Once upon a time there was a Brave boy called Tristan. He was on the way to see his cousin Andrew, when he decided to take a short cut through Wyre Forest.
It wasn't long before Tristan got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, Mr Teddy, but Mr Teddy was nowhere to be found! Tristan began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Mr Teddy. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, he saw a scary dragon dressed in an orange jacket disappearing into the trees.
"How odd!" thought Tristan.
For the want of anything better to do, he decided to follow the peculiarly dressed dragon. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Tristan reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from carrots, one made from lollipops and one made from chips.
Tristan could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.
"Hello!" he called. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody replied.
Tristan 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 Tristan a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Mr Teddy!
"Mr Teddy!" shouted Tristan. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"
The witch just shrugged.
"Give Mr Teddy back!" cried Tristan.
"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.
"At least let Mr Teddy out of that cage!"
Before she could reply, two scary dragons rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Tristan recognised the one in the orange jacket that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.
"Hello Big Dragon," said the witch.
"Good morning." The dragon noticed Mr Teddy. "Who is this?"
"That's Mr Teddy," explained the witch.
"Ooh! Mr Teddy would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the dragon.
The witch shook her head. "Mr Teddy is staying with me."
"Um... Excuse me..." Tristan interrupted. "Mr Teddy lives with me! And not in a cage!"
Big Dragon ignored him. "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 Dragon looked at the house made from chips and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from chips if I wanted to."
"That's nothing," said the next dragon. "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 Mr Teddy."
Tristan watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Mr Teddy to Big Dragon. He didn't think Mr Teddy would like living with a Scary dragon, away from his house and all his other toys.
The other one dragons watched while Big Dragon put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Dragon. "Just you watch!"
Big Dragon pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from lollipops. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
Eventually, Big Dragon started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of lollipops, 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 Dragon.
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 Dragon never finished eating the front door made from lollipops and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Average Dragon stepped up, and approached the house made from chips.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Dragon. "Just you watch!"
Average Dragon pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from chips. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
After a while, Average Dragon 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 dragon!" said Average Dragon.
"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 Dragon, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the dragon away under his arm.
Average Dragon never finished eating the front door made from chips and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.
"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Mr Teddy."
"Not so fast," said Tristan. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house 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 him a chance. It's only fair."
"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the dragons. He won't last long."
"I'll be right back," said Tristan.
"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Mr Teddy back."
Tristan ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. He came back to the clearing and started a small camp fire. Carefully, he 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, he took a bite. He quickly devoured the whole piece.
Tristan sat down on a nearby log.
"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."
"I haven't finished," explained Tristan. "I am just waiting for my food to go down."
When Tristan's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from carrots. Once more, he toasted his food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. He ate it at a leisurely pace then waited for it to digest.
Eventually, after several sittings, Tristan was down to the final piece of the door made from carrots. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Tristan 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 boy won fair and square. Now hand over Mr Teddy 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.
Tristan hurried over and grabbed Mr Teddy, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Mr Teddy was unharmed.
Tristan thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Andrew. It was starting to get dark.
When Tristan got to Andrew's house, his cousin threw his arms around him.
"I was so worried!" cried Andrew. "You are very late."
As Tristan described his day, he could tell that Andrew didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.
"What's that?" asked Andrew.
Tristan unwrapped a doorknob made from lollipops. "Pudding!" he said.
Andrew almost fell off his chair.
THE END
