Garth Cockle and the Two Scary Bears

Once upon a time there was a smart boy called Garth Cockle. He was on the way to see his friends Jeff Wilson, when he decided to take a short cut through Greenwood Forest.

It wasn't long before Garth got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favorite toy, Margaret, but Margaret was nowhere to be found! Garth began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Margaret. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, he saw a scary bear dressed in a black scarf disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Garth.

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

Eventually, Garth reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from cabbages, one made from pancakes and one made from cakes.

Garth could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Margaret!" shouted Garth. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Margaret back!" cried Garth.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Margaret out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, two scary bears rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Garth recognized the one in the black scarf that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Bear," said the witch.

"Good morning." The bear noticed Margaret. "Who is this?"

"That's Margaret," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Garth interrupted. "Margaret lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Bear 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 Bear 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 bear. "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 Margaret."

Garth watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Margaret to Big Bear. He didn't think Margaret would like living with a scary bear, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

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 Bear never finished eating the front door made from pancakes and Margaret remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Bear stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.

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

Average Bear 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.

After a while, Average Bear 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 bear!" said Average Bear.

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

Average Bear never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Margaret remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Garth. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from cabbages. 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 bears. He won't last long."

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

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

Garth 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 cabbages 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.

Garth sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Garth's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from cabbages. 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, Garth was down to the final piece of the door made from cabbages. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Garth had eaten the entire front door of the house made from cabbages.

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 Margaret 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.

Garth hurried over and grabbed Margaret, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Margaret was unharmed.

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

When Garth got to Jeff's house, his friends threw his arms around him.

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

As Garth described his day, he could tell that Jeff didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.

"What's that?" asked Jeff.

Garth unwrapped a doorknob made from pancakes. "Pudding!" he said.

Jeff almost fell off his chair.