Papp Zolt�n:Morwenna Bogtrotter and the Five Mean Toads

A Fairy Tale

by Zoltan

 

saj�t �r�s

Papp Zolt�n:Morwenna Bogtrotter and the Five Mean Toads

A Fairy Tale

by Zoltan

 

Once upon a time there was a forgetful girl called Morwenna Bogtrotter. She was on the way to see her Jenna Pitt, when she decided to take a short cut through Bogstaple Woods.

 

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

 

Unexpectedly, she saw a mean toad dressed in a green pinafore disappearing into the trees.

 

"How odd!" thought Morwenna.

 

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

 

Eventually, Morwenna reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from broccoli florets, a house made from lollipops, a house made from doughnuts, a house made from macarons, a house made from jelly babies and a house made from fruit gums.

 

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

 

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

 

Nobody replied.

 

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

 

"Donkey!" shouted Morwenna. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

 

The witch just shrugged.

 

"Give Donkey back!" cried Morwenna.

 

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

 

"At least let Donkey out of that cage!"

 

Before she could reply, five mean toads rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Morwenna recognised the one in the green pinafore that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

 

"Hello Big Toad," said the witch.

 

"Good morning." The toad noticed Donkey. "Who is this?"

 

"That's Donkey," explained the witch.

 

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

 

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

 

"Um... Excuse me..." Morwenna interrupted. "Donkey lives with me! And not in a cage!"

 

Big Toad 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 Toad 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 toad. "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 Donkey."

 

Morwenna watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Donkey to Big Toad. She didn't think Donkey would like living with a mean toad, away from her house and all her other toys.

 

The other four toads watched while Big Toad put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

 

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

 

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

 

   And more.

 

      And more.

 

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

 

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 Toad never finished eating the front door made from lollipops and Donkey remained trapped in the witch's cage.

 

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

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

 

Average Toad 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 Toad 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 toad!" said Average Toad.

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

Little Toad 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 Toad 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 Toad into the sky.

 

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

 

Little Toad was never seen again.

 

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

 

Tiny Toad stepped up, and approached the house made from jelly babies.

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

 

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

 

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

 

Tiny Toad never finished eating the front door made from jelly babies and Donkey remained trapped in the witch's cage.

 

Even-Tinier Toad stepped up, and approached the house made from fruit gums.

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

 

Even-Tinier Toad 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 Toad 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 Toad. "I'm always this excited." With that, he walked into a tree.

 

Bong!

 

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

 

Even-Tinier Toad never finished eating the front door made from fruit gums and Donkey remained trapped in the witch's cage.

 

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

 

"Not so fast," said Morwenna. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from broccoli florets. 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 toads. She won't last long."

 

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

 

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

 

Morwenna 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 broccoli florets 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.

 

Morwenna sat down on a nearby log.

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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 Donkey 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.

 

Morwenna hurried over and grabbed Donkey, checking that her favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Donkey was unharmed.

 

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

 

When Morwenna got to Jenna's house, her threw her arms around her.

 

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

 

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

 

"What's that?" asked Jenna.

 

Morwenna unwrapped a doorknob made from lollipops. "Pudding!" she said.

 

Jenna almost fell off her chair.

 

The End

 

Tata, 2022.szeptember 27.