Once upon a time, there was a Clever girl called Mira Leka. She was on the way to see her friend Mai Chen when she decided to take a short cut through Idless Woods.

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

Unexpectedly, she saw a cruel cat dressed in a black coat disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought Mira.

for not having anything better to do, she decided to follow the peculiarly dressed cat.

Perhaps it could tell her the way out of the forest.

Eventually, Mira reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from Chives, a house made from sweets, a house made from chocolates, and a house-made from pizzas.

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

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

Nobody replied.

Mira looked at the roof on the closest house and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else's chimney. 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, frightening Mira. A witch jumped into space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Light!

"Light!" shouted Mira. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Light back!" cried Mira.

"Not on your nelly!" said the witch.

"At least let Light out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three cruel cats rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Mira recognized the one in the black coat that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognize him too.

"Hello Big Cat," said the witch.

"Good morning." The cat noticed Light. "Who is this?"

"That's Light," explained the witch.

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

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

"Um... Excuse me..." Mira interrupted. "Light lives with me! And not in a cage!"

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

"That's nothing," said the next cat. "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 Light."

Mira watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Light to Big Cat. She didn't think Light would like living with a cruel cat, away from her house and all her other toys.

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

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

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

   And more.

      And more.

Eventually, Big Cat started to get bigger - just a little bit bigger at first. 

But after a few more fork-fulls of sweets, 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 Cat.

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 Cat never finished eating the front door made from sweets and Light remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Cat stepped up and approached the house made from chocolates.

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

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

  And more.

      And more.

After a while, Average Cat 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 cat!" said Average Cat.

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