Elaine Clark and the Three Scary Hamsters

Elaine Clark and the Three Scary Hamsters

Once upon a time there was a Little girl called Elaine Clark. She was on the way to see her Bestfriend Josh Smith, when she decided to take a short cut through Mt Amuyao Forest.

It wasn't long before Elaine got lost. She looked around, but all she could see were trees. Nervously, she felt into her bag for her favourite toy, Mr Bear, but Mr Bear was nowhere to be found! Elaine began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Mr Bear. To make matters worse, she was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, she saw a Scary hamster dressed in a Red Shirt disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Elaine.

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

Eventually, Elaine reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from carrot, a house made from Chips, a house made from Fries and a house made from Hotdog.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Mr Bear!" shouted Elaine. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Mr Bear back!" cried Elaine.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

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

Before she could reply, three Scary hamsters rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Elaine recognised the one in the Red Shirt that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Hamster," said the witch.

"Good morning." The hamster noticed Mr Bear. "Who is this?"

"That's Mr Bear," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Mr Bear would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the hamster.

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Elaine interrupted. "Mr Bear lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next hamster. "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 Bear."

Elaine watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Mr Bear to Big Hamster. She didn't think Mr Bear would like living with a Scary hamster, away from her house and all her other toys.

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

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

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 Hamster never finished eating the front door made from Chips and Mr Bear remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Hamster 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 hamster!" said Average Hamster.

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

Average Hamster never finished eating the front door made from Fries and Mr Bear remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

He stopped eating Hotdog 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 Hamster into the sky.

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

Little Hamster was never seen again.

Little Hamster never finished eating the front door made from Hotdog and Mr Bear remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Elaine. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from carrot. 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 hamsters. She won't last long."

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

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

Elaine 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 carrot 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.

Elaine sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Bear 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.

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

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

When Elaine got to Josh's house, her Bestfriend threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Josh.

Elaine unwrapped a doorknob made from Chips. "Pudding!" she said.

Josh almost fell off his chair.

The End