Jack lived in a large, close-knit family in a small village together with his mum, dad, and grandmother. The boy was very active, so all day long he would spend his time outside with his friends—playing football, riding his bicycle, running to the river to swim and play about.
Every time it came to lunch or dinner, Mum had to spend ages calling the little lad to come and eat, especially if Mum had made soup or stew—there was simply no way Jack could bring himself to love this healthy and filling food. But there were exceptions, when the boy would drop his games and race home. This happened when Grandmother came back from town and brought her grandson treats—chocolate bars, lollipops, and boiled sweets.
One day, on a lovely afternoon when Jack was out playing with his friends, Grandmother returned from yet another trip. The little lad knew that every Saturday, Gran would definitely treat him to something sweet.
Without finishing his game and spotting Grandmother getting off the bus, Jack rushed towards her, shouting:
Granny, dearest, have you brought me something tasty and sweet?
Grandmother replied with a smile on her face:
Of course, my dear grandson, I've brought you chocolate bars and sweets, I've stocked up for a whole week. But you mustn't eat too many of them, otherwise you'll get a tummy ache and your teeth will go bad quickly.
But that wasn't to be—that very evening, Jack sneaked into the kitchen behind his parents' backs and quietly stuffed a whole pile of sweets into his shirt. He settled down comfortably in his soft, warm bed and began munching through them one after another. He ate all the sweets and fell asleep.
And the boy had a very strange but interesting and colourful dream. He was running across a green field with his friends and suddenly, turning round, he saw a beautiful palace with bright signs. His friends ran past and disappeared without noticing, but Jack lingered, becoming very curious about what was inside this palace.
Slowly approaching the palace, he saw multicoloured gates decorated with the boy's favourite sweets, and he felt drawn there. Gathering up all the sweets and swallowing them straight away, Jack decided to venture further—perhaps there was something else tasty to be found.
Suddenly he saw a clown standing in the centre of the palace. On his back he carried an enormous sack, and to every child who approached he gave out a large sweet. Without thinking twice, Jack decided to go over—after all, he was a child too and they would surely give him a treat.
Seeing the boy, the clown laughed and said in a cheerful voice:
And who's this little one coming up to us? What's your name?
Jack.
The boy answered.
And who do you live with, Jack? Where are your parents?
At home—Mum, Dad, and Grandmother.
Jack, do you like sweets?
Of course I do, all children love sweets and chocolate.
We play a very interesting game here with all the children. Don't you want to play with us?
Of course I do, it looks really fun here.
Jack replied.
If you want to receive a sweet as a present, you must recite a poem for us, sing a song, or perform a dance. Are you ready?
The clown explained the rules enthusiastically.
I agree, we learnt lots of songs and poems at nursery.
Jack answered eagerly.
After reciting his favourite poem, the lad received a large lollipop as a present—the kind he loved most of all—and decided to have a little look around, perhaps he'd see something else interesting. Everything around him sparkled, bright shop signs advertising sweets beckoned the little boy, but he had his lollipop and decided simply to have a wander. Suddenly he saw a small boy sitting by a door.
Jack went up to him and asked:
Hello, I'm Jack. What are you doing here? Has something happened? Why are you so sad?
Hello. I'm so sad because my tooth hurts really badly. Mum's about to take me to the doctor, and I'm really scared.
The little lad replied.
What happened?
Jack asked.
I ate far too many sweets, I thought they were healthy and tasty. As it turns out, sweets are bad for you, and they can make our teeth go rotten.
Don't talk nonsense. Sweets aren't bad for you at all, they're the healthiest and tastiest food. We don't need stews, soups, and cutlets!
Jack protested.
Jack got angry and walked on. Gradually his large lollipop got smaller, and finally he finished it.
What shall I do now?
Jack thought, and set off in search of sweets. Suddenly he saw the clown he'd met just recently.
Delighted, the boy ran up to him and said:
I've finished my big lollipop, can I have another one? I'll sing you a really lovely song.
Of course you can.
The clown replied.
Jack sang a song and received an enormous chocolate bar.
Unwrapping it straight away, the lad walked on.
And suddenly he saw a boy and a girl sitting by the swings, crying.
What are you doing here? Why are you crying? Has something happened?
Yes, our teeth hurt, and our mums are about to take us to the doctor, so we're frightened.
Oh, don't tell me it's from sweets!
Jack protested.
Yes, yes, it's exactly from sweets and chocolate.
The children cried out in unison.
Oh, you're getting on my nerves. Everyone keeps saying the same thing—you mustn't eat sweets, your teeth will hurt. It's all rubbish!
Jack shouted even louder, turned round, and ran away from them.
And so, having finished his sweet, Jack felt that his tooth was beginning to hurt too, more and more.
Could those children have been telling the truth? Could sweets really be that bad for you?
Jack wondered.
The boy decided to head home so the pain wouldn't get worse. But with every minute his tooth began to hurt more and more. And then on his way he met that same clown again.
Jack rushed towards him and said:
Clown, help me, tell me why little children's teeth hurt?
Don't you know? Little boys and girls mustn't eat lots of sweets and chocolate.
The clown said in surprise.
Then why did you give them to me if you're so clever?
Because until children understand for themselves, they'll never believe their parents, grandmothers, and grandfathers. But when your tooth hurts, you understand straight away that eating lots of sweets is bad for you. That's how I help little children understand this.
And then Jack woke up. Fortunately his teeth were perfectly healthy, but the boy was so frightened that they would hurt that he immediately ran to the kitchen, gathered up all the sweets, and gave them to the grown-ups.
