Ariana Hughes and the Two Cute Dogs

Once upon a time there was a brave, rude girl called Ariana Hughes. She was on the way to see her sister Gwenna Hughes, when she decided to take a short cut through New Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a cute dog dressed in a pink mini skirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Ariana.

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

Eventually, Ariana reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from parsnips, one made from crisps and one made from cookies.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"squeezy toy!" shouted Ariana. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give squeezy toy back!" cried Ariana.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let squeezy toy out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, two cute dogs rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Ariana recognised the one in the pink mini skirt that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Dog," said the witch.

"Good morning." The dog noticed squeezy toy. "Who is this?"

"That's squeezy toy," explained the witch.

"Ooh! squeezy toy would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the dog.

The witch shook her head. "squeezy toy is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Ariana interrupted. "squeezy toy lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next dog. "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 squeezy toy."

Ariana watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give squeezy toy to Big Dog. She didn't think squeezy toy would like living with a cute dog, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other one dogs watched while Big Dog put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

Big Dog 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 Dog 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 Dog.

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 Dog never finished eating the front door made from crisps and squeezy toy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Dog 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 dog!" said Average Dog.

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

Average Dog never finished eating the front door made from cookies and squeezy toy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Ariana. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from parsnips. 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 dogs. She won't last long."

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

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

Ariana 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 parsnips 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.

Ariana sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 squeezy toy 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.

Ariana hurried over and grabbed squeezy toy, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, squeezy toy was unharmed.

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

When Ariana got to Gwenna's house, her sister threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Gwenna.

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

Gwenna almost fell off her chair.

The End