Janitor

The lock clicked and Pete breathed a sigh of relief.  The school was his.

Pete was the overnight assistant janitor at Prairie Middle School.  It was a lonely job, but it had its perks – little to no supervision was one of them. 

Pete usually spent the last half of his shift playing online or shooting hoops in the gym.  Luckily this school was too poor for more than a couple of working surveillance cameras. 

After finishing the floors Pete put away his mop and felt a hunger pang that instinctively made him pull out his phone and speed dial for pizza.  The great thing about pizza places is that most deliver late at night, and he had a 1 in the morning craving for 2 large, deep-dish pepperonis. 

The pizza came, Pete used his keys to grab a couple of Dr. Peppers out of the vending machine and he sat down in the lonely cafeteria for a midnight feast.  He looked around the room, imagined what it must be like when there were hundreds of middle schoolers running around.  Ya, he was glad to have the graveyard shift. 

The pizza was hot, fresh, and all that work seemed to make Pete hungrier than usual.  He finished the first pizza without issue and decided to bring the second box up to the science lab room for some late-night entertainment.  He plopped himself onto one of the black lab tables in the middle of the room and flipped on the TV.  Today’s lesson: the digestive system. 

Pete ate and watched until he got bored and decided to take a look at the class pets.  He tapped on the glass of an aquarium and out crawled a small guinea pig.  It had white and fawn-colored markings, almost looked like a caramel candy.  The nameplate on the glass cage said, “Skip.”

“Well, hello there, Skip,” Pete said, bringing his face level to the animal’s face.  Looking around to make sure there weren’t any cameras in this classroom either, Pete carefully picked up the guinea pig and carried him over to the table. 

Pete continued to eat on the second box of pizza and began watching the video again.  He brought the guinea pig to his lap and began to pet it gently.  On the screen was an illustration of a piece of food going down the esophagus and into the stomach.  As Pete swallowed a piece of pizza he began to feel the effects of his excessive meal and wondered how much had gone down his own esophagus. 

He leaned back slightly and lifted his shirt up, revealing a ball-shaped belly that stuck out from the contents pushing out inside.  He gave his stomach a soft poke and winced slightly at the pain.  The guinea pig ran nervously between Pete’s legs and Pete felt a long gurgle come from within his abdomen. 

“Aww don’t be scared buddy,” he said, placing the guinea pig on his stomach.  It’s fur was warm and soft against his skin.  Pete slowly unbuttoned his pants, allowing his belly a little more room. 

He gave his stomach a light scratch and his stomach growled again when the guinea pig moved up toward his chest.  He began to wonder if his stomach was still hungry, still wanted more.  But he wasn’t hungry for pizza.  If he wasn’t hungry for pizza, then what could possibly. . . ?

“Oh no,” he thought to himself.  “I couldn’t.”

Or could I ? He eyed Skip, who still sat astutely atop his distended middle.  Feeling curious, Pete brought the inquisitive creature to his mouth and opened wide.  He would fit inside. 

Pete gave the guinea pig a kiss and set him back on the table.  When he stood up, he looked down at the class pet with a new feeling.  Not a feeling of pity, though the guinea pig looked slightly nervous with such a tall being towering above him.  No, Pete smiled with gratitude. 

Becoming more sure of his decision, Pete removed his polo and left only his sleeveless undershirt.  His belly stuck out like a pregnant man, and he began to massage it.

“I’m not sure if you understand my reasoning for this, Skip,” Pete said staring at his stomach.  “But I want you to know that I’m appreciative.”

Pete grabbed the guinea pig firmly, but soft enough not to cause it distress, and brought it above his face.  He opened his mouth wide and closed his eyes.  He imagined what Skip must be thinking as he looked down into the giant’s mouth with a bloated belly right below.  He stuck out his wide tongue as far as he could, slowly placing Skip onto its wet surface. 

The guinea pig let began to squeal quietly and Pete opened his mouth until his jaws unhinged slightly.  Still holding onto the guinea pig, he opened his throat and breathed in deeply.  With one fluid motion Pete brought the guinea pig into his mouth and sent it straight to the back of his throat where it wriggled down his neck. 

Pete began to swallow vigorously as the large, somewhat painful lump made its way through his chest until he felt it reach his stomach. 

Panting, Pete felt the guinea pig squirm inside him just under the top portion of his abdomen.  He pulled back his white t-shirt and watched intently as the lump bumped up and down under his skin.  He lightly placed his fingers on the moving spot and let out a belch, which sent the creature into panic mode and Pete into a feeling of exasperation.  Pete fell into the chair behind him and began to massage his gut until his meal struggled itself into the lower portion of his belly.  Once he had him in the right place, Pete leaned back, moved a bit side to side and spoke his command.

“Digest this furry friend with the best of care.  Skip, you were an awesome meal.”

Part Two

After Pete’s stomach settled down, he got back to work cleaning the rest of the school.  The sheer size of his stomach made certain tasks a bit awkward to do, but he managed.

As Pete’s day ended and the rest of the world’s day began, he headed home.  His stomach had reduced to a manageable size, and it appeared as though the guinea pig was now only a memory, though a good one (in Pete’s mind anyway).

Deciding to stop for Chinese, Pete pulled into the takeout space at YenChing’s 24-Hour House of Chinese Food.  He left the restaurant with a large bag full of all of his favorites, along with a few fortune cookies just for fun.  He opened the passenger side door and placed the bag on the seat when he saw it.

Pet Warehouse – All Pet Supply Company

Pete flashed back to the moment when he finally swallowed his first guinea pig at work just 6 hours before.  Something else caught his attention.

Gerbils: $10/half dozen

“People sell gerbils in half dozen quantities?” he muttered to himself.  He decided to check it out.

The bell rang as he entered the pet store.  “Hi, may I help you?” an older gentleman working on an aquarium pump asked.

“I’m, I’m here about your gerbil special,” he said awkwardly.

“Right over there,” the man motioned with his free hand.

Pete nodded and walked in the direction the man had pointed, until he found a series of small, metal stock tanks filled with various colors of hamster-like animals.  Pete had never had gerbils before, but he was intrigued by the idea of trying something new, something smaller anyway.  Last night was awesome, but a bit exhausting. 

Pete heard the man approach from behind. 

“You lookin’ to buy some gerbils, are ya?” he managd a half smile.

“Ya, I think so.” Pete said, scratching his head.  He went on to make up a lie about his girlfriends’ gerbil collection and her already having plenty of gerbil cages, that a cardboard box would be fine.  The clerk didn’t seem to buy it, but gathered up 6 gerbils from one of the containers.  Pete learned that you should never mix gerbils from the same “clan,” because they form tight bonds and do not like rival gerbils.  Hence the half-dozen special he now understood.

Driving home, Pete heard them ruffling around inside the box, wondering if he’d made a big mistake. 

“Suppose I could always just set them free,” he thought to himself.

After arriving back to his apartment Pete nearly forgot about the pet store purchase when he smelled the heavenly aroma of Chinese food fill his nostrils.  It had been a long night, and he was starving.  He devoured more food than a typical family of 4 might consume on a given night.  Needless to say, he was stuffed again.  Being the skinny guy he was, this looked slightly awkward on his small frame.  When he lifted up his t-shirt, he smiled at the familiar sight; his stomach swollen and sticking out like a water balloon, moving ever so slightly from his pulse.

He licked the remaining soy sauce from his finger and remembered his plan for the night.  He approached the box with caution, not sure how the gerbils would react to him for the first time.  When he opened the lid, he found 6 small pairs of eyes eyeing him with curiosity, not fear like he had anticipated.

Deciding that a larger enclosure might keep them contained better, he transferred them to a large Rubbermaid tub by gently tipping the box over inside and letting them run about.  As he stood over the large green bin, he again noticed the distended belly that hung over his jeans high above the Rubbermaid party going on below.  He reached down and gently scooped the first one up with his hands and sat down on the couch behind him, bringing the gerbil to his chest.  The animal sniffed around his fingers and palms.  Pete used one hand to hold it and one to gently pet its back, noticing how slick the fur was. 

Pete’s stomach began to growl and his eyes shook slightly.  He was hungry.  Not for food, not thirsty either.  He needed to swallow.

“Sorry,” Pete muttered to the gerbil still exploring the buttons on his shirt.

He grabbed it by its tail and brought it down to eye level, noticing a slightly more agitated expression on its face.  Pete’s heart began to beat faster as he opened his mouth and brought the gerbil above his face until it came into focus.  He stuck out his tongue and gently placed the first gerbil to be swallowed on top, salivating upon feeling it inside his mouth.

Pete began to sweat and wondered what it must be like to be inside his mouth staring at the back of his throat.  He released his grip and closed his mouth when it began to scurry around the tight space beneath the roof of his mouth.  He imagined what it must be like to be in total darkness, not knowing what was to come.  Pete developed too much saliva in his mouth and tilted his head back, hoping to let the creature slide down his throat without too much effort.  No such luck. 

Pete had to swallow repeatedly and strongly, until finally the animal gave up and entered his esophagus, eventually ending up in his belly.  Pete lifted up his shirt and imagined what it must feel like to be trapped in a guy’s belly.  He rubbed his stomach and smirked. 

Pete grabbed the next gerbil two gerbils to be eaten and sat down on the couch.  Both were cooperative like their friendly predecessor.  He placed one under a small glass bowl that he lay on top of his belly.  The gerbil scurried about on his belly button, tickling his skin.   Pete lay back and brought the next gerbil in front of his face again, watching the expression of the gerbil under the bowl as he opened his mouth.  Pete again swallowed the gerbil whole and to his surprise; the gerbil under the bowl froze and stared.  The gerbil made its way through his chest and to his stomach where it began to struggle amidst the Chinese food in Pete’s belly. 

Still petrified, the gerbil remained motionless as Pete massaged his belly around the glass bowl, no doubt knowing that the gerbil above ground could hear his comrades below.  Pete eventually swallowed it too out of compassion, deciding that delaying the inevitable would just be too much. 

The next two also succumbed the same fate, until 5 animals squirmed inside.  The last one was especially precarious, and began to squeak as he tried to swallow.  Deciding that trying again later would be worse, Pete used two fingers to force it down his throat where it came to rest, still squeaking, though the sound was faint beneath his skin.  Along with sounds of the animals inside, Pete’s stomach grumbled through the digestive process.

Pete lay there all morning until his passed out, rubbing his belly until the noise stopped.