A Fairy Tale

by Little_Sylvia

Once upon a time there was a stingy boy called Carlos Sirius. He was on the way to see his beastie Sylvia Aariel, when he decided to take a short cut through DarkOak Woods.

It wasn't long before Carlos got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, Sir Battle Cow The 3rd, but Sir Battle Cow The 3rd was nowhere to be found! Carlos began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Sir Battle Cow The 3rd. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, he saw a hairy fox dressed in an indigo jumper disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Carlos.

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

Eventually, Carlos reached a clearing. In the clearing were three houses, one made from pumpkins, one made from fruit gums and one made from pizzas.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Carlos 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 Carlos a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Sir Battle Cow The 3rd!

"Sir Battle Cow The 3rd!" shouted Carlos. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Sir Battle Cow The 3rd back!" cried Carlos.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Sir Battle Cow The 3rd out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, two hairy foxes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Carlos recognised the one in the indigo jumper that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Fox," said the witch.

"Good morning." The fox noticed Sir Battle Cow The 3rd. "Who is this?"

"That's Sir Battle Cow The 3rd," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Sir Battle Cow The 3rd would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the fox.

The witch shook her head. "Sir Battle Cow The 3rd is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Carlos interrupted. "Sir Battle Cow The 3rd lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next fox. "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 Sir Battle Cow The 3rd."

Carlos watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Sir Battle Cow The 3rd to Big Fox. He didn't think Sir Battle Cow The 3rd would like living with a hairy fox, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

Big Fox 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.

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

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 Fox never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums and Sir Battle Cow The 3rd remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from pizzas.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Fox. "Just you watch!"

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Fox 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 fox!" said Average Fox.

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

Average Fox never finished eating the front door made from pizzas and Sir Battle Cow The 3rd remained trapped in the witch's cage.

"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Sir Battle Cow The 3rd."

"Not so fast," said Carlos. "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 foxes. He won't last long."

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

"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Sir Battle Cow The 3rd back."

Carlos 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.

Carlos sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Carlos'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, Carlos 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. Carlos 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 Sir Battle Cow The 3rd 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.

Carlos hurried over and grabbed Sir Battle Cow The 3rd, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Sir Battle Cow The 3rd was unharmed.

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

When Carlos got to Sylvia's house, his beastie threw her arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Sylvia.

Carlos unwrapped a doorknob made from fruit gums. "Pudding!" he said.

Sylvia almost fell off her chair.

The End

This is the same story as 'Sylvia Aariel and the 5 horrendous giraffes' but with Carlos instead..