chapter 5

The next morning Hans awoke earlier than he was used to. The night before at the stroke of 8:00pm, an evening dessert bar had arrived courtesy of magic, and he had sampled all sorts of delicious cream-filled snacks. There were also some lovely finger sandwiches and a dense chocolate cake, of which both the boys had indulged several lovely large slices. After such a heavy day of eating, they had both fallen fast asleep on the large and comfortable bed, their stomachs full to bursting.

After talking about it the night before, Hans and Greg had decided that they had no choice but to simply eat as much as they could and hope that their bodies somehow added on the necessary extra pounds. Neither of them had ever been remotely close to overweight, or even a bit pudgy, but they figured that the magical house would let them put on a few pounds and then let them escape. Both openly harbored skepticism that they would ever become fat as a result of their enormous meals.

Despite the heavy meals the day before, Hans felt surprisingly hungry. He didn’t feel any heavier, and looking in the ancient mirror standing in the corner, he was both relieved and disappointed that he looked quite like his normal self.

That morning, an astounding amount of food appeared for their breakfast. Large golden pancakes, dripping with butter rose in stacks on the table. Piles of perfectly crisped bacon, sizzling slightly as though it had come straight from the frying pan were heaped on platters around them. More extra-creamy milk arrived, and the boys filled their empty stomachs.

Hans and Greg quickly learned the pattern of the meals. As the riddle promised, meals appeared six times a day with feasts that were indeed “bounteous and plentiful.” At 8:00am was their first breakfast, followed by a mid-morning meal at 10:00am, followed by their first lunch at noon. At 2:00pm, they received a late lunch, followed by a dinner of colossal portions at 5:00. To round off the day, at 8:00pm they were sent a dessert buffet and a “light” evening meal.