Rick Pitt and the Four Wise Rabbits
A Fairy Tale
by me myself and I
Once upon a time there was a dirty boy called Rick Pitt. He was on the way to see his grandfather Jeff Walker, when he decided to take a short cut through Dallington Forest.
It wasn't long before Rick got lost. He looked around, but all he could see were trees. Nervously, he felt into his bag for his favourite toy, Hugo, but Hugo was nowhere to be found! Rick began to panic. He felt sure he had packed Hugo. To make matters worse, he was starting to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, he saw a wise rabbit dressed in a pink jumper disappearing into the trees.
"How odd!" thought Rick.
For the want of anything better to do, he decided to follow the peculiarly dressed rabbit. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Rick reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from onions, a house made from lollypops, a house made from doughnuts, a house made from lollypops and a house made from toffees.
Rick could feel his tummy rumbling. Looking at the houses did nothing to ease his hunger.
"Hello!" he called. "Is anybody there?"
Nobody replied.
Rick 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 Rick a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Hugo!
"Hugo!" shouted Rick. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"
The witch just shrugged.
"Give Hugo back!" cried Rick.
"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.
"At least let Hugo out of that cage!"
Before she could reply, four wise rabbits rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Rick recognised the one in the pink jumper that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.
"Hello Big Rabbit," said the witch.
"Good morning." The rabbit noticed Hugo. "Who is this?"
"That's Hugo," explained the witch.
"Ooh! Hugo would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the rabbit.
The witch shook her head. "Hugo is staying with me."
"Um... Excuse me..." Rick interrupted. "Hugo lives with me! And not in a cage!"
Big Rabbit 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 Rabbit looked at the house made from toffees and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire house made from toffees if I wanted to."
"That's nothing," said the next rabbit. "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 Hugo."
Rick watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Hugo to Big Rabbit. He didn't think Hugo would like living with a wise rabbit, away from his house and all his other toys.
The other three rabbits watched while Big Rabbit put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Rabbit. "Just you watch!"
Big Rabbit pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from lollypops. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
Eventually, Big Rabbit started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of lollypops, 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 Rabbit.
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 Rabbit never finished eating the front door made from lollypops and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Average Rabbit stepped up, and approached the house made from doughnuts.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Rabbit. "Just you watch!"
Average Rabbit 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 Rabbit 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 rabbit!" said Average Rabbit.
"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 Rabbit, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the rabbit away under his arm.
Average Rabbit never finished eating the front door made from doughnuts and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Little Rabbit stepped up, and approached the house made from lollypops.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Rabbit. "Just you watch!"
Little Rabbit pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from lollypops. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.
And more.
And more.
After five or six platefuls, Little Rabbit started to fidget uncomfortably on the spot.
He stopped eating lollypops 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 Rabbit into the sky.
"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Rabbit. "I'm scared of heigh..."
Little Rabbit was never seen again.
Little Rabbit never finished eating the front door made from lollypops and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.
Tiny Rabbit stepped up, and approached the house made from toffees.
"I'll eat this whole house," said Tiny Rabbit. "Just you watch!"
Tiny Rabbit pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from toffees. 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 Rabbit's mouth. She tried to stuff in another forkful of toffees, but once again, the food fell out. There just wasn't enough room left in her belly.
"This is just not fair!" declared Tiny Rabbit, and stomped off into the forest.
Tiny Rabbit never finished eating the front door made from toffees and Hugo remained trapped in the witch's cage.
"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Hugo."
"Not so fast," said Rick. "There is still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from onions. 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 rabbits. He won't last long."
"I'll be right back," said Rick.
"What?" said the witch. "Where's your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Hugo back."
Rick 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 onions 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.
Rick sat down on a nearby log.
"You fail!" cackled the witch. "You were supposed to eat the whole door."
"I haven't finished," explained Rick. "I am just waiting for my food to go down."
When Rick's food had digested, he broke off another piece of the door made from onions. 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, Rick was down to the final piece of the door made from onions. Carefully, he toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. He finished his final course. Rick had eaten the entire front door of the house made from onions.
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 Hugo 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.
Rick hurried over and grabbed Hugo, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Hugo was unharmed.
Rick thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Jeff. It was starting to get dark.
When Rick got to Jeff's house, his grandfather threw his arms around him.
"I was so worried!" cried Jeff. "You are very late."
As Rick described his day, he could tell that Jeff didn't believe him. So he grabbed a napkin from his pocket.
"What's that?" asked Jeff.
Rick unwrapped a doorknob made from lollypops. "Pudding!" he said.
Jeff almost fell off his chair.
The End
I use plot generator from plot-generator.org.uk/fairytale
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