Dick MacDonald and the Scary Toad.

Once upon a time there was a admirable boy called Dick MacDonald. He was on the way to see his Bob Parker, when he decided to take a short cut through Hampstead Heath.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a scary toad dressed in a red t-shirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Dick.

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

Eventually, Dick reached a clearing. In the clearing were two houses, one made from onions and one made from humbugs.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Blankley!" shouted Dick. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Blankley back!" cried Dick.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Blankley out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, the scary toad in the red t-shirt rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the cleaning.

"Hello Big Toad," said the witch.

"Good morning." The toad noticed Blankley. "Who is this?"

"That's Blankley," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Dick interrupted. "Blankley lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"There's no need to show off," said the witch. Just eat one front door and I'll let you have Blankley."

Dick watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Blankley to Big Toad. He didn't think Blankley would like living with a scary toad, away from his house and all his other toys.

Big Toad put on his bib and withdraw a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

And more.

And more.

Eventually, Big Toad started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-full of humbugs, 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 Toad.

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 Toad never finished eating the front door made from humbugs and Blankley remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Dick. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from onions. 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 toad. He won't last long."

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

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

Dick 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 onions 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.

Dick sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Dick's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from onions. 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, Dick was down to the final piece of the door made from onions. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Dick had eaten the entire front door of the house made from onions.

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 Blankley 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.

Dick hurried over and grabbed Blankley, checking that his favorite toy was all right. Fortunately, Blankley was unharmed.

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

When Dick got to Bob's house, his threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Bob.

Dick unwrapped a doorknob made from humbugs. "Pudding!" he said.

Bob almost fell off his chair.

The End.