Susan Zeus and the Five Scary Bears

Once upon a time there was a Brave girl called Susan Zeus. She was on the way to see her mother Lauren Jones, when she decided to take a short cut through Woodland.

It wasn't long before Susan 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! Susan 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 Scary bear dressed in a blue Skirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Susan.

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

Eventually, Susan reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from cauliflowers, a house made from Bisuits, a house made from Crisps, a house made from pizzas, a house made from cupcakes and a house made from lollipops.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Susan 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 Susan 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 Susan. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr Teddy back!" cried Susan.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

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

Before she could reply, five Scary bears rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Susan recognised the one in the blue Skirt that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Bear," said the witch.

"Good morning." The bear 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 bear.

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

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

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

"That's nothing," said the next bear. "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."

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

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

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

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

Average Bear stepped up, and approached the house made from Crisps.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Bear 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 bear!" said Average Bear.

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

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

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

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

Little Bear 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 Bear 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 Bear into the sky.

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

Little Bear was never seen again.

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

Tiny Bear stepped up, and approached the house made from cupcakes.

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

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

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

Tiny Bear never finished eating the front door made from cupcakes and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Even-Tinier Bear stepped up, and approached the house made from lollipops.

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

Even-Tinier Bear 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.

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

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

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

Bong!

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

Even-Tinier Bear never finished eating the front door made from lollipops 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 Susan. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from cauliflowers. 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 bears. She won't last long."

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

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

Susan 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 cauliflowers 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.

Susan sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Susan's food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from cauliflowers. 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, Susan was down to the final piece of the door made from cauliflowers. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her final course. Susan had eaten the entire front door of the house made from cauliflowers.

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.

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

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

When Susan got to Lauren's house, her mother threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Lauren.

Susan unwrapped a doorknob made from Bisuits. "Pudding!" she said.

Lauren almost fell off her chair.

The End