Papp Zolt�n:Christian Willis and the Three Wise Ostriches

A Fairy Tale

by Zoltan

 

saj�t �r�s

Papp Zolt�n:Christian Willis and the Three Wise Ostriches

A Fairy Tale

by Zoltan

 

Once upon a time there was a noble boy called Christian Willis. He was on the way to see his Wenna Bond, when he decided to take a short cut through Penrose Woods.

 

It wasn't long before Christian got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, Rags, but Rags was nowhere to be found! Christian began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Rags. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.

 

Unexpectedly, he saw a wise ostrich dressed in a green dungarees disappearing into the trees.

 

"How odd!" thought Christian.

 

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

 

Eventually, Christian reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from peppers, a house made from sweets, a house made from doughnuts and a house made from macarons.

 

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

 

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

 

Nobody replied.

 

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

 

"Rags!" shouted Christian. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

 

The witch just shrugged.

 

"Give Rags back!" cried Christian.

 

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

 

"At least let Rags out of that cage!"

 

Before she could reply, three wise ostriches rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Christian recognised the one in the green dungarees that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

 

"Hello Big Ostrich," said the witch.

 

"Good morning." The ostrich noticed Rags. "Who is this?"

 

"That's Rags," explained the witch.

 

"Ooh! Rags would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the ostrich.

 

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

 

"Um... Excuse me..." Christian interrupted. "Rags lives with me! And not in a cage!"

 

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

 

"That's nothing," said the next ostrich. "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 Rags."

 

Christian watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Rags to Big Ostrich. He didn't think Rags would like living with a wise ostrich, away from his house and all his other toys.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

   And more.

 

      And more.

 

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

 

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 Ostrich never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

 

Average Ostrich stepped up, and approached the house made from doughnuts.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Ostrich. "Just you watch!"

 

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

 

   And more.

 

      And more.

 

After a while, Average Ostrich 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 an ostrich!" said Average Ostrich.

 

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

 

Average Ostrich never finished eating the front door made from doughnuts and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

 

Little Ostrich stepped up, and approached the house made from macarons.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Ostrich. "Just you watch!"

 

Little Ostrich 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.

 

      And more.

 

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

 

He stopped eating macarons 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 Ostrich into the sky.

 

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

 

Little Ostrich was never seen again.

 

Little Ostrich never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Rags remained trapped in the witch's cage.

 

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

 

"Not so fast," said Christian. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from peppers. 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 ostriches. He won't last long."

 

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

 

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

 

Christian 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 peppers 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.

 

Christian sat down on a nearby log.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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 Rags 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.

 

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

 

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

 

When Christian got to Wenna's house, his threw her arms around him.

 

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

 

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

 

"What's that?" asked Wenna.

 

Christian unwrapped a doorknob made from sweets. "Pudding!" he said.

 

Wenna almost fell off her chair.

 

The End

 

Tata, 2022.szeptember 27.