Catherine Platt and the Three Winged Koalas

Once upon a time there was a scrawny girl called Catherine Platt. She was on the way to see her Maud Grey, when she decided to take a short cut through Bogstaple Woods.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a winged koala dressed in a purple pinafore disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Catherine.

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

Eventually, Catherine reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from lettuces, a house made from chocolates, a house made from jelly babies and a house made from cakes.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Mr Teddy!" shouted Catherine. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr Teddy back!" cried Catherine.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Mr Teddy out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three winged koalas rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Catherine recognised the one in the purple pinafore that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Koala," said the witch.

"Good morning." The koala noticed Mr Teddy. "Who is this?"

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

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Catherine interrupted. "Mr Teddy lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Koala 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 Koala 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 koala. "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 Teddy."

Catherine watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Mr Teddy to Big Koala. She didn't think Mr Teddy would like living with a winged koala, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other two koalas watched while Big Koala put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

Big Koala 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 Koala 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 Koala.

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 Koala never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Koala stepped up, and approached the house made from jelly babies.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Koala. "Just you watch!"

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

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Koala 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 koala!" said Average Koala.

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

Average Koala never finished eating the front door made from jelly babies and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Koala stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Koala. "Just you watch!"

Little Koala pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cakes. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

After five or six platefuls, Little Koala started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.

He stopped eating cakes for a moment, then grabbed another forkful.

But before he could eat it, there came an almighty roar. A bottom burp louder than a rocket taking off, propelled Little Koala into the sky.

"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Koala. "I'm scared of heigh..."

Little Koala was never seen again.

Little Koala never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Catherine 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 lettuces 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.

Catherine sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Mr Teddy 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.

Catherine hurried over and grabbed Mr Teddy, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Mr Teddy was unharmed.

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

When Catherine got to Maud's house, her threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Maud.

Catherine unwrapped a doorknob made from chocolates. "Pudding!" she said.

Maud almost fell off her chair.

The End