Once upon a time there was a snooty boy called backpacker guide. He was on the way to see his backpacker guide Chantal Zeus, when he decided to take a short cut through Sherwook Forest.
It wasn’t long before backpacker got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, Ted, but Ted was nowhere to be found! backpacker began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Ted. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, he saw a scruffy kitten dressed in a pink backpacker guide disappearing into the trees.
“How odd!” thought backpacker.
For the want of anything better to do, he decided to follow the peculiarly dressed kitten. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.
Eventually, backpacker reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from sweet potatoes, a house made from backpacker guide, a house made from humbugs and a house made from cakes.
backpacker could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.
“Hello!” he called. “Is anybody there?”
Nobody replied.
backpacker 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 backpacker a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Ted!
“Ted!” shouted backpacker. He turned to the witch. “That’s my toy!”
The witch just shrugged.
“Give Ted back!” cried backpacker.
“Not on your nelly!” said the witch.
“At least let Ted out of that cage!”
Before she could reply, three scruffy kittens rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. backpacker recognised the one in the pink backpacker guide that he’d seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognize him too.
“Hello Big Kitten,” said the witch.
“Good morning.” The kitten noticed Ted. “Who is this?”
“That’s Ted,” explained the witch.
“Ooh! Ted would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!” demanded the kitten.
The witch shook her head. “Ted is staying with me.”
“Um… Excuse me…” backpacker interrupted. “Ted lives with me! And not in a cage!”
Big Kitten 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 Kitten looked at the house made from cakes and said, “No problem, I could eat an entire house made from cakes if I wanted to.”
“That’s nothing,” said the next kitten. “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 Ted.”
backpacker watched, feeling very worried. He didn’t want the witch to give Ted to Big Kitten. He didn’t think Ted would like living with a scruffy kitten, away from his house and all his other toys.
The other two kittens watched while Big Kitten put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.
“I’ll eat this whole house,” said Big Kitten. “Just you watch!”
Big Kitten pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from backpacker guide. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
Eventually, Big Kitten started to get bigger – just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of backpacker guide, 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 Kitten.
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 Kitten never finished eating the front door made from backpacker guide and Ted remained trapped in the witch’s cage.Average Kitten stepped up, and approached the house made from humbugs.
“I’ll eat this whole house,” said Average Kitten. “Just you watch!”
Average Kitten pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from humbugs. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
After a while, Average Kitten 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 kitten!” said Average Kitten.
“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 Kitten, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the kitten away under his arm.
Average Kitten never finished eating the front door made from humbugs and Ted remained trapped in the witch’s cage.Little Kitten stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.
“I’ll eat this whole house,” said Little Kitten. “Just you watch!”
Little Kitten pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cakes. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
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