Freedom at Last

Hera watched the black car disappear around the garden's oak trees. Her parents were finally gone for their weekend business trip.

"Three whole days," she whispered, pressing her face against the cool bay window glass. The grand house stretched around her, empty and silent except for the gentle tick of the grandfather clock.

She wandered through the candle-lit rooms, her bare feet silent on the marble floors. The kitchen called to her like a siren song. Her mother's voice echoed in her memory: "No sweets before meals, Hera. You know the rules."

But there were no rules now.

The pantry door creaked open. Shelves lined with chocolate bars, cookies, and candy stared back at her. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief as she grabbed an armful of treats.

"Just a few," she told herself, unwrapping a chocolate bar. "Maybe more than a few."

The sweet taste melted on her tongue, better than any forbidden fruit.

The Morning After

Sunlight streamed through the bay windows as Hera stirred awake. Something felt wrong. Her stomach pressed tight against her nightgown, round and firm like a basketball.

She sat up and gasped. Her belly had swollen to enormous proportions overnight, stretched taut as a balloon. The chocolate wrappers scattered across her bed told the whole story.

"What did I do?" she whispered, poking the strange bulge. It bounced back like rubber.

Hera stumbled to her mirror. The reflection showed a girl with a normal head, arms, and legs, but a middle that looked like she'd swallowed a beach ball. Her nightgown stretched to its limits.

A knock echoed from the front door. Hera's heart jumped. Through the window, she spotted Mrs. Baker from next door holding a mail package, probably checking on her while her parents were away.

"Hera, dear? I have a delivery for your parents!"

Panic shot through her. She couldn't let anyone see her like this. Her parents would return in two days, and she looked like a walking balloon animal.

The knocking continued. Hera pressed her back against the wall, mind racing for solutions.