Chapter 10 - food never fails? part 2

Ryan reached both hands towards the plate and crammed the massive custard tart into his maw.

"Is that all?" he mumbled through a packed mouth.

"I'm afraid so darling," said Katie as her husband bit down again, crumbs flying everywhere as he grunted and guzzled like a warthog. "There's simply no more food in the house. You've eaten the lot."

And hadn't he. Katie looked down at her gobbling husband's belly, glistening with sweat and as tight as a drum. It looked far too big and dangerously round, like an overfilled beer barrel fit to burst at any moment. She was actually quite relieved they'd run out of food.

"Ugh, why did you make so little?" Despite his whinging tone, Ryan appeared to be smiling. Forcing the remaining curvy crust of the pie into his mouth in one go had caused it to fill out his cheeks comically like a half moon.

"I'm sorry baby," she said - without really sounding it, in Ryan's opinion. For a moment Katie stroked his belly, looking down thoughtfully. He frowned in annoyance. Silly woman seemed to be away with the fairies!

"Of course," she added nonchalently just as he'd swallowed the pie and been about to complain again, "If we'd entered the contest, this wouldn't be a problem."

"How so?" Ryan looked indignant, opening his mouth to accept the small cherry tart Katie had lifted from the plate and held to his lips.

"Well I'd be in training, of course," she said, as if this were obvious. "You didn't think I was planning go up against Beth's baking unprepared, did you?" She paused to feed him another tart, blueberry this time. "Ryan, that woman's a culinary genius. Why I'd have to start at once and bake non stop for the whole three months to even stand a chance. Souffles, brownies, cookies, cheesecakes..." she drifted off.

Ryan's mouth was stuffed too full to reply, but Katie could see from the glow in his eyes that her words had found their mark. She plunged on, heaping him with delights: "Truffles and trifles and cream cheese puffs; fondues and fudge cakes and all manner of pies."

"Sundaes and crumbles and mousses and cookies" Ryan added dreamily picking up the thread and opening wide for a lemon slice. "Black forest gateaus *mmmph* and jellies and ices."

Katie nodded enthusiastically. "More of everything," she agreed. "The tables, the fridge, the shelves will be overflowing with desserts!" She circled a finger around the now empty plate, accumulating jam and pushing it between his lips. He almost sucked it out of its socket.

"All for my darling husband's taste testing pleasure."

Finally releasing his wife's finger, Ryan sat staring straight ahead, as if looking directly through her core. He was sweating and panting heavily. In contrast to her own toned midriff, his enormous stomach pulsated with each breath, as huge and round as a medicine ball, and looking twice as heavy.

Eventually he lifted his gaze.

"Now, you say?"

Katie smiled.

"How does a quick-fire cherry trifle sound?"

And she was off to the kitchen once again, leaving her husband rubbing what he could reach of his monstrously stuffed yet somehow still hungry stomach.

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Smiling victoriously, Katie pulled down a carton of ready-to-pour Ambrosia custard and squeezed it into a bowl. With her other hand she rummaged in the cupboard for a box and then pulled it out, checking the label.

"Better make sure it's not the appetite stimulants again," she thought with a chuckle. "Who knew those things could be so potent!"

Having confirmed that the vial in her hand did indeed contain sleeping tablets, she tipped three into the custard, humming as she mixed. A few mouthfuls and he'd be out cold. A good thing too - she didn't think even his stomach could cope with much more food, however much he wanted it.

"Food." She smiled smugly, unwrapping a ready-made jelly and dropping it with a splat into the custard.

It never failed.

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[Author note: Thanks for reading. Please give me your thoughts. There's more to come here, and also more Fairmeadow soon - and lots of eating in both (burrp!) :).

Thanks for your patience, and I hope you enjoy!]