Candy and the Beanstalk

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They came from the sky, draped in remnants of clouds. Nobody knew how, or whence, or what they were, other than the fact that they vaguely resembled beans—beans with an exotic iridescent sheen, pulsing with a rainbow parade of luminescence. Upon their initial discovery, in a fallow dirt field, they drew considerable attention and curiosity. As obvious magical objects, they fetched a high price among buyers eager to discover their secrets.

Unfortunately, these buyers were soon disappointed to find that their fortunes had been wasted. Not a single person could get the beans to grow, nor could they extract any magical properties. The kaleidoscope of lights that displayed on their smooth surfaces gradually faded to a dull, lackluster brownish green, just like any other bean, with only the occasional spark of light to betray their original appearance. The mysterious beans from the sky soon faded into obscurity as people lost interest, deemed nothing more than a hoax or scam.

Out in the countryside, far away from the hustle and bustle of major townships, lived a humble peasant girl by the name of Candy Caramello. She was a very sweet and pretty girl, blessed with lovely blue eyes and long blonde hair, but she was also as dumb as a box of rocks. She lived with her parents on the family farm and worked as a milkmaid, with big milkers of her own to match. Regrettably, she wasn't good for much else beyond the simplest tasks, especially with how clumsy and accident-prone she tended to be, so her parents didn't have high hopes for her. She spent her days daydreaming about boys as she milked the cows and fed the animals.

One day, one of the older cows stopped producing milk. Candy brought this unfortunate news up to her mother. "Mom, the cow's broken. Her udder's all shriveled up."

"Well, the cow's of no use to us anymore. Take it to the market to sell it for its meat and hide," her mother ordered.

"Really? Me?" Candy replied with surprise, twirling strands of her lustrous golden hair around her fingers. She usually wasn't assigned much responsibility.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? She's bound it muck it up," her father whispered. Mrs. Caramello shushed him and sent her daughter on her way.

"She's got to learn eventually," her mom sighed, once she was out of earshot. "We can't treat her like a baby forever."

Candy skipped along the dirt path to town, excited for a new adventure as she led the cow by a rope. Her blue eyes sparkled with joy as she beheld the scenery: undulating fields of grain, majestic old oak trees, fresh green grass, fluffy white clouds glowing with sunshine. She walked over a stone bridge and watched fish dart around in the sparkling waters of the river below. The cow impatiently pulled on the rope to hurry her along.

She entered the market, and was immediately distracted by all the new sights and sounds and people. Stalls lined the streets bursting with fruits and vegetables, colorful textiles, hand-crafted goods, and a wide array of exotic baubles and trinkets. Candy forgot about selling the cow as she browsed goods that she had no money to buy.

"Hey, you! Wench!" a gravelly voice called from the entrance to a dark, deserted alley off to the side.

"Hmmm?" Candy turned her head and walked toward the sketchy area, oblivious to the potential danger.

"Is that cow for sale? How much?" the voice rasped. A shadowy figure, cloaked in midnight blue garments, crept out of the shade from the brick walls that hemmed in both sides of the narrow passage. He was a lean, tall man with a sickly mien.

"Ummm... what's your best offer?" Candy inquired. She had no idea how much she was supposed to sell the cow for.

"I have something that might interest you..." A gnarled hand emerged from the folds of the cloak, holding a small drawstring bag full of small lumps. "Magic beans!" He opened the bag and pulled out a bean to show her. To Candy's amazement, the bean flickered with light.

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