1 Aleksandra Chenkov and the Winged Kitten

Once upon a time there was a daring girl called Aleksandra Chenkov. She was on the way to see her Best friend Kate Thunder, when she decided to take a short cut through Grizedale Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a winged kitten dressed in a Midnight Blue t-shirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Aleksandra.

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

Eventually, Aleksandra reached a clearing. In the clearing were two houses, one made from parsnips and one made from crisps.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Terrance the Moose!" shouted Aleksandra. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Terrance the Moose back!" cried Aleksandra.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Terrance the Moose out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, the winged kitten in the Midnight Blue t-shirt rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the cleaning.

"Hello Big Kitten," said the witch.

"Good morning." The kitten noticed Terrance the Moose. "Who is this?"

"That's Terrance the Moose," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Terrance the Moose would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the kitten.

The witch shook her head. "Terrance the Moose is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Aleksandra interrupted. "Terrance the Moose lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Kitten 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 Kitten looked at the house made from crisps and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from crisps 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 Terrance the Moose."

Aleksandra watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Terrance the Moose to Big Kitten. She didn't think Terrance the Moose would like living with a winged kitten, away from her house and all her other toys.

Big Kitten put on his bib and withdraw 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 crisps. 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 crisps, 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 crisps and Terrance the Moose remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Aleksandra. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from parsnips. 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 kitten. She won't last long."

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

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

Aleksandra 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 parsnips 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.

Aleksandra sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Terrance the Moose 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.

Aleksandra hurried over and grabbed Terrance the Moose, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Terrance the Moose was unharmed.

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

When Aleksandra got to Kate's house, her Best friend threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Kate.

Aleksandra unwrapped a doorknob made from crisps. "Pudding!" she said.

Kate almost fell off her chair.

The End