Katy Russell and the Naughty Ostrich.

Once upon a time there was a proud girl called Katy Russell. She was on the way to see her Sonya Ball, when she decided to take a short cut through Awful pool Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a naughty ostrich dressed in a yellow coat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Katy.

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

Eventually, Katy reached a clearing. In the clearing were two houses, one made from peppers and one made from chips.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Bunny!" shouted Katy. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Bunny back!" cried Katy.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Bunny out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, the naughty ostrich in the yellow coat rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the cleaning.

"Hello Big Ostrich," said the witch.

"Good morning." The ostrich noticed Bunny. "Who is this?"

"That's Bunny," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Katy interrupted. "Bunny lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Ostrich 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 Ostrich looked at the house made from chips and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from chips 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 Bunny."

Katy watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Bunny to Big Ostrich. She didn't think Bunny would like living with a naughty ostrich, away from her house and all her other toys.

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

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

Big Ostrich 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 Ostrich started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-full 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 Ostrich.

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

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

"Not so fast," said Katy. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from peppers. 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 ostrich. She won't last long."

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

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

Katy 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 peppers 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.

Katy sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Bunny 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.

Katy hurried over and grabbed Bunny, checking that her favorite toy was all right. Fortunately, Bunny was unharmed.

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

When Katy got to Sonya's house, her threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Sonya.

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

Sonya almost fell off her chair.

The End