Kimberly Johnson and the Two Mean Snakes

Once upon a time there was a handsome girl called Kimberly Johnson. She was on the way to see her Alex Parker, when she decided to take a short cut through Kennel Vale.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a mean snake dressed in a blue waistcoat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Kimberly.

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

Eventually, Kimberly reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from red cabbages, one made from toffees and one made from macarons.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Laura!" shouted Kimberly. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Laura back!" cried Kimberly.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Laura out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, two mean snakes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Kimberly recognised the one in the blue waistcoat that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Snake," said the witch.

"Good morning." The snake noticed Laura. "Who is this?"

"That's Laura," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Kimberly interrupted. "Laura lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next snake. "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 Laura."

Kimberly watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Laura to Big Snake. She didn't think Laura would like living with a mean snake, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other one snakes watched while Big Snake put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

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 Snake never finished eating the front door made from toffees and Laura remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

Average Snake 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 Snake 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 snake!" said Average Snake.

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

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

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

"Not so fast," said Kimberly. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from red cabbages. 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 snakes. She won't last long."

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

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

Kimberly 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 red cabbages 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.

Kimberly sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Laura 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.

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

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

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

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

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

"What's that?" asked Alex.

Kimberly unwrapped a doorknob made from toffees. "Pudding!" she said.

Alex almost fell off his chair.

The End