Sophie and the Three Fluffy Unicorns

A Fairy Tale

by バーブラ 内葉

Once upon a time there was a girl named Sophia Goodfey. She was on the way to see her Count Thomas, when she decided to take a short cut through Hampton Hill.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a fluffy Unicorn dressed in a blue jacket disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Sophie.

She decided to follow the peculiarly dressed Unicorn. Perhaps it could tell him the way out of the forest.

Eventually, Sophie reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from Cotton candy, a house made from jelly beans, a house made from dorayaki and a house made from Barfi.

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

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

Nobody replied.

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

"Miss Pi!" shouted Sophia. She turned to the witch. "That's my Unilaat!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Miss Pi back!" cried Sophia.

"Not by any chance!" said the witch.

"At least let Miss Pi out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three fluffy Unicorns rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Sophia recognized the one in the blue jacket that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognize him too.

"Hello Big Unicorn," said the witch.

"Good morning." The giraffe noticed Miss Pi. "Who is this?"

"That's Miss Pi," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Miss Pi would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the Unicorn.

The witch shook her head. "Miss Pi is staying with me."

"Um... Excuse me..." Sophie interrupted. "Miss Pi lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next Unicorn. "I could eat houses."

"There's no need to show off," said the witch. Just eat one at the front door and I'll let you have Miss Pi."

Sophia watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Miss Pi to Big Unicorn. She didn't think Miss Pi would like living with a fluffy Unicorn, away from her house and all her other friends.

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

"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Giraffe. 

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

   And more.

      And more.

Eventually, Big Unicorn Started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. But after a few more fork-fulls of Barfi, he grew to the size of a large soccer ball - and he was every bit as round.

"Erm... I don't feel too good," said Big Unicorn

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 Unicorn never finished eating the front door made from jelly babies and Miss Pi remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Unicorn stepped up, and approached the house made from Dorayaki ."I'll eat this whole house," said Average Giraffe. 

Average Unicorn 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 Giraffe started to look a little queasy. She grew Orange...

   ...and oragnager.

A woodpecker walked into the clearing. "What's this orange doing here?" he asked.

"I'm not an orange, I'm a Unicorn!" said Average Giraffe.

"It talks!" exclaimed the woodpecker. "Those talking oranges are the worst kind. I'd better take it away before somebody gets hurt."

"No! Wait!" cried Average Unicorn, as the woodcutter picked her up. But the woodcutter ignored her cries and carried the Unicorn away under his arm.

Average Unicorn never finished eating the front door made from dorayaki and Miss Pi remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Giraffe stepped up, and approached the house made from lettuce. "I'll eat this whole house," said Little Unicorn.  Little Unicorn pulled off a corner of the front door of the house made from lettuce. He gulped it down smiling, and went back for more.

   And more.

      And more.

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

He stopped eating lettuce 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 Unicorn into the sky.

"Aggghhhhhh!" cried Little Unicorn. "I'm scared of heights..."

Little Unicorn was never seen again.

Little Unicorn never finished eating the front door made from doughnuts and Miss Pi remained trapped in the witch's cage.

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

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

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

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

Sophie ignored the witch and gathered a pile of sticks. She came back to the clearing and started a small campfire. Carefully, she broke off a piece of the door of the house made from lettuce 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.

Sophia sat down on a nearby log.

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

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

When Sophia's food had digested, she broke off another piece of the door made from lettuces. Once more, she toasted her food over the fire and waited for it to cool just a little. She ate it at a slow pace then waited for it to digest.

Eventually, after several sittings, Sophia was down to the final piece of the door made from lettuces. Carefully, she toasted it and allowed it to cool just a little. She finished her final course. Sophia had eaten the entire front door of the house made from lettuce!!!!

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 a woodcutter. He walked back into the clearing, carrying his ax. "This little girl won fair and square. Now hand over Miss Pi 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.

Sophia hurried over and grabbed Miss Pi, checking that her friend was all right. Fortunately, Miss Pi was unharmed.

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

When Sophia got to Count's house, he threw his arms around her.

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

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

"What's that?" asked Darth.

Sophia unwrapped a piece of house made from Barfi. "Barfi!" she said.