Once upon a time there was a Brave boy called Lauren Thunder. He was on the way to see his friend Helen Jolie, when he decided to take a short cut through Greenwood Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a Scary rat dressed in a Green Shoes disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Lauren.

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

Eventually, Lauren reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from peppers, a house made from pancakes, a house made from chocolates and a house made from Macarons.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Lauren 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 wholehouse, 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 Lauren 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 Lauren. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Ted back!" cried Lauren.

"No!" said the witch.

"At least let Ted out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three Scary rats rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Lauren recognised the one in the Green Shoes that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Rat," said the witch.

"Good morning." The rat 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 rat.

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Lauren interrupted. "Ted lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next rat. "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 Ted."

Lauren watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Ted to Big Rat. He didn't think Ted would like living with a Scary rat, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

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 Rat never finished eating the front door made from pancakes and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Rat stepped up, and approached the house made from chocolates.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Rat 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 rat!" said Average Rat.

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

Average Rat never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Rat stepped up, and approached the house made from Macarons.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating Macarons 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 Rat into the sky.

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

Little Rat was never seen again.

Little Rat never finished eating the front door made from Macarons 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 Lauren. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from peppers. 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 rats. He won't last long."

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

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

Lauren 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 peppers 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.

Lauren sat down on a nearby log.

log.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

When Lauren got to Helen's house, his friend threw her arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Helen.

Lauren unwrapped a doorknob made from pancakes. "Pudding!" he said.

Helen almost fell off her chair.

The End