Casper Slaughterhouse and the Four Friendly Koalas

Once upon a time there was a incredible boy called Casper Slaughterhouse. He was on the way to see his Maud Bishop, when he decided to take a short cut through Central Park.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a friendly koala dressed in a green top hat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Casper.

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

Eventually, Casper reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from swedes, a house made from crisps, a house made from fruit gums, a house made from macarons and a house made from crisps.

Casper could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.

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

Nobody replied.

Casper 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 Casper 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 Casper. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Daisy back!" cried Casper.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Daisy out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, four friendly koalas rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Casper recognised the one in the green top hat that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Koala," said the witch.

"Good morning." The koala 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 koala.

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

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

Big Koala ignored him. "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 Koala looked at the house made from crisps and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from crisps if I wanted to."

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

Casper watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Daisy to Big Koala. He didn't think Daisy would like living with a friendly koala, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

Big Koala 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 Koala 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 Koala.

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

Average Koala stepped up, and approached the house made from fruit gums.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Koala 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 koala!" said Average Koala.

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

Average Koala never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Koala stepped up, and approached the house made from macarons.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating macarons 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 Koala into the sky.

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

Little Koala was never seen again.

Little Koala never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Daisy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Koala stepped up, and approached the house made from crisps.

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

Tiny Koala 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.

However, on the next mouthful, the food fell straight out of Tiny Koala's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of crisps, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.

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

Tiny Koala never finished eating the front door made from crisps 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 Casper. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from swedes. 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 him a chance. It's only fair."

"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the koalas. He won't last long."

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

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

Casper ignored the witch and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. He came back to the clearing and started a small camp fire. Carefully, he broke off a piece of the door of the house made from swedes and toasted it over the fire. Once it had cooked and cooled just a little, he took a bite. He quickly devoured the whole piece.

Casper sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Casper's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from swedes. Once more, he toasted his food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. He ate it at a leisurely pace then waited for it to digest.

Eventually, after several sittings, Casper was down to the final piece of the door made from swedes. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Casper had eaten the entire front door of the house made from swedes.

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 boy 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.

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

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

When Casper got to Maud's house, his threw her arms around him.

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

As Casper described his day, he could tell that Maud didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.

"What's that?" asked Maud.

Casper unwrapped a doorknob made from crisps. "Pudding!" he said.

Maud almost fell off her chair.

The End