chapter 4

Lance moved in the following morning. The barn’s layout was quite small. The entrance was the tiny living room. There was a single couch and a coffee table in it. One difference was that there were bowls of snacks on every corner of the room. The kitchen was on the right; Lance was all too familiar with it. And on the right was the spare bedroom, where Lance would be staying. In his room, was a king sized bed and snacks loaded everywhere.
“I gotta make sure I’m a good host and never let my guest go hungry!” Ed laughed.
“You know me well,” Lance laughed. Lance had gained quite a bit of weight since he discovered this barn. As to be expected though, since all he has been doing since is eating food.
There were only two ground rules. One, as said before, Lance had to eat everything given to him. Two, Lance was restricted from going to the stable. They were only two, quite simple rules, which Lance agreed to.
Days were spent as they always have been. Ed would be cooking, and while he had nothing to do, he would spend time with Lance and ask him some questions, getting to know him a bit more.
“You really do have an insane appetite!” Ed said.
“Yeah, well, my Mom was a chef so I used to eat a lot just like this back home.”
“Oh, wow! So you’ve always been surrounded by good food, huh?”
“When you put it like that, yeah I guess I have!”
“Well, I hope your first lunch course will be just as good if not better than your Mom’s cooking.”
“First course?”
“I made quite a lot of food today. Whatever you eat, you eat, don’t sweat it if you don’t finish anything. The rest can be leftovers for dinner.”
From that day on, Ed started making more and more food. No matter where Lance looked, there was food and snacks waiting to be eaten… even in the bathroom!

Ed wasn’t kidding when he said Lance had to eat everything he was served. The first instance of that happening was the following day. Lance had a three course lunch and was absolutely stuffed from eating. After his meal, Ed said, “I’m gonna a be preparing a lot more food tonight cause a lot of my ingredients are gonna go bad soon. I hope that’s alright with you.” Lance, not wanting to be rude, agreed.
When dinnertime rolled around, Lance was greeted by a four course meal: hot dogs, burgers, pizza, and a sandwich with a side of some lemonade. He managed to impress even himself when he finished his meal, but when it came time for dessert, he was far too full.
“Uh, I really appreciate it, but I don’t think I can stomach another bite…”
“Funny… Wasn’t you that said there’s always room for dessert?” Ed laughed.
“Hah… you got me there!”
It was a dozen homemade doughnuts, half glaze, half chocolate.
Lance began to eat, but upon reaching his sixth doughnut, he couldn’t eat anymore.
“Done already? But you didn’t even touch the glazed ones!” Ed said.
“I know, but-“
“We had a deal, kiddo. Either you can stay at my barn and eat what I bring for you, or we can go back to way things used to be. What’s it gonna be?”
Lance groaned. “Fine… you win…” Lance managed to eat four of the remaining doughnuts, but struggled with the last two.
“Here, let me help ya, bud.” Ed said. He grabbed the remaining two and began to feed Lance, and surprisingly, he managed to eat the two swiftly. “There, that wasn’t so bad!” Ed said. “Now, I know I’ve given you a lot to eat today, but this is the last thing I’ve prepared for you. It’s a sample. Here’s a cookie. I wanna know if you like it or not.”
“Ed…”
“It’s only a small cookie, Lance. C’mon.” He fed him the cookie. As he started to chew it, his eyes widened with excitement. “Wow… this is… amazing! It looked like an ordinary chocolate chip cookie!”
“Ah, so you’re still underestimating my baking skills!” Ed exclaimed. “Alright, I’ve tortured you enough today. Dinner is over.”
“Do you think it’d be cool if I had another?” Lance asked.
“Ah, so now you’re hungry?” Ed asked. “I thought you might’ve said that. I left a bowl of them in your room.”
“Thanks!” Lance said. As he got up, his pants seam started to tear. “Yikes!” He exclaimed.
“It’s about time those gave in,” Ed laughed.
“Maybe I’m gonna lay off those cookies…” Lance laughed, once again embarrassed.
“Your call,” Ed said.

Lance sat in his room, surfing the web. He did his best so far to resist eating any of the delicious cookies Ed gave him, but every second he felt the urge to give in and eat a few. Lance just tore through his largest pair of jeans. It was a sign that her had really started getting bigger. He didn’t care too much. There was no scale at the barn, but he presumed he had gained 25 pounds max overall. It was a lot, yeah, but nowhere near a number that would cause Lance to be alarmed. After a while, though, the temptation surpassed his resistance. He ate a cookie and was reminded by its deliciousness. He forgot how stuffed he was; he was only concerned with the tastiness of the treat. In no time, he finished the bowl of cookies. He let out a strong belch, content with his post-feast snack and went to sleep.