Of Flab and Fat

Part Three: Emma's heavy burden

Chapter 1

"Calm down, calm down. You're not going to get any bigger than you are now..." Naomi explained. Emma wiped her tear-soaked eyes and continued to sob in her fatty arms. "How's that supposed to help?!" She yelled back. "I've broken my leg, everyone on the island hates us, and now I've been poisoned by some stupid berries!" Jack looked at Naomi and sighed. "Is there anyway to fix this?" He asked. The large islander shrugged. "The nutrients in a nettaf berry take a couple of days to exit your system. After that, you just have to lose the weight on your own. You'll be fine as long as you don't eat anymore." 

Emma sniffled and stood up. "It's better than nothing I guess. I must be two hundred fifty pounds right now..." She looked down at her broken leg, which was swollen and tight at the edge of the cast. Naomi opened up a primitive, wooden dresser and took out some clothes. "This isn't much, but at least it'll fit you..." In her hands was a large, brown skirt and a bra. Emma took them slowly and pouted. "I'll look like a hula girl, but thanks Naomi..." She walked to the back and began changing.

 Jack turned away and opened up the front door to the hut. "Why don't we get some fresh air, alright? I'm sure a walk on the beach might do us good." Naomi smiled a bit and waddled out onto the sand. "I know a good walking trail to take. Here, follow me..." She turned left and kept up her waddling, leaving behind large footprints that sunk into the sand. Jack looked back at Emma, who was now in her new outfit. "You guys can go ahead, I'll just stick around." She said softly.

Chapter 2

 Jack followed behind Naomi, although he could of just as easily passed her when walking. He kept his eyes on the ground, avoiding any looks from other islanders who were playing at the shore. "I know you're worried about Emma..." Naomi said ominously. "...but she'll be fine. I'm sure she'll be able to adjust to her new size." Jack nodded and began looking up at her. "Yeah, you're right; but it feels like everyone here wants us gone." Naomi wasn't sure how to respond, so she said nothing until they stopped at a dirt path. 

"Here's the trail. It's pretty quiet over here, and the other girls only come here to pick nettaf berries every once in a while." Naomi explained. Thick trees and shrubbery coated the sides of the trail, but the trail itself was virtually barren. The two followed the beaten path casually, with Naomi mostly taking point. "So, why have you been helping us so much?" Jack asked out of the blue. "You're the only one who's been treating us like actual guests." The island girl stopped at adjusted her skirt, which hung underneath her underbelly. "Well, the truth is...I've been wanting to leave the island for a few months now. Don't take this the wrong way, but now that you guys are here, I finally have a chance to leave the island once you have a new boat." She replied.

Jack tilted his head and knitted his brow. "You want to leave? Why?" Naomi continued walking, and sighed deeply. "Isn't  it obvious? My mom is going to make me the next queen, there's no connection to the rest of the world, and I'll spend the rest of my life eating some weird berries if I stay." She said desperately. She stopped in front of a slow-moving stream and dipped her feet in the water. "We can stop here for a bit before continuing..." She announced. Jack took off his shoes and rolled up his sleeves before stepping in the water, which was oddly warm. 

"Naomi, I can help you get off the island if that's what you really want. Maybe I can sneak you onto the boat once it's ready..." Jack said optimistically. Naomi's face lit up and she quickly hugged Jack tightly. "Really? Thank you!" She said eagerly. "But let's make sure no one finds out, alright?" The young fisherman added on. Naomi nodded and gave him a toothy smile. "We can even explore other parts of the world, right?" she asked curiously, as if she were a young child. "Of course..." Jack said. He placed his hand on Naomi's palm and began to blush. The fat islander smiled warmly at him and stood upright. She chuckled shyly and pulled Jack up to his feet. "Let's get going, alright? The berry picking starts in the evening, so we should probably head back to the beach..." 

Chapter 3

Emma was on the ground, examining her cast. Her broken leg was beginning to free itself from the cast, but was also losing its soreness. She tried standing up on her own, and managed to walk around without her crutches. "My leg is getting better..." Emma thought to herself. "Is it the berries that did this?" She began to tear off the ruined sections of her cast and soon pulled the rest of it off of her leg. She took a few more steps, which wouldn't have been a waddle if it weren't for her size. "I guess I don't need that anymore. Now, time to have a talk with those girls." 

It wasn't long until she spotted Grace and the others by the same bonfire from earlier. Other island girls were playing games or stuffing their faces. Emma took a deep breath before approaching the trio. Without much thought, she slapped Grace in the face angrily. "You...You guys knew this would happen, didn't you?!" She asked furiously. Grace cringed as Belle and Diana came to her aid. "Yeah, so?" Grace asked Emma. "A lady like you needs some meat on her bones." Belle and Diana laughed teasingly, leading Emma to take a step back. 

"Go ahead and be angry, hun." Grace mocked. She got up close to Emma and pinched her newly-earned belly. "The damage has already been done. So go back to your little hut and wait for that boat of yours to be fixed, okay?" Emma's face turned a deep red as Diana stood up as well, looking at her condescendingly. "And for the record, if you do that again, we're telling Tituba and she'll throw your fat ass out of the island. Got that?" Emma turned away and trudged through the sand, grumbling to herself. 

"What were you thinking?" She thought to herself. "I should've just stayed inside and ignored them. Now they'll go after me again..." Emma looked out to the end of the beach, hoping to see Jack and Naomi in view. She frowned and entered the hut, slamming the door behind her. 

End of Part 3