Indigestion
Added 2025-06-12 00:00:06 +0000 UTCJake stepped into the clearing, arms full of firewood, squinting as the sun filtered through the trees and caught the glint of water ahead. The others had promised to set up camp, maybe get a fire started.
But now it was just Mara—alone, sitting on a smooth rock by the brook.
She looked relaxed, legs off the side of the rock, shirt rolled up around her ribs. Her belly was massive. Comically so. It stretched outward in a perfect, taut dome that looked wildly out of proportion with the rest of her body. Like she could’ve fit three people in there and still had room for dessert.
Jake stopped cold. “Okay... what happened to you?”
Mara looked over with a sheepish smile. “Indigestion,” she said breezily, giving her belly a casual pat. A light burp slipped out. “Oops.”
Jake stared. “Indigestion from what, an inflatable raft?”
She smirked, unfazed.
Then he spotted it—half-buried in moss near the edge of the rock. A muddy sneaker. Definitely not hers. It looked like Mark’s.
“Wait. Where is everyone?”
Mara leaned back on her hands, eyes twinkling. “Come here,” she said, “and I can show you.”
Jake narrowed his eyes. “If this is another one of your ‘nature magic’ pranks, I’m not falling for it.”
She didn’t answer—just smiled like she knew something he didn’t.
