Anne Frank and the Hairy Kitten

Once upon a time there was a considerate girl called Anne Frank. She was on the way to see her father otto Frank, when she decided to take a short cut through Greenwood Forest.

It wasn't long before Anne 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! Anne 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 Hairy kitten dressed in a Blue waistcoat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Anne.

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

Eventually, Anne reached a clearing. In the clearing were two houses, one made from carrots and one made from pancakes.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr Teddy back!" cried Anne.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

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

Before she could reply, the Hairy kitten in the Blue waistcoat rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the cleaning.

"Hello Big Kitten," said the witch.

"Good morning." The kitten 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 kitten.

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

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

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

"There's no need to show off," said the witch. Just eat one front door and I'll let you have Mr Teddy."

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

Big Kitten put on his bib and withdraw a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

Big Kitten 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 Kitten 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 Kitten.

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 Kitten never finished eating the front door made from pancakes 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 Anne. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from carrots. 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 kitten. She won't last long."

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

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

Anne 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 carrots 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.

Anne sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

When Anne got to otto's house, her father threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked otto.

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

otto almost fell off his chair.

The End