For Tony McGowan - AS

For Mrs Aubrey - DT

First published in Great Britain 2018

by Egmont UK Limited

The Yellow Building, 1 Nicholas Road, London W11 4AN

Text copyright © 2018 Andy Stanton

Illustrations copyright © 2018 David Tazzyman

The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted

First e-book edition 2018

978 1 4052 9098 2

Ebook ISBN 978 1 4052 9257 3

www.egmont.co.uk

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library

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CONTENTS

Cover

Dedication and Copyright

Title Page

NATBOFF

THE MASSIVE GIANT AND THE FLEA

Bibbering Through the Ages: The Stone Table

Princess Snowflake and the Gypsy King

The Story of Old King Thunderbelly and the Wall of Lamonic Bibber

Life and Times of Saint Follican

Bibbering Through the Ages: Ráðghöldeskvúldrr

A BRIEF HISTORY of the MERRIE OLD KINGS and QUEENS of ENGLAND

The Two Friends

Bibbering Through the Ages: Upside-Down Walker on the Bun Shop

The Duckling and His Mother

’TIS RUBBISH BEING A SQUIRREL

The Witchfinder General

LORD FAMOUS AND THE PLAGUE

The GREAT FIRE

Bibbering Through the Ages: Wednesday O’Leary

A Fork in the Road

Bibbering Through the Ages: Madame Strawberries

The Victorian Age

The STRANGE CASE of DOCTOR WEMPERS and MR CRIBBINS

Bibbering Through the Ages: Chimpy Roberts

To My Wife, Mary

Bibbering Through the Ages: Frank Nerbles

Brian Six

THE FRUIT SCIENTISTS, THE TALKING GRAPES, THE CROWS OF THE FUTURE, THE DISCONNECTED-FACE-BUM-DOGS, THE PENCIL PEOPLE, THE NORMAL PEOPLE, THE ELECTRONIC NOIMPS, THE STUPID ANTS WITH HUMAN HANDS, THE UNITED STATES OF BEING A LION, THE SUBTERRANEAN KINGDOM OF THE CANNIBAL SKELETON ROBOTS, THE NON-EXISTENT MARTIANS, CHARLOTTE GLASS, THE HEXAGONAL PONY, THE GIANT WALKING CHESSMEN, THE CRUMBS OF THE SOUTH AND PLOVER

Back series promotional page

20,000 YEARS BC
NATBOFF

Long long timm go in Lamonic Bibber was cavma days. Bigges cavma was Natboff.

‘ME THROW ROCK AT MITY WOOLY MAMMOF!’ say Natboff. ‘HAHA! WOOLY MAMMOF CRY LIKK BABY! NATBOFF BIG AN STRONG! NATBOFF HARIES FATTES CAVMA OF AL TIMM! NATBOFF BESTT!’

But liff always go rong. Wun day Natboff walkig alonn wen com acros even bigge harier cavma of al timm.

‘HOO YOU?’ say Natboff.

‘ME CHUNKA!’ say even bigge cavma.

‘NATBOFF HATE CHUNKA!’ say Natboff.

‘NATBOFF EAT CHUNKA!’ say Natboff.

Natboff try eat Chunka but Natboff no gud at. Chunka leg to thik for Natboff teeth.

‘HAHA,’ say Chunka. ‘NATBOFF PATHETI! CHUNKA BESST!

‘NATBOFF GOT CAV?’ say Chunka.

‘YEAH,’ say Natboff.

‘NATBOFF GOT WIFE?’ say Chunka.

‘YEAH,’ say Natboff.

‘WAT WIFE NAME?’ say Chunka.

‘WIFE NAME SALLY,’ say Natboff.

‘WEL, THIS CHUNKA LUKKY DAY,’ say Chunka. ‘NOW CHUNKA COM TO NATBOFF CAV AN STEEL NATBOFF WIFE.’

O NO, thinnk Natboff. NATBOFF WISH NATBOFF NO TELL CHUNKA ABOU CAV AN WIFE .

‘HEY CHUNKA,’ say Natboff, crafty stile. ‘YOU KNO JUS NOW WEN NATBOFF TELL YOU ABOU CAV AN WIFE CAL SALLY? NATBOFF WAS ONLEH MAKK JOKKE! THER NO CAV! THER NO SALLY! JUS FUNNEH JOKKE!’

‘TO LATE,’ say Chunka. ‘CHUNKA CAN TEL THEY REAL. CHUNKA COMIG TO CAV TO STEEL WIFE.’

O NO, thinnk Natboff. CHUNKA NOT JUS FAT AN HARY. CHUNKA A CLEVA FELLO INTO THE BARGEN .

Chunka go to Natboff cav an grab up Sally.

‘HEY SALLY,’ say Chunka. ‘ME CHUNKA. ME MUCH BETER AN FATTER AN HARIER THAN NATBOFF. YOU COM WIV CHUNKA NOW.’

‘IT TRUE,’ say Sally. ‘CHUNKA SO BIG AN FAT AN HARY! SALLY NO LOV NATBOFF NO MORE! SALLY LOV CHUNKA NOW! SALLY AN CHUNKA IN LOV!’

‘HA HA,’ say Chunka. ‘CHUNKA DONE IT AGEN!’

Chunka throw roks at Natboff an Sally spit in Natboff har. Then Chunka an Sally run way way off into foress to do baby cavmas.

Natboff ver sad. Natboff do cry.

Wolf com along an lick up Natboff tears fro eyes.

‘WOLF BE NATBOFF FREND?’ say Natboff.

Wolf nod.

‘WOLF BE NATBOFF WIFE?’ say Natboff hopfuly.

Wolf laff an shak hed.

‘BUT WOLF BE NICE TO NATBOFF AT LEEST?’ say Natboff.

Wolf nod.

‘MEBBE THINNGS NOT SO BAD AFTEH AL,’ say Natboff.

But at night Wolf eat Natboff !

Now Natboff in Wolf tummy.

‘THIS WORST DAY OF NATBOFF LIFF,’ say Natboff. ‘WAT NATBOFF DO NOW?’

Natboff com up wiv plan.

NATBOFF WAIT TIL WOLF NEED TOILET IN BUSH, thinnk Natboff. THEN NATBOFF COM OUT OF WOLF AGEN! BETER THAN EVEH!

So Natboff wait al day wile Wolf run round eatig stuf. Lateh on Wolf get belly rumbles.

‘O NO,’ say Wolf. ‘WOLF NEED FIND BUSH BEFOR TO LATE.’

HERE ME CHANSE, thinnk Natboff.

Wolf go to bush an push it al out. Out com Natboff, beter than eveh! (But a bit smel.)

‘NEVEH MIN,’ say Natboff to himsel. ‘STIL GUD TO BE OUT OF WOLF AGEN.’

Natboff go up to Wolf.

‘NAUGTY WOLF!’ shou Natboff. ‘YOU SAY YOU NATBOFF FREND! BUT YOU EAT NATBOFF!’

‘SORY,’ say Wolf. ‘ME FORGET.’

‘OK,’ say Natboff. ‘BUT YOU NATBOFF FREND NOW?’

‘DEFINETT,’ say Wolf. ‘WOLF AN NATBOFF FREND. WOLF AN NATBOFF DO DISCO TO SELEBRAT.’

So Wolf an Natboff do disco in cav. It fun, but it stil not solv probbem.

‘IT FUN, BUT IT STIL NOT SOLV PROBBEM,’ say Natboff. ‘SALLY STIL WIV CHUNKA. WAT NATBOFF DO NOW?’

‘GO ON INTERNET,’ say Wolf, ‘MEBBE THAT HELP.’

So Natboff go on internet but it cavma days, long long go, an bak then internet jus big rok wiv ‘Google’ carve on. No help at al!

‘INTERNET RUBISH!’ say Natboff. ‘NATBOFF HATE INTERNET!’

Wolf eat internet.

‘NOW WAT NATBOFF DO?’ say Natboff.

‘WOLF GET HELP FROM FRENDS,’ say Wolf.

‘WOLF GOT MITY FRENDS?’ say Natboff.

‘MITIEST EVEH!’ say Wolf prowdly. ‘WOLF GO AN GET MITY FRENDS. THEN CHUNKA GOT NO CHANSE!’

Wolf run out of cav.

Natboff wait.

Natboff wait a bit mor.

Natboff wait ages.

Natboff wait Stone Ages.

Natboff discoveh fire.

Natboff happy!

Natboff set har on fire!

Natboff not so happy.

‘WOLF TAKIG FOREVEH,’ say Natboff.

Natboff starvig.

Natboff eat own burnned har.

‘BURNNED HAR DISGUSSIG,’ say Natboff.

Natboff spit har out everwher.

Natboff try eatig cav.

No gud.

Evencherlee Wolf come bak wiv frends.

‘LOOK AT MITY FRENDS,’ Wolf say prowdly.

‘MITY ANT!

‘MITY SPIDA!

‘MITY LEEF!’

‘FRENDS NOT LOOK SO MITY,’ say Natboff. ‘NATBOFF THURT WOLF’S FRENDS BE MITY BEAR! MITY MAMMOF! MITY SABE-TOOTH TIGGER!’

‘SORY,’ say Wolf. ‘WOLF NOT KNO THOSE GUYS. WOLF ONLY KNO MITY ANT! MITY SPIDA! MITY LEEF!’

‘ME CAN DO THIRTY PRES-UPS,’ say Mity Leef.

‘OK,’ say Natboff. ‘IT HAV TO DO. WAT THE PLAN?’

‘CHUNKA LIV IN FORESS WIV SALLY NOW,’ say Mity Spida. ‘SO WE GOT TO GO TO FORESS. THEN WE SNEEK UP ON CHUNKA.’

‘IS GUD START TO PLAN,’ say Natboff. ‘BUT WAT NEX?’

‘MITY ANT JUMP ON CHUNKA LEGG AN LICK HIM,’ say Mity Spida. ‘THEN MITY SPIDA (THAT ME) TIKLE CHUNKA FOOT. THEN WOLF BITE OFF CHUNKA FACE. NATBOFF GET SALLY BACK, EESY PEESY LEMMO SQUEE!’

‘MITY SPIDA GUD AT PLAN!’ say Natboff. ‘MABBE THIS WURK AFTEH AL. BUT WAT ABOU MITY LEEF? EVERWUN ELSE DO STUF IN PLAN BUT MITY LEEF DO NUTHIN.’

‘ME DO PRES-UPS TO DISTRAC CHUNKA,’ say Mity Leef, flexig mussels.

‘IT GUDDEST PLAN OF AL TIMM!’ say Wolf. ‘LET DO DISCO TO SELEBRAT.’

Natboff, Wolf, Mity Ant, Mity Spida an Mity Leef do disco.

Gess hoo besst at disco dancc? Mity Ant.

Mity Ant win disco prize!

‘DISCO FUN,’ say Natboff. ‘BUT NOW IT TIMM FOR PUT PLAN INTO ACSHUN. WICH WAY FORESS?’

Mity Leef step forwar.

‘ME WAS BORN IN FORESS,’ say Mity Leef, ‘SO ME KNO EXAC WHER IT IS. FOLLO LEEF!’

‘NATBOFF HAD DOUTS ABOU MITY LEEF TO BEGIN WIV,’ say Natboff, ‘BUT NOW HE GROWIG ON ME.’

‘HA HA,’ say Mity Ant. ‘NATBOFF MAKK BIG FUNNEH!’

‘DISCO TO SELEBRAT?’ say Wolf hopfully.

‘MABBE LATEH,’ say Natboff.

AL WOLF WANT TO DO IS DISCO, thinnk Natboff. ME GETTIG PRETY SICK OF WOLF. BUT ME NOT TELL WOLF OUT LOUD BECOS WOLF NATBOFF FREND, AN ME NOT WANT TO HURT WOLF FEELIG .

(Natboff mite be cavma but Natboff a sensitif sort of fello.)

Anyweh. Afteh al this, Natboff an gang set off wiv Mity Leef leedig way. Evencherlee com to foress.

Gess hoo in middel of foress tryig to makk baby cavmas? It Chunka an Sally, jus as Natboff susspecced!

‘YOU GUYS HIDDE IN BUSH,’ say Natboff to anima an plannt chums. ‘NATBOFF GONNA DO IT CRAFTY STILE!’

Natboff step forwar crafty stile to wher Chunka an Sally busy tryig to makk baby cavmas.

‘HEY CHUNKA, HEY SALLY,’ say Natboff.

‘HEY NATBOFF,’ say Chunka. ‘GO AWAY, WE IN THE MIDDEL OF STUF.’

‘NATBOFF NOT COM AL THIS WAY TO BE TALK TO LIKK THAT,’ say Natboff. ‘NATBOFF COM TO GET SALLY BAK.’

‘O YEAH?’ say Chunka. ‘HOW NATBOFF GONNA DO THAT? CHUNKA SO BIG AN HARY, NATBOFF GOT NO CHANSE.’

‘NATBOFF GOT CHUMS,’ say Natboff.

Natboff giv the secre comman.

Imedialy Mity Leef jump out of bush an do pres-ups.

Chunka can harly beleev eyes!

Wile Chunka distracced by Mity Leef, Mity Ant jump out an lick Chunka legg!

Wile Chunka try to cope wiv that, Mity Spida run up an tikle Chunka foot!

‘WAT GOIN ON?’ say Chunka.

Then Wolf jump out an bite off Chunka face!

‘OW!’ say Chunka face from insidde Wolf. ‘OK, OK, CHUNKA GIV IN! NATBOFF WIN.’

‘SALLY TOTALL SORY FOR GO OFF WIV CHUNKA BEFOR,’ say Sally. ‘SALLY TOTALL LOV NATBOFF AGEN NOW. NATBOFF NOT AS FAT AN HARY AS CHUNKA – BUT AT LEES NATBOFF GOT A FACE.’

‘DISCO TO SELEBRAT?’ say Wolf.

‘DEFINETT!’ say everwun.

Hole gang do disco in foress. Chunka join in wiv disco too, even tho Chunka got no face. It horibel to watch, but gud try from Chunka.

‘CHUNKA NOT SUCH A BAD FELLO AFTEH AL,’ say Natboff.

Lateh on Chunka get steped on by Wooly Mammof.

Natboff an Sally bureh Chunka unerneef bush.

Mity Spida dres up as holy prees an say prayer for Chunka.

Everwun cry.

But liff go on.

Natboff an Sally makk baby cavma an gess wat they cal him?

Chunka!

‘IT IN MEMORY OF BESST CAVMA HOO EVEH LIV,’ say Natboff, an everwun agree.

‘AL IN AL IT BEEN GUD DAY,’ say Mity Leef. ‘WE DONE BRILLIA AVENCHER. PLUS EVERWUN MADD NEW FRENDS!’

‘SALLY TOTALL LOV NATBOFF FOR AL TIMM,’ say Sally.

‘EVERWUN LOV NATBOFF,’ say everwun. (Even Natboff say it! Even baby Chunka say it!)

‘DISCO TO SELEBRAT?’ say Wolf.

‘BIGGES DEFINETT EVEH!’ say everwun.

ENND

1115 BC
THE MASSIVE GIANT AND THE FLEA

Many hundreds of years ago, when Lamonic Bibber wasn’t even really a town yet, just a few huts and a warlock who lived on Boaster’s Hill turning turnips into balloons, there lived a massive giant. Now, this giant’s name was Gavin and he really was large. His head, right, his head was so big, right, his head was so big that, well, here’s the thing, right, his head was sooooo big that, OK, I hope you’re ready for this, his head was soooooo ENORMOUS, right, that OK, hold on, his head was sooooooooo massive that it was about the size, are you sure you’re ready for this, his head was sooooo vast that – well, to be honest, I don’t really know how big his head was.

But his hands, right, his hands were SO UNBELIEVABLY HUGE, so UNBEARABLY, INCREDIBLY COLOSSAL, right, his hands, his hands yeah, OK, fair enough, I don’t know how big his hands were either. But what about his feet? Oh my goodness! You see, Gavin the giant’s feet – and I do hope you’re sitting down to hear this because it really will blow your mind – well, actually I have no idea how big Gavin the giant’s feet were either.

I tell you what, can we start again? The story of ‘The Massive Giant And The Flea’ is amazing and I want to get it exactly right.

THE MASSIVE GIANT AND THE FLEA

Ages ago, much longer ago than you can remember because you’re only about seven, Lamonic Bibber was just a few huts and also there was a warlock who I might have mentioned before who lived on Boaster’s Hill turning balloons into hats. But the most incredible person in all that land was not just a person but a MASSIVE GIANT and he was called Gavin the giant.

Oh my word, he was enormous! Each one of his eyes was, well, they were just, they were, look, you know what eyes are normally like, don’t you? Of course you do, you’ve seen eyes before. And not only have you seen eyes before, but you’ve actually got eyes, haven’t you? So you’ve seen eyes with your own eyes and you know how big they are, more or less, right? Well, the thing about these eyes of Gavin the giant’s, this is what you have to understand – the thing about his eyes was, OK, look, I’m not going to lie to you, I have no idea how big Gavin the giant’s eyes were, I really haven’t got any idea at all. But I bet you’re curious to know how big his nose was, aren’t you? And if you are, then you’re in for an astonishing treat, because Gavin the giant’s nose, you see, Gavin the giant’s nose was – OK, hold on.

Imagine a normal person’s nose is about the size of an apricot, can you imagine that? Let’s say that most people have a nose the size of an apricot, that’s a good way to start. Now, bearing in mind that a normal person’s nose is about the size of one apricot, one single, delicious apricot that you might find down the greengrocer’s, or growing on a tree, actually do apricots grow on trees? Or more on bushes? I’m not sure, I know that tomatoes grow on these little kind of plants with stalks on, tomatoes are nice, aren’t they?

I like tomatoes.

Anyway, here’s the thing: imagine that a normal person’s nose is about the size of one apricot (or roughly three cherry tomatoes). Now, by comparison, Gavin the giant’s nose was NOT the size of one apricot, it was bigger than that. How much bigger? I don’t know.

Let’s start again.

THE MASSIVE GIANT AND THE FLEA

Way, way back in the distant past, Lamonic Bibber was just a few huts and a warlock who lived on Boaster’s Hill, turning hats into nightingales. Now, I know this is going to surprise some of you but there was a giant who lived in those days, and I bet you can’t guess his name, but it was Gavin.

Now, a lot of people, when they first hear about Gavin the giant, like you are doing now – hearing about Gavin the giant for the first time, I mean – a lot of people immediately want to know all the details. They want to know how big his head was, for example. Or how big his hands were. Or his torso, that’s quite a popular one. Which is fair enough, but I don’t think that’s the most amazing thing about Gavin the giant, and I’m not just saying that because I don’t know the answers to all those other questions. I think the most important thing is how tall he was overall . I mean, at the end of the day, that is what is so impressive about giants, isn’t it? How tall they are overall . So sit back and strap yourselves in and prepare to be amazed as I tell you how tall Gavin the giant truly was.

Right. Let’s say that a normal man is about, I don’t know, about as tall as – let’s just say, for example, that a normal man is about as tall as a fencepost. (I know some men are slightly shorter than a fencepost, and some other men are slightly taller than a fencepost but let’s just say, on average, that one man is about as tall as one fencepost.) So we can write down the following equation:

ONE MAN = ONE FENCEPOST

Now, of course, the question is this: How tall was Gavin the giant? And we can write down this question as the following equation:

GAVIN THE GIANT = ???

So. Given that a normal man is about as tall as a fencepost, and given that we don’t know how tall Gavin the giant was, it is clear that Gavin the giant was quite a mysterious sort of a character. OK, so we – OK, I tell you what, this has all been a bit confusing what with all these equations and things, let’s start again.

THE MASSIVE GIANT AND THE FLEA

Once upon a time there lived a giant called Gavin and one day he saw a flea.

THE END

Bibbering Through The Ages

The Stone Table

The Stone Table that stands on the outskirts of Lamonic Bibber is a mysterious and powerful object of ancient times. Recent tests have revealed that it may be much older than previously thought, perhaps dating as far back as 400 years BC (Before Chairs). Although no one knows exactly what it was used for, it was probably built by the so-called ‘Oakic people’, a group of nature-worshipping weirdies who spent their time dancing around hillsides, dressed as acorns and singing songs about dead badgers. Today the Oakic people have mostly been forgotten, although some of their rites and ceremonies have survived into the modern age, such as the Festival of the Leaves, which still takes place every autumn, and the Eurovision Song Contest, which falls around May. (Thankfully, a number of their other ceremonies, such as the Month of Human Sacrifices, the Other Month of Human Sacrifices, and the notorious ‘Nudey Day’, have died out naturally over time.)

Once Upon a Time . . .
Princess Snowflake and the Gypsy King

Once upon a time, long ago in the Age of Fairy Tales, when the whole wide world was sugar and spice and apples and mice and snow and ice and moonbeams, there lived in Lamonic Bibber a princess called Princess Snowflake. And never was there a name more suited to a person, because for a start she was a princess, so that bit was definitely right. And also she looked a bit like a snowflake, for her face was pale as a December’s morning and her hair as silver as light reflecting off snow. And finally, she was every bit as wild and carefree as a snowflake, so there you have it. Princess Snowflake it was.

Princess Snowflake’s parents had mysteriously disappeared soon after she was born, and so it was that a bunch of kindly old witches had agreed to raise the child as their own. They lived with her in the Winter Palace, which was made entirely of ice. The chambers, the towers, even the door handles – everything was made of ice. The floors were a bit slippery, and it was best to put a blanket on the seat before you went to the toilet, but it was still a palace, so never mind.

On the whole, Princess Snowflake led a carefree life, as I have said. But one day, when she was five years old, one of the kindly old witches took her aside.

‘Child,’ said the witch. ‘I have something important to tell you. You know the Winter Gardens, which lie beyond the palace walls? Well, they are very nice. But take heed, for a dreadful fellow lurks deep within those gardens, waiting to trap the unwary! It is the Gypsy King, and he is strong, with rippling muscles, and he wears hundreds of gold rings on his fingers, and he has proud boots. Beware the Gypsy King, child, beware the Gypsy King!’

But Princess Snowflake only clapped her hands together, one, two, three!

‘Gypsy King?’ she laughed. ‘There’s no such thing as the Gypsy King! I don’t need your help, I don’t need anyone’s help!’

And off she ran to explore the gardens, for they were her greatest joy.

When Princess Snowflake was six years old, another of the kindly old witches took her aside.

‘Uh oh,’ said Princess Snowflake, ‘here we go again.’

‘Child,’ said the kindly old witch. ‘You know the Winter Gardens? Well, they are very nice. But from time to time they are visited by one who seeks to harm the unwary! Yes, it is the Gypsy King, and he is strong, with rippling muscles, and he wears hundreds of gold rings on his fingers, and he has proud boots.’

But Princess Snowflake only clapped her hands together, one, two, three!

‘There’s no such thing as the Gypsy King!’ she laughed. ‘I don’t need your help, I don’t need anyone’s help!’

And off she went to raid the kitchens for her favourite cakes – marzipan disobediences. She didn’t like how they tasted, she just liked the name. Princess Snowflake stuffed herself silly with marzipan disobedience cakes, and off she ran to explore the gardens once more.

When Princess Snowflake was seven years old, another of the kindly old witches took her aside.

‘Child,’ said the kindly old witch. ‘You know the –’

But Princess Snowflake only clapped her hands together, one, two, three!

‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before,’ she said. ‘King of the Pixies or something, nasty bloke, don’t go near him, blah blah blah. I don’t need your help, I don’t need anyone’s help!’

And off she ran to explore the gardens, slipping on the icy floor and almost colliding with a little hedgehog called Chomley.

With each passing year Princess Snowflake grew more reckless, wandering further and further into the gardens to explore. The witches despaired, but there was nothing to be done and in the end, they gave up even trying to keep her indoors. ‘For she has a mind of her own, that girl,’ said one. ‘Which is fine, it’s just that sometimes it’s quite an annoying mind.’

One day shortly after her eleventh birthday, Princess Snowflake was exploring a part of the gardens she hadn’t been in before, her faithful spaniel, Gooseberry, at her side. Merrily she skipped along, scoffing her marzipan disobediences, Chomley the hedgehog racing after her to guzzle up the scraps.

Oh, how beautiful the gardens were! Waxy green holly bushes lined the pathways, so that it always felt like Christmas.Thick pines and fir trees rose all around, like something from a picture book, and the flowerbeds were bursting with every sort of winter plant and herb imaginable: snowdrops and white pansies; snapdragons and turkeybane; Shoveller’s Delight and puff-puff-mcguffs; inside-out Nigels, wizard-foot, beards of Persia, frogleytumps, moth-whipper – and many more besides. Everything sparkled with a layer of diamond-dusty white, and the only sounds were the crunching of the snow underfoot and the soft breeze whispering in the branches.

At length, Princess Snowflake came to a little wooden bench set back from the path, and there she sat herself down to watch the world go by. The witches had put up signs all around the bench, saying:

BEWARE THE GYPSY KING!

and

DANGER! THE GYPSY KING IS KNOWN TO OPERATE IN THESE PARTS!

and

YOU’RE GOING TO REGRET NOT READING THESE SIGNS ONE OF THESE DAYS, YOUNG LADY, IN FACT I BET YOU’RE NOT EVEN READING THIS ONE RIGHT NOW, ARE YOU?

‘No, I’m not,’ said Princess Snowflake, which was true, because she wasn’t.

Presently a deer bounded by with a big ‘D’ painted on its side. Then another one with an ‘A’. Then another, with an ‘N’. Then another, with a ‘G’. Then another, with an ‘E’. And then one more, with an ‘R’ painted on its side.

‘Oh, how adorable,’ laughed Princess Snowflake, clapping her hands together, one, two, three! ‘Those letters must be the initials of each deer’s name! I bet they are called Daniel, Arthur, Neil, Georgina, Eleanor and Rum-Pum-Pum! Rum-Pum-Pum is my favourite!’

While Princess Snowflake had been sitting on the bench, she had let Gooseberry off his leash so that he could go and do his business in the bushes. (Gooseberry ran a small and very profitable furniture business in the undergrowth, selling small tables and chairs and suchlike to the other animals. Chomley the hedgehog was one of his best customers.)

‘Gooseberry!’ called Princess Snowflake at length. ‘Finish up your business and come and walk with me some more, there’s a good doggie!’

But no, there wasn’t a good doggie, because Gooseberry did not come rushing out of the bushes as he normally did, barking and smiling and with dozens of silver coins spilling from his mouth. Gooseberry was nowhere to be seen, and for the first time in her young life, Princess Snowflake knew what it was to feel fear. For the first time, she began to wish that she had listened to the witches. How long had Gooseberry been gone? Ten minutes? An hour? Even as Princess Snowflake rose from the bench to search for him, the day darkened and a cold, crisp flurry of snow began to fall. And as the snow fell, it sang:

Whisper, whisper so,

The wind and the snow

The Gypsy King

And his golden ring

Woe, woe, woe!

Whisper, whisper so,

The frostbite on your toe

The Gypsy King

Will only bring

Woe, woe, woe!

Whisper, whisper so,

The frozen ground below

The Gypsy King

In the fairy ring

Woe, woe, woe!

‘What do you mean by this sinister and quite catchy rhyme?’ pleaded Princess Snowflake – but the snow would say no more.

For a moment the world stood still.

And then, suddenly, the Gypsy King jumped out from behind a tree. He was strong, with rippling muscles, and he wore hundreds of gold rings on his fingers, and he had proud boots. And in his huge cruel hands he held Princess Snowflake’s darling companion, Gooseberry.

‘I’ve done it again,’ laughed the Gypsy King. ‘All the legends about me were true, I live in the gardens and I snatch up spaniels and do what I like.’

‘I hate you,’ said Princess Snowflake, throwing herself to the ground and weeping hot, bitter tears that melted the snow all around her. ‘What do you want with Gooseberry? He is only a spaniel and part-time furniture salesman! But he means more to me than all my riches put together! Please, please! I will give you all the land of the town – from the Lamonic River to Boaster’s Hill! From the Stone Table to the Forest of Runtus! From the meanest hovel to the Winter Palace itself – it will all be yours, if you will only return Gooseberry to me, you unbearable devil!’

But the Gypsy King merely laughed and put Gooseberry’s face to his lips. Then he kissed Gooseberry’s little face, once, twice, three times! And all at once Gooseberry was gone. But around the Gypsy King’s neck hung a chain that hadn’t been there a moment before. From the chain dangled a single glass bead, and inside the glass bead, tiny as a fingernail, was poor Gooseberry.

‘That was a bit uncalled-for,’ said Princess Snowflake indignantly.

But the Gypsy King merely threw back his head and laughed once more.

‘HA HAHAAHA AHA AHA HAAH AHAHAHA HAHA AH AH AHHAHAHAH AH AHAHAH AHA HA HA HA HA HAHAHA HHA AH AHA HA AH AHA HAHA HA AH AH AHAH HA HA AH AHHA AH AHHA HA HA AH AHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHA AH AHAH AHA HAAHAHA AHHAHAAH AHAHA AH AHA HA HAAH HAHAHA AH AHA AHA HAHA HA HA HAHA AHA HAHA AH HA HA HA HAH AH AHA HA HAH AHAHA HAAH A AHA AHA HA HAHAHAHAHA HA HAHAHA HAH AHH AH AHAHA HAH AHAHA HAH AHAHAH AHA HA HAHAHAH AHHA HA AHHA HAHAH AHAH HAHAH AH AHH AHAH AH AHA HAH HAHAH AHA HAHAH HA HAH AH AH AHAH AA HAH AH A AHA HA AHA HA HAHAHA HA HAHAH A HAH HAHAHA HA HAH AHA HA HA HAH AH AH AHAH AH AH HAH AH HAHAH AHHAHAHA HAHHAHAHAH AH HAHAHAHAHA AH AHA HAH A AHAHAH A HAH AHHAHA AHA HHA AHAH AHA HAHAAH AH AHAHA HA AHAH AHHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHA HAH AH AHAAH AHA HAHAHA AH HAH HAHA HAHAHHA AHAHA HAH AHHAHA HAHAHA HA HAH AHAHAH AHA HHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AH AH A HA HAAHAHAHAHAHAH HAAHA H AH AH HA HA H AHH AH AH HAHA H AHH AHHAHA H AH HAHAHHA HA H AH HA HAHAHHA HAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA H HA HA HA H HA HA A HAA AHA HA AH AH AHAHA AHH AH A AH AH AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA AHAHAH AHA HA HA HAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH AHHAHAHAHHAHAH AH HAH AH AHAHHAHAHAHAHAH AH HA HAHA HA AHA A HAHA AH AHAHAHAHAH A AHA AHAHA AHAHA AHAHA AHA A HAHA HA HAHAHAHA HA AHA HAHA AHA HA AHAHAH AHA HAHA HA AHA A HA AHAH AHA AH AHAHHA HA HA HA HA HA HA HAHAH HAA HAHA AHA H A A AHAHAH AHA HAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAH HA AHA AHA AHA AHAHAHAHAHA HA AHA AHA AHA AHA AHA AHA HA AHA AH AHA H HA HAHAHA HA HA HAHAH HA HA HAHA HA AHAHAHAHAHA HA AHA AHA H HAAAHAAHAHAH H AH AHAHAHAHHAHAH AHAHAHA AHAH AHA AH H H H H HA AHA HA AHA HA AHAHA HA HA HAHAHA HA AHA HA HA,’ laughed the Gypsy King.

Actually the Gypsy King laughed quite a lot more than that, I only wrote a tiny bit of it. All told, he stood there laughing for over six hours, and Princess Snowflake could do nothing but look on helplessly, because she kept thinking, Surely it’s got to end soon, no one can laugh for this long, I’ll say something to him in a minute. When he’s stopped laughing. But it just went on and on.

Eventually, just as Princess Snowflake had made up her mind that enough was enough and she was about to tell him off for laughing so much and wasting paper, the Gypsy King turned, his cloak sweeping out behind him – and in a flash he had vanished, just as if he had never been there at all.

Poor Princess Snowflake. She was so distraught that as soon as she got back to the Winter Palace, she took to her icy bed and lay there with her face buried in the pillow, and none of the kindly old witches could rouse her. All that evening they knocked upon her chamber door, singing:

Let us in, let us in

Princess, dearie, let us in

For tho’ this life is full of sin

And trouble,

Princess, dearie, let us in

But Princess Snowflake cried, ‘Leave me to my sorrows! Begone from my chamber door!’

That night she dreamed a terrible dream. The Gypsy King was standing on a black rock amidst a great lake of fire, untroubled by the flames that licked at his boots and laughing with pure scorn. All about fell thousands and thousands of glass snowflakes, and in each one Princess Snowflake saw Gooseberry’s unhappy face. But when she tried to catch one of the snowflakes it slipped through her fingers like sand.

‘HA HA AHA HAHAHHAHA!’ laughed the Gypsy King. ‘You will never get your little dog back, unless you know the thing that I am most afraid of in the world!’

The next evening, the kindly old witches came again to Princess Snowflake’s door, singing:

Let us in, let us in

Princess, darling, let us in

For we are here to help in times

Of trouble

Princess, darling, let us in

But again Princess Snowflake cried, ‘Begone from my chamber door! Leave me to my miseries!’

Once more she fell into a troubled sleep, and once more she dreamed of the Gypsy King, standing on his black rock amidst the lake of fire. And once more he laughed and said, ‘You will never know the thing I am most afraid of in the world! Someone like you could never know that!’

On the third evening the witches came again to Princess Snowflake’s door, singing:

Let us in, let us in

Princess, sweetheart, let us in

For when the going’s hard

And full of trouble –

But this time Princess Snowflake flung the door open wide and she fell to her knees sobbing and begging for forgiveness.

‘I told you she’d open the door on the third night,’ whispered one of the witches at the back. ‘Things always happen in threes in fairy tales. That’s a fiver you owe me, Liz.’

‘So you do have need of our help after all?’ asked the leader of the kindly old witches, who was called Cobwep, because her parents hadn’t known how to spell ‘Cobweb’.

‘Yes, yes!’ sobbed Princess Snowflake. ‘I have been an impossible child! But I can bear it no longer! Please help me, though I hardly deserve it!’

‘It is well spoken,’ said Cobwep. ‘Sleep now, Princess Snowflake, and we shall return tomorrow evening.’

Gently, Cobwep tucked the child into bed and kissed her goodnight. Princess Snowflake fell asleep with a smile on her face and this time, when she saw the Gypsy King in her dream, he shrank back and cried, ‘What! You have protected yourself with the thing I am most afraid of in the world! I hate you, you’re stupid!’ And he disappeared beneath the flames.

When the witches came back the next evening, they didn’t even have to bother coming up with another verse, for the chamber door was open to receive them.

‘We have returned to help you, as we said we would,’ said Cobwep.

‘Thank you, Grandmother,’ said Princess Snowflake. (It didn’t mean that Cobwep was actually her real grandmother, it is just what children always call old women in fairy tales, no one knows why.) ‘Can you ever forgive me for being so awful?’

‘Of course, child,’ said Cobwep. ‘For we only want to see you happy.’

‘Then will you . . . Will you help me get Gooseberry back?’ asked Princess Snowflake. ‘I am so lonely without him.’

‘We shall do what we can,’ said Cobwep. ‘But getting him back will not be easy. You must travel to the Realm of the Gypsy King, and you must travel alone. Are you ready to make the journey?’

‘I am,’ replied Princess Snowflake.

‘Then I shall tell you the way,’ said Cobwep, her face wavering in the candlelight like an old flannel. ‘You must go into the gardens at midnight, child, when the moon is fat and full.’

‘OK,’ said Princess Snowflake.

‘And you must stick your tongue out, and you must eat the first snowflake that lands on your tongue,’ said Cobwep.

‘OK,’ said Princess Snowflake.

‘And then,’ said Cobwep, ‘you must stick your tongue out a second time, and you must eat the next snowflake that lands on your tongue.’

‘OK,’ said Princess Snowflake.

‘And then,’ said Cobwep, ‘you must stick your tongue out a third time, and you must eat one last snowflake.’

‘OK,’ said Princess Snowflake.

‘And then,’ said Cobwep, ‘you must go up to the fir tree, child, the one that stands in the very middle of the gardens, where all the paths meet. And you must eat it.’

‘OK,’ said Princess Snowflake, ‘that’s – no, sorry, actually, hold on a minute. What do you mean?’

‘Just what I say,’ said Cobwep. ‘You go up to the fir tree, you open your mouth and you eat it.’

‘Let me get this straight,’ said Princess Snowflake. ‘You want me to eat a fir tree?’

‘Yes,’ said all the witches together.

‘An entire fir tree?’

‘Yes,’ said the witches.

‘Can you do a spell to make it easier, Grandmother?’ said Princess Snowflake. ‘I mean, I actually know the tree you’re talking about, it’s – there’s no way, I mean – it’s . . . Look, I’m not trying to be ungrateful but – it’s, really, it’s just – honestly, there’s just no way.’

‘Sorry, you’ll have to manage on your own,’ said Cobwep. ‘Anyway, we’ve got to go now, there’s another princess in trouble in Russia. She’s had her face stolen by ghosts.’

‘What, are you going to make her eat a fir tree too?’ shouted Princess Snowflake. ‘I can’t believe this is happening, seriously, what on earth are you all thinking.’

‘Bye bye, dearie,’ said the witches as they left to catch their aeroplane, which was an enormous broomstick driven by a cat. ‘You know what to do, good luck.’

Princess Snowflake lay awake until it was midnight. Then, hardly daring to think about the task ahead, out she crept in her nightgown, into the moonlit gardens of the Winter Palace. The night was deathly quiet and the snow was falling soft and thick.

Princess Snowflake stuck out her tongue and swallowed the first snowflake that landed upon it.

Then she swallowed the second snowflake.

Then she swallowed the third snowflake.

Then she went up to the fir tree which stood in the middle of the gardens where all the paths met, and she started eating it.

‘This is a complete nightmare,’ sobbed Princess Snowflake as she sat there chewing on a mouthful of bark. ‘It’s going to take forever .’

But each time she wanted to give up, she thought of Gooseberry’s innocent little face and she remembered how much the witches loved her and she told herself, ‘One more bite, just one more bite.’ So the hours passed, though every minute felt like a lifetime.

One more bite, just one more bite . . . And as the night turned to morning and the sun was rising over the gardens, Princess Snowflake realised that the entire fir tree was gone. So it just goes to show: you can do anything if only you believe in yourself. You can win the Olympics. You can become a professor. You can even eat a fir tree. You probably shouldn’t eat a fir tree unless you’re a princess in a fairy tale. Or a monster. Or a really big woodpecker. But you can if you like. But you shouldn’t. But you can if you like. But don’t.

As soon as Princess Snowflake had finished the last piece of bark, a glowing line appeared on the ground. Princess Snowflake took a deep breath and coughed up a few fir needles. Then, mustering all her courage, she stepped across the line and as she did so, the gardens of the Winter Palace disappeared and she found herself in the Realm of the Gypsy King. The earth beneath her feet was cracked and dry. A scorching wind blew. And there before her, standing on a black rock surrounded by a lake of fire, stood the Gypsy King himself.

‘So!’ laughed the Gypsy King. ‘You have made it to my Realm, I bet you had to eat a fir tree or something, didn’t you? But the rules of this place are not like your world, you fool! Come and get me now, if you dare! But if you cannot defeat me, you shall be trapped here forever! AHA AH AAH AAHAHAHA HAAH AHAA HAAHHAAHAH AHA AHAHA!’

This time the Gypsy King went on laughing for nearly twelve hours, so I definitely won’t write it all out. Princess Snowflake waited patiently until the laughter was over and then she said, ‘Gypsy King, I care not for your atrocious lake of fire. For I have seen you in my dreams and now I know the thing you are most afraid of in the world.’

And she held out her hands and stood there with her palms open and empty.

‘Oh, no,’ said the Gypsy King sarcastically. ‘Hands ! Oh, no! N . . . Not h-h-hands ! Oooh, no, I’m terrified, oh no, oh, no! Oh, no! The hands are going to get me, oh, no! Not the hands !’

‘Oh, Gypsy King,’ said Princess Snowflake. ‘It is not the hands themselves, but what they represent. Ever since I was a baby, those around me have worked to protect me and keep me from harm. I never used to listen to them for I was arrogant. But when I threw open my chamber door to let my friends inside, I also threw open the door to my heart. Behold, Gypsy King, for I have finally discovered the thing in the world you are most afraid of – THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND HELPING EACH OTHER.’

At these words, Princess Snowflake’s hands were empty no longer, for in her left was clasped the right hand of Cobwep. And in Princess Snowflake’s right hand was clasped the left hand of Cobwep’s sister, Nightshadf. And then suddenly, there they all were – a vast army of kindly old witches, hands linked together as one, encircling the lake of fire in a chain of true friendship.

Princess Snowflake recognised some of the faces, like Cobwep, and another one called Granny Champion and another one called Roller Jane, who was one of the fattest witches ever born. But there were plenty of others she’d never met before, many thousands and thousands of them, and each one looking upon the Gypsy King with a mixture of pity and compassion which the cruel man could not bear. And now, as one, they started for him across the lake. And the flames weren’t even burning them because they were totally magic.

‘NO!’ shouted the Gypsy King, reaching for Cobwep and meaning to grind her to dust in his golden-ringed hands. But his brute force was no match for the witches’ kindliness. Slowly, slowly they closed in, throwing their arms around him and hugging him tight, tight as can be – and he was overcome. Down he went, down, down into the fray as the witches sort of beat him up with their deadly love and hugs and friendship like a weird dream.

‘Hang on a minute!’ shouted the Gypsy King as he disappeared from view. ‘The thing I’m most afraid of in the world isn’t THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND HELPING EACH OTHER! The thing I’m most afraid of in the world is bees! How is this even happening, this doesn’t make any sense at all! How is this working?’

But it was too late. And the very last Princess Snowflake saw of the Gypsy King was his proud boots as they disappeared beneath the flames. And then even the flames were gone and all that remained was the vast army of witches and the little black rock. And standing on the rock was –

‘Gooseberry!’ cried Princess Snowflake. ‘Oh, and my parents as well, even though I’ve never seen you before, I recognise you!’

‘Hello,’ said Princess Snowflake’s parents, ‘we were snatched up by the Gypsy King on the day you were born and we have spent the last eleven years in his power.’

‘How come I didn’t see you in little glass beads dangling from the chain around his neck?’ said Princess Snowflake. ‘Like Gooseberry was?’

‘He turned us into, like, sort of, these kind of little red stones, well, not exactly stones, but kind of like stones, which he kept in his shirt pocket,’ said Princess Snowflake’s father. ‘I don’t know why, he must have one system for turning dogs into things and another system for dealing with people. Anyway, it’s probably not that important, or not something we need to spend time worrying about right now. We’re back at last!’

‘Thank you for looking after our daughter while we were away,’ said Princess Snowflake’s mother to the witches. ‘I hope she wasn’t any trouble.’

‘She had her moments,’ said Cobwep. But she said it with a smile.

‘How lucky I am to have witches and parents and the prettiest little dog in the world!’ cried Princess Snowflake. ‘But best of all, I have learnt about friendship and accepting help from people.’

And Gooseberry barked three times: once for happiness to see his mistress again, once for joy to feel her arms around him again and once because it was a fairy tale and as you know, things always happen in threes in fairy tales. On Gooseberry’s third bark, the Realm of the Gypsy King was gone and there they all were, back in the gardens of the Winter Palace, with the snow falling all around and the birds singing and Chomley the hedgehog snuffling for treats like always.

A deer bounded by with a big ‘D’ painted on its side. Then another one with ‘A’. Then another, with ‘N’. Then another, with ‘G’. Then another, with ‘E’. And then one more, with ‘R’ painted on its side.

‘Oh, how wonderful,’ laughed Princess Snowflake, clapping her hands together, one, two, three! ‘It’s those lovely deer again! Daniel and Arthur and Neil and Georgina and Eleanor and my favourite, Rum-Pum-Pum!’

And Princess Snowflake was right. That’s exactly what those letters stood for. And when she grew up, Princess Snowflake married Rum-Pum-Pum, because it was the Age of Fairy Tales and you could do what you like back then, it was absolutely fine to marry a deer if you felt like it. Or a field, you could even marry a field if you fancied. And her parents moved back into the Winter Palace and Gooseberry became their butler, though he did charge quite a high price for his services.

In time, Princess Snowflake grew tired of the gardens and she rode Rum-Pum-Pum far and wide and together they had many more adventures and defeated all sorts of horrors, including the Flipsy King (who was a sort of evil pancake-making guy), the Chipsy King (who was like this nasty dude who owned a kebab shop but the portions were really small and he used to charge way too much for sachets of ketchup) and the Pipsy King (who was a sort of cross between a man and an apple and when you went near him he’d spit apple pips at you and if one hit you you would turn into an apple yourself but Princess Snowflake and Rum-Pum-Pum defeated him by saying, ‘Hey, look over there, there’s something really interesting!’ and when the Pipsy King looked over there they quickly rushed up to him and Rum-Pum-Pum kicked him to death with his hooves). And Princess Snowflake and Rum-Pum-Pum had lots of children together, some were humans and some were deers, and some were humans but with just the legs of a deer, and one of them was a Smurf.

And they all lived happily ever after.

THE END

561 AD
The Story of Old King Thunderbelly and the Wall of Lamonic Bibber

Now, all this happened way back in the Dark Ages, when people still thought that the world was flat, not like today when we know it’s a sort of giant shiny cube.

In those distant, ignorant times, the whole of England was ruled over by Old King Thunderbelly, who lived in a grand castle in the middle of Lamonic Bibber.

One day, Old King Thunderbelly was strolling in the castle courtyards, which were not as magnificent as you might think. They were just all right. The best bit was a Swingball, but even that wasn’t brilliant because it kept tipping over if you whacked the ball too hard.

‘I am so crafty,’ said Old King Thunderbelly as he strolled around the courtyards. ‘For a start, I’m the king of the whole of England. And for another start, I can outwit anyone who crosses my path.’

But at that moment a crow crossed Old King Thunderbelly’s path.

‘Oho,’ said the crow. ‘So you think you can outwit anyone, is that what I heard you say, you arrogant king?’

‘Yes,’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘Why, have you got a challenge for me?’

‘I certainly have,’ remarked the crow. ‘I bet you can’t keep me out of Lamonic Bibber.’

‘I bet I can,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

‘I bet you can’t,’ said the crow.

‘I bet I can,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

‘No, seriously, I bet you can’t,’ said the crow.

‘I really actually think I can,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

‘I bet you can’t,’ said the crow.

‘I bet I can,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

‘Listen,’ said the crow, ‘I honestly bet you can’t.’

‘No, you listen, you idiot,’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘I bet I can.’

‘I bet you can’t,’ said the crow.

‘I bet I can,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

Well, this argument went on for a day and a night and it was the most boring day and night either of them had ever spent, until eventually the crow said, ‘OK, then, king-features. Prove it. I will walk ten miles out of town and then I will try to get back in. And just you see if you can stop me.’

‘All right, I will,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

So the crow turned around and started walking out of town. And Old King Thunderbelly began to make his plans.

‘I will build a mighty wall all around Lamonic Bibber,’ said Old King Thunderbelly to himself. ‘How can a crow possibly get over a wall? It’s impossible. And I will put some guards at the entrances and I will give them strict orders not to let in any crows. My God, I’m crafty!’ he said, rubbing his hands together, which was the first time a crafty person had ever rubbed his hands together to show he was doing crafty things.

‘Now, how will I build a wall?’ mused Old King Thunderbelly. ‘I know! I’ll get my friend John to do it for me.’

Now this was certainly a wonderful idea, because Old King Thunderbelly’s friend John was a famous wall-builder, known far and wide for his enormous farts. And also for how good he was at building walls.

So Old King Thunderbelly took out some bits of wood and a hammer and a few bells and he invented the world’s first telephone. Then he invented the world’s second telephone. Then he went round to his friend John’s house and gave John a telephone.

‘What’s this?’ said John.

‘You’ll see,’ winked Old King Thunderbelly. Then he went back to his palace and dialled John’s number.

‘Hello,’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘Is that John?’

‘No, it’s his wife,’ said the voice at the other end of the line. ‘I’ll just go and get John, he’s having a fart in the shed.’

‘OK,’ said Old King Thunderbelly.

Soon John came to the phone.

‘Hello,’ said John.

‘Hello,’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘Do you like this new invention? It’s called a “telephone”.’

‘Yeah, it’s brilliant,’ said John. ‘Now, what can I do for you today, Your Highness? Do you want me to build a wall or something?’

‘Yes,’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘I want you to build a wall around Lamonic Bibber.’

‘Why, have you accepted a challenge from a crow or something?’ said John.

‘John, you know me well,’ laughed Old King Thunderbelly. ‘I certainly have.’

About three weeks later the wall was finally finished. John had worked day and night to build it, and it was probably the best wall he’d ever built. It was made out of stone and it was really high and there were spikes on it and every few hundred yards there were signs saying ‘NO CROWS ALLOWED’ and ‘KEEP OUT IF YOU ARE A CROW’. There were two gates set into the wall and at each gate stood two beefy guards, each holding a sharp silver sword, except for one of them who had forgotten his sword and was holding a massive garlic bread covered in tinfoil instead and hoping nobody would notice.

‘Now let’s see that crow try and get in,’ laughed Old King Thunderbelly.

Presently a traveller came up to the South Gate of the Wall of Lamonic Bibber. He was dressed in a fine coat of feathers and he had a beak and two wings and he was about the size of a crow.

‘Hello,’ said the traveller to the guards. ‘Do you mind if I come in through your gate?’

‘No, go ahead, we don’t care,’ said the guards. ‘Go right in.’

But as the traveller stepped forward, the first guard thought of something.

‘Hang on a minute,’ he said. ‘You’re not a crow, are you?’

‘Who, me?’ laughed the traveller. ‘No, of course not.’

‘OK, sorry to bother you,’ said the first guard. But just as the traveller was about to step inside, the second guard thought of something.

‘Hang on,’ he said, brandishing his sword. ‘You are a crow. Go away! It’s no crows allowed, those are our orders!’

‘Blast those guards,’ sulked the crow as he walked off. ‘They’re cleverer than they look. How am I going to get into Lamonic Bibber now?’

Well, that crow thought for a year and a day, and it was the most boring year and a day he’d ever spent. But eventually he came up with an absolutely brilliant idea, and when he came up with it a light bulb appeared above his head, and that’s how electricity was invented.

‘I’ve got it!’ said the crow.

About five years later, Old King Thunderbelly was sitting in the castle courtyards, having a sandwich and congratulating himself on outwitting the crow.

‘That was totally easy,’ he said to himself. ‘That wall did the trick no problem. It’s been years and years now and I still haven’t seen that crow around here.’

‘Oh, haven’t you?’ said a voice at that very moment. And looking down, Old King Thunderbelly was astonished to see none other than the crow himself, the very crow he’d been trying to keep out all this time!

‘How did you get in here?’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘Surely my wall should have kept you out?’

‘Well might you think so, king,’ said the crow. ‘But there’s one thing you forgot about us crows,’ he continued, flapping his powerful wings triumphantly. ‘We are excellent at digging. I have spent the past five years digging a tunnel under that wall with my beak and finally I have won the challenge and you must give me all the land of the kingdom and let me marry your daughter and you must be my slave forever and fetch me rare minerals.’

‘I don’t remember saying anything about that,’ said Old King Thunderbelly. ‘But OK.’

And that is how the elephant got its trunk.

THE END

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