Stories of the Untold Part 1

Story 4: Witches and Wolves

Once upon a time there was a gracious boy called Garath Cenris. He was on the way to see his friend Shane Bishop, when he decided to take a short cut through Stakard Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a scary wolf dressed in a purple hat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Garath.

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

Eventually, Garath reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from pumpkins, a house made from sweets, a house made from chocolates, a house made from crisps, a house made from cakes and a house made from pizzas.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Wolfy!" shouted Garath. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Wolfy back!" cried Garath.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Wolfy out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, five scary wolves rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Garath recognised the one in the purple hat that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Wolf," said the witch.

"Good morning." The wolf noticed Wolfy. "Who is this?"

"That's Wolfy," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Garath interrupted. "Wolfy lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next wolf. "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 Wolfy."

Garath watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Wolfy to Big Wolf. He didn't think Wolfy would like living with a scary wolf, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

Big Wolf 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.

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

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 Wolf never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Wolfy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from chocolates.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Wolf. "Just you watch!"

Average Wolf 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 Wolf 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 wolf!" said Average Wolf.

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

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

Little Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from crisps.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Wolf. "Just you watch!"

Little Wolf 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.

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

He stopped eating crisps 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 Wolf into the sky.

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

Little Wolf was never seen again.

Little Wolf never finished eating the front door made from crisps and Wolfy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Tiny Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Tiny Wolf. "Just you watch!"

Tiny Wolf pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cakes. 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 Wolf's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of cakes, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.

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

Tiny Wolf never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Wolfy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Even-Tinier Wolf stepped up, and approached the house made from pizzas.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Even-Tinier Wolf. "Just you watch!"

Even-Tinier Wolf 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.

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

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

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

Bong!

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

Even-Tinier Wolf never finished eating the front door made from pizzas and Wolfy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Garath 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 pumpkins 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.

Garath sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Wolfy 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.

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

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

When Garath got to Shane's house, his friend threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Shane.

Garath unwrapped a doorknob made from sweets. "Pudding!" he said.

Shane almost fell off his chair.