Chapter 4 - I don't want to stop myself

Two hours had passed since Gretels feeding frenzy. Hansel had helped her up, aided her to the bedroom upstairs and laid her on a king sized bed of marshmallow to let her sleep off her overload of calories. She was out as soon as her head hit the pillow. Hansel knew he couldn't leave her like that so he removed her clothes to pull the blanket over her. He stopped however when he got her shirt off, now able to see her expanded mid section in its entirety.

He reached out to touch it as he had before. However, this time he was more aware, but his feelings were just as strong. He gently rubbed and pinched at the skin of her belly noticing it was much less tight than before but still firm underneath.

"She can't have started to digest all that already." He muttered, fondling Gretels new layer of softness.

He lost track of time exploring this new layer of his girlfriend and could have lost more if not for the sound of the gingerbread cuckoo clock above the bed alerting him it was now midnight. He pulled his hand back as Gretel stirred and began to rub her stomach with a weery grin spreading across her face while she slept.

"Something odd is going on here" He said standing up determined to explore and find out what.

The house was equipped with everything anyone could need in a normal house. The bathroom was almost as typical as a room made of food could be but a dial on the wall stood out to Hansel. On closer inspection it became clear that this dial had two parts to it. The rim rotated to select which tap was being changed be it the bath, bathroom sink or kitchen sink. The dial itself was surrounded by names and accompanying images of various liquids one could eat or drink. Including water, soda, honey, beer and a plethora of others.

"Well I guess we won't be going thirsty anytime soon" Hansel said to himself choosing soda to come out the bathroom sink. He grabbed a glass from next to the sink, noticing it to be made of real glass, and held it under that tap filling it with soda. He took a sip.

"It's ok." He shrugged.

The rest of his exploration revealed little of note other than things such as cuttlery and necessary objects, like clothing left in the wardrobes, were made of their usual materials. He finally reached the kitchen, thinking it redundant in a house made of food. However he didn't look around as his intrigue had been captured by a large leatherbound book on a podium in the center of the room.

"Well there's only one thing to do."

He opened the book revealing a mass of blank pages, he flicked through each page with each being as bland as the last until reaching the centre where a lonesome few lines read:

They who first taste the fruit of this dwelling shall taste naught else ever again. The dwelling shall be theirs at the cost of a desire to consume, a greed growing stronger the more they wish to leave.

"Oh dear". Hansel realised what these words meant evidenced through Gretels previous actions. He ran back to the bedoom with panic in his throat, he had to get her away from here before she was trapped forever if not already too late. Hansel stopped with his hand on the door handle, he could hear the familiar stifled moans of a pleased mouth full.

"Gretel." He called through the door.

No answer, as he expected. He knew he had to go in there and stop her but thoughts of her swollen stomach swelling further with whatever she was forcing into herself in that room flooded his mind. He knew he shouldn't feel this way but he couldn't help it. Something was happening to him as well.

He opened the door determined to stop her from whatever she was doing however he could. He looked up to see Gretel awake and kneeling on the bed, ravenous eyes fixed on half a marshmallow pillow held before her chewing mouth.