Left home alone to hand out candy on Halloween night, Darla expects a dull evening. After stuffing herself full of sweets, she discovers that the scariest thing of all might just be finding the courage to turn dreams into reality.
Candy Duty
A Halloween story by LJ Rock
Darla sat motionless on the sofa, watching as her parents shuffled about the house, getting ready to take her younger brother Jeff to a Halloween party. As she would be the only person home for the evening, Darla had been involuntarily placed on candy duty, greeting the young trick-or-treaters at the door. It wasn’t exactly her idea of a good time, but since she had ostensibly no social life and nothing better to do for the evening, she figured that she might as well hold down the fort.Candy Duty
A Halloween story by LJ Rock
"All of the candy is in the pantry," her mother said, smiling as she pointed toward the pantry. Darla dragged herself through the kitchen and over to the pantry, leaning against the doorframe. Her eyes widening as she glanced over at the pantry shelves, which were absolutely packed with candy. "Seriously? Mom, you bought way too much. I doubt we’ll get more than a handful of kids tonight!"
“Always better to have too much than not enough,” Darla’s mother said, something she was known to say frequently. In the back of her mind, Darla couldn’t help but think to herself that maybe her mother’s penchant for always having “more than enough” was a contributing factor to everyone in the household being more than just a little overweight.
She watched as her parents and her brother chaotically bolted out the front door, and then with a huff she dropped her plump behind down onto the couch, picking up the TV remote and mindlessly flipping through the channels. This wasn’t where she wanted to be; at twenty three, Darla was still living at home, working a job at a local department store that didn’t pay her nearly enough to give her any hope of being able to move out on her own. The only thing that made the job worth going to every morning was the time that she got to see Alex, the young and handsome delivery driver whom she’d developed a bit of a crush on over the last few months. At night she would dream about him, dreaming of the day that he would ask her out. “I doubt he even knows that I’m alive,” she said as she stared blankly at the TV screen, but only seeing his face. “A guy like Alex could have any girl he wanted. Why would he have any interest in some random fat chick from work?”
Darla settled deeper into the couch, watching an old black-and-white horror flick she’d seen a hundred times, laughing under her breath as a zombie staggered across the screen with all the grace of a sleepwalker. “Classic,” she muttered, rolling her eyes at the over-the-top shrieks and the goofy special effects. Every so often, the doorbell would ring, and she’d pull herself up, grabbing the candy bowl and handing out treats to the handful of kids who wandered up the driveway. As the night wore on, the trick-or-treaters thinned out, and she spent more and more time nestled in her favorite spot on the couch with the candy bowl balanced on her lap.
After a while, the bell stopped ringing altogether, and she was free to dig in without interruption. She popped a handful of candy into her mouth, grinning to herself. “Might as well,” she reasoned, glancing at the overstocked pantry in the kitchen. “There’s way too much candy here anyway. Mom won’t even notice.”
She leaned back, letting the eerie organ music of the horror movie drone on, unwrapping candy one piece after another, the pile of empty wrappers growing on the coffee table. Without really thinking about it, she found herself drifting back to the pantry, grabbing another armful of candy bags, and bringing them back to the couch like supplies for a long night of survival. Before she knew it, she was surrounded by a small fortress of candy, each piece disappearing into her mouth without much thought. She had fallen into an effortless rhythm, totally absorbed by the cheesy horror on the screen, laughing as some actor gave an exaggerated scream while her own quiet munching continued.
She was so absorbed, in fact, that she didn’t notice the soft, heavy fullness growing in her belly. Piece by piece, her stomach expanded under her loose sweater, pressing against the waistband of her jeans, but her eyes never left the screen. A giant insect creature flailed helplessly on the screen, and she laughed, not noticing the slight strain as her waistband hugged her rounding middle, snugger with every bite.
Hours had slipped by in a haze of candy wrappers and overdramatic black-and-white horror scenes, and Darla barely noticed the creeping tightness in her jeans until—pop! The button on her waistband shot off, ricocheting across the room and disappearing somewhere under the coffee table. She jolted, looking down at her protruding belly in astonishment.
“Holy cow!” she gasped, poking at the newly rounded expanse of her stomach with a mix of shock and disbelief. “Look at me! How in the hell did I get so fat all of a sudden?”
She let out a massive, unapologetic burp and carefully pushed herself off the couch, waddling over to the hallway mirror. Her eyes widened at her own reflection—she hadn’t even realized just how big she’d gotten through the evening of mindless munching. The candy wrappers scattered around the couch told the whole story.
“What have I done?” she whispered, turning a little to the side, as if to confirm the reality of her growing belly. “Did I really eat that much candy?”
Her eyes drifted back to the kitchen, her mind drifting to the unopened candy bags in the pantry. “Oh no,” she muttered to herself, pressing a hand against her stomach. “I shouldn’t… I really shouldn’t eat any more candy.”
Then as if her body were under the influence of some Halloween spell, her feet carried her toward the pantry without a second thought. The door creaked open, and suddenly, bags of candy tumbled out, piling around her feet in a sugary avalanche. She stared down at the abundance, her mouth practically watering despite her full stomach.
“Oh, I might as well,” she said with a smirk, giving in entirely. “I’ve come this far; why not let myself go and get even fatter?” With that, she dove back in, candy in hand, surrendering happily to her fate. “I’ve come this far, why not let myself go and get even fatter?”
Darla didn’t hold back this time. She tore through each candy bag with an urgency she could hardly explain, practically inhaling the treats as her body grew rounder and heavier with each sugary bite. Her belly expanded, pushing her sweater to its limits, and her thighs thickened until they pressed snugly against each other. She could feel herself swelling, her body getting softer, fuller, as she devoured everything in sight.
Finally, she tried to stand, but her legs wobbled beneath her. Her balance gave way, and with a loud thud, her oversized backside landed on the floor. She let out a groan, but couldn’t help laughing at her own predicament. "Guess I’m officially the Halloween pumpkin," she muttered, her hands instinctively cradling her massive, stuffed belly.
Minutes passed, and without realizing it, she found herself reaching for one last candy bag—only to realize she’d eaten every last piece in the pantry. Darla let out an enormous belch that seemed to echo through the kitchen. She sighed, licking her lips as she massaged her painfully full belly, feeling its weight pressing against her hands.
"Well," she said with a smirk, "I guess now that all the candy’s gone, at least I don’t have to worry about getting any bigger.”
Just as Darla was beginning to settle into her candy-induced haze, the doorbell rang, jolting her back to reality. She groaned, realizing she’d have to waddle over to the door and explain to the kids that there was no more candy left. Bracing herself, she struggled to get up off the floor, clutching her bloated stomach as she slowly made her way to the front door.
When she opened it, her heart nearly stopped.
Standing there, in a pizza delivery uniform and holding a stack of pizza boxes, was none other than Alex—the cute delivery guy from her job. Her eyes grew wide, her jaw fell wide open and her mouth went dry as she stood in the doorway with her giant belly hanging down to the ground, rendered completely speechless.
“Hey, Darla!” Alex greeted her with a warm smile, his eyes lighting up with recognition. “I didn’t know you lived here.”
Darla was too stunned to even respond. “He knows my name!” she thought to herself.
Alex went on, oblivious to her shock. “So, here’s the thing,” he said, holding up the pizzas. “Someone ordered a bunch of pizzas as a prank, but no one’s home at the address they gave me. I figured I’d swing by here—thought maybe you’d want some, so they don’t go to waste.”
Darla could only stare as he stepped inside, casually making his way to the kitchen and setting the stack of pizzas down on the table. It felt surreal, like she was still watching one of those corny movies.
“Dig in!” Alex said, grinning as he opened one of the boxes. “We can call it our first date.”
Darla’s head was spinning. “A date?” she thought. She could hardly believe what she was hearing. She shuffled over to the table, plopping down on a chair, and reached for a slice. “I… I didn’t even know you knew who I was, or that you knew my name,” she stammered, her cheeks flushing as she took a bite.
Alex gave her an easygoing smile, leaning against the counter. “How would you?” he said, teasingly. “You never talk to me. You know, I’m a lot nicer—and cooler—than you give me credit for.”
Darla took another bite of pizza, savoring the tangy tomato sauce and gooey cheese. She still felt like she was in a dream, sitting across from Alex in her own kitchen, eating pizza together. He leaned back against the counter, folding his arms as he started to talk, his voice warm and relaxed.
“Man, I can’t stand working as a delivery guy,” Alex said, shaking his head. “I mean, it’s fine for now, but someday I want more, you know? I want to run my own business, make enough money to live comfortably.” His eyes glimmered with a hopeful determination, and Darla found herself drawn in, hanging on his every word. “And I want to find a nice girl, get married. I’d spoil her, treat her like a queen,” he continued with a smile. “She’d never have to lift a finger—all she’d ever need to do is sit around the house and eat.”
Darla’s eyes widened as she swallowed another mouthful, barely pausing before shoving another slice into her mouth. The thought of Alex describing such a future—a future that sounded almost too perfect to be real—left her speechless for a moment. But curiosity got the best of her.
“You just want a wife who will eat?” she asked, her voice muffled by the pizza she was still chewing. She blinked, realizing how ridiculous the question might sound, but Alex’s expression didn’t change. If anything, he looked even more serious, his gaze locking onto hers.
“Yes,” he said matter-of-factly as he leaned forward and began rubbing affectionately Darla’s now enormous belly that seemed to be expanding by the second. “I love a woman with a big belly who really knows how to eat.”
Darla felt a jolt go through her, a mix of embarrassment, surprise, and an unexpected thrill. Her cheeks flushed pink as she met his eyes, suddenly aware of the way her own stuffed stomach pressed against the table.
The next thing Darla knew, she was sprawled out on the sofa with her enormous belly rising in the air like a mountain in front of her. Alex’s hands were warm and gentle as he massaged her aching stomach, easing the tension from her overindulgence. The sensation made her sigh with contentment.
“That feels so good,” she murmured, closing her eyes. “I never want this to end.”
Alex chuckled softly. “Well, everything comes to an end sooner or later,” he said, his voice low and reassuring,“but sometimes the end of one thing can be the beginning of something even better.”
Darla’s eyes fluttered open, curiosity sparking in their depths. “What do you mean by that?” she asked. Before he could answer, he leaned in, his face close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath. Her heart beat like a drum in anticipation of his kiss, something that she had longed for and dreamed of for so very long.
Just as their lips were about to touch, the sound of the front door slamming sent a jolt through her body, and her younger brother came dashing into the room. “Darla, we’re home!” her mother called from the hallway. Darla quickly sat up and took in her surroundings. The living room looked the same as it had all evening: dimly lit, with candy wrappers scattered around and the soft glow of the TV casting shadows on the walls, but there was no Alex, no pizzas, and her belly wasn’t nearly as massive as it had been a moment ago.
“It was a dream!” she whispered to herself, pressing a hand to her still-rounded, yet not-so-gigantic, stomach. A rush of relief and embarrassment flooded her as she pieced together what had just happened. As her family’s voices echoed through the house, she sat up straighter, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. Thinking back on the dream and the way Alex had looked at her, she felt a flicker of determination.
“Tomorrow,” she said softly to herself, “I’m going to make a point of talking to Alex at work. He might not end up being as cool as he was in my dream, but he probably is a lot cooler than I give him credit for.”
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