WfW - Christmas at Unicorn Farm - Part 3

River at Drifting through Life is supplying us with Words in September.  For today we were given a saying she heard a lot when she was very young, but not so much now:

"wrap your teeth around that"
     and/or:
treehouse
ferry
statue
step

From Wednesday 2nd. I still l have some unused words:  dropout - espalier - trace.
Let's see how far they'll take me this time around:

  Finally Susan and Rósa crossed the line of trees and flew directly to the kitchen door. Some of the Nisser stood outside on the steps, obviously waiting for them. They dismounted and handed the two crammed bags to the Icelandic nisselady and turned to leave. "Oh no you don't just leave," the nisselady said. "I need you help here in the kitchen." Rósa and Susan looked timidly at one another and none of them dared follow her inside. Susan just stood there,a s if she had grown roots, and Rósa trued to hide behind her. The Icelandic nisselady discovered that they were not following, and returned for them. She grasped Susan's arm, and pulled her inside: "Come on now. I do not bite. I'm Katla by the way." Susan took small steps after Katla all the way to the kitchen, and Rósa was right behind her. The other nisser, who had been outside waiting, were right behind Rósa. There just was no turning back. As they came through the low door to the kitchen a confusing sight met them. Pots and pans and plates covered almost all surfaces in the room. Even more pots simmered or boiled on the stove, half obscuring the room in mists. The smoke from the stove did not help any.
  A happy voice greeted Susan, and she was piled into a bony embrace. "Oh Susan good to see you again. We were shanghaied the moment we arrived by one of those tiny ladies here. We've been working ever since diligently cooking rice, cutting up fish and so on."
  "Kensuke!" Susan said, "is that really you! Welcome to our slave pen."
  "Yes it's me," Kensuke answered drolly, "and Teiko and Ella are here somewhere too. Cooper and Liam are in Australia for Christmas."
  "Oh nice!" Susan said smiling. "This is Rósa, she might look small, but she's brave and clever." 
  "Hello Rósa, nice to met you." Kensuke said bowing from the waist.
  "Hello Kensuke, nice to meet you too," Rósa said. "Susan has mentioned you and your friends a couple of times."
  "Oh, is that a big root!" Kensuke exclaimed.
  "Big root," Susan said smiling. "Do you mean that giant veggie, the greengrocer palmed off on us as he has no more radishes."
  "Daikon," Kensuke said clearly, fighting the language spell. "Yes it means big root. It is much better than radishes. I love them, and so do Teiko. Let her prepare it. You'll love to wrap your teeth around the result."
  Susan turned to Katla: "Sorry we're talking up a storm here, we're old friends ..."
  Katla nodded energetically and said: "And you want your Japanese friends to be entrusted with that monstrosity there?" Susan nodded, still a bit intimidated. "Go on, go on." Katla said. "We have enough food even if we'll have to do without radishes for garnish."
  "Well," Teiko added, "That root is big enough for both. Let's get working."
  And in something that suddenly reminded Susan of the busy evening in Ella's Granny's house, they cut, grated, boiled, dyed - yes using the red dye Susan and Rósa had bought to go with the daikon - and put on plates. Admittedly amid much more noise and laughter than in the small German house.

... to be continued