Brad Torrance and the Four Naughty Owls.

Once upon a time there was a cowardly boy called Brad Torrance. He was on the way to see his Andrew McCallister, when he decided to take a short cut through Sherewook Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a naughty owl dressed in a pink jacket disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Brad.

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

Eventually, Brad reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from broccoli florets, a house made from macarons, a house made from macarons, a house made from fruit gums and a house made from lollipops.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Rags!" shouted Brad. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Rags back!" cried Brad.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Rags out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, four naughty owls rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Brad recognized the one in the pink jacket that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognize him too.

"Hello Big Owl," said the witch.

"Good morning." The owl noticed Rags. "Who is this?"

"That's Rags," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Brad interrupted. "Rags lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next owl. "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 Rags."

Brad watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Rags to Big Owl. He didn't think Rags would like living with a naughty owl, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

Big Owl 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.

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

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 Owl never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Owl stepped up, and approached the house made from macarons.

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

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

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Owl 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 an owl!" said Average Owl.

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

Average Owl never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Owl stepped up, and approached the house made from fruit gums.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

He stopped eating fruit gums 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 Owl into the sky.

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

Little Owl was never seen again.

Little Owl never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Owl stepped up, and approached the house made from lollipops.

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

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

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

Tiny Owl never finished eating the front door made from lollipops and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Brad. "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 him a chance. It's only fair."

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

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

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

Brad 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 broccoli florets 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.

Brad sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Brad's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from broccoli florets. 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, Brad was down to the final piece of the door made from broccoli florets. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Brad 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 boy won fair and square. Now hand over Rags 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.

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

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

When Brad got to Andrew's house, his threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Andrew.

Brad unwrapped a doorknob made from macarons. "Pudding!" he said.

Andrew almost fell off his chair.

The End.