Reginald Vader and the Awful Fox A Fairy Tale

Once upon a time there was a caring boy called Reginald Vader. He was on the way to see his Steve Grey, when he decided to take a short cut through Gruesomeside Forest.

It wasn't long before Reginald 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! Reginald began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Ted. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, he saw an awful fox dressed in a red pinafore disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Reginald.

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, Reginald reached a clearing. In the clearing were two houses, one made from runner beans and one made from doughnuts.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Reginald 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 Reginald 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 Reginald. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Ted back!" cried Reginald.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Ted out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, the awful fox in the red pinafore rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the cleaning.

"Hello Big Fox," said the witch.

"Good morning." The fox 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 fox.

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Reginald interrupted. "Ted 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 doughnuts and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from doughnuts 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 Ted."

Reginald watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Ted to Big Fox. He didn't think Ted would like living with an awful fox, away from his house and all his other toys.

Big Fox put on his bib and withdraw 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 doughnuts. 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 doughnuts, 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 doughnuts and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Reginald. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from runner beans. 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 fox. He won't last long."

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

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

Reginald 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 runner beans 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.

Reginald sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Ted 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.

Reginald hurried over and grabbed Ted, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Ted was unharmed.

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

When Reginald got to Steve's house, his threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Steve.

Reginald unwrapped a doorknob made from doughnuts. "Pudding!" he said.

Steve almost fell off his chair.

The End