Harmony Popescu and the Three Faithful Puppies

Once upon a time there was a Sympathetic boy called Harmony Popescu. He was on the way to see his aunt Laura Popescu, when he decided to take a short cut through Ususau Woods.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a Faithful puppy dressed in a Mauve Cape disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Harmony.

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, Harmony reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from courgettes, a house made from lollipops, a house made from pizzas and a house made from chips.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Daisy!" shouted Harmony. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Daisy back!" cried Harmony.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Daisy out of that cage!"

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

"Hello Big Puppy," said the witch.

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

"That's Daisy," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Harmony interrupted. "Daisy 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 chips and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from chips 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 Daisy."

Harmony watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Daisy to Big Puppy. He didn't think Daisy would like living with a Faithful 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 lollipops. 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 lollipops, 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 lollipops and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"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 pizzas. 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 pizzas and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"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 chips. 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 chips 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 chips and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Harmony. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from courgettes. 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 Harmony.

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

Harmony 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 courgettes 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.

Harmony sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Daisy 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.

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

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

When Harmony got to Laura's house, his aunt threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Laura.

Harmony unwrapped a doorknob made from lollipops. "Pudding!" he said.

Laura almost fell off his chair.

The End