Dinner
By J.D. Freshenmeyer
“Aghh... stop doing the same move. That’s so cheap!” I shouted.
“You just suck at the game,” she replied, as her flurry of low leg kicks continued. One hand still on the controller, she grabbed my baseball cap with the other, turned it to face forward, and pulled it down over my eyes.
When I could see again, the screen said 3-0 in her favor. A totally humiliating shutout.
“Cheater.”
“Sore loser,” she shot back, poking her tongue out. “Besides, Sun Tzu said cheating is a fair way to beat your opponents. If you were awake in history class, you’d know that.”
“Sun-Who?”
“Exactly. You’re as bad at history as you are at P.E.” She lifted my shirt and started grabbing at my belly, squeezing the bit of chub hanging over my waistband.
We were both laughing like escaped mental patients as I tried to push her hands away. “I’m not fat! I just haven’t had a growth spurt yet.”
“Yeah, right, fatty. That gut’s not going anywhere. No matter how tall you get.”
I had no comeback. I’d seen Em’s stomach when we did swim class, and hers was flat as a washboard. You couldn’t have gotten me to admit it if you put me in a CIA interrogation room, but I actually liked being chubby. The extra fat around my midsection felt kind of nice. I didn’t understand it myself, and if I’d told Em, she’d have thought I was nuts because she was really into fitness.
My name is Gabe Green. Short for “Gabriel,” but I never let anyone call me that because it sounds like a girl’s name. The cheating dork next to me was Emma, my best friend. I called her “Em” for short. I was a badger, and she was a raccoon, so people sometimes thought we were related because we looked kind of similar. We both had black stripes and grey fur. We were sitting on the floor of my living room, playing Super-Slam Fighters. Em had told her Mom she was coming over to study, but what can I say? If they didn’t want us playing video games, why did they keep making them?
We looked kind of out-of-place. Like we might have been time travelers or something. Modern TV, furniture, shiny new appliances in the kitchen. But the house was an old Victorian mansion, and it was all dark mahogany for the doorways, the floors, the banister. The windows were old-fashioned, too. We got the place six months ago for a steal when my Dad had to move to this town for work. Em lived up the street, and we’d hit it off immediately.
“Ready for another round?” I asked. I was desperate to reclaim my honor.
Em yawned. “Nah, I think I’m gonna call it for tonight. I’ve gotta get home before my Mom starts getting worried.” She stood up, closed her eyes, and stretched her arms above her head. As she did, her shirt rode up, showing a bit of her furry midriff. I caught a glimpse of it and it made me feel kind of weird, but in a good way.
She fixed her long black hair up in a ponytail, grabbed her backpack off the couch, and headed out. “See you tomorrow,” she said with her back to me.
“Yeah,” I replied. I’d switched to the training mode and was more focused on getting my inputs right. I couldn’t believe she beat me again. I don’t need to explain how embarrassing it is to get your butt kicked at video games by a girl.
I heard her call out. “Gabe, I think this is stuck. Come give me a hand.”
I went to the front door. Em was jiggling and turning it, but it wasn’t opening.
“I can’t get it open.”
“It must be the house,” I said. “The wood swells up because of the cold air at night. When I’m trying to sleep, it creaks and makes all kinds of weird noises, like you’re in an old pirate ship.” I tried the handle—the door didn’t budge. I tried again, harder. Nothing. “Try the back,” I suggested.
Em went through the kitchen to the back door. “Nope,” she called out. “This one’s stuck, too.”
Time to show her what guys are good at, I thought. Stand back, my lady, and let the pinnacle of strength and heroism part the offending door from thy path.
I followed her into the kitchen, tried the handle. Nothing. So much for that.
“Any ideas?” she asked.
“Uh...sleepover?”
She crossed her arms and smiled. “Yeah, not a chance, perv. I’ve seen those magazines you’ve got in your locker. You think I’m sleeping in the same house as you?”
“I used them for drawing references.”
She laughed. “You use them for whacking your carrot is what you do.”
We were both on the verge of cracking up.
“We might just have to wait for my parents to get home.”
“And how long will that be? You know how my Mom is.”
“I dunno. They’re out at some restaurant, and I don’t know the name. Hold on, they’ve got a cellular with them. I can call directly. I think the other one’s upstairs in the bedroom.” I went upstairs, found the phone in the bedside drawer, went into the kitchen, and found the number taped on the fridge. I dialed it.
Em was standing, watching me from the foyer. I knew that’s what the little entranceway in front of the door was called. See, I am cultured.
“Anything?” she asked.
I held it up. The words NO SIGNAL were on the screen. “Nada.”
She threw her hands up and made a noise of frustration.
“It’s probably the house. The old wood’s so thick, the signal can’t get through. You know, they probably didn’t have cells in mind when they built this place in like 1500 or whatever.”
“Try the door again,” she said. “And if that doesn’t work, go upstairs and stick the phone out the window.”
I wouldn’t have thought of that. I wouldn’t admit it to her, but I liked how smart Em was. As I went to try the door, I noticed the clock on the wall said 5:14. That couldn’t be right. We’d been playing video games for hours. It should have been at least seven or eight thirty. I looked at my watch. It said the same thing, 5:14. I didn’t mention it.
“Hey, what the heck is going on?” she asked, looking at the living room. “Where’s all the stuff gone?”
The room was empty. The couches, the TV, and the Super-System. Even the shag carpet was gone, with just the wooden floorboards left.
Neither of us were laughing now. Em looked like she was on the verge of freaking out, and I wasn’t far behind her. I tried to act cool, but I couldn’t think of an explanation. Everything else I’d been able to explain away, but this... We were both thinking the same thing, but neither of us wanted to say it.
I noticed there were pictures on the wall along the upstairs staircase that hadn’t been there before. Old pictures of people I didn’t recognize. They were all stern-faced and in formal dress.
Em noticed it, too. “Those weren’t there when I came in...” she said quietly, like she was afraid someone would hear her.
Before I could say anything, her composure broke completely, and she rushed to the front door and started furiously tugging on the handle. “I want out!” she shouted. “There’s something wrong in this house, and I want out.”
She stopped as the sound of a loud dinner bell echoed through the house. Then there was a creaking sound of footsteps from the second floor.
Em grabbed me and pulled me tight to her. I could see she was scared out of her mind. Honestly, though, in that moment, I just enjoyed how close she was to me and how her fur felt against mine. I felt my cheeks turning red a little.
“It’s true...” she whispered. “What they said about this place...”
Of course people said the house was haunted. Every old house in every small town in the country had stories about ghosts and unsolved murders. I never believed any of it.
We saw them at the top of the stairs, but both of us were too scared to move. They were cheetahs. A boy and girl in fancy, old-timey clothes, around the same age as me and Em. They looked like brother and sister. They walked slowly down in a polite, well-mannered way.
In that moment, neither of us noticed that the lights in the house had also changed. Modern fixtures had been replaced with candles on the walls that gave off a dim, flickering yellowish-orange light. Outside the windows was just a black void, as if the house was the only thing in the world that still existed.
We stood frozen—wide-eyed with fear. Em was clutching me so tight I could feel her heart racing.
“What a joy it is to have guests again, Sister,” the boy said. His voice echoed like every word was distorted and being said twice.
“But look how skinny they are, Brother. We shall have to do something about that.”
I wanted to run, hide, do something. But it wasn’t fear holding me in place anymore. Something was physically preventing my body from moving. I looked at Em and saw the same thing was happening to her.
The two reached the bottom of the stairs and approached us. As they got closer, I noticed how pale they were. Their spots were dull, their fur that should have been a vibrant yellow was faded to almost white. The air around them was a deep, frigid cold like when you stand in front of an open freezer.
The girl lifted up my shirt and poked at my soft belly. “Hmm... this one isn’t too bad.” She did the same to Em, poking her well-toned stomach muscles through her dress. “This one, however...”
“Poor thing,” the boy said. “Would you two care to join us for dinner?”
The second I heard those words—I felt completely calm. My breathing and heart rate slowed. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I was starving, though. Like I hadn’t eaten for days.
“Yes,” Em and I both answered in unison—our voices flat and emotionless. Another cheetah emerged from the dining room—this one older, tall and dressed in a black suit. He bowed with one arm across his chest. “Dinner will be served in a few minutes, young masters.”
I could move again—but I didn’t feel in control. It was like I was on auto-pilot. As if my body knew where I was supposed to go but my brain didn’t. It led me into the dining room, where a long, ornate wooden table had replaced our simple four-seater one. You could have seated a dozen. Thick velvet curtains were drawn across the window, and silver candlesticks were the only source of light. Each place had been perfectly set, with plates, silverware and neatly folded napkins. Somehow I knew my place was third down on the right-hand side. Em took a seat opposite me on the left.
The cheetahs took their seats side-by-side at the head of the table.
“Hats off at the table,” they both said at the same time.
I realised they were talking to me. “Oh, sorry.” I took my baseball cap off.
“What are we having?” Em asked eagerly.
“Oh... a little bit of everything,” the boy said. “You can call me Samuel, by the way. And this is my sister, Rose.” She raised a wine glass to us and took a sip. It didn’t occur to me, but Samuel’s voice sounded clearer now. It didn’t echo anymore.
“Shall we have some music?” he said to the empty air. Scratchy, crackling old Vaudeville started playing out of a gramophone on a small table in the corner.
The tall cheetah returned, followed by a few more house staff. They were each carrying silver domed serving trays. Two were placed in front of Rose and Samuel, and then one in front of Em, and I was last.
A servant stood behind each of us and lifted the covers. Rose and Samuel each got a nice, juicy-looking steak drizzled in some kind of white sauce and a side of vegetables. Em and I got...cake?
Huge triple-layered chocolate cakes. With whipped-cream in between each layer and dollops of bright pink frosting on top. They smelled absolutely heavenly and my mouth was watering. I looked across at Em. She was staring mesmerised at hers, like it was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen. They also gave us each a pitcher of chocolate milk and poured them into tall glasses.
“Bon appétit,” the tall cheetah said. Each of the staff bowed and faded away. I was only interested in the cake.
I dipped my finger in the frosting and tasted it. Every one of my senses lit up like they’d been struck by lightning. It was the best thing I’d ever tasted. I couldn’t control myself. I dug my fingers in, tore out a chunk of cake and took a big, messy bite. “Mhhmmm, it’s so good,” I said through a mouthful of chocolate.
Em was tearing into hers as well—shoving handfuls into her mouth. She said something I couldn’t understand. I’d never seen her eat like that. In fact, I’d never seen her eat unhealthy food at all. She was such a health nut.
Meanwhile Samuel and Rose were quietly enjoying their steaks. Cutting off small pieces and eating with perfect manners. They didn’t seem to be paying attention to the two of us.
We were making a complete mess—cake and cream and frosting were all over our faces and down our shirts, but it was so good we didn’t care. We were just shoving it into our mouths as fast as we could get it in there. In between mouthfuls, I drank the chocolate milk to wash it down.
I could feel my belly getting tight, straining uncomfortably against my shorts. I pulled them down a little to give myself more breathing room and let out a long, satisfied ughhh. Em was wearing a sleeveless pink dress with a belt around the waist and it was pushed out just a little.
We didn’t slow down until our plates were empty. Just crumbs and smears of frosting and cream left. Leaning back in my chair—breathing slowly and painfully—I used my hand to scoop up the last of the cream and licked my fingers clean. My belly was hard as a rock and sticking out from under my shirt.
Em let out an Earth-shaking belch and gave her belly a satisfied pat.
The cheetahs spoke for the first time since dinner had started. “Seems like they enjoyed themselves, Sister.”
“I should think so, Brother. Compliments to the chef as always. Shall we go again?”
“Go again?” I asked.
Samuel rang a little silver bell. The staff reappeared carrying more trays and the ones on the table disappeared. My feeling of fullness went away too. My belly lost its hardness and went soft, melting over my shorts. Suddenly I was starving again.
More trays were put down. Samuel and Rose once again got steak and vegetables. We got the same cakes as before, except this time there were two for each of us. I looked at Em and she just shrugged before she dug in again. I did the same. It tasted just as good as the first time.
As I was frantically shovelling in more cake, I glanced up at Em. Something about her was...different. I wasn’t sure what. Was her face a little softer? Her cheeks maybe?
By the time I’d finished my two, I was so full I could barely breathe. Em was leaning back with her eyes closed—clutching her swollen midsection. The belt on her dress was digging in. “Ugh...I...couldn’t eat another burp bite...” she said painfully.
Samuel and Rose were dabbing at their mouths with napkins. “What do you think, Brother?”
“Hmm... they’re still so thin. What sort of hosts would we be, if we sent them away like this?”
“You’re absolutely right, as always.”
The bell was rung again. The insatiable hunger returned. This time when my belly softened, I noticed it seemed to spread out further. It had divided itself into two rolls and was sitting in my lap. I looked at Em and her belt was sandwiched in between fat that were starting to overflow it. I wondered if there’d be three cakes next time.
Nope, just one. It was a big, square caramel sheet cake with orange filling and whipped cream on top. “Why are we getting less this time?” I asked angrily.
“Yeah, what’s the deal” Em chimed in.
Samuel answered and there was a coldness in his voice. “Believe me, you’re not. There’s 50,000 calories in that.”
I was already eating it before he finished talking.
I thought I was imagining it before, but I really was getting fatter in real-time. Every time I took another bite, I could feel my clothes getting tighter. My lap was disappearing as my gut spilled further and further forward. Thick rolls of love-handle fat were rolling over the sides of my shorts. My shirt was so tight it was getting hard to breath, so I took it off and dropped it on the floor—“Uhh...that’s so much better” I said, as everything was set free—my whole body spilling downwards and outwards with nothing to hold it in anymore. I went right back to eating.
At some point, Em’s belt had finally snapped open, letting her own fat surge forward. The abs she once had were now completely buried. She didn’t seem to notice and just kept eating, a look of warm, glowing happiness on her face. A noticeable double chin had started to develop. I didn’t have a mirror but I probably had one too, by that point.
“This cake is even better than the other ones” I said to her, through a mouthful.
A big glob of cream got away from her and plopped down the front of her dress. She scooped it up and stuffed it in her mouth with a chubby paw. “Mhmm”she said in agreement.
“You gonna ring the bell again?” I asked.
Rose thought for a moment. “Hmm... not quite yet. Shall we, brother?”
“With pleasure, dear Sister.” The music that had been playing stopped.
They got up from their chairs and walked over to us. Samuel to Em and Rose to me. I noticed they looked exactly the same as when dinner had started. Neither of them had gained a pound.
Rose took a thick roll of my belly fat in her hand and jiggled it. Her hand was so cold it made the fur on my arms stand up. I didn’t want to be rude though, so I didn’t mention it. She poked me with her finger—it sunk in several inches.
“Excellent progress” she muttered quietly to herself. She then took one of my moobs—lifted it—and let it drop with a slap. “Yours are almost as big as hers.”
“When do we eat again?”
She laughed and gave my belly a pat. “Soon. How’s yours going, Samuel? This one was already fat before we started, so he’s got a head-start.”
“See for yourself.” Leaning over the back of the chair, Samuel took Em’s gut in both hands and gave it a good squeeze through her dress. Lifting and shaking it to demonstrate.
“I’m hungry” she whined.
“Of course you are, my dear.”
When I saw him grabbing Em—my heart started beating faster. My face felt hot and I was suddenly hard. I didn’t know why it excited me, but it absolutely did. Rose noticed too, and grabbed it through my shorts.
“Looks like someone’s enjoying himself. Hey Samuel, you think he’s one of those types?”
He laughed. “Must be. We knew someone like that, remember? He used to go to the carnival to see the fat lady and he’d sneak a hand down his pants. Here, I’ll do you a favor. Arms up, fatty.”
Em did as she was told, and he lifted the dress off over her head. All she was left with was a matching pair of plain black underwear that she was absolutely pouring out of. Her stomach hid most of the bottoms—with just a little black triangle of fabric still visible underneath. The bra straps were buried in side rolls and her cleavage was spilling out the top. “Can we please go back to eating now? she asked. “We’re starving.”
“Let’s not keep the poor things waiting any longer, Brother.”
“Of course not, Sister.” They returned to their seats, the bell was rung again, this time it was an entire pan of fudge brownies with a large bowl of chocolate sauce for dipping. With pitchers of something thick and heavy to drink. Milkshake, maybe. I wasn’t sure. It tasted sweet, though, and I chugged it like crazy. The music started again.
Halfway through the pan—melted chocolate all over my face, hands and dripping down my bare chest—I heard a creaking noise. I was pretty much wedged into the chair by this point. My hips were pushing against the sides and my butt had gotten so big It felt like I was sitting on a cushion. My belly was pressed against the table and starting to rest on top of it.
Em was having the same problem. As she lifted brownies to her mouth, fat hung from her arms and was beginning to engulf her wrists and hands. Even her fingers were getting fat. The athlete she had been this morning was now unrecognisable. Buried deep in hundreds of pounds of wobbling blubber. Her double rolled gut was already plopped up on the table and rested comfortably. She had already given up on her bra and thrown it away at some point. The cheetahs hadn’t objected. Please, go ahead. Whatever makes you more comfortable.”
My jug of milkshake was empty. I thought it would have been rude to ask Em for some of hers. “Huff...Can I urp have some more... burp milkshake?” Before they could answer, there was another loud creaking noise and then something snapped. The chair collapsed under me and I fell hard to the ground, landing flat on my back. My belly was so big I couldn’t see my feet laying down.
“Are you all right?” Em called out. I could hear her trying to get up to help me, but I think she might have been stuck, I couldn’t see.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I looked to my left and saw a brownie on the floor that was just in-reach. I grabbed it and stuffed it in my mouth. I looked up and Rose was standing over me. She was grinning ear to ear.
“What happened, fat boy?”
“The chair broke.” I reached my hand towards the table. “I can’t...quite... can you...”
“Of course I can.” she said softly. She took the half eaten tray from the table, knelt down over me and shoved a brownie into my mouth. Then as soon as I’d finished, she shoved in another. And another.
I tried to ask her to slow down, but my mouth was so full I couldn’t say anything, so it just came out as mffmmmff
She looked annoyed. “Stop complaining, fatty. You’ve been stuffing your greedy face for hours and now you’re going to reject our generous hospitality?”
Had it really been hours?
“When you’re offered food, you eat it and be thankful for it, understand?”
I nodded. I could feel myself getting heavier, more trapped with every passing second she kept feeding me. I had a feeling if it didn’t stop soon, I’d never get off the floor. But it was so good—the thought of asking her to stop never crossed my mind for a second. I could see bright red stretch-marks forming through my fur.
Em went soon after. The wooden chair exploded under her massive weight. She landed square on her enormous wobbling butt that acted like a pillow when she hit the ground. Samuel didn’t pause for even a second—immediately pushing a pitcher of thick, creamy milkshake to her lips and pouring until it was entirely drained. She looked helpless—her arms and legs so overflowing with fat she could barely move them. She certainly couldn’t have gotten to a standing position on her own. Still, she reached her stubby paws up at Samuel, desperate for more. Which he happily obliged.
There was no feeling of fullness at all anymore. No need to ring the bell. The food reappeared as quickly as it was eaten. By this point, I was so fat that Rose was using my enormous belly as a seat, as she delivered an endless supply of desserts. Cakes, ice-cream, donuts, sometimes she would just pour entire bowls of sticky sweet liquid into my mouth and I never wondered what it was. As long as it tasted good. She had pulled my shorts and underwear off at some point to make more room, and I was entirely naked. I couldn’t see down there, at all, but Rose kept teasing me that my “little thing” as she called was buried so deep, no-one would ever find it again.
I turned my head to look over at Em. She was naked, too. Her boobs, that used to be a B-cup—something she’d secretly told me she was insecure about, were now so big you could have used them as air-bags. She was breathing heavily, and her eyes were closed. There was a look of pure, absolute happiness on her face. Samuel was pushing black forest cake into her mouth, as she just lay there, doing no work. Her useless arms were spread out to the sides and he was doing one hundred percent of the work.
I wondered if the two of them were competing to see who could fatten us up the most. This thought was interrupted by Rose with a donut soaked in melted vanilla ice-cream. I tried lifting my own arms and I found I couldn’t, either. Oh well.
There was the sound of a loud clock chime. Samuel and Rose stopped. The food in each of their hands disappeared. “How time flies, eh, Brother?”
“Only when one’s having fun, Sister.”
I was too fat to even move by that point. I hoped this didn’t mean dinner was over.
“We never got your names” Rose said.
“How frightfully rude of us” Samuel added.
“Gabe.”
“Emma. Or Em.”
“Well Gabe, and Emma or Em. It’s been an absolute pleasure. We couldn’t have asked for better guests. Do be sure to join us again soon. We so love our dinner parties.”
I couldn’t tell which of them was talking. It sounded like their voices were blending together.
Then they were gone. I blinked and my eyes never opened.
When I woke up, I was staring at the living room ceiling. It took a few seconds for my brain to start working again and remember who I was and where I was. I sat up and looked around, everything seemed fine. The last thing I remembered was...it took me a little while...the furniture was missing, yeah, that was it. And then the sound of a bell.
Em was asleep next to me. She looked so peaceful, like she was having the best sleep of her life. Her hair was down and all messy. Man, she’s pretty” I thought. She looked...different, though. Had she gained weight?
She had. Not a lot, but her face was definitely softer and more round. Her toned arms were kind of squishy. As she breathed—I could see her belly rising up and down. I almost grabbed it, just to see what it felt like, but I stopped myself. She’s your friend, don’t do that. I looked down at my own belly and realised I’d gained weight as well. More than Em. If she was a little bit chubby now, I was full-on fat. There was a thick ring of fat around my midsection. I went to look at myself in the mirror by the front door.
Checking myself out in the mirror, I grabbed my new belly over-hang with both hands and gave it a squeeze. It gave me a sudden rush of excitement. I did it again, like I couldn’t keep my hands off it. I felt myself getting hard and made myself stop. No idea what that was about, but I felt like I was doing something I shouldn’t.
I checked the door—it opened no problem. Outside it was kind of cold. The sky was still a faint orange. I looked at my watch, 5:17.
There was a scream from the living room. I rushed back. “Em, are you...”
“LOOK AT THIS!” she screamed, a look of hysteria on her face.
“What?”
“This.” She grabbed her belly and squeezed it. “Where did all this come from?”
“I dunno, but It happened to me, as well.” I squeezed my own belly to show her.
“How long were we asleep for?”
“Only a few minutes. What do you remember?”
“Just that we couldn’t get out, and then the furniture was gone and there was a sound... I can’t remember...”
“A bell?”
“Yeah, that was it. After that, everything’s just black. What the heck are we gonna do?”
“About...the house? I have no idea. We can’t tell anyone, though, or they’ll think we’re crazy. The only evidence we’ve got is that we’re”—I stopped myself—”I’m fat now. and that’s not proof of anything.”
“Yeah, you’re right. But what about the other thing?” She rested a hand on her belly.
“Do we really have to do anything?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well...I was already kinda fat. So I can just throw on an oversized T-shirt and no-one will notice. And you’re...” I hesitated. I wanted to say it, but my brain was trying to stop me. “I think you’re really pretty, and you look good with a bit of extra softness.” My face was burning. “I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about.”
She had a teasing smirk. “Trying to shoot your shot, dork?” She ran a hand slowly over her belly. “Hmm...Well if you think it looks good, maybe I will hold off on the crunches for a while. Just see how it feels. But you’ve gotta stay fat, too. If we’re doing this, we’re doing it together.”
I laughed. “Sure”. Em was always so cool about everything.
“I’ve really gotta get home, though. I’ll come over tomorrow and we’ll check out the library, see if there’s anything on record about this place. If it’s haunted, I wanna know why. Maybe it was something cool like a Satanic ritual murder or an axe spree.”
“You know, I’m the one who’s gotta sleep here, right?”
“Well if you’re scared, leave a light on.” She hugged me from behind and kissed me on the cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
She picked up her backpack and left. Her hair was still down.
I just stood there, enjoying the warm feeling on my cheek.