Spill the Beans

by Sarah Mlynowski

  “WOW!” Jonah calls from way up high. “I can see all of Tradetown from up here! There’s the market,” he adds, pointing.

  DO NOT LOOK DOWN, I warn myself. You will freak out. Just keep looking up and make sure your feet are steady.

  A cloud brushes past, and I can only see parts of Jonah up ahead. I see one of his sneakers, then it disappears as he gets higher.

  A cloud? How high are we, anyway?

  “Hey, guys?” Jack calls up from below me. “How do we know where all that treasure is? Is it on some cloud?”

  “No, it’s in the castle,” Jonah shouts down.

  “What castle?” I hear Jack ask.

  “The one the giant man and his giant wife live in,” Jonah yells down.

  “Oh. That castle,” Jack says. “Please tell me you’re kidding!”

  Oh, boy. Oh, no. How could I have been so thoughtless?

  The giant killed Jack’s dad! We should have told him we were going to THAT giant’s castle.

  “I mean, I know there’s no such things as giants,” Jack says with a laugh. “You two crack me up,” he adds.

  Now I’m confused. No such thing as giants?

  Oh. Right. Jack doesn’t know the giant killed his father! That’s what the fairy tells Jack.

  I wonder when we’ll meet her.

  I hope she’ll be sparkly.

  “Jonah, when you get to the top,” Jack calls up to him, “stay behind a cloud. Don’t rush in until we make a plan!”

  “Good idea!” Jonah shouts down to him. He sticks out his arm and gives Jack a thumbs-up.

  Before I can even tell Jonah to hold on with BOTH hands, Jack shouts it up for me.

  “Oh, yeah! Thanks for looking out for me, Jack!” Jonah calls, grabbing on to a side sprout.

  HUMPH. Jack is coming up with all the ideas AND watching out for MY little brother? I’m not sure I like this. I mean, I complain about having to do both all the time, but still! It’s my thing!

  “Everything okay, Abby?” Jack asks me.

  I realize I’ve stopped climbing. “All good!” I say, and propel myself up.

  Up and up and up I climb through the clouds — which are getting smaller and fluffier. I let myself take one peek down with one eye open.

  Below me, I can just make out Jack’s little wood house and the fence and barn, but they’re getting smaller and smaller. I can see the town and the stone buildings and cobblestone alleyways and the market. But I’m soon above a cloud and suddenly clouds are all I can see below me. Clouds, and the top of Jack’s head as he climbs up.

  Another cloud floats past me. Except this cloud is … bright pink. I look up into the blue sky and there’s an orange cloud. I look to my left and — oh, wow. The clouds up here are every color of the rainbow! Apple-green, every shade of blue, bright red, and lemon-yellow. And now a purple one floats by.

  “Hey, guys,” Jonah calls down. “The clouds are all different colors!”

  “I see!” I say as a striped red-and-white cloud moves past the beanstalk. Another cloud has black and white polka dots.

  “Awesome!” Jack says. “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

  I get to the top and gasp. The clouds up here are not only all different colors, but some are in the shape of animals. There’s a cat. And a giraffe. And even a llama.

  As the cloud animals float by us, a castle appears up ahead. It rests on a giant white cloud — and unless I’m seeing things, the castle is MADE OUT OF CLOUDS. Fluffy, puffy, cream-colored clouds instead of stone or whatever else castles are usually made of!

  It’s a small castle as far as castles go but incredibly TALL. It must be at least one hundred feet high. It’s definitely a castle for giants.

  “Wow!” Jack says, staring at it. “There really is a castle. And it’s ENORMOUS!”

  “There’s a reason for that,” I say.

  “A good reason!” Jonah says. “Giants live here!”

  “Come on,” Jack says. “There’s no such thing! Sure, I’ve heard people tell stories about giants, but everyone knows they’re just make-believe.”

  “Actually, they’re not,” I say. “A giant really does live here. Two, actually.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it,” Jack says as a blue-and-green-striped cloud floats past him.

  Boy, is he going to be surprised.

  For a few seconds, we all just stare at the puffy, wispy, yet sturdy-looking cloud castle in awe. How is it even standing?

  “Just in case there IS a giant,” Jack says, “I’d better think of a plan about getting into the castle. Give me a few seconds.”

  “Sure, Jack,” Jonah says, beaming at him. “I bet your plan will be amazing.”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “I’VE already got a plan,” I say.

  “You do?” Jack asks.

  “Yes. I was thinking of one the whole way up.” When I wasn’t worried about falling and turning into Abby mash on the ground.

  “Maybe we should hear Jack’s plan first,” Jonah says.

  “He hasn’t even thought of one,” I say with an edge.

  “I’d like to hear Abby’s idea,” Jack says.

  Right answer, kid.

  “Yeah, me too,” Jonah says, smiling at Jack.

  I give Jonah the side-eye.

  “Okay, guys,” I say. “Here’s what should happen. If we knock on the door, the giant’s wife will probably answer.”

  “The giant has a wife?” Jack asks, looking at us in shock.

  “Yes,” I say. “I don’t know her name, but she’s supposed to be nice.”

  “A nice giant is a good thing,” Jonah adds with a nod.

  Very true. “But whatever you do,” I caution, “do not let her husband see you! In fact, if the husband answers the door, run! When the wife goes into another room, we’ll each take something and run out. Like the coins or the harp or the goose.”

  “Wait,” Jack says. “We’re stealing from a nice giant lady?”

  Uh, when he puts it that way, I kind of realize that that is exactly what we’re about to do.

  “Here’s the thing,” I say to Jack. “The giant’s wife may be nice. But the giant? NOT SO NICE. He’s the opposite of nice.”

  “Ah. Got it,” Jack says.

  “So if we take a bag of gold coins,” I say, “we’re really just taking what he stole from someone else. That’s what I heard, anyway.”

  It’s true.

  “Makes sense to me,” Jack says. “And the most important thing is getting five coins to pay back that trader for your dog.”

  He’s exactly right.

  And how amazing is it that even though he’s about to get really rich, he’s still thinking about Prince? So amazing.

  “You’re so right, Jack,” Jonah says. “The most important thing is getting Prince back.”

  Even though I just thought the same thing, I roll my eyes. I hate that I’m feeling … kind of jealous. My brother is treating Jack the way he used to treat me. Like the one who knows everything. I like being the one who knows everything! But Jack does know a lot of stuff, too.

  Is it possible to have a crush on someone and feel jealous of them at the same time?

  This is so confusing.

  “Then let’s go,” Jack says, marching up the cloud walkway between the beanstalk and the castle.

  * * *

  The walkway is not exactly what I’m used to. It’s made out of fluffy green clouds that look like grass, and is lined with cloud flowers of every color.

  Finally, we make it to the front door of the castle. It’s arched and made out of blue clouds that look like marshmallows stuck together. I reach out a hand to touch the door to see if it’ll feel like cotton or marshmallows, but the door feels like wood.

  Strange.

  I knock on the door. It barely makes a sound. “Guys, help me!” I say to Jonah and Jack. “We have to be loud.”

  We all hit the door again and again. Finally, the door opens. I see a pair of shoes
at my eye level. They are not made out of clouds — they’re just normal shoes. Purple velvet slippers, actually.

  We all look up. Way up. Way, way, WAY up.

  The giant’s wife is standing there. She’s at least fifty feet tall. She’s wearing a long silver skirt and a multicolored sweater. As far as I can tell, her clothes aren’t made out of clouds. She has a long gray braid down one shoulder, brown skin, round cheeks, and big brown eyes.

  “Well, hullo down there,” she says. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

  “Yes!” I say. “For once it’s not all misty and drizzly.”

  “We’re above the clouds,” the giant’s wife says. “The weather changes moment to moment. I’m Philippa.”

  “I’m Abby, this is my brother, Jonah, and that’s our friend Jack.” I curtsy. It seems like the right thing to do.

  “Wow, you really ARE a giant!” Jack says. He curtsies, too.

  Philippa beams. “There aren’t many of us,” she explains. “Just a hundred left across giantdoms in the skies. But yes, we do exist.”

  “Wow,” Jack says again.

  Jonah curtsies just like Jack did.

  “Aren’t you darling?” Philippa exclaims, her enormous hand coming down toward Jonah’s head.

  My brother’s eyes widen.

  Uh-oh.

  Thankfully, Philippa gives him a very gentle pat with her pinkie. Whew. She smiles at all of us.

  “I thought I was gonna be a pancake,” Jonah whispers to me.

  “I’m glad you’re not,” I whisper back.

  “Well, come in, the three of you,” she says. “I love having some company since my husband sleeps half the day away. But be quiet. You don’t want to wake a sleeping giant.”

  No, we don’t.

  She pulls the door open wide. We walk into a hallway and follow Philippa into the kitchen. Nothing inside the castle seems to be made of clouds. There’s a wooden table the size of our school’s soccer field. And the chairs are like ten couches put together.

  “I just made some vanilla scones if you’re hungry,” Philippa says.

  “I’d love a scone,” I say — because I would, AND we need to buy some time. While Philippa is getting the scones, we can look for the bags of gold coins. I wonder if we’ll see the goose that lays the golden eggs and the magical harp.

  “Oh, where are my manners?” Philippa says. “You probably want to sit down for a bit. My husband is in the process of building a dollhouse for his little niece in another giantdom. I’ll just go get the kitchen set from that. The table and chairs will be just the right size for you three. Stay put, dears. Back in a jiff.”

  She leaves the room, the thudding of her feet booming in our ears.

  “Wow, she’s super nice,” I say.

  “Very,” Jonah agrees.

  And the giant is building a dollhouse for his niece? How sweet!

  “I sure would love a scone,” Jack says, rubbing his stomach. “My mum likes to bake, but we never have enough flour or eggs for biscuits or cakes.”

  That’s sure going to change.

  Which reminds me. We need to look for the coins while Philippa is out of the room and the giant is asleep.

  “Do you see big bags that might be full of coins anywhere?” I ask, looking all around the kitchen. The problem is that I can barely see on TOP of anything. We’re teensy in the giant’s house.

  Jack climbs one of the chair legs and hangs on to the side like a pirate on a ship. He looks around. “I don’t see any bags.”

  “Maybe they keep the gold coins in the living room,” I suggest. “Quick, let’s look.”

  But before I can even turn around, I hear a really weird sound. A sniffing sound. Like someone is smelling the air.

  SNIFF. SNIFF-SNIFF.

  I look at Jonah and Jack.

  THUD. THUD-THUD-THUD.

  Oh, no.

  “What’s that noise?” Jonah asks, covering his ears.

  “I’ve never even heard thunder that loud!” Jack says.

  THUD-THUD-THUD.

  It sounds like Philippa’s heavy footsteps, only much, much louder.

  What could it be?

  THUD-THUD-THUD.

  The sound is coming closer!

  “Fee, fi, fo, fum,” booms a very loud man’s voice. “I smell the blood of an Englishman!”

  Crumbs.

  I guess we woke the sleeping giant.

  Hide!” I cry.

  We can’t get caught by the giant. He eats kids for snacks! Plus, he’s a murderer! He killed Jack’s dad!

  “Where should we go?” Jack asks.

  “In the story, Jack hides in the oven,” Jonah says, pointing up at the oven.

  “What story?” Jack asks, but there’s no time to answer him now.

  “The oven is too risky!” I say. “Also too hot. Philippa just made scones.”

  And I’m not even sure we could reach the oven.

  In the corner of the kitchen, I spot a tall, narrow door with slats. It’s slightly ajar, so I peek in. It’s a pantry full of giant-sized cans and jars and boxes of food. The giants sure like pasta. And sour cream and onion potato chips.

  “In here!” I whisper.

  Jack and Jonah race in after me, and I shut the door. We can just see through the slats into the kitchen.

  THUD-THUD-THUD.

  The thudding gets louder and louder until finally the giant enters the kitchen.

  I can’t see all of him through the slats. But I can see part of his gray pants. They’re huge.

  And so is he.

  “Fee, fi, fo, fum!” the giant sings. “I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread!”

  Jonah, Jack, and I all gulp at the same time.

  “I guess THAT’S how the rest of the song goes,” Jonah whispers, his eyes wide.

  The giant’s bread is made from bones? That is disgusting.

  There are so many kinds of bread. Sourdough bread. Challah bread. But kid bread?

  AHHHH!

  I press my face up against the slats so I can get a better view.

  “Oh, Magnus,” Philippa scolds, following her husband into the kitchen. “Please don’t sing that song. It’s so gruesome.” She looks around the kitchen, clearly trying to see what happened to us.

  The giant laughs. The sound reverberates through the house. “But my dad taught it to me. And I think it’s funny!”

  “It’s not,” Philippa says.

  The giant looks around the kitchen, sniffing the air.

  “Philippa!” Magnus says.

  “Yes, dear?” she asks.

  I hear the sniffing again.

  “I really do smell a boy,” Magnus says. “Or two boys. And maybe a girl? I smell a lot of small people.”

  Jonah, Jack, and I all remain frozen, holding our breaths.

  “I don’t know what to tell you, Magnus,” Philippa says. “I don’t smell anyone.”

  Thank you, Philippa! She’s covering for us. Whew. Or maybe she just thinks we left.

  Magnus shrugs. “I’d love one of your delicious vanilla scones and some tea, dear.”

  “Coming right up, sweetie,” Philippa says.

  The giant walks over to a kitchen cabinet that’s right above the counter and opens it.

  I gasp. Inside is an open burlap sack stuffed with huge gold coins!

  “The coins!” I whisper to Jonah and Jack.

  Jack smiles. “Thanks, Magnus,” he whispers. “Now we know where they are.”

  I spot many more burlap sacks, each tied with a red ribbon at the top, behind the one sack the giant is now holding. The bags are massive. Will we be able to grab one and carry it out? “I’ll count my coins until my snack is ready,” Magnus says, grabbing the sack and sitting down at the table with a thud.

  Your coins? Ha! He stole Jack’s dad’s money and probably a ton of other people’s, too. No wonder he got so rich!

  I watch Magnus take out a big gold coin and examine it.
“One,” he says, putting it aside. He takes out another. “Two.” And another. “Three.” By the time he counts out twenty-two gold coins, his head is rolled back and he’s snoring. Who knew counting coins was as boring as counting sheep?

  Have you ever heard a train rumble right past you? That’s kind of what giant snores sound like.

  Through the slats, I watch Philippa walk over to Magnus. He lets out a super-rumbly snore. “I suppose your scone can wait,” she whispers with a chuckle. She takes the bag of coins and stashes it back in the cabinet. “Kids?” she calls softly, looking around. “Are you still here?”

  I put my finger to my lips, motioning to Jack and Jonah to be quiet.

  She shrugs. “I guess they left. I think I’ll go put my feet up in the living room. See what’s on the telly.”

  Philippa thuds out of the room. Her footfalls aren’t as loud as Magnus’s but they’re still LOUD.

  “This is our chance,” I whisper to Jonah and Jack. “Let’s grab as many coins as we can carry from the cabinet and get out of here!”

  “Wait. What about the goose that lays the golden eggs?” Jonah asks. “Shouldn’t we look for that, too?”

  “Oh!” Jack says, his eyes lighting up. “A goose that can lay golden eggs will mean we’ll never go hungry again. And my mum could buy me a new coat for winter. I outgrew mine. And gloves to keep my hands warm. And maybe a cap to keep the rain off my head. A boy can dream, right?”

  Poor Jack. He deserves all those necessities! And more! But I don’t see a goose. Or the harp. And do we really want to RISK becoming kid bread for the giant’s next ham-and-cheese sandwich?

  “I think it’s too dangerous,” I say. “The goose could be in another part of the castle, and by the time we find her, Magnus could wake up.”

  “Come on, Abby!” Jonah whispers. “Jack needs the goose now!”

  I stare at Jack’s tattered shirt and the holes in the knees of his pants. I think about how little he and his mother have. Gold coins can’t last forever. But a goose that lays golden eggs means real wealth. It means a new coat every year if Jack needs it. And Jack and his mom are so kind …

  Outside the pantry, the giant lets out a long, loud snore. Jonah, Jack, and I glance at each other.