Chapter 4 - part iv

Sarah let the bed catch her yet again, hurling herself casually onto the mattress had become her way of expressing frustration and fatigue. She was full to bursting of both, and a bit full of sweets too. Her roommate hit the nail on the head earlier when she declared that Sarah was letting herself go.

None of her initial pants or underwear still fit her anymore; her bras remained adequate for her slight bust, but naught else. Her shirts were starting to ride up and little glimpses of un-tanned, white skin peeked out at uncomfortable moments. Her face was softening in the most unnerving way, with a faint crease forming behind her cheeks and under her as yet petite chin. She felt like a rosy little German girl from her favorite fairytale... and that thought nearly drove her up the wall.

'I can't get heavy. I won't!' She said to herself, in whisper, in a private moment in her dorm.

A list of splendid, seemingly unattainable upperclassmen wafted through her imagination. A list of her perceived faults rattled off to counter the idea of having any of them. Mid-terms, essays, projects, and an avalanche of homework found a way to the surface of Sarah's mind and the slow, painful progress of all that work just depressed her.

As much as she hated the thought, she hoped quietly to dream of Gryselda and Gretel again...

... ... ...

In her dream Gretel is being pampered...

Gretel was in heaven. The week in the gingerbread house made her never want to leave for all the gold in China... so long as she could have all the sweets that Gryselda could bake. She felt so naughty! Her dress was actually getting tight on her, but every time Gretel fretted about her figure, she was met swiftly by a new and delightful confection.

'You just want me to get ploomp!' The young guest teased her host while half her mouth was full of chocolate-chip cookie. She was met with a swift, tender pinch on her rosy cheek.

'I just want you to stay forever, Gretel my darling little mouse. My cute little bunny. You're so sweet I could eat you all up with a spoon.' Said Gryselda while crinkling her nose.

Gretel slept on the softest, fluffiest bed and relaxed much of each day on voluminous pillows. The most work she did was to help cook fat chickens and make pastries, most of which found their way into her tummy in the end. Gryselda insisted that she treat her stay like the perfect vacation after all the troubles that sent her running through the woods in search of a new way of life.

Even so, a sliver of doubt entered Gretel's mind. This wasn't what she'd dreamed of when she left home and while being pampered like a prized pet by a beautiful woman was delightful, she felt little satisfaction of doing anything for herself. Her banter with her host notwithstanding, her dress was now snug on her frame and she felt some guilt at being heavier than she'd ever been before.

Gryselda begged her not to go, first in teasing and then in earnest. In the end, Gretel's mind was made up; she accepted one last night in all the tender care and promised to let Gryselda fatten her a bit more before her departure.

... ... ...

Upon waking...

Sarah glanced in irritation at the clock display; it was too late to call night and too early to be morning. She felt her still light chest rise and fall in a slow, deliberate, breathy pattern. She wiggled her hips and let her thighs rub together under the sheets. She was too tired to chastise herself, instead letting her palms and fingers find her figure the way her high school boyfriend used to, only now there was much more of her to find. Her previously overflowing sleep shirt now clung to her the way her regular shirts did anymore.

A long, quiet hour passed in self exploration and fantasy. The thought of even the most chaste touch from Gryselda made Sarah blush; the thought of her teasing and pampering made her want to whimper. Truthfully, she couldn't say what about these dreams excited her so or why this mad idea came to her in the first place, but for that one night she loved those thoughts.

In the morning, she was ashamed of her private thoughts. In the morning she could see that all of her shirts rode up to reveal a round, blushing belly. In the morning she knew what the next part of the dream would be... after all, in the fairy tale Gryselda was a witch who wanted to eat Gretel.