liam and the monkeys

Liam Hall and the Three Silly Monkeys

A Fairy Tale

by grandma

Once upon a time there was a Handsome boy called Liam Hall. He was on the way to see his cousin Barren Dawson, when he decided to take a short cut through Barnett

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a silly monkey dressed in a blue Sock disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Liam.

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

Eventually, Liam reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from bacon a house made from donuts, a house made from brownies and a house made from chips.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Camo blanket!" shouted Liam. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Camo blanket back!" cried Liam.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Camo blanket out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three silly monkeys rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Liam recognised the one in the blue Sock that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Monkey," said the witch.

"Good morning." The monkey noticed Camo blanket. "Who is this?"

"That's Camo blanket," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Camo blanket would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the monkey.

The witch shook her head. "Camo blanket is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Liam interrupted. "Camo blanket lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next monkey. "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 Camo blanket."

Liam watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Camo blanket to Big Monkey. He didn't think Camo blanket would like living with a silly monkey, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

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 Monkey never finished eating the front door made from donuts and Camo blanket remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from brownies.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Monkey 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 monkey!" said Average Monkey.

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

Average Monkey never finished eating the front door made from brownies and Camo blanket remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Monkey stepped up, and approached the house made from chips.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating chips 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 Monkey into the sky.

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

Little Monkey was never seen again.

Little Monkey never finished eating the front door made from chips and Camo blanket remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Liam 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 Peas 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.

Liam sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Camo blanket 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.

Liam hurried over and grabbed Camo blanket, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Camo blanket was unharmed.

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

When Liam got to Barren's house, his cousin threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Barren.

Liam unwrapped a doorknob made from donuts. "Pudding!" he said.

Barren almost fell off his chair.

The End