SpongeBob Dutchman and the Three Cruel Dogs

 Once upon a time there was a moist boy called SpongeBob Dutchman. He was on the way to see his Patrick Flying Dutchman, when he decided to take a short cut through Awfulpool Forest.

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

Unexpectedly, he saw a cruel dog dressed in a purple bowler hat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought SpongeBob.

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

Eventually, SpongeBob reached a clearing. He found himself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from carrots, a house made from chocolates, a house made from humbugs and a house made from toffees.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Molly!" shouted SpongeBob. He turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Molly back!" cried SpongeBob.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Molly out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three cruel dogs rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. SpongeBob recognised the one in the purple bowler hat that he'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognise him too.

"Hello Big Dog," said the witch.

"Good morning." The dog noticed Molly. "Who is this?"

"That's Molly," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." SpongeBob interrupted. "Molly lives with me! And not in a cage!"

Big Dog 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 Dog 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 dog. "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 Molly."

SpongeBob watched, feeling very worried. He didn't want the witch to give Molly to Big Dog. He didn't think Molly would like living with a cruel dog, away from his house and all his other toys.

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

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

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

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 Dog never finished eating the front door made from chocolates and Molly remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Dog stepped up, and approached the house made from humbugs.

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Dog 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 dog!" said Average Dog.

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

Average Dog never finished eating the front door made from humbugs and Molly remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Dog stepped up, and approached the house made from toffees.

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

Little Dog 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.

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

He stopped eating toffees 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 Dog into the sky.

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

Little Dog was never seen again.

Little Dog never finished eating the front door made from toffees and Molly remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

SpongeBob 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 carrots 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.

SpongeBob sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

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

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 Molly 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.

SpongeBob hurried over and grabbed Molly, checking that his favourite toy was all right. Fortunately, Molly was unharmed.

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

When SpongeBob got to Patrick's house, his threw his arms around him.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Patrick.

SpongeBob unwrapped a doorknob made from chocolates. "Pudding!" he said.

Patrick almost fell off his chair.

The End