1 The story

Once Once upon a time there was a brave and funny girl called Beth Raymond. She was on the way to see her mom Heather Blackman, when she decided to take a short cut through Gurglebridge.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a fierce lion dressed in a red skirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Beth.

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

Eventually, Beth reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from watermelon, one made from muffins and one made from pizzas.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Beth 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 Beth a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Blankey!

"Blankey!" shouted Beth. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Blankey back!" cried Beth.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Blankey out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, two fierce lions rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Beth recognised the one in the red skirt that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Lion," said the witch.

"Good morning." The lion noticed Blankey. "Who is this?"

"That's Blankey," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Beth interrupted. "Blankey lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next lion. "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 Blankey."

Beth watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Blankey to Big Lion. She didn't think Blankey would like living with a fierce lion, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other one lions watched while Big Lion put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

And more.

And more.

Eventually, Big Lion started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of muffins, 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 Lion.

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 Lion never finished eating the front door made from muffins and Blankey remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Lion stepped up, and approached the house made from pizzas.

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

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

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Lion 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 lion!" said Average Lion.

"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 Lion, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the lion away under his arm.

Average Lion never finished eating the front door made from pizzas and Blankey remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Beth. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from watermelon. 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 lions. She won't last long."

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

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

Beth ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. She came back to the clearing and started a small camp fire. Carefully, she broke off a piece of the door of the house made from watermelon 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.

Beth sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Beth's food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from watermelon. 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, Beth was down to the final piece of the door made from watermelon. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her final course. Beth had eaten the entire front door of the house made from watermelon.

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 Blankey 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.

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

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

When Beth got to Heather's house, her mom threw her arms around her.

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

As Beth described her day, she could tell that Heather didn't believe her. So she grabbed a napkin from her pocket.

"What's that?" asked Heather.

Beth unwrapped a doorknob made from muffins. "Pudding!" she said.

Heather almost fell off her chair.

The End