Anyway, this is an idea I've had floating in my head for a while, but I changed it a bit to fit Raleigh's fairy tale-themed story deadline. That, and I probably wouldn't have finished my original idea before the month was over. Other than that, I hope it inspires more Magical Girl Tales, but I'm not exactly counting on it. I'm probably the only one who finds the idea of protagonists in fairy tales becoming magical girls to be entertaining.
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Once upon a time there was a young man by the name of Jack. Jack lived on a small, family farm with his mother, on the rural outskirts of the town Fixley. There they lived in poverty, with only a small garden and a milking cow to sustain them. Jack was too young to be given the kind of jobs that paid well, and his mother spent her time trying to expand their garden and grow more food than they could eat, so they could sell the extra produce. It was their hope that, one day, they could return to a time of prosperity, where they didn't have to live from one meal to the next.
Times had not always been so rough, for them or for the kingdom in which they lived. But three years ago had seen the arrival of a gluttonous giant, taller than the tallest tree, with hands as big, if not bigger, than a modest-sized house. And with his enourmous digits he ravaged the land, clawing up crops and plucking away at the cattle, leaving behind countless trenches and bone. And whatever he found to his distaste he rubbed out with his foot, which came down upon the land like a mountain with every step he took. Many a man had been crushed beneath him; including Jack's father, in defense of their farm.
There were many attempts made to take the life of the giant, but all had failed. Jack himself would take delight in felling him, if not for the fact of being weaker than those who had tried before. That, and he couldn't bear the thought of leaving his mother alone, by going on such a foolish venture. For the time being he would just have to work hard alongside his mother, to restore their farm and improve their way of life.
However, much to their dismay, their cow had grown too old and stopped producing milk. They did not like the idea of losing such a valuable resource, the last of what remained of their livestock, but they knew that they had no choice but to sell their cow at the market. Jack was assigned this task, and he went out to do it, dutifully if regrettably.
On his way to the market, with cow in tow, Jack came upon an old man along the road, who was heading in the opposite direction. The old man raised his hand and hailed Jack, and Jack met him on the side of the road. When asked about the cow, Jack told the old man his purpose, expressing his feelings as he did so. The old man appeared to understand all too well, and proposed that Jack sell the cow to him, thus saving Jack the trek to town and back. Before Jack could apprise the old man of the price, he was offered a handful of beans. Jack scoffed at the offer, thinking it a ridiculous trade, but the old man patiently explained the beans' magical nature to him. Skeptical, Jack minded his manners and listened to him, thinking the old man senile. However, by the time the old man had finished, Jack had to admit his temptation. But what the old man proposed could only be fantasy, surely?
In the end Jack decided to take the so-called magical beans. Despite what his good sense told him, he was still young enough to be swayed by tales of fancy, of heroics and magic. The kingdom in which he lived needed a hero to deliver it from the terrible giant, and what if the beans that the old man had given him could make him that hero? Perhaps the dreams of youth could succeed where the steel of men had failed.
It wasn't until after Jack had parted ways with the old man that his mother's reaction occurred to him, and he realized that she wouldn't be as understanding of his decision. But he braved the thought and returned home, to confront his mother with the news. She was upset, as he had expected; too upset, in fact, to say a word. Instead she had dismissed him with a gesture, and then locked herself away in her bedroom. Feeling guilty and ashamed, he, too, sheltered himself in his room.
There Jack kept himself for the rest of the day. From time to time he would consider the beans that he had obtained, in exchange for a cow. He could very well throw them away, and be rid of them. But then he might as well have given the cow away, instead of getting anything in return at all. Yet they were such an eyesore, a reminder of his folly. He could eat them: that would certainly get rid of them. And, if that old man had been telling the truth, then his decision to take the beans would be vindicated. So, he ate them. He waited for a time, to see if they would work, but nothing happened. Upset, and tired, he went to bed.
However, that night, under the beam of moonlight that shone in from Jack's bedroom window, the magical beans went to work. His body glowed faintly as the magic of the beans transformed his body, and he shifted uncomfortably as his usual sleeping positions felt more alien. A few times he mumbled incoherently and absently swept his lenghening hair out of his face, but, beyond such stirrings, he did not wake. When the magic's work was done, his quilt conformed to very different shapes: while on his side, his hips pushed the quilt up into the shape of a large hill; while on his back, his chest expressed two sloping mounds beneath his chin.
The next morning Jack's mother awoke to the sound of a girl's scream. Thinking some poor maiden was in trouble, she gathered her nightgown about her and raced to the source, despite the morning gloom. In her son's room she found a girl sitting up on her son's bed, in the nude. The girl immediately covered herself with the bed's quilt, but not for the reason that she thought: for this girl was actually her son, and he had reservations about his mother seeing him naked.
In the kindest way that she could, so she didn't frighten the girl further, Jack's mother demanded that she tell her the whereabouts of her no-good son. The girl opened her mouth to reply, but words seemed to fail her. A troubled look crossed her face, and she appeared hesitant to say anything. Thinking the girl traumatized, she sat on the bed beside her and tried to comfort her as best as she could.
Among her soothing words, however, were promises of justice against her son. Eventually the girl could no longer stand hearing them, and tried to speak. Jack's mother didn't catch her faint voice, so she asked her to speak up. Then, to her surprise, the girl raised her voice and claimed to be her son. Before she could explore the idea of the poor girl having lost her mind, the girl went on to explain how the beans must have been responsible for her new body.
Recalling said beans, Jack's mother instead suspected that her son was playing a joke on her, and had convinced this girl to play along with him. She said as much, which left the girl speechless. Then the girl, with tears of frustration in her eyes, removed herself from the bed and angrily complained about there not being any use in explaining herself. She then tried to wear her son's clothing, which he had carelessly strewn across the floor. She stood up and asked the girl what she was doing, since she figured that the girl had her own clothes stashed somewhere. In response the girl angrily threw her son's pants to the floor and complained about it not fitting. After her attempt with one of her son's shirts, with the same result, she was surprised when the girl suddenly looked up toward the heavens and screamed her outrage, wishing she could find something that fit her body.
Then surprise turned to shocked awe as a strange outfit magically materialized, covering the girl's body, yet scandalously so. The skirt was so short, she was sure that her posterior could be seen if she were to bend over. And those heeled boots... How impractical! The rest of the outfit seemed familiar in some ways, such as the ribbing about the hips, and the bows on her chest and at the small of her back, but it was alien in most other respects. Some parts, like the elbow-length gloves, suggested it was for the ballroom. But the boots suggested horseback riding. And the skirt... for a circus act? It was a strange outfit, overall.
Jack, who found himself in this magical outfit, was just as shocked as his mother. However, it didn't take long for him to start muttering complaints about it, as he picked and prodded at this or that feature. In the end, he reluctantly had to admit to himself that he had nothing else to wear, for the time being. There were more important things for him to do, anyway, than to fret over an outfit: now that he felt his magical power, he was going to take care of that giant, in a strange outfit or not, as a girl or not. With that decided, Jack marched out of his bedroom, with his mother trailing behind him. He made his way outside, where he paused to look up at the clouds in the sky, a look of determination on his face.
Jack's mother wanted to say something, but she didn't know what to say. She watched the girl silently until she noticed the girl's skirt billowing in the wind. But there was no wind to be felt. Then... she heard it: a rumbling, rippling sound. Soon she smelt it and, with a grimace, she pinched her nose between her fingers. And then, in the next instant, the girl was rocketing into the sky. Now alone, without knowing what to make of the recent turn of events, she could only wonder at the girl's unladylike magic.
With cheeks heavily flushed with embarrassment, Jack made his way to the giant's abode in the sky. Once he cleared the height of the clouds in the region, he looked this way and that until he spotted the giant's home. He landed on the cloud on which the giant lived, and paused only momentarily to take in the sight of the large, stone building. To a human it was as big as a castle, but it was probably a conservative size for a giant. Undaunted by its size, he approached the large double doors and found enough space to crawl underneath it, and into the giant's lair.
On the other side Jack was met by a loud gasp: for, across the room, sat a giantess. She seemed surprised to see him, but, wary of her, he made no sudden movements. They regarded each other for a moment before the giantess sighed and told him that her husband was in the other room, the kitchen. Seeing the confused look on his face, she explained that he was one of those magical girls that were showing up in all of the kingdoms across the land. She went on to say that she had warned her husband about them, and attracting their attention, but he wouldn't listen. All that she asked for was that he not kill him, because she still loved him, despite one, glaring, obvious flaw.
Conflicted, Jack could only say that there were no guarantees, before he made his way to the kitchen. There he found the giant, sitting at the table, greedily helping itself to the spoils that it had acquired from its recent trip to terra firma. His brow furrowed as he watched the gluttonous monster that killed his father, and decided that he didn't have to announce his presence in a respectful manner.
With a leap that could have cleared several houses, Jack delivered a kick to the side of the giant's head. The giant was knocked out of its chair, and it tumbled to the floor with a deafening thud. Cursing, the giant spit out some of its meal as it picked itself up, and looked around for the offensive object that had struck it. On the floor it found a human girl with her hands on her hips, and a defiant expression on her face. The giant roared as it got to its feet, outraged that such a puny, insignificant creature would dare to challenge it.
The giant tried to squash Jack under its foot, but he dodged nimbly, leaping away as the floor shook below. He darted back toward the giant as soon as he landed, and attacked its shin. The giant howled in pain, but otherwise didn't budge, and resumed its own attack. Jack dodged kicking foot and swinging hand, and struck the giant at every opportunity. However, his blows only seemed to irritate the giant, rather than levy any grievous injury.
After a time they both stood across from each other, panting with exhaustion. They both came to the realization that they weren't making any real progress, but neither did they want the confrontation to end without one of them as the clear victor. Fortunately for Jack, he still had his magic to fall back on; whereas the giant might find the same level of success, with a weapon of some sort, as it had without.
Feeling ashamed, but convinced that he had no other choice, Jack turned his back on the giant and prepared to deliver his magical attack. As the giant made its move, to take advantage of what was usually considered a prone position, he bent over and let his skirt flutter, as he unleashed his attack. Surprised by what it heard, which put a giant's to shame, said giant hesitated in confusion. Then it gasped as its nostrils were struck by the foulest of stenches, and it tried to cover its face. However, as much as the giant tried to escape the smell, it was no good, and, too disoriented to stand, it collapsed upon its back.
The giantess came in at that moment, and thanked Jack for sparing her husband's life. Although Jack hadn't thought of a way to dispose of the giant, he decided that it'd probably be for the best, that he not kill the giant. However, he reminded the giantess of her husband's deeds, and asked how they could be made up for. The giantess thought about it for a moment, then offered a suggestion that he found to be appealing... for starters, anyway.
And so it came to pass, at the end of four years, that all of the kingdom's fields were recultivated. At the behest of his wife, and a certain threat from Jack, the giant had restored the fertility of the land, as only a farmer of his size could. Four years of tough labor improved the giant's shape, and his wife was most pleased as a result. Now that she could appreciate his body once again, she vowed that she would entertain her husband's thoughts away from doing again what he had once done to the people living on the ground.
The crops flourished, and the people of the land rejoiced. Much praise was given to Jack, the magical girl who had reversed their terrible fortune with the giant, and he was offered titles and land by the king. Instead of accepting them, he asked that they be given to a widow who lived outside of Fixley, saying only that he owed her much.
Jack's mother was able to live comfortably for the remainder of her life, and even remarried. However, from time to time, she would wonder about her son, and what he was doing. In the beginning she had received letters from him, assuring her that he was alright, but without a means to send a reply. In the end, she would never get to see his face again.
There were also times when she thought about that girl, the one who turned out to be the magical girl responsible for thwarting the giant. Who she was, where she had come from, and why she had been in her son's room that one morning, she never did figure out. Once the letters stopped coming from her son, she would catch sight of the magical girl every once in a while, but in doing so she would scare her away, and a chance at dialogue was lost. Still, it comforted her to know that she was being watched over by her, for whatever reason there might have been for it.
At the end of her life, while on her deathbed, she was surrounded by her family, and other loved ones... save for her son and, she hoped, his potential family. However, as her gaze wandered over to an open window, she saw the magical girl there, perched on the sill, with tears streaming down her ageless face. She couldn't fathom what she was confronted with, and she was too weak to speak up and inquire about its meaning, so she simply offered the best smile that she could.
Those around her wondered who, or what, she was smiling at, and turned to look toward the window. They saw nothing, save a few who thought they might have seen something, but nevertheless not enough to specify what they might have seen. When they returned their attention to the bed, the eyes of its occupant were closed, though her smile still remained.
