Richard Styner and the Five Scary Foxes
A Fairy Tale
by RStyner
Richard Styner
Teacher
San Leandro
Once upon a time there was a chubby boy called Richard Styner. He was on the way to see his nephew Wenna Ball, when he decided to take a short cut through Gurglebridge.
It wasn’t long before Richard got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, Laura, but Laura was nowhere to be found! Richard began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Laura. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, he saw a scary fox dressed in a yellow t-shirt disappearing into the trees.
“How odd!” thought Richard.
For the want of anything better to do, he decided to follow the peculiarly dressed fox. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Richard reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from courgettes, a house made from toffees, a house made from cakes, a house made from macarons, a house made from muffins and a house made from cupcakes.
Richard could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.
“Hello!” he called. “Is anybody there?”
Nobody replied.
Richard 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 Richard a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Laura!
“Laura!” shouted Richard. He turned to the witch. “That’s my toy!”
The witch just shrugged.
“Give Laura back!” cried Richard.
“Not on your nelly!” said the witch.
“At least let Laura out of that cage!”
Before she could reply, five scary foxes rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Richard recognised the one in the yellow t-shirt that he’d seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.
“Hello Big Fox,” said the witch.
“Good morning.” The fox noticed Laura. “Who is this?”
“That’s Laura,” explained the witch.
“Ooh! Laura would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!” demanded the fox.
The witch shook her head. “Laura is staying with me.”
“Um… Excuse me…” Richard interrupted. “Laura lives with me! And not in a cage!”
Big Fox 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 Fox looked at the house made from cupcakes and said, “No problem, I could eat an entire house made from cupcakes 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 Laura.”
Richard watched, feeling very worried. He didn’t want the witch to give Laura to Big Fox. He didn’t think Laura would like living with a scary fox, away from his house and all his other toys.
The other four 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 toffees. 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 toffees, 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 toffees and Laura remained trapped in the witch’s cage.
Average Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from cakes.
“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 cakes. 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 cakes and Laura remained trapped in the witch’s cage.
Little Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from macarons.
“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 macarons. 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 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 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 macarons and Laura remained trapped in the witch’s cage.
Tiny Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from muffins.
“I’ll eat this whole house,” said Tiny Fox. “Just you watch!”
Tiny Fox pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from muffins. 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 Fox’s mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of muffins, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn’t enough room left in her belly.
“This is just not fair!” declared Tiny Fox, and stomped off into the forest.
Tiny Fox never finished eating the front door made from muffins and Laura remained trapped in the witch’s cage.
Even-Tinier Fox stepped up, and approached the house made from cupcakes.
“I’ll eat this whole house,” said Even-Tinier Fox. “Just you watch!”
Even-Tinier Fox pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from cupcakes. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
Suddenly, Even-Tinier Fox stopped eating and started dancing. While he danced, he sang at the top of his lungs, “Cupcakes! Watch me eat all the cupcakes!”
“It looks as though the cupcakes are making you hyperactive,” laughed the witch.
“Oh no they’re not!” cried Even-Tinier Fox. “I’m always this excited.” With that, he walked into a tree.
Bong!
Even-Tinier Fox banged his head and fell backwards onto his bottom. He passed out, exhausted.
Even-Tinier Fox never finished eating the front door made from cupcakes and Laura remained trapped in the witch’s cage.
“That’s it,” said the witch. “I win. I get to keep Laura.”
“Not so fast,” said Richard. “There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from courgettes. 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 foxes. He won’t last long.”
“I’ll be right back,” said Richard.
“What?” said the witch. “Where’s your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Laura back.”
Richard 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 courgettes 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.
Richard Styner sat down on a nearby log.
“You fail!” cackled the witch. “You were supposed to eat the whole door.”
“I haven’t finished,” explained Richard. “I am just waiting for my food to go down.”
When Richard’s food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from courgettes. 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, Richard was down to the final piece of the door made from courgettes. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Richard had eaten the entire front door of the house made from courgettes.
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 Laura 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.
Richard hurried over and grabbed Laura, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Laura was unharmed.
Richard thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Wenna. It was starting to get dark.
When Richard got to Wenna’s house, his nephew threw her arms around him.
“I was so worried!” cried Wenna. “You are very late.”
As Richard 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.
Richard unwrapped a doorknob made from toffees. “Pudding!” he said.
Wenna almost fell off her chair.
