Once upon a time there was a lovable boy called Phil Blackman. He was on the way to see his Reginald Vader, when he decided to take a short cut through Slipperyham Park.

It wasn't long before Phil 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! Phil 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 koala dressed in a blue skirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Phil.

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

Eventually, Phil reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from cauliflowers, a house made from cupcakes, a house made from pizzas, a house made from doughnuts, a house made from fruit gums and a house made from fruit gums.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Phil 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 Phil 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 Phil. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Ted back!" cried Phil.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Ted out of that cage!"

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

"Hello Big Koala," said the witch.

"Good morning." The koala 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 koala.

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

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

Big Koala 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 Koala looked at the house made from fruit gums and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from fruit gums 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 Ted."

Phil watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Ted to Big Koala. He didn't think Ted would like living with a scary koala, away from his house and all his other toys.

The other four 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 cupcakes. 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 cupcakes, 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 cupcakes and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

"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 pizzas. 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 pizzas and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

"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 doughnuts. 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 doughnuts 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 doughnuts and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

Tiny Koala never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums and Ted remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

Even-Tinier Koala pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from fruit gums. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

Suddenly, Even-Tinier Koala stopped eating and started dancing. While he danced, he sang at the top of his lungs, "Fruit gums! Watch me eat all the fruit gums!"

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

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

Bong!

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

Even-Tinier Koala never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums 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 Phil. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from cauliflowers. 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 koalas. He won't last long."

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

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

Phil 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 cauliflowers 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.

Phil sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

When Phil got to Reginald's house, his threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Reginald.

Phil unwrapped a doorknob made from cupcakes. "Pudding!" he said.

Reginald almost fell off his chair.

The End