Beth Grey and the Four Yellow Horses

Once upon a time there was a lovable girl called Beth Grey. She was on the way to see her Lauren Barker, when she decided to take a short cut through Yuckylake Woods.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a yellow horse dressed in a green jumper disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Beth.

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

Eventually, Beth reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from peas, a house made from cupcakes, a house made from biscuits, a house made from jelly babies and a house made from doughnuts.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Daisy back!" cried Beth.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Daisy out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, four yellow horses rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Beth recognised the one in the green jumper that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Horse," said the witch.

"Good morning." The horse 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 horse.

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Beth interrupted. "Daisy lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

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

Beth watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Daisy to Big Horse. She didn't think Daisy would like living with a yellow horse, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other three horses watched while Big Horse put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

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 Horse never finished eating the front door made from cupcakes and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Horse stepped up, and approached the house made from biscuits.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Horse 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 horse!" said Average Horse.

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

Average Horse never finished eating the front door made from biscuits and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Horse stepped up, and approached the house made from jelly babies.

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

Little Horse pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from jelly babies. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

After five or six platefuls, Little Horse started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.

He stopped eating jelly babies 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 Horse into the sky.

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

Little Horse was never seen again.

Little Horse never finished eating the front door made from jelly babies and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Horse stepped up, and approached the house made from doughnuts.

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

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

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

Tiny Horse never finished eating the front door made from doughnuts 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 Beth. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from peas. 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 horses. She won't last long."

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

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

Beth 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 peas 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.

Beth sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

As Beth 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.

Beth unwrapped a doorknob made from cupcakes. "Pudding!" she said.

Lauren almost fell off her chair.

The End