Polianna and the Beanstalk

Chapter 1

Out in the woods, on the outskirts of a large medieval town, a small wooden hut of a house stands alone in a small clearing surrounded by the trees. Inside, two people in raggedy, dirty clothing sit on the floor, because they have no furniture.

"So... how much money do we have left?" The girl named Polianna asks the other.

The other young adult named Bryan, reaches up and grabs a small pouch that rattles as they do. They dump the contents out into their dry palm.

"Four... Four silver pieces..." Bryan sighs, "How much food do we have left?"

Polianna stands and searches through their cupboards as Bryan puts the four silver pieces back into the bag.

"N-None... None..." Polianna slumps back to the floor in defeat.

"Great..." Bryan rolls their head back, "Here, take this." The pouch of silver is suddenly deposited in Polianna's hands.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Polianna raises an eyebrow.

"Could you, head into town and try and buy us some food?" Bryan requests, "I'll, uhh, stay here, and try to work on our garden."

"That isn't going so well, either, is it?" Polianna wonders.

"Nope." Bryan shakes their head.

"Alright, I'll go. I'll be back in an hour or so." Polianna stands and heads for their door, but Bryan grabs her arm before she can leave.

"Wait, take this." Bryan holds out a small jug of water. Polianna shakes her head.

"Bry, this is yours. It's the last of our clean drinking water, too, I can't." Polianna refuses.

"You'll need it for the trip. I'll be fine." Bryan reassures, "I'll go out and get some from the nearby lake later."

"...Okay." Polianna takes the jug of water.

"Be safe in town." Bryan calls as Polianna exits the house.

"I will!" Polianna calls back.

The walk from their house to the town was always a hefty one. The thick forest surrounding their small house stretches on for a few miles before they can reach the town.

Polianna grunts as low hanging tree branches get in her face. The ground is bumpy and uneven to walk on, since very few people live outside of town. Polianna suddenly trips and falls with a yelp as her foot catches a tree root.

She pulls her legs up and examines her ankles. Her left ankle has a small cut from her falling.

"Just great." Polianna complains as she stands back up. She leans against a tree as she tests her left foot to see how much weight she can put on it.

"Having trouble, miss?" A man's voice asks.

Polianna gasps and whirls around. She sees no one.

"Who... Who's there?" Polianna takes a step forward.

"No need to be afraid. I'm not here to harm you." A man emerges from the trees.

"Then what do you want?" Polianna's voice quivers.

"I simply have something to sell." The man reveals, "The name's Brendan."

"P-Polianna." Polianna nods, "What... What is it you're selling?"

Brendan reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small brown pouch similar to the one Polianna is carrying.

"In here, I have some beans, a very special type, as well." Brendan explains.