I Love to Write

Once upon a time there was a little girl called Zoe Smith. She was on the way to see her brother Harold Jones, when she decided to take a short cut through Sherwood Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a beautiful wolf dressed in a purple dress disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Zoe.

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

Eventually, Zoe 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 toffees, a house made from cakes, a house made from pizzas, a house made from muffins and a house made from sweets.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Crystal!" shouted Zoe. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Crystal back!" cried Zoe.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Crystal out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, five beautiful wolves rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Zoe recognised the one in the purple dress that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Wolf," said the witch.

"Good morning." The wolf noticed Crystal. "Who is this?"

"That's Crystal," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Zoe interrupted. "Crystal lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next wolf. "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 Crystal."

Zoe watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Crystal to Big Wolf. She didn't think Crystal would like living with a beautiful wolf, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other four wolves watched while Big Wolf put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

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 Wolf never finished eating the front door made from toffees and Crystal remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

Average Wolf 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 Wolf 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 wolf!" said Average Wolf.

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

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

Little Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from pizzas.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

He stopped eating pizzas 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 Wolf into the sky.

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

Little Wolf was never seen again.

Little Wolf never finished eating the front door made from pizzas and Crystal remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from muffins.

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

Tiny Wolf pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from muffins. 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 Wolf's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of muffins, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.

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

Tiny Wolf never finished eating the front door made from muffins and Crystal remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Even-Tinier Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from sweets.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Even-Tinier Wolf. "Just you watch!"

Even-Tinier Wolf pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from sweets. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

Suddenly, Even-Tinier Wolf stopped eating and started dancing. While he danced, he sang at the top of his lungs, "Sweets! Watch me eat all the sweets!"

"It looks as though the sweets are making you hyperactive," laughed the witch.

"Oh no they're not!" cried Even-Tinier Wolf. "I'm always this excited." With that, he walked into a tree.

Bong!

Even-Tinier Wolf banged his head and fell backwards onto his bottom. He passed out, exhausted.

Even-Tinier Wolf never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Crystal remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Zoe. "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 her a chance. It's only fair."

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

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

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

Zoe 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 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.

Zoe sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Zoe'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, Zoe 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. Zoe 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 Crystal 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.

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

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

When Zoe got to Harold's house, her brother threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Harold.

Zoe unwrapped a doorknob made from toffees. "Pudding!" she said.

Harold almost fell off his chair.