Naomi Russell and the Three Wild Snakes

Once upon a time there was a Courageous girl called Naomi Russell. She was on the way to see her uncle jack Russell, when she decided to take a short cut through The Amazon River In Brazil..

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a wild snake dressed in a Green Shorts disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Naomi.

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

Eventually, Naomi 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 pancakes, a house made from chips and a house made from cakes.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Mr Teddy!" shouted Naomi. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr Teddy back!" cried Naomi.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Mr Teddy out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three wild snakes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Naomi recognised the one in the Green Shorts that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Snake," said the witch.

"Good morning." The snake noticed Mr Teddy. "Who is this?"

"That's Mr Teddy," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Mr Teddy would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the snake.

The witch shook her head. "Mr Teddy is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Naomi interrupted. "Mr Teddy lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Snake 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 Snake 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 snake. "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 Mr Teddy."

Naomi watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Mr Teddy to Big Snake. She didn't think Mr Teddy would like living with a wild snake, away from her house and all her other toys.

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

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

Big Snake 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 Snake 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 Snake.

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 Snake never finished eating the front door made from pancakes and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Snake stepped up, and approached the house made from chips.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Snake 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 snake!" said Average Snake.

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

Average Snake never finished eating the front door made from chips and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Snake stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating cakes 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 Snake into the sky.

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

Little Snake was never seen again.

Little Snake never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Naomi. "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 snakes. She won't last long."

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

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

Naomi 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.

Naomi sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Naomi'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, Naomi 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. Naomi 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 Mr Teddy 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.

Naomi hurried over and grabbed Mr Teddy, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Mr Teddy was unharmed.

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

When Naomi got to jack's house, her uncle threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked jack.

Naomi unwrapped a doorknob made from pancakes. "Pudding!" she said.

jack almost fell off his chair.

The End