Chloe Thunder and the Three Spotted Monkeys

Once upon a time there was a mean girl called Chloe Thunder. She was on the way to see her Kimberly Wu, when she decided to take a short cut through Hampstead Heath.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a spotted monkey dressed in a blue top hat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Chloe.

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

Eventually, Chloe reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from broccoli florets, a house made from chips, a house made from chocolates and a house made from muffins.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"George!" shouted Chloe. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give George back!" cried Chloe.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let George out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three spotted monkeys rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Chloe recognised the one in the blue top hat that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Monkey," said the witch.

"Good morning." The monkey noticed George. "Who is this?"

"That's George," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Chloe interrupted. "George lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next monkey. "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 George."

Chloe watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give George to Big Monkey. She didn't think George would like living with a spotted monkey, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other two monkeys watched while Big Monkey put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

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 Monkey never finished eating the front door made from chips and George remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

Average Monkey 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 Monkey 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 monkey!" said Average Monkey.

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

Average Monkey never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and George remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from muffins.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating muffins 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 Monkey into the sky.

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

Little Monkey was never seen again.

Little Monkey never finished eating the front door made from muffins and George remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Chloe. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from broccoli florets. 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 monkeys. She won't last long."

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

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

Chloe 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 broccoli florets 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.

Chloe sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 George 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.

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

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

When Chloe got to Kimberly's house, her threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Kimberly.

Chloe unwrapped a doorknob made from chips. "Pudding!" she said.

Kimberly almost fell off her chair.

The End