Bomb

Once upon a time there was a tactless boy called Chad Humble. He was on the way to see his Annabelle Blacksmith, when he decided to take a short cut through Idless Woods.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a mean puppy dressed in a green waistcoat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Chad.

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

Eventually, Chad reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from butternut squashes, a house made from chocolates, a house made from jelly babies and a house made from sweets.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Piglet!" shouted Chad. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Piglet back!" cried Chad.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Piglet out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three mean puppies rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Chad recognised the one in the green waistcoat that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Puppy," said the witch.

"Good morning." The puppy noticed Piglet. "Who is this?"

"That's Piglet," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Chad interrupted. "Piglet lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Puppy 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 Puppy 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 puppy. "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 Piglet."

Chad watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Piglet to Big Puppy. He didn't think Piglet would like living with a mean puppy, away from his house and all his other toys.

The other two puppies watched while Big Puppy put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

Big Puppy 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.

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

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 Puppy never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and Piglet remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Puppy stepped up, and approached the house made from jelly babies.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Puppy 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 puppy!" said Average Puppy.

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

Average Puppy never finished eating the front door made from jelly babies and Piglet remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Puppy stepped up, and approached the house made from sweets.

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

Little Puppy 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.

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

He stopped eating sweets 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 Puppy into the sky.

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

Little Puppy was never seen again.

Little Puppy never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Piglet remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Chad. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from butternut squashes. 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 puppies. He won't last long."

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

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

Chad 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 butternut squashes 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.

Chad sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Piglet 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.

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

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

When Chad got to Annabelle's house, his threw her arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Annabelle.

Chad unwrapped a doorknob made from chocolates. "Pudding!" he said.

Annabelle almost fell off her chair.

The End

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***