Olly and the Witch (children's story)

Once upon a time there was a brave boy called Olly Blackny. He was on the way to see his uncle Stan , when he decided to take a short cut through dark woods.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a terrifying bear dressed in a black cape disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Olly.

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

Eventually, Olly reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from pumpkins, one made from chocolates and one made from biscuits.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Mr. Sheep!" shouted Olly. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr. Sheep back!" cried Olly.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Mr. Sheep out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, two terrifying bears rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Olly recognised the one in the black cape that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Bear," said the witch.

"Good morning." The bear noticed Mr. Sheep. "Who is this?"

"That's Mr. Sheep," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Mr. Sheep would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the bear.

The witch shook her head. "Mr. Sheep is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Olly interrupted. "Mr. Sheep lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the other bear. "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 Mr. Sheep."

Olly watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Mr. Sheep to Big Bear. He didn't think Mr. Sheep would like living with a terrifying bear, away from his house and all his other toys.

The other bear watched while Big Bear put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

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 Bear never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and sheep remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Medium Bear stepped up, and approached the house made from biscuits.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Medium Bear. "Just you watch!"

Medium Bear pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from biscuits. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

After a while, Medium Bear 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 bear!" said Medium Bear.

"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 Medium Bear, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the bear away under his arm.

Medium Bear never finished eating the front door made from biscuits and Mr. Sheep remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Olly 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 pumpkins 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.

Olly sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Mr. Sheep 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.

Olly hurried over and grabbed Mr. Sheep, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Mr. Sheep was unharmed.

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

When Olly got to Stan's house, his uncle threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Stan.

Olly unwrapped a doorknob made from chocolates. "Pudding!" he said.

Stan almost fell off his chair.

The End

I hope you enjoyed my story