Carl rolls in the mud with his friends, laughing uncontrollably, when suddenly Farmer Grimroot’s dark energy wraps around him once more. Carl freezes, feeling the magic shift. Unlike the playful transformation into a farm boy, this one feels heavier—much heavier. His body begins to expand, his limbs growing larger, his stomach rounding out. His bare feet sink deeper into the mud as his weight increases, his overalls tightening and stretching until they vanish, replaced by a loose-fitting pair of dad jeans and a checkered shirt.
Carl gasps, feeling his entire form morph. His face ages rapidly, black stubble sprouting into a full beard as lines and wrinkles form around his eyes. His voice, once filled with a playful country twang, deepens back into his normal tone, but something’s different. He stands up slowly, no longer a small 10-year-old boy but a massive, middle-aged man.
He looks down at himself, wide-eyed. “What… what happened to me?! I’m huge! I feel like a… a dad?!”
Farmer Grimroot cackles, clapping his hands with glee. “That’s right, Carl! Welcome to your new life as a 40-year-old, 300-pound dad! You look mighty comfortable in that body.”
Carl pats his round stomach, his face flushed with disbelief. “This can’t be real! I’m enormous!” He turns to his friends, who are still stuck as 10-year-old country boys, looking up at him in confusion.
Alex wipes mud from his face. “Carl? Is that you? Y’all look… different,” he says, still in his thick country twang.
Luke giggles, pointing at Carl’s big belly. “Look at ya, Carl! Yer like a big ol’ bear!”
But before Carl can protest, an uncontrollable urge bubbles up inside him. He feels a sudden itch to say something—something terrible. He tries to resist, but it’s no use.
“Well, boys,” Carl says with a grin, “guess you could say I’ve got a lot on my plate now… especially my belly! Ha! Get it?”
The moment the words leave his mouth, Carl cringes. “Wait, did I just… make a dad joke?!”
Grimroot laughs even harder. “Oh, that’s just the start! You’re not just a dad now, Carl—you’re the king of cornball dad humor!”
Carl’s face turns red as another joke bubbles up. “Y’all hungry? ‘Cause I’m grill-ing up some good ones!” He winces again, slapping his hand over his mouth. “I can’t stop with the puns!”
Alex and Luke look up at him, still stuck as hyperactive farm boys, giggling at their now huge, joke-cracking friend.
“Aw, Carl,” Alex says with a chuckle, “you sound like my dad!”
Carl, trying to regain control, feels his stomach rumble. The hunger is sudden and intense. Before he can question it, Grimroot waves his hand, summoning a trough filled to the brim with greasy, fast food cheeseburgers. The smell hits Carl immediately, and his stomach growls even louder.
“Well, lookee here!” Grimroot taunts. “I’ve conjured up a little snack fer ya, big fella. How about ya show these boys what a real dad can do!”
Carl’s mouth waters uncontrollably as his eyes fixate on the cheeseburgers. He knows he should resist, but the spell’s power is overwhelming. His hands twitch, and before he knows it, he’s waddling toward the trough, licking his lips.
“No… I don’t want to eat…” Carl mutters, but his feet carry him forward. “But… I do want… just one… maybe two…”
With a groan, Carl gives in, grabbing handfuls of burgers and stuffing them into his mouth. “I guess I’m just bacon it happen! Ha! Get it? Bacon?” he mumbles between bites, his cheeks bulging with cheeseburgers.
The more he eats, the more ravenous he becomes, his stomach growling for more as he devours burger after burger, sauce dripping down his chin. His belly grows rounder, pushing against his shirt, which stretches tighter with every bite.
Grimroot stands back, laughing heartily. “Look at ya now, Carl! Reduced to nothin’ but a giant, cheeseburger-munchin’, joke-tellin’ dad! Ain’t ya a sight to see?”
Carl, unable to stop himself, grins through his mouthful of food. “Guess ya could say I’m havin’ a whopper of a time! Haha!” An enormous belch erupts from Carl's mouth and he continues to stuff himself with food.
Alex and Luke watch in shock as Carl continues to pig out, his round belly bouncing as he reaches for more. Alex scratches his head, still trying to make sense of everything. “Well, Carl, ya sure do look like yer enjoyin’ those burgers…”
Luke giggles, nudging Alex. “I reckon he’ll be too stuffed ta move soon!”
As Carl keeps shoveling cheeseburgers into his mouth, he groans between bites. “This… isn’t over… Grimroot… but these burgers… are so good… why did the burger go to the gym?” He pauses, swallowing another bite. “To get better buns!”
Farmer Grimroot doubles over in laughter, watching as Carl, now a huge, corny dad, succumbs completely to his new form. The once proud Blue Cyber Space Warrior is now nothing more than a burger-loving, dad-joke-cracking, oversized father figure, completely under Grimroot’s spell.
Grimroot grins wickedly. “Oh, Carl, I’ve really beefed ya up, haven’t I? Go ahead—enjoy yerself while yer friends watch. You’re not the warrior ya once were anymore, just a big ol’ cornball dad with a bottomless stomach!”