A little girl sat in her room, alone, listening to music. She was sad, for today she had been forced to eat no less than 3 carrots during lunch. She barely had any space left for dessert and very reluctantly parted with the remaining piece of cake. She decided to hole up in her room and listen to music as a form of silent protest. However, it was not a silent protest and her parents found it obnoxious.

The girl had good grades in school, was atheletic and could be considered decently pretty. What then, was her vice because of which she found herself in such an unfavourable circumstance. After her brain failed to solve this conundrum, the girl resorted to throwing tantrums. However, the loud music was a cause for concern.

The parents went to reason with the girl, one at a time, they bribed her with jewellery and they threatened her with flagellation, but the girl stood her ground. Her parents had no choice, on a winter night such as this one, they simply couldn’t risk their lives because of a teenager’s angst. They did the only sensible thing and went out to dinner.

As soon as her parents left, the girl stopped her loud music. The parent’s noticed this but it was already too late, they had to hurry for a reservation had already been made. On a cold and dark night such as this one, a disturbance attracted monsters, one in particular was very frightening.

This monster caused all other monsters to tremble with fear. Locked doors and prayers cannot keep him away. All that can be done is to wish that he never notices you. As midnight drew nearer, the girl grew restless, her parents should’ve been back by now. No one picked up her calls either. She could not sleep without her hot chocolate. Alas, she decided to make it herself.

She heated the milk in a pot and melted the chocolate in a pan. Then she mixed them both together and added two spoons full of sugar just to be safe. She sat down with her beverage and waited for sleep to arrive. Instead, she heard loud thuds outside, and a low grunting sound. The girl looked out her window and noticed the white snow and the moonless sky had been replaced with a feathery blackness.

“Feathery”, why did that word come to her mind, she wondered just as the blackness moved away, only to bend down and look through the window. Two red eyes peered at her, the monster had come.

It was the king of the mountain, he was as tall as he was wide, with long legs folded into a squat. With his long boney finger he beckoned the girl to the window, for he could not enter the house. The girl obeyed but not before finishing her drink with two big gulps.

The king stared at the girl and the girl stared back, not a word was said. Finally, the king broke what was becoming an awkward silence “What is it that smells so sweet? Is it you or some other meat? If so …” Before he could finish his rhyme, the girl let out a burp so nasty, yet so delicious that the king froze.

A delicate aroma filled the king’s nose and made its way into his lungs from where it spread through his entire body. He had never smelt anything so deliciously sweet yet so awfully pungent. What could have produced such an aroma? He grabbed the girl and took her with him. He cut her open to find the sweet hot chocolate with two spoons of sugar inside her stomach, but there was something else… Three boiled carrot floated in the dark brown liquid.

The king drank his fill and was overcome with the most lovely feeling. A most relaxing sleepiness overtook him as he sank into his bed which felt softer than ever. His eyes drooped and he fell into dream-filled slumber.