Once upon a time there was a forgetful girl called Sarah Hemingway. She was on the way to see her mother Jenny Williams, when she decided to take a short cut through Wyre Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a scruffy fox dressed in a purple bowler hat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Sarah.

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, Sarah reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from carrots, a house made from chips, a house made from crisps and a house made from biscuits.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Henry the Hippo!" shouted Sarah. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Henry the Hippo back!" cried Sarah.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Henry the Hippo out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three scruffy foxes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Sarah recognised the one in the purple 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 Henry the Hippo. "Who is this?"

"That's Henry the Hippo," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Henry the Hippo would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the fox.

The witch shook her head. "Henry the Hippo is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Sarah interrupted. "Henry the Hippo 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 biscuits and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from biscuits 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 Henry the Hippo."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

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

The other two 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 chips. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

And more.

And more.

Eventually, Big Fox 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 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 chips and Henry the Hippo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from crisps.

"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 crisps. 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 crisps and Henry the Hippo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from biscuits.

"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 biscuits. 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 biscuits 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 biscuits and Henry the Hippo remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

"Not so fast," said Sarah. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from carrots. 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 Sarah.

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

Sarah 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 carrots 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.

Sarah sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Henry the Hippo 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.

Sarah hurried over and grabbed Henry the Hippo, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Henry the Hippo was unharmed.

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

When Sarah got to Jenny's house, her mother threw her arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Jenny.

Sarah unwrapped a doorknob made from chips. "Pudding!" she said.

Jenny almost fell off her chair.