Sam Doe And The Three Psychic Owls

By Samruddhi Vinod Ghumare

A Fairy Taleby

Once upon a time there was a Shy Little Kid girl called Sam Doe. She was on the way to see her more than world Jaime Grey, when she decided to take a short cut through Yuckylake Woods.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a Psychic owl dressed in a Turquoise Blouse disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Sam.

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

Eventually, Sam reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from Avocados, a house made from macarons, a house made from sweets and a house made from pizzas.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Rabbit!" shouted Sam. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Rabbit back!" cried Sam.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Rabbit out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three Psychic owls rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Sam recognised the one in the Turquoise Blouse that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Owl," said the witch.

"Good morning." The owl noticed Rabbit. "Who is this?"

"That's Rabbit," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Sam interrupted. "Rabbit lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next owl. "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 Rabbit."

Sam watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Rabbit to Big Owl. She didn't think Rabbit would like living with a Psychic owl, away from her house and all her other toys.

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

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

Big Owl 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.

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

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 Owl never finished eating the front door made from macarons and Rabbit remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Owl stepped up, and approached the house made from sweets.

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

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

And more.

And more.

After a while, Average Owl 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 owl!" said Average Owl.

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

Average Owl never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Rabbit remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Owl stepped up, and approached the house made from pizzas.

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

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

And more.

And more.

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

He stopped eating pizzas 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 Owl into the sky.

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

Little Owl was never seen again.

Little Owl never finished eating the front door made from pizzas and Rabbit remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Sam 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 Avocados 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.

Sam sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Rabbit 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.

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

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

When Sam got to Jaime's house, her more than world threw her arms around her.

"I was so worried!" cried Jaime. "You are verylate."

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

"What's that?" asked Jaime.

Sam unwrapped a doorknob made from macarons. "Pudding!" she said.

Jaime almost fell off her chair.

By Samruddhi Vinod Ghumare