chapter 1

Lance lived in rural California, and unable to handle being locked up in his house during quarantine, he decided to take a stroll down the forest near his house. When he was traveling around the forest, he certainly didn’t expect to see an abandoned barn. The barn was covered in moss and vines, and it would have camouflaged really well with its surroundings if it weren’t for the barn’s bright red color. Without having anything else better to do, he decided to explore it. He noticed how beautifully it was crafted and wonderful its design was. The overgrown greenery only added to its beauty. As Lance continued to admire theban’s beauty, something unexpected happened.
“WHO GOES THERE?” Someone yelled.
Lance turned around and noticed an incredibly large man with overalls pointed a pitchfork in his direction. With a shocked expression, Lance raised his arms and said, “Yo, take it easy man. I don’t mean any harm. I was just walking around I bumped into this barn.”
He paused for a moment then smiled. He put his pitchfork down. “Sorry ‘bout that. You looked like my nephew Bryant from the back. I told that son of a bitch to never show his face around this barn again, and well, when I saw you, I almost lost it, thinking it was him!” He said. “So what brings you here?”
His mood shifted drastically, catching Lance off guard. “Uh, like I said, I was just taking a stroll when I happened to bump into this barn.”
“It’s a beauty, ain’t it? Built in 1870. Family farm. It’s been ages since I’ve last had company!”
“Well, it is really far from town,” Lance said.
“Would you like to come in? It’s almost lunch time!”
 “Ehh, I really shouldn’t. We’re in the middle of a quarantine and-“
“Screw that stupid quarantine. I haven’t stepped foot outside this barn for a dang long time. Ain’t no virus coming here. There’s nothing to worry about!”
Lance would have declined, but his stomach began to rumble quite a bit. He was short on cash and had to skip meals every now and then after being laid off. “Oh what the hell! Why not? Thanks for the invitation. I’m Lance by the way.”
“No need to act all formal with me, Lance. The name’s Ed. Nice to meet ya.” Ed was an incredibly large man. He easily weighed over 300 pounds. His face was very round, with a couple of chins. His overalls looked like they were ready to burst any second, too!
 Ed led Lance to the entrance of the barn, and from there, he took him to the kitchen. Ed saw a large array of sweets and delicacies: from burgers, to pizza, to cakes, to pies, and more! ‘No wonder this man weighs a ton,’ Lance thought.
“Take anything you like!” Ed said. “No need to feel shy or anything. I’ve got loads of food to spare! Hell, I’ve been packing on a lot of pounds lately, so it might be best if you eat it all, haha!” Ed laughed.
Ed was laughing, but Lance seriously wanted to take him up on that offer. Everything smelled so good, he had no idea where to start! “Thanks so much for all of this!”
 “Quit thanking me and start enjoying yourself!” Ed said.
“Hah, you don’t have to tell me twice!” Ed hadn’t eaten breakfast this morning, so he was starving! He started off eating two burgers and a slice of pizza. He quickly devoured his plate and then finished the rest of the pizza. He looked up and saw Ed scarfing down on an entire cake. For dessert, Lance took two slices of pie. After finishing it all, he was stuffed to the brim, but he still went to get another slice just because it tasted so incredible! By the time he finished, he let out a large belch. He noticed that Ed had finished his entire cake and had started eating his second. That guy really had an appetite!
“Wow, this food was amazing!” Lance said.
“I’m glad you liked it, bud!”
“I really should get going though. It’s been over an hour.”
“Leave whenever you’d like! You’re always welcome. It’s been a while since I’ve last had some company. Why don’t you swing on by tomorrow too?”
“That’d be amazing, yeah!”
“Sweet! And make sure to take some leftovers for dinner and dessert. If you leave all this food with me, I may just eat it all up!”
‘I don’t doubt that,’ I thought. Lance thanked him again and loaded up on food to take home. One his way out, he waved goodbye and headed home. This was a start to a nice, unforgettable friendship…