The Old Suit - Chapters 1-4

THE OLD SUIT

How such a thing came into my possession is something that eludes even my father, the man who knows everything. I'm no longer a child, and yet reflecting on the events that transpired in the last year makes me cry for mother, suddenly finding myself in need of her all knowing embrace. And yet, traversing the low and barren memories makes me realize this might have been what I was praying for all along. Was this really what Jack wanted? How could anyone want this and still live with themselves as if they were normal, just like everyone else? No, that couldn't be it. This is something that happened because of someone's mistake, not  because of someone's wishes or dreams. And even though I've finally stumbled into the light after such an ordeal, still everything since now seems like a muggy and intoxicating dream; one I can't help lather myself with over and over.

--

Sunday morning is playing on the radio, but everything else is telling me it's a Monday. Time for work, time for breakfast, like they teach kids in grade school. Already feeling my hair itch from the combless night it had endured, I managed to stumble from my warm nest and came to my feet, the cold air startling and exciting my senses. My eyes, still clamped shut, gave me no help as I tried to make my way towards the bathroom. I had just emerged from the most marvelous dream. At first, it seemed like nothing more than a flying dream, but I soon realized I was flying along side someone I had known for a long time, someone I loved and respected. Feeling the air propel us both through the empty canvas of sky was such a utopia, I didn't think I would ever wake up from it. Even though I did, I cannot remember the person who was with me. Even when we were in flight, I never looked over to see who it was who was with me. I felt almost like I should know, and it keeps eluding me.
Before too long, I heard a fairly heavy knock on the door. Looking at least somewhat presentable, I hobbled to the door, only to find what looked like a ratty pair of grocery bags. In fact, that's exactly what they were. They were so folded they looked almost white, and the handles appeared to have been torn off a long time ago. Looking down the hallway, I saw no one come or going. I decided that, at the very least, whatever was in these bags would make my bland morning routine a little more interesting that normal. Striding over to the kitchen table, I put the bags down before opening the top of the one that looked oldest. The inside of the package was very dark, even though it wasn't a large bag. Sticking my hand into it, my fingers found a very soft fabric, unlike any I had ever handled before. In fact, I let out a light gasp when I first discovered it. It was soft like silk, and had an inviting texture, almost like a cream or pudding. Pulling it out of the bad completely, I saw that it was a dress shirt, one that looked almost new. There was a light striped design running down the front, the two shades of blue complementing each other like twins would. I put the shirt to my stubby face, and even through the barbs I felt a plush sensation I had never known of before. Reluctantly I placed the lovely shirt on the table, and reached further into the bag. This time I withdrew a heavy jacket the same color as my hair; a deep, rich brown. It didn't have the soft texture of the shirt, but the rough feel almost felt like it was meant to go alongside the angelic fabric of the shirt. I also withdrew a bright red necktie, and also a long pair of blue slacks, a sturdy black belt with a faded gold buckle shaped like a star, and a pair of stretchy grey suspenders. All together it made an outfit that would be acceptable just about anywhere, which made me wonder why someone would leave it on my doorstep.
I smiled with excitement, and took the garments into my bedroom, laying them all out on the bed neatly. They were so elegant, so wonderfully made...of course I had to try them on. After stripping down to my faded red boxers, I slipped each arm into the angelic dress shirt, letting out another gasp of pleasure at how wonderful it felt to have the soft fabric all around my chest and back.  The slacks were like butter, they slid into my legs so smoothly, and felt so light and comfortable. I bucked the leather belt onto the slacks with a simple click, the size being perfect for my average sized waist. I also threaded the suspenders into the beltloops and onto the back, which was easier than it sounds. The jacket fell heavily on my shoulders, but added a touch of dignity to the outfit. Finally, I secured the red tie onto my boney neck, letting it fall in front of me like a majestic waterfall. Looking at myself in the mirror, I hardy recognized the person looking back at me. Despite my unshaven face and groggy expression, I looked...well, professional. The clothes felt well worn, but at the same time almost like they were made just for me. I smiled at my now warmer expression, feeling better about the day already. Even though I work at home, I ended up keeping the suit on, forgetting it wasn't my ordinary outfit, it felt so natural.
By the end of the day, however, I started feeling a little sick. My stomach was aching for some reason, and I felt very sleepy. I shrugged it off as nothing more than fatigue, which happened to me a lot, since I don't get as much exercise and sleep as I probably should. My eyes were also hurting from looking at my monitor all day, translating from one language to another, again and again and again, until I got so sick of language I vowed to never utter another word. This is how I would tell when my work day was over. Today was a good day, I thought, and I saw no reason why tomorrow would be any different.


Chapter 2

The sun splashed across my drooping face as I lay sprawled on my unmade bed, the suit still on. After leaving my computer screen, I had proceeded to collapse onto the light pink sheets and drift to a warm sleep, not caring I was still fully clothed. I rarely remember any of the dreams that I have, but the images I saw would not fade from my mind, even after I was absolutely sure I had awoken.
A soft, rose colored light filled the air, casting an army of ghostly pictures onto my naked body. The light was thick and powerful, stimulating all of my senses in one blissful moment. As time passed, the rose colored fog began to clear, and I could see that I was floating above the Earth. Outside of the pearl flavored fantasia it was the dead of night, and I could see a village carved out of the hillside, dim lights illuminating the sleepy houses. Farther up the mountain there stood one especially prominent house. Even in the darkness the rich chocolate color of the roof could be seen. As I hovered towards the hut, the pink cloak followed suit, trailing behind me like a veil in the night air. The walls of the house began to melt away before my clouded eyes, and I could see that inside were two figures...one tall and lanky, and the other squat and elderly. Perched upon it's head was an aged black hat that collected into a sharp point on the top. Grey hair wisped out from behind the brim. Most certainly a witch.
"I'm afraid our meeting must come to a close, Mr. Alabaster. I've stayed far too long in this place, it has begun to make my skin crawl..." The figure opposite the witch, which I could tell had been sweating heavily either from fear or excitement, now began to speak as well. "Alright, yes, of course...thank you again, Apree. You know not how much your services mean to me. I do hope that I haven't kept you from your companions too long." Apree snorted moodily. "The night is still young, thankfully. I will be seeing you soon, I am sure. Two entities such as we rarely cross paths only once." and with that, the witch took her leave. In a tuft of charcoal grey smoke, she had vanished.
Now alone in his home, the man Apree called Mr. Alabaster turned his almost crazed eyes towards a deep blue chest I had not noticed before. He ran his thin, delicate hands over it's rough top before grinning. "At long last...my future is all but ensured." Before I could make sense of what the man had said, the coat of fog enveloped me once more, sending me flying into the sky again. Swimming amidst the milky curtain I was left only to ponder what I had witnessed. And with that, I awoke.

---

The night had made me rather groggy, as it typically did, and I determined I was in desperate need of a shower. Degrudgingley, I peeled the heavenly suit from my skin and let it fall to the floor silently before stepping inside the bathroom. The warm water rejuvinated my mind and body, causing me to realize that today was a day of many events. Though I did almost all of my work from home, I still had to leave the house for groceries and other supplies, and of course when I wanted to meet with any of my aquantinces. This afternoon I recalled that I had a lunch date with the man I was seeing, Joshua. There was still plenty of time to make it downtown to spend the afternoon with him if I orchestrated the rest of my morning quickly. Without another thought, I jumped out from behind the shower curtain and dried off my dripping body with lightning speed. Thinking it second nature, when I was rid of moisture I stepped back into the old suit, the plush feel of the fabric on my awakening body like a delightful high. I grabbed my keys and wallet before leaving the apartment, sure today would be another good day.

CHAPTER 3

Only minutes from our arranged date time,I sped through the streets of downtown, making sure to note if any police cars happened to be around, waiting to descend on some unfortunate quickster. I knew that Joshua wanted us to meet at a restaurant he knew well called "Gambonia's", which was thankfully something I commonly passed on my way to the grocer. Turning the corner at Azalea Avenue,I realized that I hadn't had time for breakfast that morning... yet somehow I was feeling rather full. As the city streets blurred into nothing but streaks of color, my appetite for lunch grew more and more intense, and yet I continued to feel more and more full. I didn't pay the feeling of pressure much mind, seeing as how it was probably nothing more than nerves. Joshua had never asked me out on a lunch date before, and firsts always tended to make me a little uneasy. I silently begged the butterflies in my stomach to settle down as Gambonia's finally came into view, Joshua's brilliant red wavy hair visible above an oversized menu. Quickly, I took the closest parking position that I could find, smoothed the hair, tested the breath, made sure the fly was up, buttons done, all in a matter of seconds. The old suit was looking especially magnificant today, the cufflinks sparking in the sunshine as I hopped out of the car, the jacket just heavy enough for this kind of weather, even the suspenders seemed to radiate an unknown energy. As I waltzed down the pavement towards Joshua, turning heads at every opportunity, I started to feel something begin to grow in my stomach...a feeling of confidence? I did feel as if everyone on the street was looking right at me and my handsome suit. Men, women, even the police officers couldn't help but take note of the man going down the avenue...and to be honest, I wanted them to take notice.
Joshua seemed to have sensed the suit's presence as well. He put down his menu, smiling from ear to ear as his icy blue eyes looked me up and down, scarcely believing this well dressed fellow could be his date. "Well look at you!" he exclaimed as he stood up and gave me a peck on the cheek. "Mmm...New suit, right? I like it. It's very 'you'."  I took the seat next to him, already starting to glow pink at the compliment. "Thanks a lot. It's the funniest story..." I was interrupted by our waiter, who had arrived at the table with a basket full of seasoned bread and several pats of butter. "Are we ready to order, sirs?" he asked pointedly. Joshua looked at me, silently asking if I had any time to glance over the menu. "Yes, I believe we're ready." I answered quite happily. The waiter seemed a bit surprised, but extracted his pen and paper none the less. "Very good. What will you be ordering this afternoon?" I found the cheapest item on the menu. "I'll have the...bowl of lentil soup and a small water, please." Joshua, being an even thinner man than I, decided upon a rack of ribs. As the waiter returned to the kitchen, Joshua began to look me over once again, unsure of what to say now. "...it...it seems so familiar somehow, even though I know I've never seen it. Did you have it custom made?" I glanced down at my tie and suspenders, happy someone else saw how perfectly it seemed to fit my body. "No, actually, it's the strangest thing...I..."
as I was about to begin the tale of how this blessed garment came to my doorstep, the pressure in my middle suddenly heightened. It no longer felt like I had butterflies...it felt like I had drunken one too many sodas. More like TWENTY too many sodas. It was a fizzy, funny feeling that bubbled from my gut up through my throat, until...

"BURRRRP!"

My face had turned a saturated red color. I put my hand to my mouth, feeling many eyes upon me. Joshua, who had been directly across from me, looked the most surprised.  "A...are you alright?" he asked, putting his gentle hand on top of mine. I fanned myself lightly, feeling the heat start to escalate. "Y...yeah...I don't...k...BURRRRP!" This time I belched with such force that Joshua, who had been leaning forward this whole time, was thrown back so forcefully that he toppled back over his chair. By now even the people on the street were watching the unfolding drama. "I...I'm okay..." Joshua, who's jacket was now a bit stained by the cobblestone flooring of the patio, propped himself up on his chair, making sure to plant his feet firmly this time. This time he looked right into my eyes, which were starting to water from the force of the belches. "Mick...are you sure that you're alright? Did you eat something that upset your stomach?" The feeling of pressure was beginning to subside, but the fact that Joshua had used the word "eat" reminded me of how famished I was. Without even bothering to answer his question, I sunk my hand into the sizable bowl of butter pats and, much to the horror of Joshua and anyone still watching, proceeded to shove them into my mouth in a thick, buttery blob; wax paper and all. Before anyone had a chance to say a thing, I spotted the basket of bread. In less than 5 seconds I had consumed every crumb of the slices, even going so far as to take a small bite out of the wicker basket. As I licked my fingers of any trace of butter, suddenly I realized what I was doing. I saw that Joshua's bottom lip was now trembling, his eyes searching for some kind of explanation. "...y...you were pretty hungry then, eh?" Still embarrassed by my sudden burst of gorging, I nodded sheepishly, smoothing the napkin in my lap to keep from meeting Joshua's gaze. As I wiped the butter from around my mouth, Joshua's eyes drifted from my face down to my belly. His forehead scrunched in frustration. "Mick...have you been putting on weight? Look at you, you're getting a belly..." My emotions jumped from embarrassed to confused. I didn't have a belly this morning, and although the butter and bread was certainly a fattening outburst it was hardly enough to make any visible difference already...but as my hands drifted down to the once flat stomach and light abs, I found in their stead the beginnings of a big belly. As I cupped it in my hands, I could feel the warmth of the fat radiating from this newly discovered bump. My hands still placed on it, I could almost feel it shaking. And then...growing bigger. Josh looked mortified when he saw exactly what was going on. "Dear God...are...are you really GROWING?" The belly was inflating at an alarming rate, creasing the wrinkles out of my slowly tightening shirt. Now even more humiliated, I covered my gut as best I could before standing up in a hurry. "I...I think maybe it's just gas...but I really need to go lie down but...I'll call you, okay? I'll c...BRAAAAAAP!" Not waiting to see a third stunned reaction from the crowd, I ran from the restaurant in horror, jumping into my car and racing back to the apartment as quickly as I possibly could.

CHAPTER 4



"What...what's happening to me?" I kept asking myself inside of my head. By now I was back home in my apartment, with a new bouncing beer belly. By the time I had pulled up to the complex the growing had stopped, so I went to the bathroom to try and figure out exactly what was happening to me. Not even caring that I had left Joshua back at the restaurant questioning my sanity, I turned on the light in the restroom only to be greeted by what appeared to be a slightly overweight version of myself. Although it was clearly still the same person in the mirror as it had been that morning, things were different. My stomach was no longer a flat, rock-hard gallery of light stomach muscles, but instead had been replaced with several inches of what felt like warm Jell-O. Where there had once been nothing by masculine curves there were now blossoming love handles and back fat. It looked like my adam's apple had become buried under a film of flubber, my entire neck looking thicker than it ever had. As I started to shake looking down at my body, I saw that even my hands were not excused from this nightmarish fattening. They looked like baby vienna sausages, just waiting to mature into fully grown frankfurters. I could feel my cheeks begin to press against the corners of my mouth, which was turning into a wet pucker. Even my shoes felt like they were a few sizes too small now. What I felt the most though was what happened to be behind me. Reluctantly I turned around so that my once tight behind faced the mirror. Instead I found two melon-shaped globes of lard, each one as juicy and ripe looking as it's twin.
"I gotta get out of this thing...I can't take it anymore, I...I gotta take a shower or something!" As I tried to undo the (thankfully) still slack buttons of the sea blue dress shirt, I was hit with what felt like an electrical shock that slithered through my entire body, leaving me rattled. "What the...fuck...?" Another attempt to undo a different button yielded the same result. When I began to panic and tried to slip off the overcoat, I found that it refused to budge. Not even the suspenders would move an inch. I was stuck. "What the hell is going on here? What is this thing?" Before my brain had a chance to answer, I let out another spontaneous belch, this one rattling the china bowls mounted two rooms away. I was beginning to feel more and more full, a fizzy funny sensation overtaking me. "I can't take this thing off...and I'm...I'm getting fatter. I'm getting fatter!" Speaking the words made me realize that this couldn't be a dream. Just when I started considering sitting down and letting the suit fatten me into oblivion, there was a solid, stern knock at the door. I took the cue to move myself over to the eyehole, peeking out into the seemingly expansive hallway. I could see an ocean of wavy red hair...and that could have only been one person. Slowly, I pulled the door open.
"Mick...I'm sorry, I couldn't let you run off like that without making sure that you're okay. What happened to you back there? What...wh..." Before I could say a word, Joshua had discovered my not-so-little secret. As he looked over my widening frame, his bottom lip started to waver. "M...Mick...what the hell's happening to you? Look at you...you're just....blowing up like a balloon!" Joshua grasped the beachball sized belly in his delicate hands, playing around with the extra heft, making sure it was as real as the rest of me and not some joke. "How did this happen? You were thin as a rail last week! No one can put on this much weight in a MONTH, let alone one afternoon!"
I groaned, feeling a new wave of stress falling on my shoulders. "I don't KNOW Josh...I don't even know! But I'm getting bigger, and it's not stopping..." After a few moments I was able to explain to Joshua exactly how I stumbled upon the suit, and how it had become my second skin. He nearly laughed at parts of the admittedly fanciful story.
"Come on now. MICK. Are you in there? A suit can't make you gain WEIGHT. Look, you're stressed out. You've been eating a lot. That's all this is, isn't it?" Joshua's expecting face was only greeted with another wet belch, one which seemed to snap him out of his optimistic haze. He sat up straight, looking me over slowly, silently. "...this is for real, isn't it?" I didn't need to nod. The evidence was growing all over my body. "What...what are we going to do?" he asked. He took a seat next to me, taking my plump hand in his strong palm. I started to blush at his use of "we". "I really don't know if there's a way to stop this, Joshua. I can almost feel myself getting fatter by the second...this isn't normal. This is something big." Undiscouraged, Josh stood up, a fire in his beautiful eyes. "This thing...you're sure it's causing you to get fatter? Then there's nothing else we can do alone...we need help." That much was painfully clear. The fact I had put on 100 pounds since this morning couldn't be something many people have gone through. "But who would we talk to?" I asked him. It seemed rather hopeless. But Joshua smiled. "I know just the guy. If this thing is what we think it is...if it's a...a 'curse', then maybe he'll be able to offer us some insight. What do you say?" What COULD I say?

"Lead the way."