Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger

I decided to dust off another old case that I found in my Fairy Tale Crimebusters File. You may remember my previous post about a wolf, a hunter, and a little lass who wore a red riding hood–Crime & Punishment: Cross-Dressing Criminal Meets His Maker!

Today, I have a tale in verse of a poor fatherless boy who disobeyed his mother and later robbed a man of gigantic proportions…three times!

About the thief who robbed the sleeping giant:
It was Jack, a boy who’s self-reliant.
He climbed the beanstalk near his shack
And stole some gold coins in a sack.
He raced back home and spent the money
On chocolate cookies, milk, and honey.

In ten days he returned again.
This time he poached the giant’s hen…
A hen that laid bright eggs of gold
(All over-easy, I’ve been told).

Then in a month—and in a daze—
Jack climbed the stalk and cast his gaze
Upon the castle in the sky.
Nobody knows the reason why
The newly wealthy farm boy Jack
Became a kleptomaniac.
He stole the magic harp for fun.
He really had no need of one.
And lo, the giant never caught
The little thief! An afterthought:
A good boy tempted may not heed
The Golden Rule. Ah! Such is greed.

Happy New Year to All!!!