Charcoal and the Three Grumpy Cats

Once upon a time, there was a brave girl called Charcoal. She was on the way to see her uncle Jacob when she decided to take a shortcut through Dark Forest.

It wasn't long before Charcoal got lost. She looked around, but all she could see were trees. Nervously, she feet into her bag for her favourite toy, Momo, but Momo was nowhere to be found! Charcoal began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Momo. To make matters worse, she was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, she saw a grumpy cat dressed in a yellow dress disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Charcoal.

For the want of anything better to do, she decided to follow the peculiarly dressed cat. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.

Eventually, Charcoal reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from carrots, a house made from chips, a house made from gummies and a house made from candies.

Charcoal could feel her tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease her hunger.

"Hello!" she called. "Is anybody there?"

Nobody replied.

Charcoal looked at the roof on the closest house and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else's chimney. Obviously, it would be impolite to eat a whole house, but perhaps it would be considered acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting, in a time of need.

A cackle broke through the air, giving Charcoal a fright. A witch jumped into space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Momo!

"Momo!" shouted Charcoal. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Momo back!" cried Charcoal.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Momo out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three grumpy cats rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Charcoal recognised the one in the yellow necklace that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Cat," said the witch.

"Good morning." The cat noticed Momo. "Who is this?"

"That's Momo," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Momo would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the cat.

The witch shook her head. "Momo is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Charcoal interrupted. "Momo lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Cat ignored her. "Is there nothing you'll trade?" he asked the witch.

The witch thought for a moment, then said, "I do like to be entertained. I'll release him to anybody who can eat a whole front door."

Big Cat looked at the house made from candies and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from candies if I wanted to."

"That's nothing," said the next cat. "I could eat two houses."

"There's no need to show off," said the witch. Just eat one front door and I'll let you have Momo."

Charcoal watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Momo to Big Cat. She didn't think Momo would like living with a grumpy cat, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other two cats watched while Big Cat put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Cat. "Just you watch!"

Big Cat pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from chips. He gulped it down smiling and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

Eventually, Big Cat started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of chips, he grew to the size of a large snowball - and he was every bit as round.

"Erm... I don't feel too good," said Big Cat.

Suddenly, he started to roll. He'd grown so round that he could no longer balance!

"Help!" he cried, as he rolled off down a slope into the forest.

Big Cat never finished eating the front door made from chips and Momo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Cat stepped up and approached the house made from gummies.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Cat. "Just you watch!"

Average Cat pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from gummies. She gulped it down smiling and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Cat started to look a little queasy. She grew greener...

...and greener.

A woodcutter walked into the clearing. "What's this bush doing here?" he asked.

"I'm not a bush, I'm a cat!" said Average Cat.

"It talks!" exclaimed the woodcutter. "Those talking bushes are the worst kind. I'd better take it away before somebody gets hurt."

"No! Wait!" cried Average Cat, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the cat away under his arm.

Average Cat never finished eating the front door made from gummies and Momo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Cat stepped up and approached the house made from candies.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Cat. "Just you watch!"

Little Cat pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from candies. He gulped it down smiling and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

After five or six platefuls, Little Cat started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.

He stopped eating candies for a moment, then grabbed another forkful.

But before he could eat it, there came an almighty roar. A bottom burp louder than a rocket taking off propelled Little Cat into the sky.

"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Cat. "I'm scared of heigh..."

Little Cat was never seen again.

Little Cat never finished eating the front door made from candies and Momo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Momo."

"Not so fast," said Charcoal. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house is made from carrots. And I haven't had a turn yet.

"I don't have to give you a turn!" laughed the witch. "My game. My rules."

The woodcutter's voice carried through the forest. "I think you should give her a chance. It's only fair."

"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the cats. She won't last long."

"I'll be right back," said Charcoal.

"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Momo back."

Charcoal ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. She came back to the clearing and started a small campfire. Carefully, she broke off a piece of the door of the house made from carrots and toasted it over the fire. Once it had cooked and cooled just a little, she took a bite. She quickly devoured the whole piece.

Charcoal sat down on a nearby log.

"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."

"I haven't finished," explained Charcoal. "I am just waiting for my food to go down."

When Charcoal's food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from carrots. Once more, she toasted her food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. She ate it at a leisurely pace then waited for it to digest.

Eventually, after several sittings, Charcoal was down to the final piece of the door made from carrots. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her final course. Charcoal had eaten the entire front door of the house made from carrots.

The witch stamped her foot angrily. "You must have tricked me!" she said. "I don't reward cheating!"

"I don't think so!" said a voice. It was the woodcutter. He walked back into the clearing, carrying his axe. "This little girl won fair and square. Now hand over Momo or I will chop your broomstick in half."

The witch looked horrified. She grabbed her broomstick and placed it behind her. Then, huffing, she opened the door of the cage.

Charcoal hurried over and grabbed Momo, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Momo was unharmed.

Charcoal thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Jacob. It was starting to get dark.

When Charcoal got to Jacob's house, her uncle threw his arms around her.

"I was so worried!" cried Jacob. "You are very late."

As Charcoal described her day, she could tell that Jacob didn't believe her. She just shrugged it off, went upstairs to rest and yawned to sleep.