Naomi Russell and the Three Mean Bears

Once upon a time there was a funny girl called Naomi Russell. She was on the way to see her brother Tristan Connor, when she decided to take a short cut through Penrose Woods.

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, Spike, but Spike was nowhere to be found! Naomi began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Spike. To make matters worse, she was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, she saw a mean bear dressed in a red coat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Naomi.

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, Naomi reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from carrots, a house made from crisps, a house made from chocolates and a house made from pancakes.

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 Spike!

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

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Spike back!" cried Naomi.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Spike out of that cage!"

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

"Hello Big Bear," said the witch.

"Good morning." The bear noticed Spike. "Who is this?"

"That's Spike," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Naomi interrupted. "Spike 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 pancakes and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from pancakes 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 Spike."

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

The other two 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 crisps. 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 crisps, 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 crisps and Spike remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"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 chocolates. 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 chocolates and Spike remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"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 pancakes. 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 pancakes 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 pancakes and Spike remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Naomi. "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 bears. 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 Spike 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 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.

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 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, Naomi 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. Naomi 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 Spike 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 Spike, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Spike was unharmed.

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

When Naomi got to Tristan's house, her brother threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Tristan.

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

Tristan almost fell off his chair.

The End