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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Fairy Tale / Folk Tale
- Published: 07/21/2022
Chantal Sweet and the Old Lady
Born 1952, M, from Pensacola, Florida, United StatesOnce upon a time there was a 9-year-old girl named Chantal Sweet. She was on her way to see her friend Joshua Parker when she decided to take a shortcut through Thornberry Forest.
It wasn’t long before Chantal got lost. She looked around, but all she could see were trees. Nervously, she looked into her bag for her favorite toy, Mr. Teddy Bear, but Mr. Teddy Bear was nowhere to be found! Chantal began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Mr. Teddy Bear. To make matters worse, she was beginning to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, she saw a beautiful horse dressed in purple dungarees disappearing off into the trees.
“How odd!” thought Chantal.
She decided to follow the peculiarly dressed horse. Perhaps it could tell her the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Chantal reached an open field. In the field were two houses, one made from pods of peas and one made from toffees.
Chantal could feel her tummy rumbling. Gazing at the houses did nothing to ease her hunger.
“Hello!” she called. “Is anybody there?”
Nobody replied.
Chantal looked at the roof of the house nearest to her and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else’s chimney. Obviously, it would be impolite to eat an entire house, but perhaps it would be acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting in a time of need.
A giggling sound broke through the air, giving Chantal a fright. An old lady jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was holding a cage which Mr. Teddy Bear was in.
“Mr. Teddy Bear!” shouted Chantal. She turned to the old lady. “He belongs to me!”
The old lady just shrugged.
“Give Mr. Teddy Bear back!” cried Chantal.
“Not on your life!” said the old lady.
“At least let Mr. Teddy Bear out of that cage!”
Before she could reply, that beautiful horse in purple dungarees rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the open field.
“Hello horse,” said the old lady.
“Good morning,” replied the horse, noticing Mr. Teddy Bear. “Who is this?”
“That’s Mr. Teddy Bear,” explained the old lady.
“Ooh! Mr. Teddy Bear would look lovely in my house. Give him to me!” demanded the horse.
The old lady shook her head. “Mr. Teddy Bear is staying with me.”
“Um... Excuse me...” Chantal interrupted. “Mr. Teddy Bear stays with me and not in that cage!”
But the horse ignored her. “Is there nothing you’ll trade for?” the horse asked the old lady.
The old lady 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.”
The horse looked at the house made from toffees and said, “No problem, I could eat an entire house made from toffees if I wanted to.”
“There’s no need to show off,” said the old lady. Just eat one front door and I’ll let you have Mr. Teddy Bear."
Chantal watched, feeling anxious. She didn’t want the old lady to give Mr. Teddy Bear to the horse. She didn’t think Mr. Teddy Bear would enjoy living with a horse dressed in purple dungarees, away from her house and all her other playmates.
The horse placed his bib on and pulled a knife and fork from his pocket.
“I’ll eat this entire house,” said the horse. “Just you watch!”
The horse began to pull off a corner of the front door of the house made from toffees. He gulped it down, smiling, and went back for more.
He ate more and more. Eventually, the horse began to get bigger - just a little bigger at first. But after a few more helpings of toffee, he grew to the size of a large ten-foot snowball - and he was every bit as round.
“Ugh... I don’t feel so good,” said the horse.
Suddenly, he started to roll. He’d grown so round that he could no longer balance himself!
“Help!” he cried, as he rolled off down a slope into the forest.
The horse never finished eating the front door made from toffees, and Mr. Teddy Bear remained trapped in the old lady’s cage.
“That’s it,” said the old lady. “I win. I get to keep Mr. Teddy Bear.”
“Not so fast,” said Chantal. “There’s still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from pods of peas. And I haven’t had my turn yet.
“I don’t have to give you a turn!” laughed the old lady. “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 old lady. “But you saw what happened to the horse. She won’t last long.”
“I’ll be right back,” said Chantal.
“What?” replied the old lady. “Where’s your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Mr. Teddy Bear back.”
Chantal ignored the old lady and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. She came back to the open field and started a small campfire. Carefully, she broke off a piece of the door of the house made from pods of peas 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.
Chantal sat down on a nearby log.
“You fail!” cackled the old lady. “You were supposed to eat the whole door.”
“I haven’t finished,” explained Chantal. “I’m just waiting for my food to go down.”
When Chantal’s food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from pods of peas. Once more, she toasted her food over the fire and waited for it to cool. She ate it at a leisurely pace, then waited for it to digest.
Finally, after several sittings, Chantal was down to the last piece of the door made from pods of peas. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her last piece. Chantal had eaten the entire front door of the house made from pods of peas.
The old lady pounded 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 field, carrying his axe. “This little girl won fair and square. Now hand over Mr. Teddy Bear or I will chop your arm in half.”
The old lady looked horrified. She grabbed the cage and opened the door of the cage.
Chantal hurried over and grabbed Mr. Teddy Bear, checking that her favorite playmate was alright. Fortunately, Mr. Teddy Bear was unharmed. Chantal thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Joshua. It was beginning to get dark.
When Chantal got to Joshua’s house, he threw his arms around her.
“I was so worried!” cried Joshua. “You are very late.”
As Chantal described her day, she could tell that Joshua didn’t believe her. So she grabbed a napkin from her pocket.
“What’s that?” asked Joshua.
Chantal unwrapped a doorknob made from toffees. “Pudding!” she said.
Joshua almost fell off his chair.
Chantal Sweet and the Old Lady(Anthony Dezenzio)
Once upon a time there was a 9-year-old girl named Chantal Sweet. She was on her way to see her friend Joshua Parker when she decided to take a shortcut through Thornberry Forest.
It wasn’t long before Chantal got lost. She looked around, but all she could see were trees. Nervously, she looked into her bag for her favorite toy, Mr. Teddy Bear, but Mr. Teddy Bear was nowhere to be found! Chantal began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Mr. Teddy Bear. To make matters worse, she was beginning to feel hungry.
Unexpectedly, she saw a beautiful horse dressed in purple dungarees disappearing off into the trees.
“How odd!” thought Chantal.
She decided to follow the peculiarly dressed horse. Perhaps it could tell her the way out of the forest.
Eventually, Chantal reached an open field. In the field were two houses, one made from pods of peas and one made from toffees.
Chantal could feel her tummy rumbling. Gazing at the houses did nothing to ease her hunger.
“Hello!” she called. “Is anybody there?”
Nobody replied.
Chantal looked at the roof of the house nearest to her and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else’s chimney. Obviously, it would be impolite to eat an entire house, but perhaps it would be acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting in a time of need.
A giggling sound broke through the air, giving Chantal a fright. An old lady jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was holding a cage which Mr. Teddy Bear was in.
“Mr. Teddy Bear!” shouted Chantal. She turned to the old lady. “He belongs to me!”
The old lady just shrugged.
“Give Mr. Teddy Bear back!” cried Chantal.
“Not on your life!” said the old lady.
“At least let Mr. Teddy Bear out of that cage!”
Before she could reply, that beautiful horse in purple dungarees rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the open field.
“Hello horse,” said the old lady.
“Good morning,” replied the horse, noticing Mr. Teddy Bear. “Who is this?”
“That’s Mr. Teddy Bear,” explained the old lady.
“Ooh! Mr. Teddy Bear would look lovely in my house. Give him to me!” demanded the horse.
The old lady shook her head. “Mr. Teddy Bear is staying with me.”
“Um... Excuse me...” Chantal interrupted. “Mr. Teddy Bear stays with me and not in that cage!”
But the horse ignored her. “Is there nothing you’ll trade for?” the horse asked the old lady.
The old lady 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.”
The horse looked at the house made from toffees and said, “No problem, I could eat an entire house made from toffees if I wanted to.”
“There’s no need to show off,” said the old lady. Just eat one front door and I’ll let you have Mr. Teddy Bear."
Chantal watched, feeling anxious. She didn’t want the old lady to give Mr. Teddy Bear to the horse. She didn’t think Mr. Teddy Bear would enjoy living with a horse dressed in purple dungarees, away from her house and all her other playmates.
The horse placed his bib on and pulled a knife and fork from his pocket.
“I’ll eat this entire house,” said the horse. “Just you watch!”
The horse began to pull off a corner of the front door of the house made from toffees. He gulped it down, smiling, and went back for more.
He ate more and more. Eventually, the horse began to get bigger - just a little bigger at first. But after a few more helpings of toffee, he grew to the size of a large ten-foot snowball - and he was every bit as round.
“Ugh... I don’t feel so good,” said the horse.
Suddenly, he started to roll. He’d grown so round that he could no longer balance himself!
“Help!” he cried, as he rolled off down a slope into the forest.
The horse never finished eating the front door made from toffees, and Mr. Teddy Bear remained trapped in the old lady’s cage.
“That’s it,” said the old lady. “I win. I get to keep Mr. Teddy Bear.”
“Not so fast,” said Chantal. “There’s still one front door to go. The front door of the house made from pods of peas. And I haven’t had my turn yet.
“I don’t have to give you a turn!” laughed the old lady. “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 old lady. “But you saw what happened to the horse. She won’t last long.”
“I’ll be right back,” said Chantal.
“What?” replied the old lady. “Where’s your sense of impatience? I thought you wanted Mr. Teddy Bear back.”
Chantal ignored the old lady and gathered a hefty pile of sticks. She came back to the open field and started a small campfire. Carefully, she broke off a piece of the door of the house made from pods of peas 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.
Chantal sat down on a nearby log.
“You fail!” cackled the old lady. “You were supposed to eat the whole door.”
“I haven’t finished,” explained Chantal. “I’m just waiting for my food to go down.”
When Chantal’s food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from pods of peas. Once more, she toasted her food over the fire and waited for it to cool. She ate it at a leisurely pace, then waited for it to digest.
Finally, after several sittings, Chantal was down to the last piece of the door made from pods of peas. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her last piece. Chantal had eaten the entire front door of the house made from pods of peas.
The old lady pounded 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 field, carrying his axe. “This little girl won fair and square. Now hand over Mr. Teddy Bear or I will chop your arm in half.”
The old lady looked horrified. She grabbed the cage and opened the door of the cage.
Chantal hurried over and grabbed Mr. Teddy Bear, checking that her favorite playmate was alright. Fortunately, Mr. Teddy Bear was unharmed. Chantal thanked the woodcutter, grabbed a quick souvenir, and hurried on to meet Joshua. It was beginning to get dark.
When Chantal got to Joshua’s house, he threw his arms around her.
“I was so worried!” cried Joshua. “You are very late.”
As Chantal described her day, she could tell that Joshua didn’t believe her. So she grabbed a napkin from her pocket.
“What’s that?” asked Joshua.
Chantal unwrapped a doorknob made from toffees. “Pudding!” she said.
Joshua almost fell off his chair.
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Shirley Smothers
09/07/2022What a fun story. Fairytale for all ages. Reminds me of the fairytales I grew up with. Congratulations!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Gerald R Gioglio
09/07/2022Happy StoryStar day. I think I know a granddaughter that might enjoy this.jg
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Martha Hume
09/07/2022Thank you for. a delightful read. Congratulations on short story of the day.
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
07/31/2022GREAT STORY! I always root for the under dog. That was nicely written and had my attention from the start!
ReplyHelp Us Understand What's Happening
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Lillian Kazmierczak
09/07/2022This was a wonderful story Anthony. Congratulations on short story star of the day!
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