Once upon a time there was a generous girl called Rhiannon Sparkle. She was on the way to see her friends Marion Cockle, when she decided to take a short cut through Idless Woods.
It wasn't long before Rhiannon got lost. She looked around, but all she could see were trees. Nervously, she felt into her bag for her favourite toy, Blankey, but Blankey was nowhere to be found! Rhiannon began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Blankey. To make matters worse, she was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, she saw a grumpy monkey dressed in a purple dungarees disappearing into the trees.
"How odd!" thought Rhiannon.
For the want of anything better to do, she decided to follow the peculiarly dressed monkey. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Rhiannon reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from red cabbages, a house made from cakes, a house made from pancakes, a house made from fruit gums and a house made from sweets.
Rhiannon could feel her tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease her hunger.
"Hello!" she called. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody replied.
Rhiannon 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 Rhiannon a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Blankey!
"Blankey!" shouted Rhiannon. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"
The witch just shrugged.
"Give Blankey back!" cried Rhiannon.
"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.
"At least let Blankey out of that cage!"
Before she could reply, four grumpy monkeys rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Rhiannon recognised the one in the purple dungarees that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.
"Hello Big Monkey," said the witch.
"Good morning." The monkey noticed Blankey. "Who is this?"
"That's Blankey," explained the witch.
"Ooh! Blankey would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the monkey.
The witch shook her head. "Blankey is staying with me."
"Um... Excuse me..." Rhiannon interrupted. "Blankey lives with me! And not in a cage!"
Big Monkey 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 Monkey looked at the house made from sweets and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from sweets if I wanted to."
"That's nothing," said the next monkey. "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 Blankey."
Rhiannon watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Blankey to Big Monkey. She didn't think Blankey would like living with a grumpy monkey, away from her house and all her other toys.
The other three monkeys watched while Big Monkey put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Big Monkey 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.
Eventually, Big Monkey started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of cakes, 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 Monkey.
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 Monkey never finished eating the front door made from cakes and Blankey remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Average Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from pancakes.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Average Monkey pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from pancakes. She gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
After a while, Average Monkey 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 monkey!" said Average Monkey.
"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 Monkey, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the monkey away under his arm.
Average Monkey never finished eating the front door made from pancakes and Blankey remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Little Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from fruit gums.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Little Monkey 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.
After five or six platefuls, Little Monkey started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.
He stopped eating fruit gums 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 Monkey into the sky.
"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Monkey. "I'm scared of heigh..."
Little Monkey was never seen again.
Little Monkey never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums and Blankey remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Tiny Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from sweets.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Tiny Monkey. "Just you watch!"
Tiny Monkey pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from sweets. 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 Monkey's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of sweets, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.
"This is just not fair!" declared Tiny Monkey, and stomped off into the forest.
Tiny Monkey never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Blankey remained trapped in the witch's cage.
"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Blankey."
"Not so fast," said Rhiannon. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from red cabbages. 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 monkeys. She won't last long."
"I'll be right back," said Rhiannon.
"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Blankey back."
Rhiannon 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 red cabbages 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.
Rhiannon sat down on a nearby log.
"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."
"I haven't finished," explained Rhiannon. "I am just waiting for my food to go down."
When Rhiannon's food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from red cabbages. 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, Rhiannon was down to the final piece of the door made from red cabbages. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her final course. Rhiannon had eaten the entire front door of the house made from red cabbages.
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 Blankey 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.
Rhiannon hurried over and grabbed Blankey, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Blankey was unharmed.
Rhiannon thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Marion. It was starting to get dark.
When Rhiannon got to Marion's house, her friends threw her arms around her.
"I was so worried!" cried Marion. "You are very late."
As Rhiannon described her day, she could tell that Marion didn't believe her. So she grabbed a napkin from her pocket.
"What's that?" asked Marion.
Rhiannon unwrapped a doorknob made from cakes. "Pudding!" she said.
Marion almost fell off her chair.
and even a house made from chocolate!
But something was not quite right. The houses didn't look very appetizing. They were old, rotten, and covered in mold.
Suddenly, a wicked witch called Agatha appeared from behind the chocolate house. She cackled as she spotted Rhiannon.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the witch exclaimed. "A lost little girl! Would you like some of my delicious candy?"
Rhiannon shook her head. She had heard the story about a witch who tricked children into eating candy and then ate them herself. She knew that she had to be careful.
"How about a ride on my broomstick?" the witch offered, with a wicked grin.
Rhiannon shook her head again. She knew she shouldn't trust the witch.
Agatha became angry. "You are no fun," she spat. "I was going to make you my new pet, but now I think I'll have you for dinner instead!"
Rhiannon realized she was in danger. She closed her eyes and wished with all her might for her favourite toy, Blankey, to appear. Suddenly, she felt something soft and comforting snuggle up to her leg. She opened her eyes and saw Blankey lying on the ground next to her.
Feeling braver now, Rhiannon grabbed Blankey and ran as fast as she could. The witch chased after her, but she soon lost Rhiannon in the thick trees of the forest.
Exhausted, Rhiannon collapsed on the ground. But she knew she had to keep moving if she wanted to get out of the forest. She got up, held Blankey tight, and continued through the woods.
After a while, she saw a patch of light ahead. She ran towards it and found herself back on the path that led to Marion's house. With a sigh of relief, she continued on her way, Blankey by her side.
When she finally arrived at Marion's house, her friends were surprised to see her. "Rhiannon, you're here! How did you find your way?" Marion asked.
Rhiannon smiled. "Let's just say that Blankey helped me through the woods.
"there was a bright flash of light and Blankey appeared in her arms.
Rhiannon held Blankey close to her as the witch approached. Agatha was about to grab Rhiannon, but suddenly, she couldn't move. Rhiannon opened her eyes and saw that Agatha was frozen in place.
With a sigh of relief, Rhiannon hurried away from the witch and continued her journey home. She knew that she would never forget the danger she had faced in the chocolate forest, but she was grateful that she had Blankey to protect her.As Rhiannon walked, she cuddled Blankey and shared her gratitude with him. "Thank you for always watching over me, Blankey. I couldn't have made it home without you."
Blankey snuggled closer to Rhiannon, his soft, yarn body warm and comforting against her skin. Rhiannon couldn't help but smile, feeling the magic and love that Blankey brought into her life.
When Rhiannon finally arrived home, she told her family and friends about her adventure in the chocolate forest and how Blankey had saved her from the evil witch. They were amazed and relieved that she was safe, and they thanked Blankey for being such a loyal companion.
From that day forward, Rhiannon cherished Blankey more than ever, knowing that he was not just a simple toy but a powerful protector and friend. And whenever she faced challenges in the future, she would hold Blankey close and feel his love and magic guiding her through any obstacle.
The End