The Gypsy

 

By TR

 

Three days after returning from her honeymoon, Priscilla awoke with a voracious appetite. She managed to restrain herself and eat modestly (orange juice, a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee) until Andrew finished his breakfast and went to work, but after that she gorged herself (two more bowls of cereal, 6 waffles with butter and syrup, and half a pint of ice cream). And even after she was stuffed and couldn’t eat another bite, she felt impatient…she couldn’t wait until she had some more room and could eat even more. By the time Andrew returned that evening she’d put away a three hotdogs, a bag of potato chips, lots of pizza, several cokes, and another half-pint of ice cream.

Then Andrew took her out to dinner. She had salad, wine, steak, potatoes and pie for dessert. She went to bed painfully full, but woke up the next morning quite hungry.

            She knew something was dreadfully wrong. She went to see her doctor that very morning. He ran several tests, but they all came up negative. She was quite healthy.

 

            In desperation, she went to see her Aunt Clara, an eccentric old woman who claimed to be a sorceress. Priscilla had never believed her before, but in light of some things that had happened before the wedding, she was starting to re-evaluate her opinion.

            “Could this be the curse Andrew’s ex-wife was talking about?” she asked her aunt, after telling her about her appetite.

            Her aunt sighed.

            “Andrew’s ex-wife, with the Gypsy connections? What was her name?”

“Sylvia.”

“Didn’t Sylvia warn you, before you got married, that she’d had a curse placed on Andrew’s head? A curse that would pass to any woman he married?”

            “Yes.”

            “And I didn’t I do some checking, and…what was it I told you?”

            “Not to marry Andrew under any circumstances…but we were…we are in love Aunty! How could I listen to that crazy Gypsy stuff?”

            “But you’re ready to listen now, is that it?”

            “Well…do you think this is the curse or don’t you?”

            “Of course it’s the curse. It’s perfect. Anyone Andrew marries gets an enormous appetite, gets fat, Andrew dumps her, the ex-wife gets revenge…did Andrew happened to leave her because she got fat?”

            “No, not according to Andrew. Though she did gain weight after they got married. Maybe she thinks that’s the reason he left her.”

            “See? There’s no question. You’ve got a fat curse. You’re going to gain a lot of weight.”

            “But can’t you remove the curse?”

            “Not exactly…I might be able to fix things though. I’ll let you know.”

            “You’ll let me know? What do I do in the meantime?”

            “Just wait.”

            “But I’ve got to stop eating like this!”

            “You can’t fight a curse,” said her aunt, shrugging.

           

            Screw that, Priscilla told herself as she drove home, I’ll stop eating if I want to. So she stopped. At first it was merely difficult, but by that evening, the hunger pangs were incredible. When finally allowed herself to eat something, a modest dinner with Andrew, it was all she could do to keep from bolting her food.

            It didn’t get any better. She hardly got any sleep she was thinking about food so much. When she did sleep, she had the craziest dreams, all involving food. After Andrew left the next morning it got worse. She was having hallucinations. She felt she was going to lose her mind if she didn’t eat something. She went to McDonald’s drive-in window and ordered burgers, fries, shakes. It was all she could do to keep from leaping in the window and grabbing the food out of the attendant’s hands. She parked at the closet possible spot, started eating, and immediately felt much better.

            Afterwards she called her aunt and told her what was happening.

            “I’m going crazy, Aunty! What should I do?”

            “Like I said, you can’t fight it. It will only get worse.”

            “So can you fix it or not?”

            “Yes, the fix is in. It’ll take a little while to take effect, though.”

            “But I’m going crazy! I can’t wait a little while!”

            “It’ll be easier if you don’t fight it.”

“Can I at least put a curse on her head?”

“I don’t recommend it. Curses often backfire in strange ways. I hardly ever even cast them any more.”

“So what should I do?”

“Just relax. Eat what you want. Enjoy it.”

            “Enjoy it?”

            “Yes. Don’t you like eating?”

            “Like it? Are you kidding? I used to like it, now I love it! It’s practically all I think about…but I’ll get fat!”

            “Don’t worry about that. Just relax and eat all you want.”

           

            That was exactly what Priscilla felt like doing. She went right to the grocery store and filled a shopping cart with all the goodies she could think of. Then she went home and started eating.

            By incredible luck, Andrew had left for a business trip that morning and would be gone for a ten days. Hopefully her aunt’s fix would start working before she gained very much weight. But she wasn’t going to think about that anyway. Her aunt had told her not to worry, to eat what she wanted and to enjoy it. And she had learned the hard way not to ignore her aunt’s advice.

            It was easy advice to follow. The curse had caused food to taste incredibly good…now that she wasn’t worrying about it or fighting it, it was very enjoyable. She ate until she was quite full, then nibbled on snacks until bedtime. It was actually a lot of fun.

            It changed her life…she had never been a morning person, but now every morning she woke up with a fresh appetite. She practically sprang out of bed, eager with anticipation, thinking about all the fattening things she was going to eat that day.            One morning, after three or four days of this, she put on her jeans and winced—they were already getting very snug, weren’t they? I’m gaining weight already! Gloomily, she switched to her sweat pants. She didn’t feel like cooking, so she went to House of Pancakes for breakfast and ordered the Super Sampler (Eggs, hash-browns, French toast, waffles, and four kinds of pancakes). She felt much better as soon as she started eating. It was ironic—the only cure for weight anxiety seemed to be overeating…

 

            The day before Andrew was to return she called her aunt.

 

            “Aunty, when is this fix happening? I don’t feel a bit different. Except fatter.”

Her aunt laughed.

“Been eating well, have you?”

“Incredibly well. My appetite’s better than ever! I’ve gained eight pounds…that’s on top of the four I gained on my honeymoon…Andrew is going to freak!”

“But have you been enjoying it?”

“Well, yes. I think I’ll even miss this curse a little bit. But now I’m getting worried…how does this fix work, anyway?”

            “I can’t explain curses,” said her aunt.

            “Curses? You mean you made another curse?”

            “I can’t tell you about it. Just do what I tell you and everything will be okay.”

           

            When Andrew came back the following evening, she wore her baggiest sweat clothes…she didn’t want him to realize how fat she was until she explained it to him. When he walked in the door, she gave him a quick kiss. Before he could hug her she said.

            “I have to talk to you. Come with me.”

            She went to the dining room and had him sit opposite her, hoping the table would hide her chunky belly—all right, so it wasn’t all that chunky. Yet. But she felt very self-conscious about it.

“I have to talk to you, too,” Andrew said.  “There’s a problem.”

She suddenly noticed that he didn’t look very well.

            “Okay,” she said, alarmed. “Go ahead, you go first.”

“Well,” he said “The oddest thing has happened this last week…I’ve become sexually obsessed with…”

He hesitated.

“Another woman?” she asked.

“No, no. Not per se, anyway…I have to ask you something. Please don’t get angry...”

“What is it?”

“Well…for some reason, I just realized I really prefer larger women. Every time I see a chubby or fat woman walk by it takes my breath away. And I’ve had the strangest fantasies…anyway, is there any possible way you might consider…gaining some weight?”

Priscilla gaped, horrified. Was this was how her aunt had fixed things? She was still going to get fat, but Andrew would like it?

“I know it’s crazy,” said Andrew “And I still love you and everything…it’s just that I’m afraid we may have some problems sexually unless you’re willing to…”

“Hang on a second,” she said. She dashed out and went to the bedroom.

“But Priscilla…!”

“I’ll be right back!”

She called her aunt.

“Aunty, is this your great fix? You put a curse on Andrew so he likes fat girls now?”

“Like I said, I can’t tell you about it.”

“But that’s no fix! I don’t want to get fat!”

“There’s nothing anyone can do about that,” said her aunt gravely. “You’re going to get fat whatever you do. But look at the bright side. You can eat all you want, you don’t have to diet, you don’t have to feel guilty every time you have a fattening snack…it’s not your fault, it’s just how things are.”

Slowly, she put down the phone and returned to Andrew.

“How much do you want me to gain?” she asked.

            “You’re really considering it?” he was suddenly very excited.

            “Why not?” she sighed. As if she had a choice!         

“I’m not sure how much,” he said “I think just a few pounds might be okay…”

            “Actually, I’ve already gained some weight.”

            She went around the table and pushed her baby potbelly against him.

            “Can you tell?” she asked.

            Awestruck, he peeled back her sweat clothes and felt her belly.

            “Yes…that’s wonderful!” he said “But how…”

            But they were too busy kissing to talk further. He practically ripped off her clothes and had her right there on the dining room floor.

Andrew had always been a good lover, but there had always been a calm, almost clinical detachment in the way he proceeded; now he was doing it like a wild animal. The sex was incredible. She forgot all the self-consciousness she’d had about her weight.

When it was over, they lay together on the floor for a bit.

“That was fantastic!” he said “I’ve never had sex like that before…”

“Me neither,” she said.

“You’re so sexy…how much weight have you gained?”

            “Twelve pounds, since the wedding. Is that enough, or do you want some more?”

            “Oh please…how about another twelve pounds? Would you mind?”

            “I guess not…but what if I gained more than that?”

            The mere thought of that started him up again, and once again they were making love. It was a bit less frantic this time, longer, slower, and sweeter.

            “So what’s your final answer? How much should I gain?”

            “I don’t know.”  He seemed a bit pensive. They got up. She began getting dressed.

            “What I don’t understand is,” he said “why did you gain all this weight?”

            “Because of the.” she said.

            “What?”

            “Because there’s.”

            To her amazement, she couldn’t say anything about the curse…was that part of the curse? That you couldn’t tell anyone about it?

            “Because,” she sighed “I really like to eat.”

            “You mean you did that stereotypical wife thing? You kept your weight down until you got married, then said screw it, I’m eating all I want now?”

            “No, no…I can’t explain it. All I can tell you is, on the honeymoon, my appetite was unusually good, and then a few days after we got home it went through the roof. I couldn’t help it, I started eating everything in sight. I certainly didn’t plan this. It was a complete surprise.”

            “Interesting. So maybe you always had a really good appetite, but were subconsciously suppressing it, because you didn’t want to get fat. Then, somehow you subconsciously sensed the change in me and let your appetite assert itself…”

            “Gee, my subconscious sure has been busy…” she said.

            “Well, how else can you explain it?”

            “Well, what if.”

            “What if what?”

            She sighed. There was no way to tell him.

            “Maybe you’re right, I don’t know,” she said “All I know is I’m getting hungry.”

            “Oh! Well, let’s get you something to eat…”

            With amazing speed, he soon had a large spread of food set before her on the table. She began eating…to her amazement, the food tasted even better…now that she knew Andrew’s reaction to her extra weight there was a kind of erotic thrill to every fattening bite. 

            “So,” after she was comfortably full. “You want me to gain a minimum of twelve more pounds…”

            “Right,” he said.

            “So what’s the maximum?”

            “Oh…you might gain more? Oh, I’ve died and gone to heaven. I don’t know…how much do you want to gain?”

            “I don’t want to gain anything…but I do really love eating like this.”

            As she continued nibbling, he pulled up her sweat clothes again. He stroked and admired her swollen belly.

            “I don’t think I have a maximum,” he said “Don’t worry about it. Just eat all you want.”

            That was the same thing her aunt had said.

            It was starting to seem like really good advice…

                       

            The next morning, when she began to get up to make Andrew’s breakfast for him, he said:

            “No, you stay right there…I’m making you breakfast in bed.”

            As she waited, she pinched her pudgy belly and thought about how fat she was going to get. She sighed. She imagined herself continuing to eat and getting really big…

            “Are you sure want me to get fat?” she asked Andrew as he brought her breakfast in. It was a tray containing generous portions of cheese omelet, home fries with sour cream, sausage, French toast, and apple pie, plus coffee and orange juice.

            “What?” he asked.

            “Oh, never mind,” she said, digging in “it was a stupid question.”

            As usual, she forgot about her weight worries as soon as she started eating.

 

            One evening about two months later, as Priscilla got ready for bed, Andrew got her a snack. She was dressed only in her underwear. Andrew began spoon-feeding her some ice-cream.

            “Oh, look at that cute tummy,” he said.

She did. She’d gained 40 pounds since the wedding. Not only did her belly stick out, but it was already beginning to droop a little…when she sat with her legs together, it touched her thighs. Experimentally, she spread her legs. Her belly hung suspended several inches above the bedspread.

            “Remember those pictures we saw on the Internet?” she asked Andrew “Those women whose bellies rest on the bed when they sit like this?”

            “Yes,” said Andrew, grinning, giving her a big bite of ice cream.

            “Do you think my belly will be like that?”

            “Oh, I hope so…first it will probably grow until it sticks out to here…”

            He put his hand out about ten inches from her belly.

            “And it’ll get lower, and finally it’ll hit the bedspread about here…”

            He put his had at the edge of the bed, ridiculously far away.

            “You really want me that fat?” she asked.

            “Only if you want to.” he said quickly “Do you?”

            “Well, since it means I get to keep eating, I guess so.”

            “You know, we’re really pretty lucky this happened.”

            “You mean that I got this huge appetite at the same time you started preferring fat girls?”

            “Well, that, and also remember when we first got married? You were complaining because I didn’t want you to work?”

            Andrew was rather old-fashioned in some ways. Before they got married, he insisted she quit her job.

            “Yeah, I was afraid I’d get bored, staying home all the time.”

            “And I told you to get a hobby?”

            “Yeah, and I didn’t want a hobby…”

            “Well, it’s kind of like you have a hobby now.”

            It was true. Her food obsession was a lot like a hobby. She was never bored. Whenever she wasn’t eating, she was planning her next binge, choosing the most fattening delicacies she could find to inspire her appetite to new levels. And the weight gain…well, that was like keeping score. And Andrew’s reaction to her increasing plumpness…that was the prize.

 

Then about three weeks later, when Priscilla hit 180 pounds, her appetite started to flag. Every day she ate less and less, until she hardly ate any more than she had before the curse.

            She felt fine, but Andrew was concerned and had her see her doctor.

 

            “What did the doctor say?” he asked.

            “He says I’m fine. Except he’s alarmed that I’ve gained so much weight. He thinks I should go on a diet.”

            “But what did he say about your appetite?”

            “He couldn’t explain it. Of course he thinks it’s crazy that I’m concerned that it’s decreased.”

            “Oh, well.”

            “I’m sorry…you really wanted me fatter, didn’t you?”

            “Well, yes, but it’s not important.”

            “I’ll try to gain some more,” she said “I’ll just force myself.”

           

            But it didn’t work…she could gain a few pounds, but then she’d sick of eating, slack off, her weight would slip back to 180. Andrew was very nice about it, but she could tell it bothered him. He didn’t want to make love nearly as much. When they did, it was still very nice, but nothing like it had been when she was gaining.

            She missed it too… the extra weight bothered her more now that the solace of overeating was gone. And she was bored, now. She even contemplated going on a diet. Though, oddly, her appetite improved markedly every time she got down below 180 or so.

            One day at breakfast Andrew handed her a ticket.

            “Remember you were saying you wanted to go to Alaska, see the glaciers? This is a for a cruise that goes up there. And they have the most incredible food…I’m thinking it might stimulate your appetite.”

            “Wonderful! And we go tomorrow? Oh, that’s not much time…”

            “Uh…it’s just for you. I can’t go,” said Andrew apologetically.

            “But…I wanted us both to go…”

            “I know, I know, but there’s too much going on at work. I just can’t. Anyway, you’ve been kind of bored and listless lately, I think you need a change. You’ll come back refreshed.”

            “And fatter?”

            “There’s always a hope!”

 

            The cruise was fun, and she ate very well. She managed to gain five pounds. When she came back, Andrew was delighted and they had the best sex they’d had in a long time.

            She made an effort to eat, and for a while, she kept the new pounds on, even gaining a few more. But then they started to slip away, and when she weighed herself a few weeks later, she was back down to 180. Reluctantly, over breakfast, she told Andrew.

            “Yes, I noticed,” he said “But it’s okay. Anyway, who knows? Maybe your appetite will come back…hey, look at this. Remember my ex-wife Sylvia?”

            Boy, do I! She thought.

            “Apparently she’s been kidnapped.” He showed her the newspaper article he’d been reading.

            “Oh, how awful!” said Priscilla, reading the story. Apparently, Sylvia had been missing for almost a month. And now the kidnappers had sent a picture of her to the newspapers.

            “That’s strange,” said Priscilla as she read it “They don’t want a ransom yet…they just wanted everyone to know she’s all right.”

            “Anyway, they’re certainly feeding her well,” said Andrew “Take a look at that picture. She must have gained twenty pounds.”

            It was true. Sylvia did look heavier. Maybe someone threw a curse on her, thought Priscilla. It would serve her right.

                                   

A few weeks later, Priscilla took her aunt out to lunch. Clara watched with amusement as her plump niece put away two appetizers, soup, salad, a ham sandwich and dessert.

“I thought you said the curse had gone away.” she said.

“Oh, it’s back, didn’t I tell you? I’m eating more than ever!” said Priscilla happily. “It’s funny, I hated that curse at first, but when it went away for awhile, I really missed it!”

“How about Andrew?”

“Oh, he missed it even more than I did…hey, how come I can talk about the curse with you and not Andrew?”

“You can only talk about it to people who already know.”

“So…why would the curse stop and then return like that?”

“Well, maybe you’re just cursed to be fatter than someone else…that’s a common way to do it. How fat was Andrew’s ex?”

“Well…she was probably 30 pounds overweight when Andrew and I got married…”

“And then you gained 45 pounds, right? You stopped when you were fatter that she was.”

“And then…oh, that’s right! My appetite came back soon after I saw that picture of her in the paper, where she had gained weight. But she must have been fatter for some time by then. Why wouldn’t my appetite have returned sooner?”

“Because the curse is based on your knowledge. Your appetite returned not when she became fatter, but when you found out about it. That’s got to be it.”

“I see…so we’re both about 50 pounds overweight right now. If you’re right, I’ll gain another 15 pounds or so and then lose my appetite again.”

 “Most likely.”

 

Sure enough, Priscilla’s appetite remained excellent for another six weeks, at which time she reached 200 pounds and stopped gaining.

Andrew noticed almost immediately.

“Lose your appetite again?” he asked her one evening, after they went out to eat and she was barely able to finish two burgers, fries and a milkshake.

“I guess so,” she said “sorry.”

“That’s all right,” he said with a smile “at least you’re fat now.”

It was true. She was quite a bit bigger everywhere, from her sassy potbelly to her generous breasts, her widened hips, her chubby thighs, her protuberant buttocks. Getting up off of chairs, climbing steps, and getting in and out cars was starting to be a bit of a chore. She had started walking with a slight waddle. She had gone beyond plump and was definitely fat.

Still, even though her belly stuck out more than ever, and was an inch closer to touching the bed when she sat with her legs apart (Andrew had started measuring), she knew she wasn’t anywhere near as big as Andrew dreamed.

“But you want me fatter than this…”

“It’s not that important. Anyway, I’m sure your appetite will probably come back again. You know, like it did before.”

There was something a little peculiar about the way he said that. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but it made her wonder.

 

She thought about it some more the next morning, after Andrew had gone to work. Was he up to something? It was strange…he’d sent her on a cruise while he made modifications to his workshop in the basement…meanwhile, his ex-wife had disappeared…

She suddenly felt very uneasy. She went down to the basement and looked around. Suddenly something she’d only noticed subliminally before popped out at her: the basement was smaller. And it wasn’t just the increased clutter from the workshop that made it seem so. Then she noticed that the back wall of the basement, behind the workshop, was a slightly different shade than the other walls.

            She gasped. It was a false wall…

            She poked around. Finally, she found that it was fairly easy to push the bandsaw aside. It was on coasters and flush with the wall.

There was a door behind it.

            With a mixture of fear, horror, and curiosity, she opened the door…and there was Andrew’s ex-wife, reclining on a bed in a barred-off cell.

            “Sylvia!” she said.

            Sylvia turned. She seemed all right, though not very happy. A tube ran from her nose to a small machine just outside the cell.

            “Thank God! Turn it off!” said Sylvia, pointing to the machine “Please, turn it off…”

            “What is it?” asked Priscilla.

            “It’s a feeding machine…please turn it off, I’m so stuffed I’m going to explode!”

            Feeling sorry for her, Priscilla turned off the machine. Sylvia sighed with relief, rubbing her visibly swollen belly, which was poking out from beneath a snug t-shirt. Then she looked at Priscilla carefully.

            “Priscilla? Oh, that’s you, isn’t it! It worked…” she looked surprised.

            “The curse? Oh, yes, it worked very well, thank you. What’s going on here?”

            “You don’t know? Your husband is crazy. He kidnapped me and stuck me in here…now he force-feeds me…”

            The machine, Priscilla now noticed, was attached to a large tank full of a thick, chocolaty fluid.

            “What is that stuff?” she asked Sylvia.

            “Some kind of weight-gain drink. The tube goes all the way down to my stomach.”

            “Why don’t you just pull out the tube?”

            “That’s against the rules. If I break any of the rules, he turns off the lights and television and leaves me here in the dark until I agree to cooperate.”

            “That’s awful!”

            “I know! He’s a monster! I’ve gained so much weight!”

            She did look heavier, even heavier than the picture in the paper. Even heavier than Priscilla was right now…

            “How much do you weigh?” asked Priscilla, suddenly very interested.

            “I don’t know. Just get me out of here, won’t you?”

            “Maybe. I’m still trying to understand all this. Why do you say Andrew kidnapped you?”

            “He won’t tell me. He just fattens me up.”

            “And you have no idea why?”

            “Well…it might have something to do with the spell…I’m really sorry about that, by the way. I did try to warn you…anyway, does Andrew know about it?”

“I don’t think so. I couldn’t tell him.”

“I can’t either, but I think he figured it out somehow and he’s getting revenge. But by making me fatter he actually makes you fatter still, since you’re cursed to be fatter than me…I can’t tell him that, though, I can’t talk about the curse to him.”

“I think maybe he knows,” said Priscilla. She noticed that there was a scale in corner of the room.

            “But that doesn’t make any sense. Why would he want to make you fat?”

“I can’t say,” said Priscilla “Would you mind stepping on the scale?”

            “Can’t you just let me out?”

            “Like I said, I have to figure things out. Just step on the scale, I need to know how much you weigh.”

            “But this is atrocious!”

            “So is casting spells on people.”

            Groaning, Sylvia got up and went over to the scale. It showed 215 pounds. Suddenly Priscilla felt excited. Sylvia outweighed her by 15 pounds! And now that Priscilla knew this, her curse would kick in until she gained another 30 pounds or so! Her stomach rumbled--her appetite was already starting to return. Smiling, she turned to go, plans for a huge food binge forming in her mind.

            “Hey!” said Sylvia “Aren’t you forgetting something?”

            “Oh yes!” said Priscilla, turning around and switching the feeding machine back on. 30 pounds wasn’t nearly enough, after all.

            She quickly left the room and shut the door, admiring the way it completely muffled Sylvia’s screaming. She pushed the bandsaw back against the door, and, her mouth watering in anticipation, hurried up the stairs to the kitchen.