first of 20 tails

Once upon a time there was a Villainous boy called Alex Khan. He was on the way to see his lover Jessica Sparrow, when he decided to take a short cut through Gruesomeside Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a fierce dragon dressed in a red dungarees disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Alex.

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

Eventually, Alex reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from aubergines, a house made from pizzas, a house made from cupcakes, a house made from sweets, a house made from doughnuts and a house made from chocolates.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Emma!" shouted Alex. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Emma back!" cried Alex.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Emma out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, five fierce dragons rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Alex recognised the one in the red dungarees that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Dragon," said the witch.

"Good morning." The dragon noticed Emma. "Who is this?"

"That's Emma," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Emma would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the dragon.

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Alex interrupted. "Emma lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next dragon. "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 Emma."

Alex watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Emma to Big Dragon. He didn't think Emma would like living with a fierce dragon, away from his house and all his other toys.

The other four dragons watched while Big Dragon put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

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

Big Dragon pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from pizzas. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

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

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 Dragon never finished eating the front door made from pizzas and Emma remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Dragon stepped up, and approached the house made from cupcakes.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Dragon 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 dragon!" said Average Dragon.

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

Average Dragon never finished eating the front door made from cupcakes and Emma remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Dragon stepped up, and approached the house made from sweets.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating sweets 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 Dragon into the sky.

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

Little Dragon was never seen again.

Little Dragon never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Emma remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Dragon stepped up, and approached the house made from doughnuts.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Tiny Dragon. "Just you watch!"

Tiny Dragon pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from doughnuts. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

However, on the next mouthful, the food fell straight out of Tiny Dragon's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of doughnuts, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.

"This is just not fair!" declared Tiny Dragon, and stomped off into the forest.

Tiny Dragon never finished eating the front door made from doughnuts and Emma remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Even-Tinier Dragon stepped up, and approached the house made from chocolates.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Even-Tinier Dragon. "Just you watch!"

Even-Tinier Dragon 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.

Suddenly, Even-Tinier Dragon stopped eating and started dancing. While he danced, he sang at the top of his lungs, "Chocolates! Watch me eat all the chocolates!"

"It looks as though the chocolates are making you hyperactive," laughed the witch.

"Oh no they're not!" cried Even-Tinier Dragon. "I'm always this excited." With that, he walked into a tree.

Bong!

Even-Tinier Dragon banged his head and fell backwards onto his bottom. He passed out, exhausted.

Even-Tinier Dragon never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and Emma remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Alex. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from aubergines. 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 dragons. He won't last long."

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

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

Alex 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 aubergines 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.

Alex sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Emma 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.

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

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

When Alex got to Jessica's house, his lover threw her arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Jessica.

Alex unwrapped a doorknob made from pizzas. "Pudding!" he said.

Jessica almost fell off her chair.

many more.

Alex couldn't believe his eyes. He had stumbled upon the kingdom of the Candy Witch! This witch was known for her love of candy and her trickery. Alex had heard tales of how she would lure travellers into her kingdom with her tantalizing treats, only to keep them captive forever.

However, Alex was bold and cunning. He decided to take the risk and approached the candy houses.

As he walked towards one, the door suddenly swung open, and out stepped the Candy Witch herself. She was a sight to behold with her candy-laden dress and her vibrant pink hair.

"Greetings, Alex," she crooned. "I presume you're lost?"

Alex nodded. He didn't want to give too much away, knowing the witch's reputed trickery.

"Come inside and enjoy my kingdom's many delights," the Candy Witch continued to persuade Alex.

He decided to accept the invitation, knowing he had to play it cool. Inside, Alex was treated to a feast of candy and sweets. He noticed a jar of Emma, his toy, on a nearby shelf. Alex knew he had to retrieve Emma without alerting the witch.

With a swift move, he grabbed Emma and made a dash for the door. But the Candy Witch had noticed.

"Trying to leave so soon?" she cackled.

Alex thought quickly and replied, "I have to go now, but I will be back. Thank you for your hospitality."

He quickly made his way out of the kingdom and into the forest, where he stumbled upon Jessica's cottage. He was safe, but he knew he had to keep an eye out for the Candy Witch's tricks in the future.

The End