Imagined Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension

See, Jack's mother, the widow, had not taken the passing of her husband well. She blamed every misfortune she had on Jack and Milky White, and never let either of them hear the end of it. Jack had bruises and bumps all over from his mother's drunken rages, and Milky White bore her abuse as well. Her shiny coat was littered in scars, and her pen was always dirty unless Jack had the time to clean it.

Jack had assumed it was an average morning, his mother was still asleep, her room smelling strongly of alcohol. The small cottage he lived in stunk and was filled with all sorts of trash. As Jack navigated to the back door, carefully avoiding each pile of junk so as to keep his mother happy, he heard her door creak open.

"This house is a mess, Jack!" She slurred, glaring at him.

"I know, mother." He replied, knowing that if he ever tried to clean any of the mess, he would be beaten. But, if he didn't clean the mess, he would be beaten anyway.

"Go milk that useless cow, I haven't any coin left!" She snapped, turning back into her room.

"Yes, mother." Jack said, exiting through the back door. He rubbed at his side which still smarted from her drunken rage last night. Often, Jack would get in between her and Milky White to keep the poor old cow from carrying more wounds. He continued along the short path to the crumbling barn, but instead of being met with Milky White's happy moos, he was met with nothing. He glanced at her pen, and caught a glimpse of her now dirty coat. She mooed to him, though the sound resembled a cry. He rushed into her pen, falling to his knees. "Please, please Milky..." He trailed off, his eyes burning. He couldn't lose his cow. He looked at her utters, which had shriveled up practically overnight. He scratched a spot behind her ears, and she barely moved just to lean into him again. He rubbed his head against hers, offering quiet pleas for her to be healthy again. She mooed, then tried to stand, and Jack stood with her. She walked, albeit slowly, over to where her lead was and nudged it. She wanted one last walk in the pasture with him before whatever ailment took her over. He led her down the path, letting her stop where she pleased, before he spotted his mother at the door. Milky White paused, eyeing the woman, but Jack led her forward.

"Where's the milk, Jack?" His mother asked, an empty bottle in her hand.

"She's-" his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "She's sick, mother. She has no milk to give." He explained as strongly as he could. His mother growled in frustration, kicking Milky's stomach. The cow remained silent.

"Stupid cow." She muttered under her breath. "You must go sell her, Jack."

"Mother, she's dying." Jack pled, stepping forward.

"I don't care. She's got to be worth something." His mother said, pitching her bottle at the both of them. It hit the dirt path and shattered harmlessly.

"Yes, mother." Jack relented. He wrapped the lead around his hand and began to lead Milky White in the direction of the market.

"Jack?" He paused, wondering if maybe his mother had changed her mind.

"Yes, mother?"

"Get as much as you can for her." His mother spat before slamming the back door behind her. He sighed, it being a ragged, tired sound. Milky pushed her head into his hand and began walking towards the market.

The market was loud, each booth filled to the brim with trinkets and commerce alike. Jack continued walking, hoping to find the sellers booth, but stopped when he saw an old man on the side of the road. The old man was completely covered in a dark old cloak, but Jack walked towards him anyways.

"Are you alright, sir?" Jack asked, extending his open hand to the man. The man looked up, his wrinkled face pulling up into a smile.

"I am fine Jack, thank you." A shriveled hand took Jack's and the old man stood. He grabbed his cane to help hold himself up, then flashed a smile to Jack again. Jack almost questioned why the old man knew his name, but the old man spoke first. "Is there something you might want from my wares?" He asked.

"What wares?" Jack asked, seeing no stand or booth in sight. The old man laughed.

"The magic sort." He winked, leaning more onto his cane. "Each one comes with a great boon for you and yours." The old man said, placing both hands on his cane. Jack looked to his cow and the old man's gaze followed. "Ah, she's a pretty cow, now isn't she." The old man stepped closer and extended a hand to pet Milky's head. The cow flinched at first, which the old man winced at, but eventually she allowed the affection.

"She's very old and sick, sir." Jack noted sadly. "She probably won't do you much good."

"Oh, but you've treated her very well, my boy." The old man said, finding the spot to scratch behind her ear. "I'll make you a deal, if you're interested." He said, stepping back and resting on his cane.

"Alright." Jack agreed. If the items the old man had truly were a magic boon, his mother would be overjoyed to have good fortune again. The old man smiled, a twinkling in his eyes as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a few beans, which were oddly bright in color. Jack stared at them.

"I'll trade you these beans for your cow." Jack made a face. The old man continued, extending his hand. "If these don't give you good fortune in three days time, I'll return your cow in better shape than you had given her to me." Jack looked to Milky White, and for a moment he swore he saw the light return to her eyes. He sighed heavily, and handed the old man her lead. In turn, the beans were given to him with a wink.

"Farewell, sir." Jack said, turning around to leave. "Wait, how will I find you in three days-" But just as Jack turned back around, the man had vanished, along with Milky White. That alone made him believe the old man had been telling the truth, and it lifted his spirits enough to make the journey home despite his hunger.

"Mother, you'll never guess what I got in return for Milky White." Jack announced, walking in the front door of the house.

"Ah, 5, no 10 gold coins?" She asked, a smiled forming on her face. Jack proudly extended both hands to show her the beans. Her smile faded instantly. She snatched them up, smacking him across the face. "You stupid boy!" She looked at the beans once more. "You traded our only cow for a handful of nothing! This isn't even enough to eat!" She screamed, launching them out of the window and into the garden. Once her hands were clean, she smacked Jack upside the head and then pulled him down by the collar of his shirt. "You will go to bed hungry tonight." She spat venomously.

"Y-Yes mother," Jack nodded, only to receive another curt smack to his chin. His mother released him, then stormed off to her own room and shut the door so hard it shook the house.