ericsvintagebloat

Some folks never seem to get enough, or get satisfied by getting enough... and EricFox was no exception. Call it greed... call it an

obsession... whatever Eric called it, he really wanted to be "the world's fattest fox" in the worst way possible. But, as the old saying goes,

"Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it." And Eric got it... in the worst way possible.

Chapter One: "All Alone"

In a remote section of town, a lone, thin figure wanders aimlessly... and would probably be ignored by the rest of the populace, were it not for

his purple appearance. Every square inch of his fur - from the top of his ears to the tip of his tail - was deep purple in color. Only a patch of

blue, in the form of a pair of bib overalls, set the rest of his body apart. Most of the furry citizens within his vicinity would shy away from him...

figuring he had some sort of plague or something. He took no notice of their reactions to him, and kept on walking in a somewhat depressed

state of mind, his tail dragging on the ground.

The unrecognizable figure was that of a fox who, up until a few weeks ago, became the largest member of his species after an infamous

Halloween incident that eventually rendered him in his current monotonic state. But he didn't even take notice of his purple plight; he had a

bigger problem to deal with... he was hungry.

Stopping in front of a restaurant, the purple fox saw a young tiger in the window booth, about to carve into a thick, juicy porterhouse steak.

The fox's belly began to rumble beneath his overalls. He used his right paw to stifle the noise, while his left paw was raised to lean against the

plate glass window - which separated the lone figure from the tiger. The big cat was about to take a bite out of the steak, when he looked up

and saw the purple stranger staring at him. Stopping, he called over a waiter - a very lean ferret with a white apron and a small cloth over one

wrist - and pointed out the fox to him. With an understanding nod, the ferret very calmly approached the edge of the window, pulled a small

metal chain, and lowered a large shade, obscuring the view that the fox was starting to enjoy. Bringing down his left paw to join the right one

at his stomach - which was still growling, but in a more subdued manner - the purple fox turned and slowly walked away.

A few blocks later, he was in front of a butcher/poultry shop, where he saw in the window display a large, succulent turkey - all decked out for

a possible Thanksgiving meal - surrounded by a bread stuffing and some small cubes of potatoes. The fox's belly began to growl again, but in

a louder register. Placing both paws over his midsection, he tried in vain to quiet it down. He then looked up at some writing on the window,

which told the sad tale all too well... it read "Complete Turkey Dinner: $60". And, all at once, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to

partake of this meal, as the pockets of his overalls were even emptier than his stomach. Releasing his grip, the fox allowed his belly to

continue its hunger-ridden tamtrum, while he raised both paws against the window, and started to salivate at the sight of the turkey he was

doomed not to consume. His fixation of this unobtainable meal was interrupted by a deep grunt, and he turned his head to the left. There,

standing in the doorway was a large walrus in butcher's garb, who motioned the fox to move along, as if to say he didn't want any trespassers

in front of his store... especially any purple ones. Realizing, all too well, this wasn't an invitation to come into the butcher's establishment, the

hungry fox slowly lowered both paws, immediately clamped them on his belly - silenting the noise, temporarily - turned to his right, and slowly

shuffled down to the corner, where he made a left turn onto a small road that would lead him to the outskirts of town.

Chapter Two: "A Helping Paw"

By mid-afternoon, the fox was no longer surrounded by stores, restaurants, or any other kinds of buildings. He found himself on a country

lane, out in the open, still alone and still hungry. He was already growing tired of walking for such a long time, and he needed a place to rest.

He saw a large tree in the distance, which he thought might provide him with some ample shade. As he approached it, he saw a small

structure situated beneath it. It looked like some form of primative wheeled vehicle, with a small row of tall stools placed on one side of it.

Suddenly, an aroma of meat cooking made it way into the nostrils of his snout, causing his belly to start growling again. Suddenly, the violet

vulpine recognized this structure as some sort of 'lunch wagon'. He knew that if he came any closer to it, he figured that the proprietor would

shoo him away, just as the others in town had done. But he was too weak to travel any further, and he only wanted to rest up, before moving

on his way again; so, he took a chance and advanced towards the lunch wagon.

Using every ounce of strength, he lifted his lean, lanky body upon one of the stools, and began to rest his head on the countertop, when a

voice called out to him:

"Hello there, young man! Are you here to try my hot dogs?"

Looking up, the fox was facing what appeared to be an elderly-looking lion with a white mane on top, and wearing a pair of spectacles.

"Well, " said the fox, "I WOULD like to try your hot dogs... IF I could afford them."

He then turned his head away from the lion, expecting the big cat to tell him to leave the premises...

"What's the matter, sonny?" asked the lion. "You seem to be down in the dumps about something. What's your name, anyway?"

"Eric," the fox replied. Trying to be polite, Eric asked, "What's your name?"

"That's not important, Eric," the lion responded. "It's just that you seem so... despondent about something. What is it?"

"Well, I don't know if I should tell you this or not..."

"Hey, if you need to tell your troubles to someone, I'm the best one around to talk to."

And, with that, the elderly lion placed a freshly cooked hot dog in a bun on a plate in front of Eric.

"But, I can't pay for this," Eric stated. "I have no money on me."

"It's alright, kid. This one is on me."

Slowly, Eric moved his paw towards the 'tube steak', and tried to show as much restraint as possible in eating it as any normal patron would -

without gnawing it in a half-crazed manner.

"So tell me, Eric, what brings you to my neck of the woods? And why are you so sad?"

The fox began to relate to the lion his tale of woe, that began around Halloween, when he was able to amass over two tons of candy in a

method too complex to describe. At that time, Eric's fur was the normal colors associated with a fox - bright orange all over his limbs and

back, with white belly and facial features, and dark grey at the tips of his ears as well as on all four paws; and wore a different pair of blue bib

overalls.

Eric's candy collection was so huge, it could fill 50 normal dump trucks. There was all sorts of sweets, ranging from candy corn and

marshmallow pumpkins, to licorice whips and gumdrops of various colors. By the time he finished assembling this cornucopia of confections,

'greed' set into his subconscious, as he didn't want to share it with anyone. His appetite overtook his rationale, and he began to consume

these two tons of candy like there was no tomorrow.

Mountains of mints began to disappear into his mouth... Gobs of gummi-treats went straight down his gullet... Lollipops, chocolate bars,

peanut clusters, and a variety of other sweets all became a blur to him, as he ate each and every one of them.

And as the piles of candy grew smaller and smaller, the fox's belly grew fatter and fatter. By the time Eric was halfway through his second

ton, the stitching of his overalls began to strain to the breaking point... until finally, the first thing to burst through the fabric was his enormous

white belly! Paying no attention, Eric continued his sugar-coated repast. His upper torso began to spill over the top of his jeans, as more

stitching snapped under the stress of his expanding body, but again he had ignored it.

As he got to the last few pieces of candy, Eric had felt merely the slightest twinge of a belly-ache, and finally stopped eating.

"Oooh... too much candy!" he'd moaned.

Eric began to notice how gigantic he'd become. He suddenly became aware that he couldn't see his hindpaws beneath that huge orb of a

belly, which was covered in blue fabric that was on the verge of exploding off of his entire body... and despite all THAT, he was still hungry for

more!

He then saw one last piece of candy on the floor in front of him... a small stick of Wonka Gum. He wanted it, but he became too immobile

from all the other candy he'd eaten. He couldn't reach it with his tremendously flabby arms, so he tried to lean forward with every ounce of his

being... and he'd discovered with great will and concentration, he could 'rock' his round body back and forth - like a giant furry 'weeble' - and

after a few attempts, he was able to lean far enough forward, that his head was within inches of the stick of gum. Leaning as far back as he

could, the back of Eric's head nearly hit the floor behind him. Then, he used all his power to lean as far forward as possible, and he opened

his mouth, stuck out his tongue, and used it to scoop up the stick of gum right off of the ground!

As he wobbled back and forth - settling back into his upright seated position, he began to chew the Wonka Gum (without even unwrapping

the packaging), and began to savor every flavor it contained. It was like chewing an eight-course banquet - from the appetizer to the main

course - in one thin strip! It was only after he began to taste the dessert, that a strange phenomenon began to occur.

"Hmmm..." he thought to himself, with his eyes closed, "blueberries!"

But as soon as he opened his eyes, Eric was shocked to see portions of his orange, white, and grey fur slowly turning purple (just like the

blueberries he was tasting)! And his body started to expand again, only faster! Within seconds, the buttons on both of his suspenders popped

off of the overalls... and his belly widened as more stitching on the blue jeans creaked, snapped, ripped, and (in some case) exploded off of

his personage.

By the time he no longer had anything to wear, and the expansion had finally stopped, EricFox was as large and as round as a four-story

grape (if such a thing ever really existed)! His naked purple body had enveloped his paws, and his head nearly sunk in as well, as the only

sound he could make was a muffled whimper for help.

"My goodness!" said the elderly lion. "How did you ever get out of this situation?"

"That's the part of this story I don't seem to recall," replied Eric. "The last thing I remember, my enormous body was taken somewhere, and

all the juices were squeezed out of me. I'd blacked out during the process, but when I came to, I was back to my thin former self... the only

difference being I remained purple."

"Yes," said the lion, "I didn't want to say anything about THAT. But you DO stand out like a sore thumb with that colored fur of yours."

Eric nodded in agreement.

"So, after eating all that candy, you became one very fat fox, didn't you?"

"I thought I'd set the all-time record for being 'the world's fattest fox'... but no one was around to prove it. I wanted to try to fatten myself up

again and show every furry that I could do it again!"

"Well, why didn't you?"

"Well, for starters, I don't think anyone would take the word of a naked purple fox! I needed a new pair of overalls. So, I'd scraped every last

cent I had and bought the most durable pair available... I'm wearing them right now. And even if I became as big as a ten-story building, not a

single stitch on these pants would pop!"

"So, did you go out to prove your worth, and reclaim your title?"

"No," said Eric, with a dejected look on his face. "Because I'd spent all my money on these overalls, I had nothing left to buy any food with -

to prove my point. And no one wanted to feed me, as they'd thought I was simply some sort of moocher - just looking for a free meal."

The lion gave the fox a long, hard stare, and finally cracked a small smile.

"Well, I believe you, sonny, and I think we could help each other out."

"How?" asked Eric.

"Look, you want to become 'the world's fattest fox' again... and I'm looking for a way to drum up business again. Things have been rather slow

here..."

Eric looked back and forth, and saw no other individuals for miles around. "So I notice," he said.

"I've got lots of hot dogs, and no one around to eat them... but, if I can feed them all to you, you might be able to attract all the attention this

old lion needs to get his customers back again!"

"But I told you before, I don't have any money!"

"Not a problem, Eric. Just as long as you're around to help me out, I'll be around to help you out. Money will be the least of your worries..."

And with that, Eric was served a huge tray full of freshly cooked franks by his leonine benefactor. The fox's eyes grew wide at the sight, and

he looked up at the lion.

"They're all yours for the eating, Eric. Tuck in!"

And so, Eric began to munch on each delicious hot dog... topping them off with mustard, ketchup, relish, onions, sauerkraut, and even

melted nacho cheese. Soon, he began to scarf them down without even thinking about it, until the entire tray of hot dogs was gone! And

already, his belly started to bulge, ever so slightly.

It was then that Eric grabbed his throat, and was unable to speak - as he was still swallowing the last of the franks. All he could emit was a

slight burp. He quickly covered his mouth, but still couldn't utter a simple "excuse me". The lion, however, understood.

"You're thirsty, aren't you?" he asked. "No problem... I have some cola down here you can wash those hot dogs down with."

Taking one of the large plastic bottles from a cooler beneath the countertop, the lion poured Eric a large styrofoam cup of cola, which the fox

swallowed in one quick gulp!

"Thanks, mister! I needed that!"

"No need to thank me, Eric... There's plenty more where that came from!"

And without missing a beat, the elderly lion had already prepared another tray of hot dogs, and set another cup of cola ready for his young

consumer.

Eric thought to himself, "It won't be long now..."

Oddly enough, that was the exact same thing the lion was thinking...

Chapter Three: "Enter the Bobcat"

Now Eric wasn't really all alone in the world. He did have family and friends who could easily help him out. But most of his relations lived too

far away from him, and the only friend he did have within close proximity was a bobcat named Rob - who hasn't seen Eric since the infamous

Halloween incident.

That particular day, Rob was taking a stroll down the same country lane that Eric took earlier on, and was approaching the very same lunch

wagon that Eric was located at.

It had already been over an hour since Eric started gorging on all those hot dogs and gulping down bottle after bottle of cola. His belly had

already swelled up to the size of an overinflated basketball, when the lion placed another tray of franks in front of him.

Just then, the lion caught a glimpse of the bobcat approaching his food stand, and turned towards the fox.

"Ahh, you'll have to excuse me for the moment, Eric... I, er, have to get some more hot dogs; but you keep on eating those, and keep on

drinking this cola, and I'll be back shortly."

With that, the lion left through a small door in the back of his wagon, just as Rob approached.

"Eric? Is that you?"

"Rob! How many purple foxes are there in the world?!"

"Yeah... It's YOU, Eric!"

"How are you doing? Pull up a stool and join me!"

Rob couldn't help but notice Eric's swollen stomach.

"Back to your old antics again, eh? Trying to pack on the pounds, and prove that you're 'the world fattest fox'?"

"Yeah, but this time, I'm gonna make it! Thanks to my new friend!"

"What new friend?" asked Rob, as he craned his neck, looking for anyone around.

"Oh, he went to get me more hot dogs. He'll be back."

Eric told Rob about the plan to draw attention to the lunch wagon.

"And if I eat enough of these hot dogs, and drink enough soda, I'll be giving these new bib overalls quite a shakedown!"

"So, this hot dog vendor... who is he, anyway?"

"Oh, he's this elderly lion, and..."

"A lion?!" gasped Rob.

"Yeah, but he's a friendly guy. White hair on his mane... bifocals... just your average senior citizen I'm trying to help out."

"Sorry I reacted, Eric. It's just that there's a certain other lion I've been dealing with for years, who's been giving me nothing but trouble since

the first time I'd met him..."

"You mean Captain Furry?" asked Eric.

"Yeah," replied Rob. "He's been a thorn in my side ever since he..."

Rob words were cut off mid-sentence, when his eyes caught the sight of one of the empty soda bottles on the floor beneath the countertop...

and when he saw the words on the label, he'd clutched his chest in utter shock!

"Ever since he what, Rob?" asked Eric, who was still munching through his latest tray of hot dogs, and began to gulp down another cup of

cola.

The bobcat turned his head back towards the fox, saw him chug-a-lug the soda with one swift swig, and then quickly focused his eyes on the

ever-expanding belly underneath those overalls.

"Er, Eric... Maybe you should take a short break from all this eating... and drinking."

"Why should I, Rob? I'll never get to be 'the world's fattest fox' unless I maintain a steady pace."

"Oh, don't worry, Eric. You'll be getting fatter from all this food," said Rob, who muttered under his breath, "I can guarantee you WILL get

fatter!"

"Alright, I'll take a break," said Eric, who promptly jumped off the stool. As he hit the ground, his belly bobbed up and down, making an

audible sloshing sound.

At the moment of impact, Rob cringed and turned his head away.

"What's the matter, Rob? You're acting as if a bomb is about to go off!"

Rob tried to maintain his composure, gently wrapped his arm around Eric's shoulder, and said (his voice cracking at times), "Let's take a little

walk... That field looks like a nice safe place for a chat."

And the twosome began to walk slowly towards an open field of hay and dry grass. As they began to approach it, Rob had thought of

something...

"Wait here one moment, Eric. Don't move!"

The bobcat took another look at the fox's bulging belly.

"Please don't move!"

"OK, OK!"

Rob ran back to the lunch wagon, and reached down to grab the empty soda bottle he saw before. He stared at the label again, shook his

head in disbelief, and ran back to Eric. He once again placed his arm around his friend's shoulder, while he held the empty soda bottle behind

his back, as the duo slowly made their way to the field...

Not too far behind, the elderly lion was hiding behind the tree his lunch wagon was next to, and he began to suspect that the bobcat knew

something, and he slowly followed the twosome, not-too-far behind...

Chapter Four: "The World's Fattest Fox is Back (...sort of)!"

As Rob and Eric made their way to the center of the open field, Rob began to talk about the past.

"Eric, you recall when I used to play tricks on you?"

"Oh, do I ever?! More practical jokes than I care to remember!"

"And one of those tricks involved a soft drink I was developing at the time..."

"You mean 'Bloat Cola'?"

"Yeah, THAT's the one... I used to advertise that any consumer who drank it would stay up all night long... not because of extra caffiene, but

because of the extra carbonation!"

"And I was one of your 'guinea pigs', Rob! I only needed to take one sip of the stuff and I'd blow up like a balloon!"

"Yeah, but eventually, you'd belch out all the gas and return to your normal size and shape!"

"As I understand it, Rob, that stuff was banned in over 40 states, because of those 'side effects'... and the other consumers wouldn't take a

joke as well as I did!"

"Yeah," said Rob, starting to feel guilty about what he was preparing to tell his purple pal. "By the way, that soda you were drinking just now,

back at the stand... Er, how much of it have you consumed?"

"I kind of lost track, Rob... but I'm guessing about ten bottles!"

Rob winced at the thought.

"Why do you ask?" queried Eric.

"I think your new 'friend' just gave you some 'Bloat Cola'..."

EricFox looked at Rob, looked down at his swollen belly, and looked back up at Rob again... and began to giggle!

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Quit your kidding, Rob!"

"I'm NOT kidding, Eric," Rob cried out, flinching every time the fox's belly jiggled with laughter.

"Look, if I really drank so much 'Bloat Cola', I would've inflated to the size of a blimp by now..."

And the fox grabbed his gut with both paws and began to shake it violently, making a very loud splashing sound from within.

"...and you can see nothing has happened to me in all this time!"

But the bobcat was too frightened to even look back at his bragging buddy.

"Rob! I'm alright... Nothing has happened!"

Finally, mustering up enough courage to turn around, and still seeing the fox in the same plump shape he's in, Rob finally shows Eric the

bottle he swiped from the lunch wagon.

"Then how do you explain this then?"

Eric read the label that said in big bold lettering 'Bloat Cola'...

"I can't explain it," he replied. "Maybe I've developed an immunity towards the stuff!"

And the fox began to giggle again, his belly starting to slosh louder than ever!

"Will you stop doing THAT!" Rob snapped back at Eric. "You're going to agitate all that carbonation inside of you... and I don't even want to

think about what's going to happen to you next!"

"Look! I'd told you before, if this stuff really WAS 'Bloat Cola', I would've blown up from the very first mouthful I drank... and you can see I

already consumed five gallons of it... Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

Suddenly, Rob's ears perked up.

"What did you just say?"

"I'd said 'absolutely nothing'!"

"No! No! Before that... How much did you say you drank?"

"Well, I said I drank ten bottles of it, and it said 'one half-gallon' on the label you'd just shown me; so by using some simple multiplication, I'd

figured out..."

Ignoring the last part of Eric's equation, Rob took another look at the soda bottle label.

"Son of a gun! You're right! This IS a half-gallon bottle of 'Bloat Cola'!"

"And what's your point, Rob?"

"This was one of the earliest prototypes of 'Bloat Cola' I'd ever created."

"How do you know THAT?" asked Eric.

"It came in half-gallon plastic bottles, before the conversion to the 'metric system' - when all sodas and other beverages had to come in

mandatory one-liter bottles! Obviously, those older bottles of 'Bloat Cola' you drank must've lost their effervescent potency over the years.

That's why you didn't inflate!"

"And I thought you were trying to trick me again!" exclaimed Eric.

Rob dropped the plastic bottle, approached Eric, and once again wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

"There's a time for playing pranks, and there's a time for caring for a friend. Right now, it's caring time... If you really want to reclaim your title

as 'the world's fattest fox', all you needed to do was to come see me, and I'll help you out."

"But what about that elderly lion and his hot dogs? He's going to be disappointed if we leave..."

"Oh, I know he's going to be disappointed. I think that 'friend' of yours is really Captain Furry in disguise!"

"Pull the other one," said a very skeptical Eric.

Rob began to squat down, so that he was just above eye-level to Eric's bulging belly.

"Well, whoever he is, it's going to take him a long time to make you this fat again... and that's no joke!"

And playfully, the bobcat poked the fox right where his belly button would be, beneath those bib overalls.

At that precise moment, an ominous sound emerged from deep within Eric's trembling tummy.

"M-m-m-m-r-r-r-r-r-r-r..."

"What did you just do, Rob?"

"Nothing, Eric! I only gave you a gentle poke... This shouldn't have caused a reaction at all!"

But the violet vulpine's middle continued to undulate on its own... very slowly, at first, and then it started to swing uncontrollably in all

directions! The fox tried to grab his vibrating gut, but it wouldn't hold still.

"What's happening to me?" Eric cried out, as several gas bubbles began to leap out of his mouth and nostrils.

Not wanting to find out, Rob turned around and began to run away from Eric!

"Rob! I said, what's happening to m..."

WHOOOOSH!!!

Chapter Five: "Fearing the Worst"

Rob stumbled and fell onto a small patch of hay. He started to get up, when he looked at the ground, and saw how dark things became, as

though the clear sky suddenly turned overcast with clouds.

Fearing the worst, the bobcat decided to turn around and see what had happened to his violet vulpine buddy...

Sure enough, the sun was blocked out, but not by any clouds... There, in front of Rob, floating several yards above the ground, was a four-

story-tall purple blob in a pair of blue bib overalls (that were holding up under the extreme pressure of the sudden inflation)! So sudden did this

turn of events occur, Rob could barely comprehend the fact that Eric's limbs had nearly sunk completely into his new balloonish form, and he

can barely see the tips of his friend's ears poking out at the top of this gigantic purple sphere. A few occasional carbonation bubbles would

emerge from the orifice where said ears stuck out.

Hoping he could hear him, Rob cried out to Eric, "Maybe this vintage 'Bloat Cola' works on a delayed reaction! It took this long for you to

inflate... Maybe it will take just as long for you to belch out the gas and deflate again!"

"Or maybe it will take even longer..." said a familiar voice from behind the bobcat, who turned around and confronted the elderly lion.

"Furry!" declared Rob. "I might've know you'd be behind this!"

Calmly, the leonine figure removed his spectacles and the white wig, covering the black hair of his mane.

"Hey, I'm just helping your friend fulfill his wish to become 'the world's fattest fox' again. No harm done..."

"NO HARM DONE?! Look at him, Furry!" Rob cried out, and pointed to the towering purple fuzzy blimp, floating above the feline pair.

The lion merely yawned.

"Look, Furry, I may have pulled a few stunts in my time, but you're crossing the line when my own friends are involved in your antics!"

Captain Furry merely started to turn around, but Rob grabbed him and turned him back to face him.

"And how the hell did you manage to get ahold of all those half-gallon bottles of 'Bloat Cola' anyway? I thought that stuff was outlawed by

most of the country and confiscated by the feds years ago!"

"It was," Captain Furry replied, pulling his arm away from Rob's grip. "But some of those confiscated bottles fell through some 'cracks' in the

system, and wound up on 'Flea-Bay', where it was sold to the highest bidder... Guess who that was?"

Rob shook his head in disbelief.

"I simply bought a few dozen half-gallon bottles, on the promise that they would not be resold to the public," the lion continued, "and I've kept

my end of the bargain. I haven't sold a drop of 'Bloat Cola' to anyone..."

"No, you didn't," the bobcat retorted. "You simply gave it away to your unsuspecting victims... who are probably blimpish versions of their

former selves by now!"

"Now, now, Rob. Remember, you said yourself that all consumers would return to normal, right after they belch out all that gas..."

"Yeah... after they drank one sipful of the stuff! You got Eric to drink ten bottles of it! There's no telling how long he's going to remain this

way... He might expand even more at this rate..."

"Oooh, I hope so," said Furry with a beamish smile on his face. "My lunch wagon could use all the publicity it can get!"

The angry bobcat started to make fists with both of his paws.

"Oh, come now, Robert... You don't think I'd really let anything happen to your friend, without doing a little investigating first, do you? I'd

tested out the vintage 'Bloat Cola' back in my lab..."

"Oooh, I'll bet you did!" Rob said with a sneer.

"...giving a few eyedrops of the soft drink to my lab rats. Some of them inflated rather quickly, while others took a while to blow up. In either

case, it certainly made my workplace look very... decorative, when my birthday came around."

"You've got a very sick and twisted mind... Do you know that?!"

"Thank you, Robert!"

"And how long did it take for your lab rats to deflate, anyway?"

"Well, the ones that inflated quickly would burp a few seconds later, and returned to their normal size... The ones that took longer, however...

Well, let's just say they're still 'hanging around' my workplace, if you know what I mean."

This was all the bobcat could take, and charged towards the lion.

"You demented monster! I ought to..."

Captain Furry calmly stood his ground and pointed towards Eric.

"Meanwhile, I'd suggest you go after your friend before he floats away altogether."

Rob stopped in his tracks, and turned his head around. Sure enough, a strong gust of wind began to lift Eric's gas-filled body higher off of the

ground and further away from the two big cats.

The bobcat did a 180-degree pivot, and began to run after his purple pal... but not before he looked back at the lion one more time.

"This isn't over, Furry! Not by a longshot! I'll get back at you for this! Mark my words... I'll get back at you for this!!"

And the bobcat continue to persue the four-story-tall fox.

"Sure you will," thought Captain Furry, as he left the field in the opposite direction. "Sure you will, Rob. And pigs... or, in this case... foxes

can fly!"

Chapter Six: "A Little Help From A Big Friend"

Rob ran as quickly as his legs could carry him...

"Why wasn't I born a cheetah, instead of a bobcat?!" he'd thought to himself, as he continued his pursuit of the grotesquely gas-filled fox.

Every once in a while, the wind would die down, and Eric would start to descend... but whenever his bloated body would hit the ground, it

would reagitate the carbonation within him and cause him to expand some more... and then the wind would return and pick him up again!

After a few such unfortunate bounces, the violet vulpine grew to the size of a six-story house. Miraculously, his bib overalls were still holding

up under all that stress!

Rob was finally catching up with Eric. The giant round fox was spinning and turning uncontrollably, end over end, as the wind started to pick

him up again.

"If only I can grab him, somehow," thought Rob. And then, an opportunity presented itself to him...

Even though the fox's limbs and head were swallowed up by his ever-expanding body, his fluffy purple tail was still sticking out of the back of

his overalls.

Without giving a second thought, Rob took one mighty leap, and was able to grab Eric's tail, and held on to it tightly. But, by this time, the

foxish blimp was so light, even the bobcat's weight couldn't bring the two of them down to the ground.

The wind grew stronger and lifted Rob and Eric higher and higher.

"I've got to get Eric to belch out all that gas, and soon," thought Rob, not wanting to even think of a worst-case scenario for the fox. "If only I

can climb up to his head..."

The duo were now a few hundred feet above the ground, and the bobcat didn't even dare to release his grip on the fox's tail.

"If only there was some way I could get some help from someone," Rob thought. "Anyone!"

Just then, he'd caught a glimpse of a large green figure off in the distance... Being so high in the sky, he couldn't help but notice the presence

of Duncan - a giant green kangaroo, who was, himself, ten stories tall!

But would Rob be able to get Duncan's attention? And if so, how would he do it?

Figuring that the massive macropod had ears alone that were one-story tall (and should be able to hear anything within range), he tried calling

his out name, screaming at the top of his lungs...

"DUNCAN!!!"

But the 'roo just stood there, his back towards the duo.

"I've got to get closer to him... but how?"

It was at that moment, when the wind died down again, that Rob had an idea. Holding on to the fox's tail for dear life, the bobcat tried to swing

his own body back and forth, in an attempt to change the course his blimpish buddy was taking... It was working!

The two of them were floating directly toward the giant green kangaroo, and when he truly believed they were within earshot of him, the bobcat

tried to call out to the 'roo's name again.

"DUNCAN!!!"

This time, Duncan heard his name being called, and turned his head around. He nearly did a 'double-take' at the sight his eyes laid upon...

seeing a gigantic purple and blue bubble, with a small orange figure hanging on from the bottom of it!

"Rob? Is that you?" asked Duncan. "And where did you get the neat balloon?!"

"This isn't a balloon," Rob yelled back.

"Well, you could've fooled me," said Duncan. "It sure looks like a balloon!"

"Look, I don't have time to explain, Duncan... Just grab it and don't let it go!"

Complying with Rob's request, the giant green 'roo reached out with both paws and pulled the plump purple and blue orb towards him. He

pressed it against his chest, and gave it a gentle squeeze...

"Duncan!" cried the bobcat. "Don't play with it!"

"Aw, what's the fun in having a balloon, if I can't play with it?!"

"I need to deflate it immediately..."

"Oh, that's no problem," said the mammoth marsupial, and began to squeeze Eric tighter, making a creaking and squeaking noise in the

process.

"DUNCAN!!!" Rob screamed out. "Let ME do this, will you?!"

"Oh, all right!"

"Now, first of all, take me in your paw and put me on top!"

Holding on to Eric with one wrapped arm around him, Duncan used his free arm to get beneath him and to have Rob perch on his paw (once

the bobcat released his grip on the fox's tail). He then placed Rob on the summit of the grape-colored globe. Once there, he began to look for

the orifice where Eric's head sunk in.

"Logically," he thought to himself, "all I have to do is look for the gas bubbles escaping from the opening on top." But he didn't see any

bubbles at all.

"It's worse than I'd feared," the miniscule bobcat told the giant kanagroo. "If he continues to inflate, with no gas pressure release at all, he's

liable to pop!"

The bobcat began to size up this crucial situation, and thought of something.

"These overalls are confining him. If we can loosen them, or take them off altogether, we might be able to take some of the pressure off of

him."

"But Rob, my fingers are too big to do any undressing."

"Just hold on to Eric, and I'll undo his buttons."

Finding one of the two suspenders, Rob began to slide down the taut material until he reached the button connecting it with the rest of the

overalls. Using every ounce of strength he had, he undid the button... but he forgot to let go of the suspender, and he was immediately

catapulted up into the air, flipping over to the other side of Eric's round body! Using a quick reflex, Duncan was able to reach around and

catch Rob, before he lost his grip on the suspender!

"I'm going to undo the other button, Duncan. Hold down the suspender when I do it!"

Finding the other taut suspender, Rob slid down to the remaining button. Following his instructions, Duncan used his free paw to hold the thin

strip of fabric in place, while Rob undid said button.

"Now," said Rob, "let me slide up slowly."

Duncan slightly allowed the suspender to loosen, as Rob began to ride up the fox's chest much slower than before. As soon as he got back

on top and unhanded the fabric, he motioned Duncan to let the suspender go. Releasing it, it flopped over to the far side of the fox.

"OK, Duncan," Rob instructed him, "now, very carefully, pull off these overalls."

With his free paw, the 'roo stuck his tapery fingers between the blue pants and the purple belly of the fox, and he began to pull them

downward - being cautious to keep the bloated body in an upright position (so that Rob wouldn't fall off). As he proceeded to remove the

overalls, the orb began to expand again, as the pressure of Eric's denim constraint was being released. Once removed, the outstretched

overalls contracted back to its original size.

Duncan began to snicker.

"What's so funny?" asked Rob.

"He-he-he... he's naked!" replied Duncan.

"Never mind that. I've got to get him to expel all that gas, before it's too late."

Getting down on all fours, the bobcat felt around the purple fur-covered apex of his inflated friend, searching frantically for the opening where

Eric's head was enveloped.

Finally finding a slight indentation, Rob started to reach down and feel about with one paw.

"I think I found his ears," he told Duncan, "but his head's sunken in too deep. I'll need your help again..."

Duncan nodded.

"Try to widen the orifice, and I'll climb in and try to get his head outside."

Using the large thumb and forefinger of his free forepaw, Duncan was able pry the opening, as Rob started his descent inside...

Chapter Seven: "Better Out Than In"

With only the late afternoon sun to provide adequate lighting, Rob found the top of Eric's sunken head. He saw the tips of his purple ears, and

a tuft of purple hair between them... but that was as far as the bobcat could venture. Pushing the furry walls of this makeshift cavity, as hard

as he could, he finally saw the rest of the fox's head, and realized why no additional gas bubbles were coming out of him... His cheeks had

puffed up to such an enormous size, they were smothering his muzzle altogether! And each cheek was already the size of an overinflated

beach ball!

Looking back up at the widened opening Duncan had made with his fingers, Rob realized that, to get Eric's head out with those puffed cheeks

of his, it was going to be a very tight squeeze.

"I feel like an obstetrician, trying to deliver a pair of gigantic twins!" Rob thought.

Sticking his own head out of the orifice, Rob told Duncan, "You'll have to widen this opening even more."

"Okay, Rob. Let me get a better grip on your balloon first, before it gets away from me." And with that, Duncan removed his forepaw from the

orifice before Rob had a chance to get his body completely out!

"Mrrph!" muttered Rob, as Eric's body nearly enveloped him, too!

By this time, the violet vulpine was almost three-quarters as large as the green kangaroo. Duncan was having trouble holding on to the

expanding fox with one arm, but he was finally able to get a better grip. And as he was about to use his free paw again, he couldn't help

glimpsing at Rob's orange head, poking out of the gigantic purple body (as if someone grafted a Barbie doll's head onto a Cabbage Patch

Kid), and he began to chuckle at this offbeat sight.

"Stop laughing and widen this gap, will you?!" Rob cried out, his patience wearing thinner than Eric's taut skin (which began to creak at the

slighted movement).

Getting his composure again, Duncan stuck his thumb and forefinger around Rob's head, and he pried the opening as wide as he could. The

freed bobcat climbed back down, and slid between one of the swollen cheeks and the wall of inflated fur, until he was underneath Eric's head,

and found the neck - which was wide enough to swallow the head!

"The gas wants to escape his body," Rob thought, "but he's unable to exhale!"

Climbing back up to the surface, Rob told Duncan, "His head's too swollen! You'll have to pull it out for me... but don't let go of the orifice

again!"

"I won't, Rob," Duncan responded, "but I'm going to need both paws for this task!"

"Do whatever you have to do... but do it!!" Rob exclaimed, as he climbed completely out of the gap.

Duncan released his arm around Eric (who was now almost as large as the macropod himself). The green 'roo leaned over and used his own

body to hold the fox down on the ground, while allowing one forepaw to reach into the orifice - held open by the other forepaw.

"Be careful not to puncture either one of his cheeks!" Rob cried out.

Delicately feeling around, Duncan was able to reach underneath Eric's head, and carefully grabbed the neck, and slowly pulled upward. First,

one puffed cheek emerged, followed by the other one.

"Don't let go of the neck, Duncan! If you do, his head will sink in again!"

"Well, now what, Rob?"

"I'm going to get him to exhale, that's what!"

Climbing upon the paw Duncan held the neck with, and pushing apart the two puffed cheeks, Rob was finally able to find the rest of Eric's

face...

His eyes were wide open and bulging - as if they were ready to pop out of his head, if he blew up any more. They were able to recognize the

sight of the bobcat, but he could hardly breathe to express his gratitude of finally seeing somebody (for the first time since his vintage 'Bloat

Cola' inflation, only an hour ago).

Without stopping to think, Rob grabbed Eric's snout with one paw and the lower jaw of his muzzle with the other paw, and opened it as wide

as he could. A small flurry of gas bubbles escaped, floating upward... but then that came to a sudden stop.

"There must be some blockage in your windpipe," Rob told Eric, who was able to comprehend (but had no way of conveying it). "You've got to

do something to unblock the congestion in it... belch... cough... hiccup... sneeze... laugh... Laugh! That's it!!"

The bobcat turned back towards the kangaroo.

"Quick, Duncan! Tickle Eric!"

"What?!"

"You heard me... tickle him! Just don't let go of his neck!"

Using a free forepaw, he gently stuck his forefinger into Eric's navel (which, by this time, was large enough to stuff a basketball into) and

made a circular motion in it.

"Cootchie, cootchie, cootchie..." said the 'roo, as he cracked a grin.

Tears were starting to form in Eric's bulging eyes, as his entire body began to pulsate again. Still holding the muzzle wide open, Rob was

hoping that something... anything would come out of Eric's throat.

Duncan felt himself being lifted off of the ground, as Eric's body began to expand again.

"Keep tickling, Duncan! I think it's working!"

While he continued to make a circular motion in Eric's navel with his forefinger, Duncan used the remaining fingers of his paw to scritch the

purple fox's turgid belly.

Eric suddenly closed his eyes, and (from deep within his diaphragm) brought up a sound that was half-cough/half-laughter. And a blizzard of

gas bubbles from the fox's mouth rushed into Rob's face! Rob was too overjoyed at the results to concern himself with his dignity.

"Come on, Eric! Do it again!"

Once again (from deep within his diaphragm), Eric was able to cough up another flurry of gas bubbles.

"Again!"

It became a race against time, between the fox's belly - which continued to expand - and the threesome preventing further expansion of it.

Duncan continued to tickle the belly, Eric continued to cough out more gas bubbles, and Rob continued to coach them both.

Finally, Rob knew (at this point) that it was now or never...

"OK, Duncan," he called back to the kangaroo. "When I say 'now', poke his belly as hard as you can!"

Eric's eyes widened like they never widened before (as if to say, "Are you out of you mind, Rob? He'll pop me like a soap bubble!").

Even Duncan was somewhat skeptical of Rob's latest instruction.

"I don't know if I really should..."

But it was too late.

"NOW!!!" screamed the bobcat who voice was nearly hoarse from all his yelling!

Not giving his instructions another thought, Duncan hauled back his forepaw, and then plunged his forefinger (nearly halfway) into Eric's belly

button!

Within seconds, another ominous sound echoed from within the great expanse of the violet vulpine's gut...

"M-m-m-m-r-r-r-r-r-r..."

But this time, the pitch was going upward instead of downward (as before, just before the fox inflated).

The entire purple orb began to quake violently, actually throwing Duncan off of it. But he still managed to hold on to Eric's neck, and Rob was

hanging on to Eric's wide opened muzzle.

Eric himself closed his eyes, expecting the end at any second.

The high-pitched ominous noise grew louder and louder, as though a freight train was ready to emerge from a tunnel.

Rob realized this and quickly let go of the fox's snout and lower jaw, latching onto the neck instead. The already-puffed cheeks suddenly

swelled up to twice its size!

Eric's entire body vibrated in anticipation of what was to happen next...

Rob felt the fox's neck expand for a fraction of a second, and then, without warning...

"B-B-B-L-U-R-PHOOOOOOSH!"

A huge gust of wind - stronger than a 'Category Five' hurricane - rushed out of Eric's muzzle. So strong was this rush, Rob didn't need to hold

the fox's mouth wide open anymore.

At the same time, an eruption of gas bubbles blasted out of Eric's face, and straight into Duncan's! Being caught off-guard by this fizzy

onslaught, the kangaroo accidentally let go of Eric's neck.

With nothing holding him down, Eric's expulsion of gas caused him to become jet-propelled, as he began to rocket up into the sky - with Rob

holding onto the fox's neck for dear life!

"Eric! Eric! Can you hear me?!" called out Rob, but his shouting fell on deaf ears, as the escaping gas let out a roar too loud for Eric to

understand anything his friend was saying. (And even if he could hear Rob, he couldn't move his mouth to say anything, due to the extreme

force and pressure he was undergoing at the moment.)

Like a gigantic party balloon with the air being let out of it, Eric went all over the sky - this way and that way - making uncontrollable loop-the-

loops, barrel rolls, and corkscrew turns no modern aircraft could accomplish in such a short span of time!

Needless to say, as more gas escaped from the purple fox, his body began to get smaller and smaller. Within just a few minutes, the (one-

time) ten-story high behemoth blimp had reduced itself to a mere two stories tall. (By this time, all of Eric's limbs had reemerged from the

confines of his formerly expansive form.)

At that moment, Rob realized that if Eric expelled any more gas, they'd become heavier than air, and plummet to the ground (and to certain

doom)!

He quickly climbed up from the fox's neck to the top of the head again - being careful not to be in front of the strong exhalation from the

muzzle (for fear he'd be blown off altogether). Using his last ounce of strength, he tried to clamp shut Eric's mouth - to prevent any further gas

from escaping.

It wasn't easy at first... gas bubbles were still streaming out of Eric's nostrils at the same velocity as the gas coming out of his mouth. So,

Rob plugged up the nostrils with his two of the fingers on one paw, while his other paw kept Eric's muzzle from opening again.

By the time Rob was able to accomplish this, Eric had reduced to the size of a one-story structure. However, even though the fox was still

very light from the remaining gas inside of him, the bobcat's weight was now causing them both to drop out of the sky.

Luckily for them, the target below was the very same open field (with its hay and grass) where the original inflation took place. So, Rob knew

that Eric's landing would be a soft one... a little bumpy perhaps, but a soft one.

As Rob prepared the two of them for 'touchdown', Eric's cheeks began to puff up again. Rob suddenly remembered that he'd surpressed the

fox from expelling the rest of the gas inside of him. So, he swung his body around - holding onto Eric's muzzle - and causing the fox to yaw

slightly, so that his broad belly would hit the ground first!

Rob climbed upon Eric's back - letting go of the muzzle in the process - just as the duo hit the ground! The impact was so hard, Rob bounced

off of the fox's rounded body, flew several yards into the air and landed with a thump on his back - knocking the wind out of him.

At that exact moment, the same impact caused Eric to emit one final audible belch...

"B-B-B-UUURRRRRPP!"

...and as the last of the gas escaped through his reopened muzzle, the fox flew back several hundred feet, landing in a conveniently placed

haystack, and disappearing within it!

Chapter Eight: "Fallout"

Rob finally recovered from his 'landing' and got back on his feet again.

"Eric? Eric!" he'd tried calling out, but his voice was too weak from all that yelling before. So, he began to walk about the open field, looking

for his purple pal.

At that moment, Duncan hopped into the field, with one mighty bound (shaking the area with a magnitude 2.5 Richter scale-like quake).

"Are you alright, Rob?" asked the giant green kangaroo.

"Well, I've seen better days," the bobcat replied, "but I'll be alright."

"Boy, you have all the fun, don't you?"

"Huh?" asked Rob.

"You get to play with that giant balloon and ride around like that... I wish I had a toy like that!"

Rob ignored Duncan's inquisitive behavior, and continued his search for Eric.

As he approached a large haystack, he saw something rustle underneath all that straw...

"Eric? Is that you in the haystack?"

"No, Rob! I'm a giant purple needle!" a sarcastic voice snapped back.

Rob lunged into the stack and started to pull Eric out, but the fox resisted.

"Why won't you come out, Eric?"

"I'd be more than happy to do so, but you'll have to do me a favor first..."

"Anything, Eric..."

"Would you mind getting me my overalls?!"

Rob forgot that he and Duncan had removed Eric's extra-strong jeans. So, the bobcat instructed the kangaroo to retrieve the fox's only

available garment. Duncan leapt out of the field, and within a minute or two returned with the Eric's overalls.

"You'll be happy to know," Rob reported to Eric, as he handed the pants over to him, "that you got your money's worth. Not only are they as

durable as you'd claimed they are - having stretched that much without being destroyed - but they actually returned to their normal size

again."

Eric sighed. "I wish I could say the same for myself!"

"What do you mean, Eric?"

Before putting on his bib overalls again, Eric finally emerged from the haystack... only he didn't look exactly the same as he did when he first

wore them. Oh, the purple fox looked alright from the chest up, but his emptied belly was so outstretched from its recent inflation, it was

dragging on the ground in front of him!

"Look at me!" Eric lamented. "I look like I'm carrying an opened purple parachute... only it's attached to ME!"

Duncan started to giggle at this latest bizarre sight.

"Duncan!" scolded Rob.

"Sorry," Duncan apologized.

"It's all that Captain's Furry's fault!" said the enraged fox. "He took advantage of me, and I nearly 'bought it' because of him! Ooooh, if I only

had five minutes alone with him..."

"Look, Eric, what's done is done. The important thing is you're alright."

Eric picked up his floppy, sagging, empty belly.

"You call THIS alright?! With all these 'stretch marks', I look like I gave birth to an entire skulk of purple foxes!"

"You know, Eric, in a way Captain Furry was doing you a favor by inflating you..."

"What?!"

"Put on your overalls, tuck your belly inside of it, and I'll explain."

As the purple fox stuck his tail throught the seat of his pants again, and reattached the buttons of his suspenders, Rob calmly spoke to him.

"By having your belly stretched out to a size even you were amazed it could expand to, this will help you out in your quest to regain the title

as 'the world's fattest fox'. This floppy sack you now possess is in need up filling up anyway... So you see, Captain Furry did do you a favor!"

Eric gave Rob a cold hard stare.

"You're in cahoots with Furry, aren't you?"

"No! I hate him just as much as you do! I just thought that his plan had an unexpected benefit for you, that's all."

"You know this whole thing was partially your fault, Rob. If you hadn't created 'Bloat Cola' in the first place, I wouldn't had gone through this

ordeal."

"I know that, Eric," replied Rob, "and I don't blame you if you never talk to me again for the rest of your life."

Eric still gave Rob a stern look.

"But that was then, and this is now. I'd told you before, there's a time for jokes and a time for caring... and I really want to help you out, after

that big Halloween debacle. And I'm still willing to do so."

"How?"

"I'll tell you how," said the bobcat, who reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a ten-dollar bill and a small business card. "If you

continue down that same country road, just a few miles further, you'll see a small inn at the edge of the next town. Ask for someone named

Andy in there; and when you see him, hand him this card and the ten-spot, and tell him 'Rob sent you'."

"I'm not going to become 'the world's fattest fox' if I only have ten dollars to my name!"

"Trust me, Eric. Your title will be reclaimed if you just do what I ask."

Rob gave Eric a gentle pat on the back - causing the fox to burp out the last residue of 'Bloat Cola' gas - and sent him on his way.

As Eric walked off - becoming a mere purple spot into the distance - Duncan looked down at Rob and said, "Nice friend."

"Yeah, he sure is."

"So... can we look for that balloon you were playing with? I want to play with it now!"

Rob's eyes rolled heavenward.

"Tell you what, Duncan... If you're willing to wait, I'll get you a toy of your very own... One that's just your size."

"Really?" asked the 'roo. "You're not joking with me, are you?"

"No, Duncan, I'm not," said the bobcat, as a fiendish grin slowly materialized on his face. "I'd said it before, and I'll say it again... there's a

time for caring... and there's a time for joking..."

Chapter Nine: "The Big Feed"

The sun had just gone down, as Eric entered the next town, and he saw the lights on at the small inn that Rob had described to him. He still

had his doubts about being able to eat a lot of food on just ten dollars. But his friend sounded sincere enough, that he's willing to trust him,

and go by his very words.

He was about to enter the inn, when he saw a young couple, 'dressed to the nines' leaving the eatery. Eric looked down at his overalls - the

only garment he had on his person - and began to wonder if he'll even be permitted to eat in such a fancy establishment.

"I've gone this far," thought Eric. "I can't turn back now."

So, standing up to his full height, the purple fox opened the inn door and entered.

The lighting inside was rather subdued, but he could easily hear the sounds of customers being served their dinners, and he could easily

smell the food being cooked. He was beginning to have his doubts again, when (from behind him) a voice spoke out.

"Can I help you?" uttered a slightly stout badger, who was the maitre d' of the inn.

Slightly startled, Eric stammered a little.

"Er, I, well, that is..."

"Did you come here to eat or not?" asked the badger in a firm voice.

"Well, yes I did," replied the purple fox.

"So," asked the maitre d', "how many in your party?"

"Just me, I guess."

"You guess?! There's either going to be YOU, or there's going to be morethan YOU!"

"Look, I shouldn't even be here... I was just told by a friend to come here and ask for someone named Andy..."

"Oh... You're one of those..."

"What do you mean 'one of those'?"

"Follow me," said the badger, as the fox obeyed, keeping a safe distance behind him.

The maitre d' led Eric into the inn's kitchen, where several chefs were hard at work preparing the menu for that evening: fresh salad, corn

chowder, roasted squab with caramelized pearl onions and diced potatoes, and a slice of cheesecake this side of heaven.

Eric was nearly hypnotised by the enticing aromas swirling around his head. But the badger was able to catch his attention, and lead him to

the back of the kitchen.

There, finishing the topping off of one of the cheesecakes was a tall, lean lion in a chef's hat and apron. The moment Eric saw this leonine

figure, his first thought was, "Oh, no! Not again!"

"Andy," said the maitre d'. "We have another one!"

"I see," said Andy, noticing the purple individual behind the badger. "You may go, Philippe."

As Philippe left, the lion began to walk around Eric, as though he was an undertaker, sizing him up for a casket.

"State your business," Andy uttered in a low tone.

"Well, I came here to eat," said Eric.

"Is that so? I thought you were here to sell me some cookware!"

"Look, this wasn't really MY idea. I was just told to come here, and to hand you this..."

And, with that, Eric reached into the pocket of his overalls, and pulled out the ten-dollar bill and the business card.

"I see. Anything else?"

Eric thought for a moment, and then remembered.

"Oh, yeah, and I was told to tell you that 'Rob sent me'."

"Really?" said the lion. "Well, I'll be the judge of that... Wait right here."

Eric stood still, nervous and wondering if Rob had played another trick on him again (just like the ones he'd pulled off in the past).

Andy walked over to a small brick oven, where the squabs were being roasted over a small cluster of flames. He then raised the business

card in front of his eyes, and saw that the only things printed on it were the address and phone number of the inn and nothing else. But then,

he took the card and held it over one of the open flames for a few seconds, after which he looked at it again. Some secret writing began to

appear on the card, and the lion took one more close look.

The secret writing on the card read, "Rob says FILL ME UP!"

Andy looked back at Eric, who was totally oblivious to what was going on. A huge smile formed on the lion's face, as he returned to the fox.

"Yes, I'll have a very special seating for you, young man... Ah, what did you say your name was?"

"Eric."

"Well, Eric, if you'll follow Philippe to your table, I can promise you a meal you will never forget..."

Eric started to have mixed feelings about this 'promise'; but he already gave Andy the card and the money, so he thought he might as well go

through with this.

The badger led the purple fox from the back of the kitchen down a narrow corridor. The sounds of the paying customers enjoying their meals

were growing faint from his ears (which usually were sensitive enough to pick up the slightest sounds), and the sumptous aromas he once

smelled began to disappear from his nostrils (which were even more sensitive).

At long last, they had reached a tall white door the end of the hallway. The maitre d' opened it, and Eric saw what he thought was another

dimly-lit room. As it turned out, he was led to the back entrance of the inn, and was brought outside. The illumination was coming from the

moon, which had already emerged from the horizon.

"This way, sir," the badger instructed the fox, as he continued to lead Eric further and further away from the inn.

"This was another prank," thought Eric. "Rob's no better than Furry... I'm not going to be fed at all... He just pulling my..."

"Here we are, sir," said Philippe, as Eric saw that he was being led to some sort of barn with a large pair of doors at its entrance. "Just have a

seat inside, and you will be served momentarily."

Eric slowly entered the barn - whose interior was barely brighter inside than the moonlit landscape he'd just left behind him - and saw that it

contained only a few pieces of furniture in the middle of the room... several chairs, and one very long table covered in a white cloth. Several

unlit candles were placed in various portions of the table, as well as number of cloth napkins - set where each chair was situated.

After walking once around the table, Eric finally selected a chair, and sat down in it.

No sooner was he seated, than the sound of a pair of doors at one side of the barn burst open, and in came several rabbits, each one in a

waiter's uniform - each one with a tray of food, which they had placed in various spots on the table. And then, as one, all the waiters took out

a single matchstick, struck it on the heels of their respective feet, and lit a candle located in front of each one. Instantly, the room was several

times brighter than it originally was, as the lapine servers hopped out as quickly as they had entered.

Eric wondered what just went on, as he saw the last waiter leave. And then he turned his head and saw the food on the table for the first

time...

One tray was piled high with variety of dinner rolls (poppy-seeded, sesame-seeded, carroway-seeded, and unseeded) and pats of creamy

butter around its entire perimeter. Another tray contained a large amount of steaming hot pasta (possibly spaghetti, possibly linguini) with

several small vessels of various sauces (marinara, clam, and white wine) surrounding it. One tray at the far end of the table had several freshly

cooked chickens, while another tray at the other end had a stack of well-done T-bone steaks (with a gravy boat on one side, and a small dish

on sauteed onions and mushrooms on the other side).

Each tray Eric saw from his seat contained one food more taste-tempting than the next.

"Wait a minute!" he thought to himself. "This wasn't what was being prepared in the kitchen I'd just came from."

Before he could think of anything else, one more rabbit waiter entered the barn with a large stack of empty plates, and set each one down

next to each napkin on the table. The last plate was handed to the purple fox.

"Help yourself, sir," said the rabbit, and began to hop off.

"Who else is going to be here?" Eric called out to the waiter... but it was too late. The waiter was gone.

"Maybe I should wait to see who else is going to join me," he thought to himself. "Oh, but this food looks so delicious, and I'm getting hungry

just thinking about it."

He put his plate down, and then pulled the top of his bib overalls out in front of him and looked down at his stomach - which was still out of

shape from the 'Bloat Cola' incident earlier in the day. He then looked up, one more time, at all the food covering most of the table.

"Damn the others!" he thought, picked up the plate, and began to move around the table, selecting one of each item from every tray. He sat

back down, and began to eat as though he had never eaten before in his life.

He gobbled down several rolls with butter, vanquished a plate of pasta with clam sauce in nothing flat, and consumed one steak (with gravy

and mushrooms) and one chicken in mere moments...

And during all this time, he kept thinking to himself, "Why was I brought here to eat? Why couldn't I be served at the inn? Is this some sort of

trick? Did Rob put me up to some prank that he and Captain Furry cooked up? Where are the other dinner guests? And why am I the only

one here? Why is there so much food? And why was the food different from what was in that kitchen? And if it wasn't from the kitchen, where

did it come from?"

A very loud belch Eric emitted interrupted his thoughts...

"U-u-u-urp! Oh, excuse me!" he said politely, and then realized there was no one to apologize to.

It was that particular moment that Eric discovered that all the trays he had eaten from were suddenly empty!

He looked down, and saw a huge bulge in his bib overalls...

"I couldn't have eaten that much that fast, could I?" he thought.

Again, he pulled the top of his overalls out in front of him, and looked down. Sure enough, he was starting to develop a purple pot belly again.

"Is everything alright?" stated a familiar voice, which startled the fox, who let go of his overalls. Looking up to his left, he saw Andy the lion

cook standing over him (his arms folded).

"Ah, er, yes... Yes, it was delicious... very delicious, indeed."

"Good to hear that, Eric," the lion said, and without missing a beat, he clapped his paws twice.

From one far end of the barn, one small troop of rabbit waiters hopped into the room, and began to clear the table of all the empty trays. As

soon as they had left, another troop of waiters entered from the other end, each one carrying a different tray of new food items, again placed

at various locations on the table, and then they vanished just as fast as they appeared.

This time, one tray had a small pile of fresh corn-on-the-cob (drowning in a sea of melted butter); another tray had a small mountain of

mashed potatoes (with several gravy boats at its 'foothills'); another tray contained several tureens of luscious soups containing every sort of

meat and poultry stock imaginable (which a stack of empty soup bowls in the middle of this arrangement, and plenty of crackers and

breadsticks on the side); and the remaining trays featured a number of seafood items - ranging from shrimp to rainbow trout (with plenty of

lemons, tartar and cocktail sauces).

Eric couldn't take his eyes off the latest collection of culinary concoctions brought before him. He tried to speak to Andy, while staring at this

new feast...

"Ah, tell me, Andy, why..."

...but when he finally turned around to his left, Andy was already gone.

"Help yourself, sir!" said a lone waiter, who stood on the right side of Eric. The rabbit handed the fox another large empty plate, and then

hopped off into the distance.

Eric slowly rose from his chair, and began to circulate around the table again, picking various foodstuffs from each tray. He returned to his

seat, this time with several fish, two ears of corn, a small pile of gravy-covered potatoes, and a bowl of turkey noodle soup.

For some reason, he consumed this helping a little bit slower as before - not because he was feeling full, but because he was feeling

suspicious.

"Why are these items different from the last assortment I ate?" he contemplated. "Did they come from that kitchen I was at? Or did they

come from somewhere else? I like everything that they're serving me... but how did they know this? Did Rob tip them off? How did Rob know

about this place, anyway? Does he know something I don't know?"

Again, an audible belch (even louder than the last one) interrupted Eric's latest line of questioning in his mind...

"B-u-u-urrrp!"

...but this time, he didn't bother to excuse himself.

Again, he discovered that he was so lost in thought, he not only ate everything on his plate, but everything on all the trays brought out to the

table.

Afraid to look down this time, he took his left paw, placed it on his chest, and slowly slid it down the front of his bib overalls. Halfway down,

he had felt a much larger curvature at his midsection, and he finally glanced to see that his belly was now twice as large as it was, before this

latest collection of consumables were brought out.

"Is everything to your satisfaction, Eric?" inquired Andy, who had returned and was standing to the left of the fox again.

This time, Eric wasn't as startled by the lion's presence as last time.

"Yes, yes. Everything was.. to my satisfaction... except..."

"Except?" exclaimed Andy. "Except what?!"

"Well, I am kind of thirsty, and..."

"Oh, my apologies, Eric! All that fish and chicken served to you, and nothing to wash it down with! I'll remedy that at once..."

Like fingers being snapped, the lion clicked his claws, and several rabbit waitresses hopped into the room, each one carrying a small pitcher

of liquid refreshment... except for the last female lapine, who brought out a stack of plastic tumblers for the drinks.

"The selection is yours," stated Andy. "You can have iced tea, lemonade, fruit punch, buttermilk, or several different flavors of soda..."

"Oh, definitely NOT <urp> soda!" Eric insisted (recalling the events of the day). "Pardon me."

"You're excused."

"Just some buttermilk for now."

And the waitress with a tall, cold pitcher of buttermilk filled up one of the tumblers and placed it beside Eric's emptied plate.

Collecting his wits, Eric turned towards Andy and asked him, "Where are the others?"

"You are the others!" the lion replied.

"Huh?!" said the perplexed purple fox.

"You did say 'Rob sent you', did you not?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"That's all I needed to hear..."

And once again, the lion clapped his forepaws, as one troop of rabbit waiters cleared the table and the other troop restocked it with another

helping of substituted substenance. And, as before, the chef vanished with the waiters before Eric had a chance to ask him any further

questions.

This time around, the trays were filled with a variety of 'fun foods' - hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, tacos, and every variety of pizza ever

conceived (sausage, pepperoni, meatball, mushroom, spinach, pineapple, four-cheese, five-cheese... and, yes, even anchovy)!

Eric didn't even have to turn to his right, when the rabbit waiter returned and said "Help yourself, sir." Without looking, he just reached up,

grabbed the fresh plate, and proceeded to circumnavigate the table again.

Of course, by this time, Eric's extra weight (from his previous repasts) slowed down his momentum; but he managed to make the complete

trip, and returned to his seat with two of every item he could get his paws on!

And, once again, while he was consuming his latest course, Eric was still consumed in thought...

"Does Andy know I'm trying to become 'the world's fattest fox'? Is he trying to 'use me' to attract attention to his inn? Are Rob and Andy

allies? Or are they in collaboration with Captain Furry? Am I being a 'pawn' in some of sort of plan between the three of them? And why am I

giving in to this plan? Am I letting my belly take over my brain? Why do I still feel as if someone is playing a trick on me?..."

This time, Eric's belch was disrupted by a cracking noise, followed by a crash...

"Bl-u-u-u-urk..."

CRASH!

The fat fox had fallen back, as the additional poundage he put on was finally too much for the chair he sat on. Lying flat on the floor, he looked

up at his denim-covered belly - which was now a few feet wider in circumference (and far larger than it was, when Captain Furry fed him all

those hot dogs and vintage 'Bloat Cola').

Eric tried to sit up, with some difficulty, but managed somehow to bring his head at eye-level with the top of the table. From this vantage

point, the entire surface resembled a barren desert, with every plate and tray just as empty as his belly was (when he first entered the barn).

"Are you alright, Eric?" said a familiar voice to his left.

From the floor, the portly purple fox looked up at Andy, who looked concerned.

"Oh, I'm alright, Andy... I guess they don't make chairs like they used to."

The lion cracked a small smile, as he clicked his claws again.

Two of the waitresses approached Eric, placed their pitchers on the table, and proceeded to help him get back on his feet.

"That's why this table has several chairs around it," Andy explained. "You don't always have to return to the same one you started with. The

more courses that are brought out, the more likely you might not be able to make a complete trip around the table."

"Well, it would seem pointless now," commented Eric, "if my weight caused this chair to collapse, the other ones will probably do the same

thing."

"You're right, Eric... I'll have some stronger chairs brought out to replace the others."

Andy was about the clap his paws, when Eric grabbed the lion's wrist.

"No, no... You don't have to do that for me... I think I'll remain standing for the next helping."

"Are you sure?" asked the lion.

"Absolutely," replied the fox.

"As you wish..."

And, with that, Andy clapped his paws again, and the whole procedure started all over again - with the table cleared and restocked with

another course of food... This time, the trays were filled with every kind of mouth-watering, taste-tempting, indulgence-inducing dessert,

guaranteed to make anyone's mind reel!

Countless cream puffs, layer cakes, fruit pies, muffins, and cookies covered almost every square inch of the surface (barely leaving room for

several pitchers of heavy cream and more tumblers), and it was all stacked almost as tall as the table itself!

Eric's eyes were beginning to bulge as big as they were when he was inflated before. But he quickly regained his composure, and turned

towards Andy... who, this time, remained in the room.

"May I please ask you a question, Andy?"

"Certainly?"

"Do you really know Rob?"

"Well, let me ask you a question... Is Rob your friend?"

Eric thought about this for a few seconds, looked at the mountains of sweet treats before him, looked down at his gigantic gut, and finally

looked back at the lion.

"Yes, Rob truly IS my friend."

"Then, the answer is 'yes'... I do know Rob... And any friend of Rob's is a friend of mine... Bon appetit!"

And the lion left the barn again, this time accompanied by some of the rabbit waiters, each one carrying off the remaining undamaged chairs.

"Help yourself, sir," said the last rabbit waiter, who handed Eric another clean plate.

The purple fox turned to his right, slowly took the plate, and said, "Thank you... thank you very much."

The rabbit hopped off, as Eric began to slowly waddle his way along the side of the table, eating a piece of pie here, crunching a few cookies

there, munching a slice of cake, popping a cream puff in his mouth, and stopping once in a while to wash it all down with the cream. The

difference between this course and all of the others he had partaken was, he no longer had to think about anything... He knew what he was

doing, and he was certain that Rob knew it, too.

Chapter Ten: "Sweet Revenge"

It was one hour before opening time - the very next day - at different eating establishment in another part of town. Two leonine figures were at

the front door. The male reached into his vest pocket, and produced a key, which he used to open said door. Being the gentlemen that he

was, he allowed his guest - a lioness with a small attache case - to enter the restaurant first.

The interior of the restaurant was quite spacious, and it had a classic art deco design (reminscent of the 1930s), complete with Tiffany lamps

and rout-iron railings.

The feline duo sat in a small booth in the middle of this lavish dining area.

"So, tell me, Alicia," said the lion, "what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"I am just ze humble entrepreneur, looking for ze right place to sell my various potables," said the lioness. "Surely, a restauranteur as

charming as yourself wishes to offer your customers ze very best, no?"

"Oh, without question," replied the lion, who was more fascinated by the curving features of his guest, than what was inside her attache case.

"Tell me, Capitan," Alicia spoke, and noticed how her presence became a distraction to the lion. "Yoo-hoo! Mon cap-i-tan?!"

The lion finally looked up at her face.

"Do you have many satisfied customers here?"

"Well, let me put it to you this way... Nobody in my establishment leaves with an empty stomach!"

"Would you say they leave with ze full stomach? Oui?"

"Oh, the fuller, the better!"

"I see."

The lion began to look down at the cleavage of his feminine companion, when she turned around and proceeded to place her attache case on

the dining table.

"Pleasure later, capitan... Business now... Oui?"

"Er, yeah... Oui," said Captain Furry, who was no longer distracted.

From the foam-lined interior of her attache case, Alicia pulled out a bottle of champagne and two unusual metallic glasses... one of solid silver

and one of solid gold. She placed the gold glass in front of the lion.

Captain Furry looked at the label of the champagne bottle.

"That's an unusual brand I never heard of... 'ACROBAT VINEYARDS'?"

"Ze caretakers of ze vineyards used to work in 'Cirque de Soleil'... And besides," said Alicia, as she popped the cork of the champagne

bottle, "what's in a name, anyway?"

She poured equal amounts of the bubbly beverage into each champagne glass.

"One taste of theez, and you will be airborne, like ze acrobat!"

"Yeah?" asked Furry. "Well, I'll be the judge of that... Cheers!"

They clinked glasses, and each one sipped the champagne... the lion from his gold glass, and the lioness from her silver one.

The captain finished his champagne first, gently placed his vessel on the table, and began to comment on the flavor.

"It has a nutty aroma, a slight hint of effervescence that tickles the nose - but not too much - and a taste that satisfies the palate."

"Oh, I don't know," said a voice from the far side of the restaurant, silhouetted behind an art deco-designed screen. "I wouldn't go by the word

of someone who has no taste at all."

"Rob Cat?!" Captain Furry cried out from the booth. "How did you get in here?"

"You left the door open," the bobcat replied, as he entered the room, carrying an attache case of his own, and advancing towards the feline

couple. "But then again, with such lovely company by your side, I'd probably forget what I was doing, too!"

"Merci, Messr. Robert," Alicia said with exuberance.

Rob raised one paw, as if to say, "aw, it was nothing"...

"Alright," said the lion to the bobcat. "You're in here already... State your business and then get out!"

"I just thought you'd like to try some of MY champagne, for a change," said Rob, who opened his attache case and produced a bottle of his

own bubbly brew, which he handed over to the captain.

Furry read the label on the bottle... "Oh, come on... 'TAC BOR WINERIES'? Do you take me for some kind of idiot?"

Rob started to open his mouth...

"Don't answer that!" Captain Furry snapped back. "You're just out for revenge, aren't you?"

"Nothing of the kind! I'm just a humble businesscat looking for someone to sell my wares to..."

"Like a certain cola?"

"I think that we're all mature adults here. I've moved up in the world," said Rob as he uncorked his bottle, "and I'd like you to try my

champagne."

He then proceeded to pour the bubbly into both of the metallic glasses Alicia had brought with her.

Captain Furry stood up and approached Rob until they were almost inches apart from each other.

"I'll try your champagne on one condition..."

"Name it."

"YOU drink it first!"

"If you insist..."

"I insist! I'll get another champagne glass..."

"Aw, don't bother," said Rob, and he picked up the bottle and began to guzzle down the rest of champagne. Finishing off the last drop, he

slammed the bottle down on the table. "Happy now?"

The lion looked down at the empty bottle. Rob glanced at it, as well. And seeing the bobcat caught off-guard, Furry made a fist, and gave Rob

a quick punch to his stomach!

"Now I'm happy!" said the lion with a smile.

Rob clutched his stomach, as a gurgling noise began erupt from within it.

"I think we'd better step back a bit, my dear," Captain Furry told Alicia. "This could get ugly."

The bobcat's belly began to throb, as the lion backed up, anticipating what was certain to become another quick inflation - the second one he

would witness within the past twenty-four hours.

Rob's entire body rumbled, and his belly started to swell up... and then, just as quickly as it had enlarged itself, it reduced back to its normal

size again!

"B-u-u-urp!" belched the bobcat, who then turned toward the lioness. "Par-don-e moi, Madamoiselle!"

Alicia giggled, covering her mouth in the process.

"Well," said Rob, "I suppose that's what comes from drinking too much, too fast..."

"Just like your friend did, the other day?" asked Captain Furry.

Rob gave Furry a dirty look - partially for his comment, but mostly for the unexpected punch in his gut.

"Let's just say, he's back to normal, and let it go at that."

"See, Rob," said the lion. "It's like I'd told you... no harm done."

"Except to his dignity," the bobcat muttered under his breath.

"Enough of theez chit-chat," Alicia interrupted. "Let us give heem ze benefit of ze doubt, and try heez champagne."

And before Captain Furry could stop her, the lioness drank her share of the bobcat's potable from her silver vessel. The lion immediately

stared at Alicia's midriff, expecting an immediate reaction from within... but nothing happened.

"Mmmmm," she exclaimed. "Magnifique!"

Captain Furry stood there, open-mouthed, when absolutely nothing occurred.

"Well?" asked Rob. "Are you going to continue to gawk at her, and let her have the last word about my champagne?"

The lion grimaced at the bobcat, then looked at the lioness (who was still licking her chops with delight at the taste of this latest brand of

bubbly), and finally, glanced down at his gold goblet with the remaining few ounces from Rob's bottle.

"Alright! Alright! I'll try it," conceded Captain Furry, who picked up his gold vessel, and swigged the liquid down quickly (as though he was

drinking castor oil, and he wanted to get things over with, as soon as possible). "There, I drank it! Happy now?"

"Very..." replied the bobcat, who had great restraint in keeping from forming an ear-to-ear grin on his face. "So, how was it?"

"Eh! I've tasted better," the lion responded misleadingly (having not allowed his taste buds to really sample any of the bobcat's bubbly), and

he turned towards the lioness. "To be honest, I liked her champagne best of all!"

"Really?!" beamed Alicia.

"Yes... in fact, I think I'll place an order for a few magnums of your lively little elixir."

The lion then looked back at the bobcat.

"Now let that be a lesson to you, Rob," said Furry. "I may not be a terrific connoisseur on all sorts of beverages, but I know a 'scam' when I

see one!"

"Oh?" said Rob.

"You're out for revenge for your purple friend. So you concocted this phoney champagne, just so you can get your jollies in seeing me 'blow

up'."

"Phoney champagne?"

"Yeah, phoney champagne. I mean, look at this label... 'TAC BOR WINERIES'... Every schoolchild in the world knows that 'TAC BOR' is

'ROB CAT' spelled backwards!"

"Well, this IS true, Furry," Rob admitted.

"Hmmph!" gloated the lion. "Well, you know the old saying... 'Fool me once, shame on you... Fool me twice, shame on me...'; and you didn't

even fool me once!"

"You're right, Furry," said Rob. "I didn't fool you once... I'd fooled you both times!!"

"Huh?"

"You see, that champagne you drank was legitimate. The only thing phoney about it was the label. Now, her champagne, on the other hand...

Well, why don't you tell him about it, Alice!"

"Alice?" a stunned Captain Furry reacted, as he turned towards the lioness. He became even more stunned, when she'd suddenly dropped

her French accent...

"You see, the labels weren't the only things that were phoney! Rob had been experimenting with various carbonated beverages and some

other chemicals, just to see what would happen when two particular ones intermingle."

The lion just stood there, totally aghast to learn that this femme fatale was working with the bobcat.

"If you'd thought that we had a 'chemistry' going, and you had plans to 'intermingle' with me... dream on, Cherie!"

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Time out!" Captain Furry declared, as he approached Alice. "I'll admit that Rob's champagne was legit, and

that you drank it... but I also saw you drink your champagne, as well. So, whatever's going to happen to me, is going to happen to you!"

"Did you really see me drink that champagne?"

"I caught you tilting your head back, out of the corner of my eye!"

"Well, then, let me let you in on a little secret," the lioness confessed, as she picked up her silver champagne glass. She pointed out a small

bump on the stem of her glass. "This vessel has a very special button on it."

She then tilted the glass forward, so that the lion can look inside of it. And when she pressed the button on the stem, a small false bottom

opened up. And she proceeded to pour out the liquid that came from her bottle, onto the floor.

"You only thought I drank my 'champagne'. Not a single drop touched my lips."

Captain Furry had a queasy feeling that something was about to happen to him, as Rob stepped in between him and Alice.

"I think you should've checked her phoney label more thoroughly, Furry. You see, the 'ACROBAT' in 'ACROBAT VINEYARDS'? That's an

anagram for 'ROB CAT'..."

"No, it's not!" yelled the lion, trying not to let his temper agitate whatever he just ingested. "You have an extra 'A' left over!"

"You're right," answered the bobcat, who now stood nearly toe-to-toe with the lion. "I never was any good at word play. But in this case, I'll

make an exception... For, you see, this extra 'A' stands for 'ass'... which is what I'm about to make you feel like."

And in a split second (that seemed like an eternity), Rob jabbed the forefinger of his right paw deep into Captain Furry belly button - as if to

launch an self-destruct mechanism!

The lion started to raise his arms, threatening to wring the bobcat's neck, when (from the deepest regions of his gut) an omnious noise

emerged... louder than anything he'd ever heard from anybody's belly (let alone his own)!

"M-m-m-m-r-r-r-r-r-r..."

Rob grabbed Alice's paw and pulled her quickly away from the booth.

Captain Furry's entire body was trembling so uncontrollably, there was nothing he could grab that could squelch this overwhelming sensation.

Rob and Alice ran straight towards the front door of the restaurant.

"Rob Cat!!" yelled the irratically undulating lion. "You son-of-a-bl-l-l-u-u-urg!..."

Within scant seconds, the lion's belly inflated so quickly, his clothes exploded off of his personage and every vestigial part of his body was

engulfed, except for his long, skinny tail... and he was still expanding!

His entire tannish body began to fill up the room, crushing most of the furnishings and demolishing much of the art deco decor. Once he had

reached the ceiling of the dining area, he began to balloon outward in all directions.

Rob and Alice managed to exit the premises, just as part of Furry's body reached the front door - which the bobcat managed to slam shut in

time.

As they started to walk away from the establishment, Alice said, "Well, at least he was right about one thing..."

"What's that?" asked Rob.

"He won't be leaving his place with an empty stomach!"

"I don't think he'll be leaving his place at all," the bobcat commented, as he looked backed at Furry's restaurant, and heard another

destructive sound, as the lion's ballooning body finally crashed through the ceiling and began to fill up the second floor of the three story

building it was a part of.

The two cats walked across the street into the town square, still within earshot of the noises coming from Captain Furry's establishment.

"Why are we stopping here?" asked Alice.

"I'm waiting for a friend of mine."

"You mean the one Captain Furry tricked?"

"No... I'm talking about another friend of mi..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the ground shook with a mighty thud, as Duncan landed within a few feet of Rob and Alice.

"Hi, Rob! Hi, lady! You said you have something for me? And you wanted me to meet you here? Right? Right?"

"That's right, Duncan! I have a present for you, and it's right up the block."

The bobcat pointed in the direction of the restaurant.

"Just pull off the top and have lots of fun with it!"

"Oooh! Thanks, Rob! Bye, Rob! Bye, lady!"

And with one mighty leap, the giant green 'roo landed in front of Captain Furry's eatery. By this time, the enlarged lion had already occupied

all three floors of the building's interior, and the roof was beginning to bulge.

Grabbing the edge of the roof, Duncan peeled it off, as if it were made of Velcro. A giant tan globe was swelling up within the confines of the

'box' he'd opened. Sticking his paws between the walls of the building and the light brown ballooning body, he managed to pull it completely

out.

Duncan began to examine his new 'toy' (which had already swollen to half his size), and tried to figure out what it does. Looking around every

square inch of the leonine blimp, he finally found the tail (the only body part that didn't sink in), and the 'roo's face lit up with delight!

"Oh, boy! A punch ball!"

Wrapping the end of the lion's skinny tail around two fingers of his right forepaw - which he made into a fist - he punched Captain Furry's light

brown behemoth behind until the tail was taut, snapped back and he punched the butt again. And Duncan begin to punch at a feverish pace...

and every punch resulted in a flurry of gas bubbles - coming out of the other side of the five-story-tall tannish orb.

As Rob and Alice headed toward the edge of town, the lioness asked the bobcat, "You do realize that Captain Furry's not going to stay that

way forever, don't you?"

"I know..."

"So, how long will it be before he belches out all that gas and he returns to normal?"

"That's depends..."

"Depends on what?" asked Alice.

"Define 'normal'," answered Rob.

Chapter Eleven: "Back and Bigger Than Ever!"

"Hi, Andy!"

"Rob! It's good to see you again!"

"It's good to see you, too!... So, how's my friend doing?"

"Eric? He couldn't be better! He's in the back right now. I could take you to him, if you'd like."

"Great! You wait here, Alice. I'll be back in a couple of minutes!"

The lion chef led the bobcat down the narrow corridor towards the rear entrance of the inn. The path between the inn and the barn was bathed

in bright mid-afternoon sunlight.

"Was this a challenge for you?" asked Rob.

"No challenge is too great for me," replied Andy. "Your friend is a real piece of work. It's quite a pleasure to help him out."

"I'll bet it is," said Rob. "Has he been continuously eating?"

"All night long... but he was able to take a nap for an hour or two, between last night's dinner and breakfast; and again, between breakfast and

lunch."

The lion chef showed the bobcat the main entrance to the barn.

"He's right inside there," said Andy, looking at his watch. "You arrived just in time... He should be finishing his latest course at any

moment..."

Suddenly, the air was shattered by a ten-second-long, gut-wrenching noise, that shook the entire barn right down to its foundation...

"B-B-B-BUUUUUR-R-R-RP!!!"

"Ah, right on time!" said Andy. "You go ahead inside; I'll meet you momentarily."

As the lion chef left, Rob entered the barn.

The bobcat saw the long table, and a number of empty trays upon it. Most of the candles had already burned out, but several special doors

on the ceiling were open wide, allowing the sun to fill the dining area with plenty of illumination.

As he was giving this room the 'once over', a deep booming voice called out his name...

"Rob! Over here!"

The bobcat slowly approached what appeared to be a giant blue and purple replica of Buddha... but was, in fact, his friend EricFox - taking up

space in one corner of the barn - using a gigantic cloth to wipe his mouth from the latest helping of food he'd just consumed.

His denim-covered belly was so huge, that anyone standing by his left hindpaw would be unable to see an individual standing by his right

hindpaw.

And when he wasn't growing out, he was growing up - as his massive body towered over the table he was eating from. And all four of his

flabby limbs were as thick as tree trunks.

A large checkered picnic blanket was being used as a bib - wrapped around his massive neck - covering not his chest, but several double

chins beneath it! Several rolls of fat were starting to spill out over the top of his bib overalls - which, miraculously, still held up after all this

time!

As the bobcat stepped closer to his fat friend, he could hear the wooden floor slats of the barn creak, as the fox would adjust himself, leaning

over to one side, and then to the other, until he was comfortably seated again.

Rob was about to speak when he heard another noise - this time coming from within the fox's distinctively distended belly. Placing an ear

against a wall of blue denim, he could hear all sorts of digestive sounds from within - as if he was the one-cat audience to a symphony of

syncopated cacophony (consisting of sloshes, splashes, gurgles, rumbles, and other indescribable gut noises).

Finally, the bobcat looked up the humungous body towards the giant purple head atop of it, and simply asked, "Are you full yet?"

All of a sudden, Eric's belly bulged outward, almost knocking Rob to the floor! He looked up and saw that the fox was laughing, and that his

titanic tummy was pulsating from hysteria.

"Ha...Ha...Ha... Am I full yet?! I'm nowhere near half-full, Rob!"

After his belly settled down from all that laughter, Rob continued his line of questioning from a few feet away.

"Well, you look quite immobile, Eric... How are you able to eat food from the other end of the table?"

"Oh, the waiters bring it to me, and I just put it into my mouth."

"Well, you're not going to be able to get out of this barn, if you eat any more. You DO realize that, don't you?"

"I know that, Rob. I did hear some talk about building a one-story extension on the barn, directly above me."

"Maybe they should consider building more extensions outward than upward."

That last comment caused Eric to have another fit of the giggles, and Rob waited patiently for the fox's garganuan gut to calm down again.

"So, has Andy treated you right?"

"Oh, he is a dear, dear friend... And so are YOU, Rob."

Moving his enormously flabby right arm, Eric motioned the bobcat to climb up his front, and rest on his right shoulder. Like a mountain

climber, Rob started to scale Eric's belly, as though he was a living, breathing Mount Everest. Once his got up to the head level, the bobcat

looked down the other side of the fox, and saw that his posterior (leaning up against the wall) was just as huge as his front - as a small brush

of a purple tail stuck out of the highest point of his hindquarters.

Sitting on his right shoulder, and looking directly at his puffy face, Rob asked Eric, "Do you think anyone will try to surpass your status as

'the world's fattest fox'?"

Without missing a beat, Eric replied, "If anyone tries, they've got a lot of catching up to do!"

Then, Rob looked down the front of the fox. From where he was situated, he can just barely see the violet vulpine's right hindpaw, but not the

left one. His attention was then focused on those bib overalls.

"You really did get a good bargain on those blue jeans, didn't you?"

Eric started to laugh again, but this time he placed his left forepaw over his belly to stop any immediate jostling.

"He, he, he... It was worth every last cent I had. In fact, I'm wondering who or what is going to give out first... my appetite?... Andy's

cooking?... or my overalls?!"

"Well," said Rob, "just as long as I know you're happy about things, I feel a sense of accomplishment myself."

"And do you know something, Rob?"

"No, what?"

"I'm not mad at Captain Furry anymore... You were right when you said that he was doing me a big favor by inflating me... and I want to thank

him."

"Well, I don't know if I can get him to come over here, or not... and you're certainly in no condition to go see him at this time."

"Well, could you thank him for me, Rob?"

"I'll try, Eric, but I can't make any promises."

"Why? Where is he anyway?"

"If I know him, he probably off 'playing' somewhere!"

The bobcat tried to stifle a snicker. If Eric knew what really had happened to Captain Furry, the barn would collapse into a pile of wooden

rubble from the hysteric fit Eric would develop!

"Well, I'd better get going, Eric."

And the skinny orange bobcat slowly climbed down the giant blue and purple form of his fat foxy friend...

As soon as he reached the floor, Rob was approached by Andy. The two cats shook each other's paws.

"He'll be alright," said the lion.

"Oh, I know he'll be alright... He's with the best," said the bobcat.

Andy's chest swelled with pride, as he turned around, and clapped his paws... and the two troops of rabbits entered from opposite ends of the

barn - one troop to clear the table, and one troop to restock it with more food for Eric.

Rob approached the massive blue-bound belly one last time, and gave it a gentle pat. He looked up at Eric, and Eric looked down at him.

"Don't quote me on this, Eric, but I think you're going to break your old record!"

"Hey," Eric boomed down to his bobcat buddy, "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Well," said Rob, "keep it up... and out!"

And with that, Rob turned and left the barn, to rejoin Alice at the inn for an early dinner.

Meanwhile, the second troop of rabbits had just finished putting out the latest course of gourmet goodies for Eric - who, in his mountainous

form, was still too immobile to venture over to the far end of the table. But the one rabbit who always brought the fox a fresh, clean plate was

prepared for this situation... The table had wheels on all of its legs, and with the help of some of the other waiters, they were able to roll it

(and the food on top of it) over to Eric, so that it would be within arm's reach. (And if it wasn't within arm's reach, one of the rabbits would

simply swivel the table over until it was.)

And the rabbit handed Eric a new plate, and said (for the umpteenth time), "Help yourself, sir."

And EricFox looked down at the waiter, and smiled.

"Thank you," he said. "Thank you very much."

EPILOGUE:

For those of you who want to know whatever happened to some of the characters...

Captain Furry DID eventually belch out all that gas from the champagne/chemical formula that Rob concocted, and is even now plotting a

scheme to get even with him (possibly to inflate him to a size that would even dwarf Eric's ten-story expansion). Fortunately, his own lab is

located in yet another section of town, and was able to get monetary support from the insurance company that paid for the damages to his

restaurant...

Rob and Alice left the country for a few months, and assumed a variety of aliases (mainly to avoid being persued by Captain Furry). Rob

continues to experiment with soft drink formulas - half of the time for fun, and half of the time for profit. Alice is his lab assistant, who makes

sure that no animals (real or 'morphic) are used in any of the bobcat's tests...

Duncan, disappointed in losing another 'toy', had to settle for buying a shipment of army surplus weather balloons - which didn't last as long,

since the oversized macropod never really took the time to trim his nails...

Andy, was recently voted 'Chef of the Year' by the readers of "Gluttony Illustrated", and was approached by several Cable TV networks to

possibly star in his own cooking show - one proposed title of which being "Dr. Fill"...

EricFox did establish a new record at being "the world's fattest fox", and was able to tour the country - from the back of an eighteen-wheel

flatbed truck - with sponsorship funds from the inn where Andy works, the textile company that manufactured Eric's indestructible bib overalls,

"Gluttony Illustrated" magazine, and the makers of Slim-Fast - who featured pictures of Eric in their recent magazine ads with the following

slogan: "If you don't take your Slim-Fast, this can happen to you!!"

Like I'd said before, "Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it." And Eric got it... but from where he stands (or sits), he has

positively no regrets about it...

THE END

Want to see the final reult of all that food for Eric? Click here!!!

'EricFox' and 'Andy the Lion Chef' (C) 'EricFox'

'Rob Cat' and 'Alice' (C) 'Rob Cat'

'Captain Furry' and 'Duncan Roo' (C) their respective players

rob_cat_1@yahoo.com