods. Each pod was nearly the size of a human and glowed faintly with an unnatural milky light. The vessels throbbed rhythmically, their translucent surfaces revealing shadowy figures growing inside.

They crept toward the closest pod. It pulsed, illuminating its contents: humanoid plants twisted and deformed, waiting to emerge. The skin was rough, like the hard tissue of the Beanstalk. The pod’s body floated in yellow fluid. Thorns protruded from its skull, and twisting vines made up its limbs and body. The fluid leaked from a gash in the sac-like pod and dripped from the bottom.

Dread squeezed Jeld’s stomach, forcing bile up the back of his throat. “What in J-Jack’s name is this?”

Delnic circled to the other side of the pod stem. “Look here.”

Tapping from below made Jeld flinch. His half-numb hand fumbled for the hilt of his sword before finding the noise’s source. The fluid dripping from the pod was actually falling through a hole in the leaf and landing on the one beneath it. Jeld’s hackles rose. Something is very wrong here…

Jeld joined Delnic at the other pod he was examining. It had been torn open—this pod empty except for a pile of steaming muck. Jeld clapped a hand to his mouth to stop from retching. The muck was the creature—or what was left of it. It hardly resembled a body. The pod’s yellow fluid had spilled onto the leaf below and eaten a gaping hole through the foliage—several layers of leaves. Jeld dropped to his knees. His heart pounded as he extended his head over the hole. His breathing hitched as his eyes focused on the distant dot far below—the village.

Delnic tore a strip of cloth from his shirt and flung it into the remaining substance cradled in the pod. Fumes spewed from the cloth, and the fabric melted.

Jeld sat back heavily on his heels. “It’s the acidic rain.”

“It is,” Delnic growled.

“But this pod doesn’t look like it… uhm… hatched naturally?”

“No.” Delnic pointed at the torn lips of the pod. “The edges are jagged and indented inward. This was attacked from the outside. The spider, maybe?”

The image of the spider calmly descending the web flashed through Jeld’s mind. How it neatly wrapped the ladybugs in silk. Jeld pressed to his feet, unable to look away from the eviscerated pod. Whatever had attacked, it had done so with brutality. It hadn’t been so much as torn into as hacked into. Almost like an axe was used. Jeld forced his thoughts away and studied the intact pods.

“In fruit and leaf, the power lies…” Jeld repeated the last words uttered by the thing within the stalk. “Are these pods the fruit? Do I need to do something with these?”

“Let’s keep looking around. There might be some other clue.” Delnic unclipped his axe and hefted it at the ready as he led Jeld through the mist.

Delnic skirted around the mound of vine overgrowth when something rustled again. Jeld spun, stumbling to the side. The mound—he swore it had come from the mound. Delnic faced the other direction, peering through the mist.

Jeld squeezed his hilt, his hand tingling with an odd mix of burning and weakness. “Delnic!”

Delnic glanced back at him, still circumventing the mound. “What’s the—”

“Wait!”

The mound moved.

Delnic twisted, pulling the axe into a backswing.

A vine-like appendage shot out and snaked around Delnic’s ankle. He swung the axe toward the mound, but it jerked him off his feet. Delnic hit the ground with a grunt, and the axe tumbled to the ground.

Jeld raced to him and raised the sword shakily overhead. Adrenaline and fear made his hands tremble, but the effects of the toxic haze wreaked even greater havoc on his limbs. He could barely feel the sword in his hands, much less control it. He’d be as likely to hack into Delnic’s leg as the appendage if he swung. With a curse, he crashed to his knees and dropped the sword. He clawed his hands into the tendril as best as he could, but it only constricted tighter as he struggled to pull it off.

Delnic’s face contorted in pain. “GET IT O—” His eyes widened as he looked past Jeld’s shoulder.

Jeld froze, and he turned his head. The mound unfurled itself. A wing—covered in rotting leaves and vines—unfolded, then another, revealing a monstrous chicken. Its head jutted free from beneath the wing. The grotesque black-red wattles—the fleshy growths beneath the beak—sagged and dripped yellow froth. The massive creature opened its jagged beak and let out an ear-shattering screech, a multitude of vine-like appendages wriggling out of its throat. Jeld followed the appendage wrapped around Delnic’s leg up to the monster’s beak.

“Oh, fuck this.” Jeld snatched his sword. It’s better to risk Delnic’s foot than… that. His sword hacked toward Delnic’s leg and missed by an inch, slicing through the appendage with a spurt of yellowish blood.

The giant chicken screamed as the tendril spasmed, splashing blood. It stood up, revealing its full size. Jeld tipped his head back. It had been hidden as a mound of overgrowth, but now it towered over them, a nightmarish predator.

Delnic jerked Jeld to his feet, and they ran like hell.

The monstrosity shook the ground as it stomped, picking up speed.

They sprinted for the lip, reaching for a vine, when a spider crawled over the fringe before them. Like the chicken, it seemed to be mutated with vine-like growth. Appendages wriggled from its obsidian eyes like worms and followed Jeld’s and Delnic’s movements. They veered to the sides… opposite sides.

The demonic chicken thundered past them and hacked into the spider with its beak. Blood exploded outward as the spider’s head caved in. Tendrils slithered out of the chicken’s beak and wrapped around what was left of the spider’s head. The chicken jerked, tearing the head off, and flung it upward. Tendrils shot from its throat and pulled the oozing head into its gullet. The spider’s corpse curled and rolled off the edge into the abyss. The chicken issued a guttural cry, misting the air with the spider’s blood, and turned toward Jeld.

Ahead of Jeld was a thick branch that arced upward and connected to a platform of leaves jutting from the top of the Beanstalk. Dozens of pods grew near where leaves joined the branch, vines dangling down. A plan formed in Jeld’s mind, and he bolted up the stem, waving and shouting at the chicken. “Hey! Over here!”

Delnic watched him in horror. Jeld climbed up a vine and moved out onto a leaf, pulling the vine with him. He smiled at Delnic and mimicked a chopping motion.

Delnic’s eyes widened. He nodded and ran out after the grotesque beast.

Each stomp shook the entire plant-grown terrace. The creature uttered a thunderous “BUUUUCOOOOCK!” and the sound clicked in Jeld’s mind. It was the thunder of the Beanstalk he had heard so many times before.

He waved his arms overhead. “Come and get me, you big cock!”

The chicken stepped onto the leaf where Jeld stood, causing it to ripple and bow under its immense weight. Jeld reeled as if standing on a rocking boat and stabbed his blade into the leaf to keep his balance. Delnic stood behind the creature, his axe posing to hack the leaf from the stem.

The beast took another step, and the leaf leaned under its weight.

Jeld threw his arms down. “Now!”

***

Delnic brought the axe down with all his might.

It rebounded off the hard skin of the stalk.

The impact rattled painfully up his arms, his shoulders already screaming from so much time breathing the haze. He hacked again and again, barely chipping away the tough tissue. Finally, the axe bit into the stem like teeth sinking into skin. Delnic jerked it back, but the axe didn’t budge. He heaved, and it broke loose, sending him falling back. He held only the handle—the axe head still embedded in the stem. “No!”

He tossed the handle aside and scrambled over. If he could dislodge it and reattach the head, maybe he could widen the breach enough for the chicken’s weight to snap the stem. As his numb fingers fumbled for the axe head, it shifted. He wrenched it out—far more easily than he’d expected—and snatched the handle. Movement caught his eye before he slid the handle back into the axe head. The nick in the stem roiled with worm-like fibers. They burrowed from one side to the other, forming strands that bound the wound.

Delnic dully slid the axe head back onto the handle, his mind floating outside his body. It wouldn’t take much for the axe to break again. The rising tension in Jeld’s voice tugged at Delnic, once, twice. With a jolt, his mind slammed back into his body.

The small cut he’d broken his axe to create had already healed.

…One Must Feed…

“Delnic?” Jeld shouted with growing distress as the monstrosity approached. If he jumped off and swung from the vine, it would take him directly past the chicken. Something told him its appendages would have no difficulty snagging him.

The chicken stepped forward, only a pace away now, and opened its beak with a scream. Its blackened comb shook as a half-dozen appendages snaked out of its throat toward Jeld.

He ripped his sword from the leaf and hacked one tendril away. Yellow blood splashed over him as he teetered at the end of the leaf. A second appendage wrapped around the blade to the hilt and wrenched it from Jeld’s hand. He fought from pitching forward as the sword skittered along the leaf behind the chicken—another appendage wrapped around his waist.

***

Delnic ran to a nearby cluster of pods and hacked one at the top. The pod fell loose, and he rolled it to the stem. He slammed his axe down and ruptured the pod. Acid gushed out onto the stem. The corrosive fluid got on his left hand, and he dropped the axe, which began to melt into the acid. Oddly distant pain burned from his two left fingers as they were stripped down to the bone. The cartilage dissolved, and his finger bones fell from his hand.

The acid slowly ate away at the stem. Too slowly. The appendages wrenched Jeld toward the chicken’s maw. Several other appendages wriggled out, ready to drag him inward. Delnic’s mind reeled; his arms and legs burned, and the cauterized wounds on his hand screamed. Beneath it all—a pounding fury. If he waited any longer, Jeld would die. How did this happen? How did I come to care for that spoiled brat? Delnic sprinted onto the leaf and grabbed Jeld’s discarded sword with a battle cry.

The abomination’s head whipped back from Jeld at Delnic’s cry and raked its claws at him.

The leaf gave way, and Delnic leaped.

***

The leaf platform fell from under Jeld, and the bulk of the poultry pitched past him with a thunderous screech. He held fast to the vine, but the chicken’s tendrils constricted around him and threatened to rip him in two. Delnic hurtled through the air, blade in hand, and locked eyes with Jeld for a split second. He severed the tendrils, and both he and the chicken plunged downward.

Jeld swung toward the Beanstalk from the release of weight. “DELNIC!” He collided with the lower stalk and clung to the vine, his body trembling from shock.

His heart pounded in his chest, a sickening dread roiling through him. The monstrous chicken faded as it plummeted with a scream into the abyss.

Jeld reeled with the image of Delnic falling, his fierce companion gone forever. Delnic’s determined face, in his final act of heroism, replayed through his mind. Tears blurred Jeld’s vision as he realized how much Delnic had come to mean to him—more than just a man who joined him on this foolish quest. He had become the person Jeld could rely on, trust, and perhaps… love.

“Please, no,” Jeld whispered, his voice breaking. “I can’t lose you. Not when I just found you.” He closed his eyes and hung, contemplating letting go.

“Jeld,” came a voice hoarse with exertion. “Climb, you idiot!”

“Delnic?” Jeld’s eyes snapped open, disbelief and hope flooding through him. Delnic clung to the lower part of the vine, partially wrapped around the stalk and slightly out of view. Jeld’s jaw dropped open. “You’re alive!”

“Not for long. I’m at my limit and missing a couple of bean-eating fingers. Go up!”

Jeld nodded through his tears and began to climb. He helped pull Delnic over the cliff’s edge, and both collapsed together, panting. After a long moment, Jeld sat up. “So you hungry?””

Delnic chuckled as he looked up at the sky. “I could eat. You?”

“Mm, oh my, yes.” Jeld grinned slyly and nudged him. “Peckish, even.”

Delnic groaned and slapped his forehead with his injured hand.

Jeld’s smile faded as he took Delnic’s hand. “It was stupid to jump after me. You could have died, you damn bean-muncher.”

Delnic guided Jeld’s hand to his chest. “I’ll always follow you.” They touched foreheads, and Delnic stroked Jeld’s cheek. “After all… I am a bean-stalker.”

Jeld snorted and tapped Delnic’s chest. “Oh gods, we deserve to have died back there.”

Delnic roared with laughter and heaved Jeld to his feet. “Well, we didn’t. Guess we’re stuck together.”

Jeld glanced back at the pods. “We’ve found our answer to the rain. Would it be crazy to explore anymore?”

“I think we’re already insane. Foolish for even coming up here. Should have cut the damned stalk down from the get-go.”

“If only it were so simple,” Jeld sighed.

“The Beanstalk is growing these pods with those things bathing in acid. There’s something not sitting right about all this.”

“Now, hold on.” Jeld tapped his chin, and then his eyes widened. “You assume the Beanstalk is growing those pods, but why bathe them in acid?” He shook his head with a triumphant grin. “No. Those things… those… those stalk demons must have come up from the ground. Maybe they tunneled through the Beanstalk, but it caught them here? It captured them and killed them—saving the village once again. Jack’s magic—my family’s legacy—there was a reason for it all along.”

Delnic grunted and waved his axe at the pods. “Then why haven’t we seen any of them walking around?”

Jeld fell silent, staring at the pods. “Perhaps the Beanstalk has caught all of them or…” He trailed off. Questions still swam in his mind, but they’d have to wait. It was time to return to the village and decide what to do.

Its leaves so green, its stalk so tall, With treasures hidden, known to all.

Jeld stiffened. The strange voice echoed in his head, neither male nor female… nor human.

Yet legends spoke of this dark hour, When Jack’s descendants hold the power.

To climb the stalk, despite its fate, Unlock the fruits before too late.

“Unlock the fruits…” Jeld mused aloud as something beckoned him toward the center of the clearing.

Yet whispered tales of Jack’s desire, A hunger deep, a darkened fire.

The Beanstalk’s magic fueled his need, To draw life’s essence, wild and freed.

Delnic put a hand on Jeld’s shoulder. “What’s that? Did you say something?”

Jeld took a few steps, pulling free from Delnic, and the song got louder. Near the center of the Beanstalk, there was a strange yellow glow.

And in the stalk, his spirit bound, Its roots with greed spread through the ground.

“Jeld?”

“The fruits, Delnic. We need to unlock the fruits.”

The legends say, to break the curse, One must feed the stalk, for better or worse.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

In fruit and leaf, the power lies, To heal or summon Jack’s dark guise.

Jeld approached the light, pulsing in time with the song, while Delnic trailed behind him. “The song. Don’t you hear it?”

With every step and every climb, Plant the secret, redeem the time.

Delnic grabbed Jeld’s wrist. “What song?”

Jeld shook him off and approached the patch of earth where the chicken had nested. A crack glowed with yellow light. Jeld’s hand instinctively went to the pouch on his chest, and he unfastened the long cords that held it shut. He upended the contents of the pouch into his palm. A golden ovaline seed, about the size of an egg, fell into his hand.

“What is that?” Delnic asked.

“The secret.” Jeld knelt before the patch of glowing earth. Delnic didn’t understand. Everything that had happened to them—and the village below—centered around the Beanstalk. Good. Bad. It was his family’s responsibility. His responsibility. They would climb down, tell the village the source of the acid rain, and everyone would vote to destroy the Beanstalk. They didn’t understand. He could make it all right again.

“Jeld, I don’t like this.”

“It’s my destiny,” Jeld whispered as he placed the seed upon the earth and, using both hands, covered it in dirt.

The light flashed, and a sprout shot out with a tiny white bud on the tip. Light dotted the length of the stem and was brightest from the bud. Jeld reached out to stroke the stem but stopped. The dots of light didn’t come from the stem itself but from thorns that lined the sprout. The flower’s growth slowed to a stop and the bud drooped. It was so white it was almost translucent. Something sparked in the back of his mind. He’d seen something similar. Jack’s song hummed through his skull again, so loud he could barely think.

Treasures hidden… hold the power… unlock the fruits…

Jeld’s heart hammered. This was it. He was sure of it. His whole life, he’d lived above the people—how wrong he’d been. Delnic had opened his eyes. Now, he could make it up to everyone.

Redeem the time…

Jeld’s hand shook as he reached toward the sprout. Redemption.

He’d do it. For the village. For Delnic. For himself.

Hold the power…

Delnic grabbed Jeld’s shoulder. “Jeld, don’t. Something’s not right.”

Jeld placed a hand over Delnic’s and smiled up at him. “It will be.” He stretched his hand out further. He could—

HOLD THE POWER.

“No!” Delnic grasped for Jeld’s wrist.

Jeld touched the stem, a thorn pricking his index finger. Delnic caught his arm and whipped it back. Jeld laughed and patted Delnic’s arm. “It’s okay.” A tendril slithered out from the bud and licked the dot of blood from the thorn.

Light exploded from the plant as the bud burst open. Jeld and Delnic fell back, shielding their eyes as the stalk widened and towered above them. The blossom grew with magnificent white petals.

Delnic glanced back and forth from Jeld’s coat to the plant. “It’s just like your family crest. The shining light on the pinnacle of the Beanstalk.”

“This is what I was meant to do. What my family was meant to do.”

The blossom finished opening, and a powdery yellow dust drifted through the air around them. Jeld let out a delighted shout and held his palms out. “Gold!”

Delnic swiped a finger through the powder coating Jeld’s palm and rubbed it with his thumb. “No. It’s almost like… pollen.”

Something popped behind them, followed by the familiar hissing sound of acid burning and a screech. Jeld and Delnic slowly turned. One of the pods had split wide open. A humanoid, thorny plant creature stumbled to its feet as the leaf beneath the pod withered away.

“Oh, uhm…” Jeld raised his pollen-coated palms. “We come in peace.”

The thing cricked its head almost ninety degrees at Jeld’s voice. “Feeeeeed.”

“Ha ha,” Jeld patted his stomach nervously. “M-may we offer you a snack?”

“Jeld,” Delnic hissed, nudging Jeld and jerking his head at the other pods.

The pods opened one by one, spewing more of the creatures out. As each fell to the ground, they retched the fluid from their lungs and released a spine-tingling screech.

“Do you think they’re friendly? Is this the treasure?”

“FEEEEED. JAAAACK.” All of the creatures crept toward them.

“No. They’re not fucking friendly.” Delnic reached back for his axe, grasping empty air. He cursed. “We need to go.”

“But—”

One of the creatures darted forward, moving clumsily but aggressively.

Delnic pushed Jeld to the side and slammed his right fist into the creature’s face. “Run!”

Jeld fled to the edge, and a creature leaped from behind him. He ducked, and it scratched his back, tearing through the family crest as it soared over him.

Delnic caught up and grabbed Jeld’s arm. “Come on!” They reached the brink and halted, readying to climb. Delnic faced the enemy and planted his feet as Jeld began his descent. “Start climbing. I’ll keep them off—”

Two creatures collided with Delnic, who in turn collided with Jeld, who had one foot over the edge. All four of them toppled over the precipice. For a moment, air rushed past, biting at Jeld’s face. He wriggled mid-air and turned to see Delnic fighting in freefall.

Delnic stabbed two fingers into the humanoid eye sockets and yanked as if pulling a weed from the ground. The head dislodged, leaving behind a tangle of yellow, dripping roots. The other creature held to his legs.

Jeld shoved an arm into the vine wall. “Delnic!” He held out his other hand as his lodged arm tore through the tangle of vines.

Delnic flung out his hand, and they connected. Jeld’s elbow caught a thicker vine, wrenching his shoulder. The momentum and Delnic’s missing fingers caused him to swing from Jeld’s grip back toward the stalk. The creature hit the twisting vines, and Delnic slammed into it, snapping its legs. It screamed and clawed at his waist as they slid. He kicked a leg free and smashed his foot into its face. Its head cracked like an egg, and yellow muck oozed out. The vines snapped, and Delnic plunged downward. He hit a wide vine wrapping around the stalk and tumbled through a thicket of leaves.

***

Jeld dangled from the vine wall as Delnic vanished into the foliage below. Above him, the creatures screamed.

“FEEEEED!” They climbed like a swarm of ants, head-first down the vine-covered stalk wall. Their movements were jerky, their bodies moving for the first time. Their descent was slow, but they lacked the fear of heights that stilted Jeld’s movements. More birthing screeches emanated from the top as the Beanstalk spawned more demons.

“Wait for me!” Jeld shouted as he leaped for the slide. He landed on his stomach, knocking the wind out as he descended.

***

Delnic tumbled to a stop through some sticky sap on a broad leaf. A horde of aphids scattered away, then swarmed him—licking the fluid from his body.

“Okay, okay, stop,” Delnic said as he brushed the tickling critters away.

A happy trill broke through the insects, and Kroozy rubbed his head into Delnic’s hands. The aphids were eating the leaf they sat upon from the outside inward. A few nibbled on the stalk that ran through the center, but it didn’t regenerate. A moment later, Jeld slid down from above and skidded to a halt at Delnic’s feet, gasping for breath.

Delnic got to his feet and hoisted Jeld up. Jeld remained bent over, holding his gut. He mouthed something, but no words came out.

The first stalk demon landed on the leaf and shrieked.

The aphids scattered—all except Kroozy, who chirped defensively at their feet.

Another twisted abomination landed on the leaf.

Delnic swept an arm at Kroozy. “Get out of here! Hide anywhere you can.”

Kroozy looked up, his large bug eyes looking oddly determined. He trilled and scurried away.

“You think he understood you?” Jeld asked, finally catching his breath.

“Let’s pray to Jack that he did.”

The two monsters rushed at them as a third landed on the leaf.

***

Pray to Jack. The words of the song echoed in Jeld’s mind again.

One must feed the stalk, for better or worse.

Jeld stumbled and fell as the creatures rushed them. All three ignored him and pounced on Delnic. Their vine-like arms twisted around him. Jeld pushed to his feet. Why are they ignoring me?

“Jeld—” Delnic’s shout was cut short.

Jeld snapped out of it as a creature’s hand closed around Delnic’s throat. A vine extended out and wrapped around his neck. “Delnic!” Jeld grabbed it by the back of the head and yanked. It maintained its grip, and Delnic’s eyes bulged. Panic flooded Jeld’s body. “You know I’m no good at pulling weeds!”

Delnic pried his fingers against the vine, and his voice came out with a hoarse rasp, “Ge’… off…”

Jeld braced his foot against its back and pulled. The head popped loose with a spurt of yellow muck, and Jeld fell back on his ass.

The vine dropped from Delnic’s throat. He twisted on top of another creature and slammed his head into its face with a sickening crunch.

Jeld jumped to his feet, anger boiling his blood at nearly losing Delnic again, and he kicked the third. “Get away from him!”

The thing cricked its head at him. “Feed. Jack.”

“Feed Jack?” A line rang out in Jeld’s head.

To heal or summon Jack’s dark guise.

The disgusting maw within the Beanstalk flashed before Jeld’s eyes.

Delnic kicked the last creature off the leaf and stood up, panting. “Remind me to never make a garden with you.”

Jeld spread his hands with a weary grin. “Why not? My family has the green thumb.”

A dozen more creatures skittered down the stalk toward them.

“Move!” Delnic shouted, heaving Jeld forward by the coat.

They ran, climbed, jumped, and slid down the stalk. Delnic hauled Jeld along, who was lost in thought even as they ran for their lives. Heal Jack? A feeling in his chest grew like a seed.

Yet whispered tales of Jack’s desire, A hunger deep, a darkened fire.

“What’s wrong with you, Jeld? We need to get down and warn the villagers.”

“The villagers?” Jeld asked in a daze.

“If these abominations get down there, it will be a slaughter. We need to cut down the stalk.”

Jeld stopped at the edge of a leaf platform.

“What is it?” Delnic pulled him toward the edge.

“I think I know what needs to be done.” Jeld wrapped his arms around Delnic.

“What are you talking about? Just tell me.” Delnic took Jeld by the shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

“I must feed Jack’s desire—not only for food. It’s the same hunger I had…”

“You’re speaking in riddles. I don’t understand.”

The horde of creatures screamed as they swarmed onto the leaf directly above them. Jeld rested his hands on Delnic’s chest. With a final smile, he pushed him off the leaf.

…Jack’s Desire

Delnic’s eyes widened as he stumbled over the edge.

“Cut down the stalk if I fail!” Jeld’s voice followed. “I know you can do it!”

Jeld’s tear-streaked face smiled down at Delnic as the horde swarmed around him.

Scores of the creatures streamed past Jeld and over the leaf’s edge, raining down after Delnic. Jeld waded through the groaning abominations.

“FEEEED… JAAACCCCK…”

I will.

***

Delnic hit the leaf below, and aphids scattered around him.

The stalk demons fell screaming, hailing down on him.

The aphids surged like a wave against a dozen of the twisted beings, sweeping them over the edge and into the abyss beyond.

Delnic brushed the tears from his eyes and ran through the throng. Why would he do that?

Fresh screams echoed from the top of the Beanstalk as more pods hatched. Delnic cursed and faced the coming horde. He didn’t have time to grieve. The demons would be on him in moments—and if he didn’t figure out something fast, they’d swarm the village as well.

Delnic raced to the leaf’s stem that connected it to the stalk. Two creatures dropped the rest of the way and landed before him. He bared his teeth in a feral grin. “You’re looking a tad overgrown…” The first demon rushed him, and he caught it by the neck. He kicked the other one back and threw the first to the ground near the stem. While it writhed, he planted a foot on its chest and ripped its head from its shoulders. Acidic blood fountained out and smoked on the stem, eating through the top layer. The leaf dipped just a fraction, and Delnic’s eyes glinted. “This’ll do.”

The other creature stumbled over, and he wrestled it into place before wrenching its head free. Its blood hissed as it corroded further into the vegetation, eating just over halfway through. The leaf sagged and began to pull away from the stalk. More demons clambered down the vines from above, and Delnic saluted them before tearing loose a sturdy vine. He rappelled down as quickly as he could to the next leaf as more and more demons landed on the bowing leaf. With a crack, it snapped, and the creatures plummeted away while Delnic hugged the stalk wall.

He dropped the rest of the way to the lower leaf and looked up to the higher one, where Jeld had pushed him from. Hundreds of the abominations looked down from the lip, high above. With the middle leaf gone, they could not jump down to where Delnic stood. Already, dozens started to climb down through the vines.

“That will slow them down, at least,” Delnic growled. His neck and face burned with anger at Jeld’s actions. Why did he leave me? He shook the rage away and focused on the task at hand. “Let’s cut down this fucking beanstalk.”

***

Jeld hopped down into the dark chamber within the stalk.

The yellow light pulsed. The Venus flytrap-looking plant unfurled. It opened its thorn-filled maw, and tendrils of sticky fluid stretched between the thorns like saliva.

“HUUUUNGER.”

“I know,” Jeld said, striding forward, arms held out.

***

Delnic took the steps two at a time. Near the base of the stalk, servants clustered around a feathery, vine-tangled heap. Jeld’s sword had impaled the top of the dead demonic chicken, its jeweled hilt glinting in the sun.

“Gather everyone!” Delnic shouted. “Tools, weapons, axes! We need to cut this thing down right now!”

The servants’ faces contorted in fright at the horde of green creatures descending the stalk. One looked past Delnic, searching the steps behind him. “A-and Lord Jeld?”

“Do as I say.” Delnic finally stepped onto solid earth. He nearly fell to his knees in thanks but stood tall. “We need to cut it down.”

“Uhm, right away, my lord.” The servant bowed and barked orders to the others.

“I ain’t no lord,” Delnic muttered as he looked back to the sky.

***

The plant’s maw hinged toward Jeld, tendrils wriggling past the thorns. The glowing yellow light changed to blood red, and the tendrils snapped out, entangling Jeld from head to toe. As they constricted around his legs, he fell, and they dragged him feet-first toward Jack’s gaping embrace.

Frightened trilling rang out from the outskirts of the chamber, and Kroozy poked his head in. Jeld worked an arm loose and extended a hand to the loyal aphid. “It’s okay.” His fingers curled, and he let his arm drop. “It’s okay.”

The plant jerked him into the air, poised directly over its maw. Jeld clamped his eyes shut, and a tear squeezed out. It dripped from his chin and wet one of the thorns below. A tendril licked out, lapping up the salty fluid. The entire plant shuddered.

Jeld raised a fist in salute to Kroozy. “Go now. Take care of Delnic for me, buddy.” He patted the tendrils wrapped around his chest, and his head drooped. The quavering in his voice betrayed the false bravado in his smile. “M-may I interest you in a snack?”

The plant lurched, wrenching Jeld downward, and the world went black.

I’ll miss you, Delnic.

***

Delnic hacked with an axe at the base of the Beanstalk as dozens of villagers did likewise. Despite their frantic efforts, they had barely broken past the thick outer skin. The Beanstalk regenerated almost as quickly as they could cut into it. Their little progress was threatened to be reversed as more and more villagers were pulled away to fend off the torrent of demons.

Delnic fell back, chest heaving, and another man took his place for a shift. Screams continued to echo from the very top—more and more demons were being hatched. The Beanstalk itself appeared to writhe; it was so dense with the descending creatures now.

Delnic wiped his forehead as dread, mixed with sorrow, threatened to overwhelm him. Too many. They weren’t going to make it.

Trilling snapped him from his thoughts. His eyes jerked to the stairs, where Kroozy wriggled at him. Jeld was nowhere in sight. Despair ripped through Delnic, but Kroozy trilled again louder this time. There was a determined note to it, a defiant look in Kroozy’s eyes. Delnic tightened his grip on the axe, his legs stabilizing. Yes—we must fight to the last man, woman, and child. He lifted his axe in salute to Kroozy. Even to the last bug—

Delnic’s eyes widened. That’s it! He stepped clear of the hacking villagers and waved to Kroozy. “Gather your friends and join us!”

Kroozy skittered back up the stairs. A minute later, he returned with a swarm of aphids. Cries rang out from the villagers, but Delnic waved them away. “Let them pass. They’re friends!”

The aphids raced to the base of the Beanstalk, and Delnic cleared the villagers away. Without hesitation, the aphids set upon the base where the villagers had hacked through the husk. They sprayed their sappy mucus over the cuts, and to Delnic’s awe, the regeneration slowed. Screams and shrieks echoed from above, and a handful of the stalk demons rushed down the steps.

Delnic hefted his axe. “To arms!”

Kroozy chirped defensively at his feet.

A few of the other villagers came to him hesitantly, raising their makeshift weapons. The demons charged, and Delnic roared a challenge. They clashed, and a cacophony of screams erupted. Human and demon agony rang out. Blood slicked the ground, and acidic fumes made their lungs burn. Delnic hacked and hacked, pain clawing at his skin where the demons’ blood burned him raw.

Still more came. The hatching screams rained down from on high—portending the coming storm. The base of the Beanstalk groaned as the aphids and villagers worked together to hack through it. Delnic spared a glance back, his heart pounding with dread. Too slow. Too many of the demons had worked their way down. They’d be overrun before the Beanstalk ever toppled.

He spun back as three demons charged him. His axe lodged in one’s chest while the other two tackled him to the ground. He struggled to free his arms when one wrapped its hands around his throat, and the vine-like appendages cinched his airway closed. Black spots blinked before his eyes. The other wrestled his arm out to the side and opened its mouth. The thorn-like teeth hovered over the flesh of his arm, ready to tear muscle from bone. His vision clouded completely.

Jeld… why’d you leave?

A shockwave reverberated through the Beanstalk, and a ghostly howl filled the air, emanating from the Beanstalk itself. A chorus of screams built as every stalk demon recoiled in pain. Those clinging to the vines fell as their bodies spasmed. The rest that stood on leaves or had made it to the ground collapsed as their limbs contorted.

As if a bundle of sticks were being twisted hard enough to snap many of the fibers, thunderous cracking rang out from the Beanstalk. It swayed as its rigid core fractured all the way down to its base. The ground roiled from the pull on the expansive root system.

The vine around Delnic’s throat loosened, and he wheezed in a breath. Oxygen flooded his brain, and his vision cleared. High above, the leaves withered and turned brown. The Beanstalk swayed again and groaned. Demons rained down, exploding upon impact in a spray of acidic blood. The surviving creatures spasmed on the ground.

Delnic rolled to his hands and knees, staring at the deteriorating behemoth in awe. “He did it.” Somehow, without knowing exactly how he knew that Jeld had saved them all. Even as he got back to his feet, many of the demons struggled to as well. The near-steady fount of hatching screams from the top had ceased, but there were enough surviving demons on the leaves to decimate the village still.

The demon that had throttled Delnic lurched to its feet and stumbled toward him. Delnic slammed his axe into its neck, taking its head clean off and anointing the blade in acidic blood. “TO THE STALK!” He charged, axe hissing overhead, and drove it into the exposed flesh of the stalk. He ripped it free and faced the villagers. “DESTROY–THE–STALK!!!”

The sea of villagers and aphids crashed into the stalk—gnawing, hacking, and clawing into its pulp. The demons howled and set upon those on the outskirts. The earth beneath them bucked and cracked, great roots straining as the Beanstalk swayed. Crashes resounded throughout the village as houses collapsed. Demonic bodies hailed down from above, sowing acidic destruction even in their death.

Delnic screamed, his entire body burning as he hacked over and over into the Beanstalk.

Once more, cracking—like thunder—broke through the chaos. The entire stalk tilted away a fraction. The seam they’d cut into ripped further but caught at an intact section—the stalk listed to the side, reeling toward the castle. Roots snapped, sending large chunks of ground flying. A violently released root hurled a man, and he smashed into the base of the stalk with a snap. His limp body fell away, lost in the blood and dirt.

Delnic dropped the axe. “RUN!”

Everyone scattered, desperately trying to escape as the ground around them thrashed. Delnic struggled to keep his footing amidst the Beanstalk’s death throes. The cracking became deafening, and dirt whirled in a gritty haze that burned his eyes and lungs. He could barely hear or see, his legs unsteady on the roiling ground. Beside him, a familiar trill pierced the dirge. Delnic blindly scooped up Kroozy and half-sprinted, half-stumbled from the stalk.

A huge root snapped, and Delnic was flung into the air as it ripped free. His back smashed into the ground, Kroozy hugged to his chest, and his head whipped back on the rebound. The haze was replaced by creeping blackness, a high-pitched whine drowning out all other sounds. Sightless, the world spun around him, and he wasn’t sure if the ground was still moving.

As a coppery taste filled his mouth and he slipped into unconsciousness, an impact—one he’d never forget—reverberated through the ground for miles around.

***

It took hours for the dust to clear. The castle was leveled where the Beanstalk had crashed through it. Delnic picked through the debris, searching for a sign, searching for his Jeld. After hours of looking, something shiny caught his eye. He thrust his hand into the rubble and wrapped his fingers around it. It was the size of an egg, lightly ridged and bulbous-shaped. He pulled it out and looked at it for a long time. Sheltered in his hands, the bulb seemed to have a golden sheen. He frowned and examined it closer. No—it’s glowing. He ran a thumb over the ridges, and it almost sounded like whispering. A familiar voice. Je—

A servant shuffled up behind him. “What are we going to do now, my lord?”

Delnic bolted upright and shoved the bulb in his pocket. He surveyed the aftermath of the Beanstalk’s fall. It had crushed the castle, its withered husk extending far along the land. Villagers and aphids worked together to clear out the rapidly decaying vegetation.

The rest of the village was mostly in ruins as well. The demon corpses had pummeled many buildings, and even more, had collapsed when the roots were ripped from the ground. People had died. Others were still missing. Delnic ran a dirt-crusted hand through his hair. “Rebuild.” He sighed and met the servant’s eyes. “I will not be your lord; we will govern this town together. We will plant new seeds and start living life for ourselves.”

The servant bowed. “Yes, my l—. Y-yes.”

Delnic’s thumb stroked the golden seed in his pocket. “We will regrow.”

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Nicolin Odel

Eric Kao