A Giant's Cook - Chapter 9 (second and final part)

A Giant’s cook

Written & illustrated by Frenchfeeder

IX. The floating belly of dreams

“The Giant’s alive !”

“And he’s WELL-FED !!!”

“He’s HUGE...”

  Their excitement was immediately communicated to the group. Mark could not be happier right now. His friend had not been killed. And apparently he was still eating well... That last thought brought a different kind of smile to his face.

  Even with people talking and dancing around him, he could remember how he had slept on top of the Giant’s soft, full belly – being gently nursed into sleep...

  That was the happiest time of his life. Now there was a chance that he could go back to it – and with an even larger, fatter Giant ?

“That’s it ! We’re going !”

“Where ?”

“To the Giant ! We will set him free.”

“But... How ?”

  Mark considered their situation. The only way he could get to Burgstijn was with an army – a real one. He didn’t have enough equipment, and Stockytown would certainly refuse to help him.

“Easy ! We will take over Stockytown.”

  That was a crazy decision, but Mark had a hunch that the false rumors spread by the peasants could become much more helpful than he had thought. Going back to the next village on their way to Stockytown, Mark had a long talk with the peasants, explaining them how they should announce that the Boar was on his way back, with the largest treasure ever seen.

  In the morning, Mark didn’t just leave with his friends, but with ten young men carrying weapons. They wouldn’t go straight to Stockytown – quite the opposite : from one village to another village, gathering more men, more weapons, horses and equipment – organizing the revolution in Pancia to give Stockytown a taste of its own medicine...

  After a few days, the news had reached the merchant’s council : The Boar had succeeded, the baron’s treasure was theirs. Everyone in town was deliriously happy. They fired canons to celebrate, and bells kept ringing for the whole day.

  Mark smiled when he heard about it. He would probably meet little resistance...

  In Sacka-Graez, King Matti received some different kind of news. It seemed that nothing good would ever come from the North... The knights and monks he had sent to what once was Pohr-Kerwann had only returned with a message.

“What is in this message ?”

“It’s not really important, but the man who sent it to you...”

“What does it say ?” King Matti asked, a bit impatiently.

“Well... Buzz off !”

“That’s their message ?”

“Yes.”

“All of it ?”

“Yes...”

“Okay !” King Matti sighed. “Who are these people ?”

  After the destruction of Pohr-Kerwann Abbey, and the death of all the Heaven-Rending knights, all the rebels in the land had come together and found – to their own surprise – that they were able to walk again. Their days of torture were long gone, and they had managed to lose enough weight to stand, and walk. For a few of them, they would soon be able to ride horses again.

  These men had spent the last few years at home, after being sent back to their families so grotesquely obese that everyone thought they would never work or threaten anyone ever again...

  The knights had been wrong about them. These men were determined. They had been lying in bed for years, but with the help of their wives and children, or with the help of their friends and boyfriends, they had kept exercising their legs and arms, even their backs and chests. Then, with a large range of creative sex games, they had brought strength back to their hips and thighs.

  As a sign of rebellion, they had also let their beards grow, so they were proudly hairy. Once the abbey of Pohr-Kerwann had disappeared, they grabbed the last weapons available to them : a few pikes lying around the ruins. And now they called themselves “hairy pikers”...

  For the last few weeks, they had been attacking monks, stealing their gold, and food. Now they were coming closer to the holy monastery.

“Never a moment of peace...” the monks would cry out, munching on their thick waffles, full of jam and buttercream.

“Never a dull moment !” Matti thought, still very much an adventurer at heart.

  He sent his monks on another mission. They would find these hairy pikers, and let them win some kind of minor battle in a small abbey – then he would send them to O’Baybib.

  King Matti had not lost all hopes to save his monks – even the ones who were asleep for years and years, even centuries – even the ones who were currently forcefed into immobility...

  Now those hairy pikers held a grudge against the power he represented. But they were good-natured too, loving their food and enjoying themselves. They would be easily lured into believing that they were the heroes of this new age, singing happily on the Abbey Road...

  King Matti knew a lot about those men. He had seen how they behaved in the North. After pillaging a small monastery which had offered almost no resistance – following the king’s orders – the hairy pikers met a group of well-mounted monks who presented their master’s greetings.

“Which of you hairy heroes is the leader ?”

“Here’s our chief, Pat.”

“All hails to the chief !”

  A handsome young man approached on his horse.

“Hail to you, chief.”

“Name’s Pat.” The man said with a cheerful smile.

“Why Pat ?”

“Because I have the largest belly.”

  And he proudly patted his soft side.

“How did you become their chief ?”

“Because I have the largest belly !”

  All the hairy pikers cheered behind him.

“Do you mean to say that you speak for King Matthias ?”

“We do. He is offering you to become his officers.”

“What ? To attack Burgstijn ?”

“We thought he was king in Burgstijn as well as Sacka-Graez !”

“He is”, The monk tried to argue with these hot-blooded men. “And he has abolished slavery in both lands. You are free now.”

“We know we are !”

“We have won our freedom with our blood !”

“And guts !”

“Yeah... mostly with our guts...”

  The monk sent by the King was patient. He let these men laugh and rub their bellies proudly. They were dirty with sweat and dust, but there was something quite attractive about them too.

“Now the king offers you to set your brothers free.”

“Our brothers ? Who ?”

“The monks in O’Baybib. They are in great danger.”

“Danger ? In Paradise ? That’s unheard of...”

  Pat was considering the offer.

“What will be our reward if we accept ?”

“If you set them free, then this Paradise will be yours. Entirely yours !”

  That was enough to convince them. King Matti’s monks waved at the “hairy pikers” as they charged to celebrate their victory – and their future fights...

  This was actually a victory for Sacka-Graez. The monastery kept quiet about it, which was the more positive attitude.

  It helped King Matti go through the rest of what he had to learn about the Ceremony in O’Baybib. According to the soldiers and monks in charge of feeding the Giant, no less than a thousand and eight hundred “meat pies” were pushed down his throat, every day.

“Every day ?”

“That’s what our messengers say.”

“And...” King Matti hesitated. “How does the Giant... take all this ?”

“Oh, he seems to be taking it really well... He certainly EATS all of it really well !”

  This was probably what Matti feared the most. Once again, the Giant didn’t resist at all. He kept on eating, and eating – and eating... Only now, they weren’t feeding him any kind of fattening food, but the most dangerously fattening food of all – enormously obese, sleeping angel pies...

“And... I suppose that he is getting fatter, as a result ?”

“That’s the best news of all ! According to the last measurements ordered by Burgstijn-at-the-Seams, the Giant has not grown... too much taller during this last month. He is only 3500 feet tall, now. But he has grown incomparably larger and rounder !”

  Now this was sad news. The Giant was definitely doomed. Matti couldn’t help a sigh, but he managed to turn it into a belch, so no one around him would be asking questions.

“And so, he is no longer aggressive. He is no longer a threat.”

“Well...”

  There was no doubt that the Giant was completely happy and satisfied with his new diet. Every now and then, soldiers could hear a long, low moan of pleasure, or a little belch echoing through his feeding tube and funnel.

“Let’s just say that his gluttony is... spreading.”

  The Giant’s new diet had more consequences than anyone expected. According to most reports, the after-effects were even more remarkable around the beast than on his constantly growing body.

  For starters, Burgstijn had to name a new general every week, and new officers every other week. They were facing a shortage of able-bodied men who weighed less than 600lbs... Soldiers were told to hold to their positions, but it was highly unlikely that they could even be moved from where they were currently standing – or rather, sitting... or, truth be told, lying on the ground.

“Are they eating food meant for the Giant ?”

“Not at all. Only fruits and vegetables. But it seems that even fruits are fattening them up, these days... Or that milk turns to butter cream as they drink it !”

“Only... fruits and vegetables ?”

“That’s what I heard. And every soldier still puts on at least 5 pounds every day – every day... They keep outgrowing their uniforms ! Even their skin always looks stretched out and ready to give...”

“So they stuff themselves full ?”

“No, I've seen them . Their skin stays soft and they are sweating a lot... But there is so much lard accumulating under the surface, padding their bellies more and more... Most soldiers look like they are going to burst like fried sausages under the Sun !”

  This was the really alarming news. New phenomenon like this kept happening all around the Giant’s lying body. Even as the beast would sweat, every man in the country would become insanely incensed by such manly, beastly scent...

  All the soldiers in the South and all the peasants were horny, young and old. The younger boys, still able to move a bit more than their more mature friends, kept leading an incredibly active and hungry sex life. Some had multiple partners every night. Some had boyfriends. A few soldiers even had only one boyfriend...

  Nights and days were still an issue around the Giant. All men would lay down and rest during the day, after such long nights or orgy, staring at the sky – just like the Giant ! – hungry and waiting... And no matter how little they ate, their bodies kept blowing and growing like balloons !

  Only a few months after they had started funnel-feeding the Giant, the whole army of Burgstijn-at-the-Seams was reduced to immobility...

  In Stockytown, the council was ready to welcome the Boar as he was only a day away from his hometown. An appropriate feast was prepared for him – a big meal worthy of a hero and a King ! – meant only for him. No one in the council would even approach the table.

“Are you absolutely sure about those spices ?”

“We have tested those in the past, and they worked fine. They will disguise any taste and the Boar will eat everything !”

“All right. And you are also sure about the poison ?”

  In the morning, the Boar could be seen approaching with a large retinue and a whole army of well-fed, strong men. Looking at the troops from the city walls, members of the council expressed their pride and joy as there were also a great number of huge coffers and chests being carried on horses.

“And look at all those flags ! We have truly been blessed with victory !”

  To their surprise, they noticed that the men from the Boar’s army were not going straight to the gate, but spreading all around the walls, at a safe distance.

“What are they doing now ?”

“They are... surrounding us ?”

“Where is the Boar ?”

“Over there, on his horse...”

  It was hard to tell what his intentions were, as all the noble men were looking straight at him with long glasses. He seemed determined not to move any closer.

“All right. Something is clearly wrong here !”

“Doesn’t he trust us ?”

“No. I’m sure that he’s playing one of his tricks right now !”

“Ungrateful bastard...”

  They had to take a decision, so they went to eat lunch.

  Decisions were not exactly their strong point. They had agreed to be appointed masters of Stockytown, and they enjoyed being revered and pampered, but they had never expected to really be in charge of anything.

  By the time they had chosen one of them to be sent to the Boar, the whole city was under serious threat of a siege.

“You go, Troy. We trust that you will reason with that... thick head.”

  Troy reluctantly went to meet the Boar, addressing him praise and thanks. He was disappointed from the start, not being allowed to see their hero. He could only talk to him from behind a veil.

“We have arranged great celebration in your honor. What else could you possibly want ?”

“I want the council to surrender its power to me, as I am now commanding all our armed forces. I am Conqueror of Kastel, Devourer of Pancia ! You will crown me as master of Stockytown, and King of all Eastern Earth !”

  This was hardly a surprise for any member in council, as Troy explained the Boar’s conditions to them. They should never have trusted him...

“What do we do, then ? He seems serious about keeping us under siege.”

“And he’s stupid enough to make it go on for weeks...”

“Pig-headed Boar ! He will learn who are the masters in Stockytown !”

“What do you mean ?”

“We have lots of food in the city. And he is NOT the patient kind ! We will see !”

“So you think we should... do nothing ?”

“Well... We can do that.”

“That’s really the best we can do.”

  The council sent Troy back, in full ceremonial gown with a big collar of gold with precious stones, carrying a message to the Boar. They asked him to sleep on it – for lack of another term, closer to their own opinion. They would come to a decision after giving it their full attention.

“Are you confident that they will fall for it ?”

“They have already fallen for it.”

  Mark had reasons to trust his own instincts, in this case. In his contempt for all those noble men who had once sent him to be hanged, he saw right through them. He had played his part well for that boy Troy. These requests were exactly what the Boar had in mind. And after so many nights being stuffed silly with food while that cruel Devourer kept singing his own praise, Mark had learned a lesson. He could talk and sound just like the Boar – completely fooling everyone...

  The next day went on with no noticeable event. Mark had given orders so that his men would cook great meals in front of the walls, sharpening their opponents’ appetite as they ate well and sang late into the night.

  Then the gates opened again, and Troy came back with another message. The council was ready to negotiate.

“But we need something to sweeten the pot here.”

  Troy had been sent on a pretty difficult mission. It was never easy to talk to the Boar, and they had little choice right now.

  To his surprise, the Boar accepted to meet them half-way.

“I will give you half the treasure I have brought back from the baron’s castle, if you open the gates and come outside, you and all the members of the council, to escort me as my lackeys !”

  The noble men were outraged at the thought of being humiliated that way, but they thought that they could outsmart the Boar.

“We accept ! Your men can bring the treasure to the palace !”

  There was so much gold to be transported that the operation took all day. When the last carriage was inside the city, guards quickly closed the gates.

“We have half your treasure now !”

“It feels like we have taken more than half of it...” someone commented, but the whole council was now on the main wall, addressing the Boar and mocking him.

“You can come in when you agree to bow and grovel before us !”

  They all laughed out loud. Then they heard more laughter behind them, in the city. There were blows and clashes, agitation and growing noise in the palace...

“What is this ?”

  The palace looked like there was a huge banquet, with thousands of torches at every window. Then a great number of soldiers came out, who had certainly not been invited to the feast. They attacked people in the streets, forced them to stand on their knees with their hands behind their heads...

“Who are these soldiers ?”

“They’re ours... but what are they doing ?”

  The truth dawned upon them as the night went ablaze with many more torches, and towers exploded on the strong walls – nearby – in the distance – everywhere...

  All the chests and coffers carried inside the palace were empty. Only a soldier was hiding inside each and everyone of them ! Now they were spreading around town, causing much damage and disorder...

“We have been cheated !”

“Oh well done, Troy...”

  As the Sun was rising over the green fields around Stockytown, and over the great columns of smoke covering its main buildings, now in ruins, the gates were opened again. Mark approached. Troy had been more reasonable than his friends in the council.

“You have defeated us. We surrender...”

  Mark was given the keys to Stockytown after less than two days under siege... He finally had the power to fight Burgstijn and save his friend !

“We have to save the Giant ! Then we can save ourselves !”

 

  In Sacka-Graez, King Matti was trying to convince his monks. He had not told anyone about what really happened in O’Baybib. As Holy Father, it was his duty to protect all the monks, who had always been his friends. Sending rebels like the hairy pikers on some mission far away from their own monastery felt like a good decision – but to launch an attack on their celebrated Paradise ? They could not understand it.

“Why should we give O’Baybib to those guys ?”

“They are not even monks !”

“And our brothers in Paradise are doing a GREAT job with the Giant !”

“He is finally getting nice and fat !”

  Matti felt concerned as he watched his friends lick their lips at the mention of the very porked up giant. Something told him that the knights in O’Baybib had let them believe that they would feast on the beast’s well-fattened, well-marbled meat once everything was over.

“Listen to me, he’s a Giant. Not a pig...”

“He’s just a bigger pig. What’s the difference ?”

“We shouldn’t harrass him like that. All that food is probably hurting him.”

“Well... No harm, no ham. So what ?”

  King Matti couldn’t take any more of this.

“IT’S A TRAP !”

  The King had literally shouted those words under the vaults of his chamber. Everyone was startled, which sent shivers to their soft, quivering bodies.

“What trap is it ?”

“What is a trap ?”

“All this ! Nothing you have been told is really true.”

“Then what is ?”

  King Matti managed to rise from his chair.

“In this world, it is no longer “eat or be eaten”. We are turning this into “eat then be eaten” !”

“So we...”

“Yes ! You, and me, and all of us ! If you let these dark monks in O’Baybib take over, we will become so fat and large that we end up as Giant’s food !”

  Pat and his group of hairy pikers had reached O’Baybib. They were ready to attack, push the cherubs out and take their place. They were welcomed by a few tall, dark knights on horses, guarding the gates of Paradise.

“We have been waiting for you.”

“Is that so ? Well, then... Are you ready for this ?”

  Pat struck the first guard with his spear, but the knight was more agile than expected and he avoided it. Then he took his sword and threw another to Pat.

“We are prepared for this. This will be a single fight. You or me. One single blow. The first man who bleeds will be cast away from this Paradise forever. If you win, you and your friends will be cherubs and masters here...”

“That works fine for me ! Draw your sword !”

  Pat and the tall knight dismounted and faced each other on the field.

  It was a rather short fight. Both opponents were very skilled with swords, and blows were exchanged with masterful energy and speed. Then Pat found the perfect opportunity when the knight got closer with his guard only slightly down. A single blow, as promised. The tall man-at-arms fell to his knees, with a large cut on the side of his ribcage. It was no mortal wound, but he had lost the fight.

“You have won...” He gracefully admitted.

“I have !” Pat roared, beaming with pride. “Open the gates before us !”

“Yes, master...”

  The whole group of hairy pikers followed as they entered the garden. Then they were treated with a long, warm bath, massages with oil and sweet perfumes...

“They don’t call it Paradise for nothing !” one of the pikers commented, as he was fed cupcakes with the most delicious frosting. Man servants kept coming and going, tending to all their needs and wishes.

“Where are the cherubs ?” Pat asked after a moment.

“You have won the fight. You have taken their place...”

“So you mean to say that... they are gone ?”

“Yes, master. They are gone.”

  The next morning, and for the next two weeks, the Giant was fed two thousand pies every day. Soldiers around the beast were amazed by this. They had built a strong and complex device to lift those terribly heavy meat pies to the top of their feeding tower, as they could no longer carry any load. The thinnest boy in Burgstijn army had recently been weighed at an almost immobile 800lbs. The fattest boy, a commanding officer, was well over the capacity of their scales, and all his comrades kept growing bigger just like him...

“BUUUUUURRRRP !!!”

  After those two weeks, Pat’s weight had also more than doubled, and he could hardly move from the pool where he was treated like a King. He had never eaten so well : All the foods he was served were too delicious to resist. Then he had never eaten so much – not even when the Heaven-Rending Knights had been torturing him in Pohr-Kerwann !

“Now That’s what I call Paradise...”

  All his men had also grown immensely obese – even more than him, for a few of them. But they were no longer fighters, or pikers. They had found the perfect haven of happiness. They were cherubs now...

“Time for another feeding, cherubs !” their guard called, bringing huge platters of cream-filled pastries and sweets.

  Pat had been a bit reluctant to be fed, at first. He still associated it with being tortured. At least he was not restrained now. One guard would feed him while another rubbed his belly with oils, both soaking in that warm bath.

“Open your mouth a bit wider, Patty...”

“Don’t call me Patty ! It’s Pat.”

“Yes, master Pat.”

“No master either. Just Pat. Keep it simple. Keep my belly rubbed...”

  And the guard stuffed his mouth full of pastries. Then all the new cherubs were filled with beer from a large bong with a hand pump. Then they were ready for a long massage and nap...

  That would be their life, from now on, in Paradise – until they would be ready for the Ceremony and their “holy revelation” !

“I should have known...”

  King Matti contemplated his failure as he read the message from O’Baybib.

“We have only considered rebellion in the North when the real threat was in the South, among our very own men. There was never any trouble spreading over our land. It was in our hearts from the start...”

  Matti had to muster some courage so he would not cry, at this point.

  The Giant kept growing fatter. His mere presence in the South seemed to cause chaos. Burgstijn could not prevent it any more than they could find a cure. The Boar had conquered Kastel after devouring Pancia. Now he was back in Stockytown, and ready to attack his allies in Burgstijn. Then the dark monks and knights in O’Baybib were prepared to deep fry their world, roast all Mittel Earth and feed it to the Giant !

“That’s it. The Giant is our last hope, our only hope...”

  Then, in the middle of the night, while all his monks were sleeping, enjoying their own comfort or their brothers’ ample, sensual bodies, King Matti went back to work on his own project...

  He didn’t know about Mark’s victory. Messengers were still confused about the most recent events in Stockytown. It was hard to figure anything out, when even the council of the most honorable Merchant’s Guild no longer responded...

“I recognize this tower... We are at the border now !”

  Mark had gathered all the forces available in Stockytown under his command.

  The first days of mayhem after his victory over the council had been replaced by a time of uncertainty and stupor. There had been no violence, at least. Most people had simply slept through it. Mark was recognized as the new ruler in all the East. Holding to his previous promises to the peasants, he had set everyone free and suppressed the privileges and unfair taxes that the council had kept on collecting.

  The army, the industry and all commercial activities were still chaotic, but since they had always been a mess, only well-experienced experts noticed any change. Now Mark was able to organize the economy with those men, keeping them only as advisors. And he had more than twenty thousand able-bodied men in arms, ready to follow him anywhere – ready to save the Giant !

 

“According to some fishermen who have just come back from Browken-Beldt, the blonde beast is now 6000 feet tall ! And he’s even larger than he is tall !”

  Mark took a moment to try and picture his friend, so huge and so fat... What if he didn’t even recognize him ? Could it be too late already ?

“We have to hurry...” 

  The leader of the dark monks in O’Baybib was rubbing his hands.

“Yes ! We have to feed those rebellious boys faster...”

“They are growing nice and full of lard... There is no rush.”

“Oh but there is ! We are getting to the end of our supplies in meat.”

“Already ?”

“Three thousand pies, every day ! This greedy beast is more resistant than even our prophet had announced...”

“And it is no secret that he is getting closer and closer !”

“This makes the trip to his hungry mouth a lot shorter !”

  All the knights grinned and laughed. They enjoyed force-feeding that giant boy so much !

“We want to feed him four thousand pies tomorrow...”

“Then five thousands as soon as possible !”

“So we have to hurry up, feed our cherubs as fast a we can !”

“And get new... cherubs to replace these.”

  The new cherubs in Paradise had grown remarkably. Pat was actually one of the thinner boys, and he weighed almost a full thousand pounds of buttery meat...

“Time for another good feeding, boys !”

“BUUUURRRRRP !!!”

“Ooof... We have barely stopped eating. I’m still FULL !”

“There’s no such thing. Open wide, Patty...”

“I told you before... Just Pat.”

“All right. Now eat !”

  For the first time since they had been welcomed in O’Baybib, all the men were force-fed non stop for a long time, starting in the early evening to end late in the morning. Pat was exhausted, and so engorged that it was a bit... painful.

  Maybe pain was all he needed to get back to his senses.

  He suddenly noticed that all his friends were enormously round and obese. All those guards around them were not serving anyone – they behaved like farmers tending to a group of hogs... fattening them up for the slaughter !

  Then three of them were now helping the fattest boy in the room to get up, and they looked ready to take him to some other place...

“Where are they going ?”

“Your friend has grown really well. He should rest and eat in his own chamber now. Don’t worry about it, Patty...”

“Stop calling me Patty ! And stop stuffing my face ! I can’t eat another bite...”

“Look around you. You’re all here to eat... Now EAT !”

  All the boys were forced to eat and eat – until they would be so fat that they would be rolled out... and what would happen to them ?

“BUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRP !”

“See ?” The guard commented with a wicked grin. “You should enjoy yourself, just like your friend here...”

“Why ?”

“Why ! Now that’s not a question for a cherub... Just keep eating !”

“I won’t unless you tell me what’s going to happen !”

  The guard only paused for a moment. His voice sounded a lot more threatening and more masculine than ever...

“You will EAT... and EAT, just because I brought food for you and I told you to eat. Then you will reach a good weight, like your friend just did. Then you will be locked inside your own feeding pen, and we will double your weight again... and again...”

  As he told Pat about his fate, the guard rubbed and squeezed the thick layer of lard covering his belly tentatively.

“We want an extra patty on you, pig !”

“That does it !”

“BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP !”

“Listen to your friends, Patty... You are doomed to grow now !”

“Oh yeah ?”

  Then there was a long tremor in the room – something like a distant earthquake.

“BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRP !!!”

  It came from outside, but all of a sudden there was no clear distinction between “outside” and “inside”. Huge chunks of stone fell from the ceilings, and the walls crumbled and fell around Pat and his friends. The guard who was just menacing him got crushed under a column, while other pieces of the building were falling...

  It was the Giant.

  Everyone kept feeding him so much, and he had got so close to O’Baybib, that only one single belch from him was enough to cause an earthquake and destroy that Paradise...

  Pat and his friends were alive. He could hardly believe his eyes, but – being a man of action – he rose in his tub, now filled with debris.

“See ? No one talks to me like that !”

  With O’Baybib no longer able to supply any food for the giant, the situation in the South changed completely. King Matti made an official anouncement that he and his monks would stop feeding the beast unless the noble families in Burgstijn finally recognized him as King.

  It was out of question for anyone to pay for all the food they had cooked so far – the King had decided to keep it a secret that the Giant had been forced to feed on their own people... Then whatever money was demanded by the farmers and  the peasants and the cooks in Burgstijn seemed irrelevant.

 If Sacka-Graez had renounced looking for all the gold still buried under the ruins of Pohr-Kerwann, they would have to learn to live without it !

“That’s a bit harsh.”

“Who does he think he is to command to us like this ?”

“Well... He’s our King.”

  The Giant was finally left in peace. The poor beast was stuffed enough so that his belly kept on growing, and his body maybe grew a bit more too. As fas as anyone could tell, he was sleeping. And it didn’t look like he would cause much more trouble now...

  Trouble was on its way to Burgstijn anyway, with Mark invading their land after he had crossed the rivers in the East. After spending months around the Giant, there wasn’t a soldier in Burgstijn with any disposition to fight. They were all too fat, too round, too heavy and too soft to engage in any battle !

“All right ! If they don’t want to fight, we will bring our fight to them !”

  Mark made his own conditions known to the council of noble families in Burgstijn-at-the-Seams. They were even worse than what King Matti asked for... The Giant was to be considered free, and no longer harrassed with food. There would no longer be any council, no more privileges or nobility, no more taxes on the peasants.

“We knew it from the start ! This Giant could only mean one thing...”

“It’s the end of the world !”

  It was probably the end of their world, but Mark was actually welcomed by the populations he met, once it was public knowledge that he was there to save the Giant and put an end to that ancestral feud between the four cities of power.

  Only as they approached Burgstijn-at-the-Seams itself, Mark and his men were met by a group of officers who wanted to stop them. But they were all so round and overweight that Mark’s stronger soldiers surrounded them and made them bounce against their own well-fed bellies.

“That’s my kind of battles... Good, old pillow fights !”

  The defeated soldiers were treated relatively well, as they were kept naked with only their hands and feet bagged so they wouldn’t cause any harm – man-sized pillows for Mark to rest on...

“There we are, Burgstijn !” Mark claimed, back to his hometown for the second time. “Take responsibility !”

  Of course, that was too much to ask from the noble sons of Burgstijn. The easy way out for them was to accept Matti’s conditions, and send Mark to him so they would deal with all the trouble they had kept causing to their city.

“After all, it’s hardly our fault.”

“That’s right ! We didn’t do anything.”

  And so they all went to the dining hall, while Mark went further West to find his friend the giant, sitting with his legs gently dipping into the Great Lake. He didn’t cause any trouble, confirming King Matti’s hunch, except that his wide rump took such a long stretch of shores and land that he had finally crushed the remains of O’Baybib with his left butt cheek.

“There he is... Finally ! Look at him...”

“How could we NOT look at him ? He is covering more than half the land here !”

  The Giant had not been fed for a few days, but he definitely didn’t look hungry ! After breaking his restraints again, he had managed to move a bit to the side – rolling himself closer to the shores – and get to a sitting position. He was resting and relaxing at the moment.

  Mark’s friends, who had first known the Giant when they were still in the North, kept commenting on his current size...

“He is even more... gigantic than ever !”

“He is fatter than ever ! I never even dreamed that he would get so round...”

“He’s GROWN so much ! I can hardly recognize him.”

“What a huge, fat pig !”

  The Giant was so grossly overfed and so much fatter that he couldn’t even move anymore : Mittel Earth had won...

“At least he didn’t choke.”

“He’s still alive... in a way.”

“Shut up, guys !”

  Mark got closer on his horse, then on foot. He was still very plump, so the Giant should recognize him. As he got really close, he realized that he was no longer able to see the Giant’s face. Then his huge, blonde friend wouldn’t see him either – but he had an idea.

  Mark saw that the Giant’s right hand was resting on the side of his lovehandle. The beast was rubbing his own, vastly fattened, fleshy body...

  It took Mark more than an hour to climb on his gigantic friend’s thigh, then get to his lovehandle and hand, crawling on all that soft skin, all glistening and a bit slippery with sweat...

“Hey, Giant... It’s me, Mark.”

  His friend’s fingers were thick and plump like sausages – only sausages longer and larger than centuries old trees ! Mark embraced the closest finger he could hold on to. Then he felt the Giant responding, and he suddenly found himself in that enormous hand, nestled comfortably and going up – way up ! – until he was left on top of that immense belly...

“It’s me, Giant... It’s me...”

  Mark was overcome with joy. He couldn’t find anything to say.

  Then he noticed that the Giant was opening his eyes, although even his eyelids had grown fat and fleshy. Then the Giant’s sensuous lips curled up in a gentle smile. They were slightly rosier, and a lot thicker than Mark remembered them. His friend had really been eating well ! – far too well ! – but he was happy.

  And he was happy to see him. That was enough to make Mark happier than he had ever been. This was worth all the pain, and the struggle, and the humiliation Mark had gone through.

  The best he could do was to spread himself on top of his friend’s belly, rub him and kiss him. As he rested so, he could hear his friend’s gigantic heart beat deep inside his chest. The two of them could spend a lifetime like this...

“Don’t worry, Giant. I’m with you now... No one will harm you anymore.”

  There was at least another man in Mittel Earth who shared Mark’s feelings, and was able to celebrate his own victory. King Matti had just recieved his official title as King of both Burgstijn-at-the-Seams and Sacka-Graez. Pat and his friends had escaped from O’Baybib just in time, before the Giant would cause the last walls still standing to fall into a pit, setting all the birds and beasts in their garden free. Matti had welcomed them and everything was forgiven, since everyone had been through so much adventure – and so much food...

  Then the news regarding the Giant and his famous cook finally reached their monastery. King Matti asked for a second opinion, while Pat and the other monks simply asked for seconds.

  It was confirmed that the Giant was alive and well, and Mark represented all the Eastern half of Mittel Earth. Matti sent an invitation to the Giant’s cook, with a long letter of explanation, telling Mark everything about his friend’s prolonged stay in Pohr-Kerwann, then Sacka-Graez...

“So that’s how you grew so fat ? You greedy boy, you...”

  Mark had found a way to rest comfortably on top of the Giant’s stomach and rub him at various, relatively close spots to make his friend moan and giggle with pleasure.

“I can’t leave you. They will have to get over here if they want to talk to me...”

  King Matti accepted those terms. He understood how Mark must have missed such a friendly blonde beast, and he was looking forward to admiring that Giant’s well-fattened body again !

  It took a few days for him to meet Mark, but once they were both sitting and resting against the Giant’s manly boobs, they both agreed that it was well worth the wait !

“Look at us. We are truly on top of the World !”

  Mark and Matti shared a long look. They were both smiling. From the moment they had first shaken hands, both men had felt comfortable together. Now Mark was resting his head against Matti’s belly, and his own belly against the Giant’s chest. They spent hours looking at the sky, and the Great Lake...

  When they finally came down, there was an official announcement of historical importance...

  Mark and Matti had a big wooden podium built for them to be seen and heard by a great number of people. They held each other’s hand and raised their free ones as they spoke.

“We hereby declare, I Matthias the First, King of Sacka-Graez and Burgstijn-at-the-Seams...”

“And I, Mark, Conqueror of Kastel, Liberator of Pancia and King of Stockytown...”

“That I now renounce my crown and command over all the lands in the West and North-West...”

“That I now renounce my power over all the lands in the East and North-East...”

“And leave all possessions entrusted onto me to the Giant...”

“So he will be known, from now on, as the Giant King of all Mittel Earth !”

“All Hail to the Giant !”

  The crowd cheered for long minutes and shouted in response :

“All Hail to the Giant !”

  Mark and Matti hugged each other in a friendly, chubby embrace.

“We’ve done it, you overfed noble son of a bitch !”

“You’ve done it, you fattened thief !”

  The two boys were so overjoyed that they kissed. Matti had to leave for Sacka-Graez, but he promised to write as soon as possible and send whatever support Mark would need to keep the Giant happy.

  They were now officially “guardians” of the Giant King. Mark would administrate all the important affairs in the East from Burgstijn-at-the-Seams, while Matti would go on taking care of the monks in the West from his monastery...

“All Hail to the Giant !”

“All Hail to the Giant !”

  Matti’s journey back to Sacka-Graez was one long, triumphant, slow ride. Then all his monks welcomed him with opened arms and belly bumps. They all feasted on so much meat and drank so much beer that they decided to celebrate, and sing the “Massive Mass”.

“All Hail to the Giant !”

  Mark enjoyed his trip back to Burgstijn a little less than his new friend Matti. He already missed the Giant. Looking at him from the distance was not enough...

  A few days went by. Mark had reorganized the whole town, and everyone in the people was so happy that there was no longer any talk about killing the Giant.

  Even as he was no longer force-fed, he looked like he was no done digesting all that food. And nature around him was still thriving – more fertile, more abundant and more prosperous than ever !

  With the Giant as King, there was new order in all the land. Most men were now happy to work, build new houses, cultivate fruits and vegetables – in a desperate attempt to loose weight, or at least not grow too overweight to move. They would gather together every seven or eight days to sing an hymn after a large, tasty, home-cooked feast :

            “Those who consume these fruits through thee grow fat,

             Those who produce these fruits through thee grow lean,

             Whatever change takes place – oh ! stick to that !

             And let things be as they have ever been...”

  

  Only one thing kept bothering Mark. He and Matti had noticed that their friend the Giant was sweating a lot – which was perfectly normal, considering how large he had been forced to grow ! Mark could also tell that the poor blonde beast had short breath and wasn’t feeling so well under the Sun...

  But it was simply impossible to protect the Giant under a parasol !

  Then, one morning, as Mark woke up to eat breakfast and take a look at his friend from his bedroom at the top of the tallest tower in Burgstijn, he didn’t see anything above the forests. The Giant was gone !

“Where is he ? Where is he ? Has anyone seen him ?”

“Don’t worry, Mark ! Your friend is not lost. It would be quite hard to miss him in the landscape... even where he is now !”

  Somehow, the giant had let himself slip into the Great Lake. Then he must have floated back to his Northern shores. Mark doubted that his friend could swim, at his current size and weight...

“Oh, good. That’s a relief !”

  It was also a good thing, much appreciated by all the peasants in Burgstijn, as the Giant’s monstrously meaty butt had left huge valleys behind him – which promised to be just so fertile as the rest of the land – allowing everyone a place to stay and a great abundance of food.

  Mark kept looking at his friend, as much as he could. Later during the day, he heard a distinct rumbling sound – all too familiar to him !

“He’s hungry again !”

“No way...”

  There was no doubt about it. The Giant was done digesting, and he was hungry again. His stomach demanded to be stuffed...

“All right ! We are now at peace and living like brothers in a land of plenty, thanks to the Giant. The least we can do is to feed him well !”

  Mark immediately ordered for ships to go to the North and send great offerings of food for the Giant. As he was about to ask Matti to do the same, he recieved a letter from him : The monks had heard those sounds of hunger, and recognized them too. They were sending as much food as they could to keep their enormous friend happy.

  And so, ships kept going back and forth over the Great Lake again. For a few days, the Giant was kept well-fed – a lot less than before, but definitely enough to satisfy his hunger.

“It looks like he’s happy.”

“Yes, he is. But it still sounds like he is hungry !” Mark kept saying. “We have to feed him more...”

  And so the Giant was fed more.

  All the monks in Sacka-Graez kept praising his size and weight, and growth...

“He is really well-fed !”

“Yes, he is. But it looks like he has grown taller again !” Matti kept saying. “We have to feed him more...”

  And so the Giant was fed more and more – so much that he almost ate as much as when Mark was feeding him. As a result, he kept growing fatter and fatter. It was truly a sight to behold, as every man would tell after coming back from the Northern shores.

  Then there was no need for them to tell their stories. Anyone could see how well-fed the Giant was : His belly had grown so huge that it was in plain sight from the other side of the Great Lake !

“He keeps growing taller !”

“And larger !”

“And fatter !”

  Mark only had to see his friend resting and almost bathing in the Great Lake, his enormously overfed belly growing rounder and rounder, making Mount Moob look like a molehill...

“That boy has not just become a mountain of meat... He is the tallest mountain in all Mittel Earth !”

  The giant had to be more than 10.000 feet tall, and his belly was a perfect ball of lard even larger than the rest of his body... Mark could hardly keep his eyes off him, spending hours on his balcony.

“I guess that his belly will cover all the unkown forest soon. He is bigger than the rising moon, as it is !”

  And he let out a sigh. The only way for the Giant to get closer to him now was by growing a much bigger, much rounder belly. Then it was probably a matter of a few months...

“Mark ? Are you still there ?”

“I am...”

“Still looking at your gorgeously engorged friend ?”

“Yeah...”

  Mark let out another sigh.

“Well, come on and join us downstairs !”

“Alright... Is everyone here ?”

“Matti and the monks have just arrived, and they look full already !”

  The was a truly remarkable feast, that night. Of course, the council of the four cities was no longer what it had been – as a matter of fact, it was a much more cheerful event.

“A toast to the Giant !”

“And to you !”

“And to you !”

“And all the free men in Mittel Earth !”

  Everyone drank and went for more helpings of Burgstijn pies.

“We are FAT but we are STRONG !”

“...Are we ?”

“Well, we ARE fat !”

“That’s all that matters !”

“Another toast to the Giant !”

“Hurray for the Giant !”

  Matti invited Mark to propose the next toast together.

“A toast to all of us who eat well !”

“And all is well that eats well !”

  

                       “meanwhile this ghost goes under,his drowned girth

                        are mountains;and beyond all hurt of praise

                        the unimaginable night not known”

                                             e.e.cummings, No Thanks, 35

  Mark had to be carried to his bedroom. He was stuffed, of course. And drunk, of course. Then Matti joined him in bed, and they both rubbed each other’s bellies with their own. The two boys were feeling more than fat. They both knew how it was to be fattened up almost to the point of bursting – when the pleasure and the pain were virtually one and the same.

  They understood each other, only Mark kept thinking about the Giant and there was nothing Matti could do about it. That was the only shadow of sadness over them, as they went to sleep. Matti had left the windows opened, so they would enjoy a gentle breeze of fresh air over their warm, buttery skin...

  Mark fell into a deep sleep, which was unusual for him. Maybe Matti holding him in a friendly embrace helped, but he found himself dreaming – and it was a most vivid dream, a most extraordinary dream too.

  He was sitting at a table all covered with plates and platters, inside a small but warm kitchen. There was a nice fireplace burning, with cookpots and a delicious smell of flour, caramel and pastries filling the air.

  There was a short, plump woman tending to the fire, and tasting some sauce or pudding she was cooking. She had her back turned to Mark, but then she stood up straight and smiled at him.

“There you are boy... I thought you had dozed off.”

“Was I sleeping ?”

“You have been asleep for some time. And you must be very hungry too.”

  Mark looked down and patted his belly. He was fat, but a lot less round than when he had fallen asleep in his bedroom.

“Where are we ? What is his place ?”

“Don’t worry, dear. You’re not far from home. This is your home, in a way... But you and your friends have been passing by it without noticing it much. Then you have been quite a good boy lately, so I thought I would invite you.”

  She put a magnificent pie in a plate before him.

“There, boy. Eat up ! And you can grab a bite of the rest of my pastries here...”

  Mark thought it would be rude not to accept, and the pie was definitely one of the best he had ever tasted. He was done with it in a matter of minutes.

“You said I have been a... good boy ? How so ?”

“Well you have just saved my boy, haven’t you ?”

“Your boy ?”

“My son, of course... And you have been a very good friend to him too.”

“A good friend to your son ?”

  The cheerful woman served him a very large chocolate cake.

“I think hunger is clouding your understanding, boy. Eat some more...”

“Okay...”

  Mark didn’t eat just one cake, but half a dozen wonderful cakes and pies, until he was full and ready to burp...

“I guess I will have to explain”, the woman finally sat next to him. “You see, all of you boys are really... my boys, but I only had one true son.”

“The Giant ? He is... your son ?”

“He may look a bit tall to you, but you should not expect any less from my child. After all, he is the natural son of Nature itself.”

“You... You are...”

“Mother Nature, of course.”

  Mark was in awe. It had to be a dream, or he would have burst in laughters. Right now, only his belly felt like it could burst.

“I am Mother Nature indeed. And to tell you the truth, I have been indulging in a little nap every once in a while. Then I only woke up to find that all my children had been falling into all kinds of errors, and turning against each other... At first, I thought that you were all just green kids and you would grow up.”

“Well, we didn’t quite lived up to your expectations...”

“No. Your brothers certainly didn’t. Why, they arrested you for stealing ? Stealing from whom ? Them ? Or me ?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t even know for sure. I don’t even remember...”

“That’s the worst thing they did to you, but to each other ? Murder, and slavery, and forcing others to starve ? I could no longer bear this.”

“What did you do ?”

“I asked my son to go to you, and teach you all a good lesson.”

“Okay... How ?”

  The plump lady shrugged at that question.

“Oh, well... Does it matter now ? You were wrong, then I was wrong to put my loving child in such danger... Sending him to this Mittel Earth, where he didn’t even have a friend.”

  Her voice almost broke at the thought. But she didn’t cry – which would have made Mark very uncomfortable.

“At least you found him, and he found you. Then you were his friend.”

“And you would say that... I have saved him ?”

“You have done more than that. You have saved ALL your brothers.”

  Mark could hardly believe what he was hearing.

“And that is what makes you such a GOOD boy !”

“Okay...”

  It still took him some effort to admit that this little woman standing before him was Mother Nature herself. She was trying to look a bit taller than she truly was, then she told him with a very definitive tone :

“All right, then ! I have decided to reward you for it.”

“Reward me... Really ?”

“You’ve heard me. Now do you understand me ?”

  Mark blushed.

“I think I do... I mean... Thank you. Thank you...”

  Then Mark woke up, still mumbling “thank you” as he hugged his pillow.

“Come on, don’t thank me so soon... I want to spoil you first.”

  Mark almost jumped out of bed – then he realized that he was a bit too big to really jump. That voice was much lower than Matti’s, and incomparably more masculine than the one he heard in his dream.

“Don’t be afraid... I am here for you.”

“You are...”

  Then he saw him, laying next to him in bed – tall, smooth, muscled and meaty, blonde with sparkling blue eyes... It was his friend the Giant, only reduced to the size of a regular man.

“You... You have come here...”

“You wished for me to be with you. I also wished to be with you like this... from the first moment I saw you.”

  As Mark gave a closer look at him, he realized that describing his friend as “man-sized” was totally unfair... That blonde boy was no longer thousands feet in height, but he had to be at least 8ft tall ! And he was heavily muscled, with a well-fed belly that seemed to be aching to grow larger... Then he was naked, as Mark had always known him – so he could tell that...

“Woah... You truly are a GIANT !”

  The tall, blonde boy blushed and smiled. He was obviously happy. And he had brought pie to bed as he had taken Matti’s place, next to Mark.

“Have some pie.”

“Hmmmph... Wait...”

  No matter how tasty that pie was, Mark still had questions.

“Why...”

“Oh, don’t start this... please ?”

  And the tall blonde boy leaned over him to give him a most passionate kiss.

“I meant, why were you sent to Mittel Earth in the first place ?”

“Oh... My mother was very sad when she found out about the four cities of power, and the monks starving their people in Sacka-Graez, and the noble men in Burgstijn and Stockytown, and the baron’s taxes, and the slaves working in Pohr-Kerwann’s gold mines...”

“Yes ?”

“I was supposed to... destroy this world. Just crush it with my fists...”

“Why didn’t you do it ?”

“My mother didn’t aim very well, I guess. She didn’t send me in any of the four cities... I grew up in the North, where there were only mountains and forests... And I fell in love with that world. I wasn’t going to destroy it !”

“I see...”

“Then I met you. And I fell in love with you. I would never hurt such a handsome boy... Especially when he brought me such delicious food !”

“And you didn’t mind... growing fatter, and fatter ?”

  His tall friend only answered him with an irresistible smile, as he rubbed his own belly.

“Look at me... I am Nature’s very own son. I was meant to be FAT !”

“So you were never forced to eat ?”

“Maybe... a little... when those monks started feeding me those meat pies in that big funnel.”

“And so... you’re okay with the way I fed you ?”

“I loved the way you fed me, you little man...”

  Mark found himself in such a warm, tight embrace that all his worries vanished. There was a truly loving boy, with such a body that could send him through the roof !

“Mark ? Are you okay ?”

“Woof...”

  It felt hotter in the Giant's arms than if Mark had been locked inside a burning furnace or roasting like a turkey in the oven.

“Okay, then eat some more pie... Time for ME to turn YOU into a nice, big, overfed giant !”

  Mark ate a few more pies. His tall friend would not leave him only half-stuffed !

  Those were most filling pies, too. Mark had never eaten anything so delicious, but also thick, and so fattening... except in his dream. His boyfriend had access to Nature’s own kitchen, after all !

  When Mark was ready to explode, the tall blonde boy was already devouring him with kisses, exploring his whole body with his tongue. Then they made love until the sun caressed their beefy bodies still in bed.

  There was a knock at the door.

“Time to wake up, you love birds !”

  Then the door opened and Matti came in with three large pitchers of creamy milk-shakes. He was pushing a whole trailer before him, with his naked round belly, all covered with big cakes and pastries...

“I hope you two are hungry for breakfast !”

  The former King of Sacka-Graez was standing before them, with a large smile on his face and an even larger belly. Matti licked his lips as he approached the bed with a huge bowl full of chocolate mousse and chocolate chip cookies. Mark and his friend exchanged a look, as the former Giant’s Cook felt a strong hand squeezing his belly so gently.

“Oh, we are hungry for MORE than breakfast !...”

(Make a Giant boy happy, leave a comment...)