Deep In Sherwook Forest.

Once upon a time there was a grateful girl called Chloe Barker. She was on the way to see her Older Brother Christian Thomas, when she decided to take a short cut through Sherwook Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a scary dog covered in a green light disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Chloe.

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

Eventually, Chloe reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from cucumbers, a house made from crisps, a house made from toffees, a house made from chocolates and a house made from cakes.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Hugo!" shouted Chloe. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Hugo back!" cried Chloe.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Hugo out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, four scary dogs rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Chloe recognised the one in the green light that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Dog," said the witch.

"Good morning." The dog noticed Hugo. "Who is this?"

"That's Hugo," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Chloe interrupted. "Hugo lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next dog. "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 Hugo."

Chloe watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Hugo to Big Dog. She didn't think Hugo would like living with a scary dog, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other three dogs watched while Big Dog put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

And more..

And more.

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

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 Dog never finished eating the front door made from crisps and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Dog stepped up, and approached the house made from toffees.

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

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

And more..

And more.

After a while, Average Dog 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 dog!" said Average Dog.

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

Average Dog never finished eating the front door made from toffees and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Dog stepped up, and approached the house made from chocolates.

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

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

And more..

And more.

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

He stopped eating chocolates 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 Dog into the sky.

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

Little Dog was never seen again.

Little Dog never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Dog stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Tiny Dog. "Just you watch!"

Tiny Dog pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cakes. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more..

And more.

However, on the next mouthful, the food fell straight out of Tiny Dog's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of cakes, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.

"This is just not fair!" declared Tiny Dog, and stomped off into the forest.

Tiny Dog never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Chloe 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 cucumbers 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.

Chloe sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Hugo 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.

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

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

When Chloe got to Christian's house, her Older Brother threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Christian.

Chloe unwrapped a doorknob made from crisps. "Pudding!" she said.

Christian almost fell off his chair.

The End