Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Childrens

Once upon a time there was a kind boy called Cameron Walker. He was on the way to see his friends Christian Trescothik, when he decided to take a short cut through Dallington Forest.
It wasn't long before Cameron got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, George, but George was nowhere to be found! Cameron began to panic. He felt sure he had packed George. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, he saw a hairy monkey dressed in a Red Versace disappearing into the trees.
"How odd!" thought Cameron.
For the want of anything better to do, he decided to follow the peculiarly dressed monkey. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Cameron reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from Carrot, a house made from toffees, a house made from lollipops and a house made from chocolates.
Cameron could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.
"Hello!" he called. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody replied.
Cameron 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 Cameron a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was George!
"George!" shouted Cameron. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"
The witch just shrugged.
"Give George back!" cried Cameron.
"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.
"At least let George out of that cage!"
Before she could reply, three hairy monkeys rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Cameron recognised the one in the Red Versace that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.
"Hello Big Monkey," said the witch.
"Good morning." The monkey noticed George. "Who is this?"
"That's George," explained the witch.
"Ooh! George would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the monkey.
The witch shook her head. "George is staying with me."
"Um... Excuse me..." Cameron interrupted. "George lives with me! And not in a cage!"
Big Monkey 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 Monkey looked at the house made from chocolates and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from chocolates if I wanted to."
"That's nothing," said the next monkey. "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 George."
Cameron watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give George to Big Monkey. He didn't think George would like living with a hairy monkey, away from his house and all his other toys.
The other two monkeys watched while Big Monkey put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Big Monkey 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 Monkey 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 Monkey.
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 Monkey never finished eating the front door made from toffees and George remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Average Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from lollipops.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Average Monkey pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from lollipops. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
   And more.
      And more.
After a while, Average Monkey 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 monkey!" said Average Monkey.
"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 Monkey, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the monkey away under his arm.
Average Monkey never finished eating the front door made from lollipops and George remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Little Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from chocolates.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Little Monkey 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 Monkey 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 Monkey into the sky.
"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Monkey. "I'm scared of heigh..."
Little Monkey was never seen again.
Little Monkey never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and George remained trapped in the witch's cage.
"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep George."
"Not so fast," said Cameron. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from Carrot. 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 monkeys. He won't last long."
"I'll be right back," said Cameron.
"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted George back."
Cameron 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 Carrot 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.
Cameron sat down on a nearby log.
"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."
"I haven't finished," explained Cameron. "I am just waiting for my food to go down."
When Cameron's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from Carrot. 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, Cameron was down to the final piece of the door made from Carrot. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Cameron had eaten the entire front door of the house made from Carrot.
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 George 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.
Cameron hurried over and grabbed George, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, George was unharmed.
Cameron thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Christian. It was starting to get dark.
When Cameron got to Christian's house, his friends threw his arms around him.
"I was so worried!" cried Christian. "You are very late."
As Cameron described his day, he could tell that Christian didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.
"What's that?" asked Christian.
Cameron unwrapped a doorknob made from toffees. "Pudding!" he said.
Christian almost fell off his chair.
The End