Laura Jones and the Five Fluffy Foxes

A Fairy Tale

By @emeksaegun

Once upon a time there was a grubby girl called Laura Jones. She was on the way to see her Brad Gloop, when she decided to take a short cut through Greenwood Forest.
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It wasn't long before Laura 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! Laura 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 fluffy fox dressed in a red bowler hat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Laura.

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

Eventually, Laura reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from aubergines, a house made from macarons, a house made from macarons, a house made from crisps, a house made from humbugs and a house made from cakes.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Laura 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 Laura 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 Laura. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr Teddy back!" cried Laura.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

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

Before she could reply, five fluffy foxes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Laura recognised the one in the red bowler hat that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Fox," said the witch.

"Good morning." The fox 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 fox.

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

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

Big Fox 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 Fox 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 fox. "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."

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

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

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

Big Fox 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.

  <sup>And more.

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

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 Fox never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.
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Average Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from macarons.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Fox. "Just you watch!"

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

And more.

 And more.

After a while, Average Fox 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 fox!" said Average Fox.

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

Average Fox never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.
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Little Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from crisps.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Fox. "Just you watch!"

Little Fox 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 Fox 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 Fox into the sky.

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

Little Fox was never seen again.

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

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

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

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

Tiny Fox never finished eating the front door made from humbugs and Mr Teddy remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

Even-Tinier Fox 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.

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

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

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

Bong!

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

Even-Tinier Fox 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 Laura. "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 her a chance. It's only fair."

"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the foxes. She won't last long."

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

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

Laura 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 aubergines 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.

Laura sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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

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

When Laura got to Brad's house, her threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Brad.

Laura unwrapped a doorknob made from macarons. "Pudding!" she said.

Brad almost fell off his chair.

The End

Pictures are sourced from pixabay.com
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