George was very confused. His parents had said that they were going to do something about his height and weight problem. Then, they had given him his allergy pill, and run out the door with that strange man who lived down the road. George was 4’2 as a 12 year old, and weighed sixty-two pounds. He had a disease called eightwayeighthayphobia. The doctor could find no cure for his disease. He had complained to his parents to do something about it. Now, they had left him with a pill, a fridge full of food, a couple hundred dollars, and a glass of water. George couldn’t understand why they would do that. Were they off on an errand, or were they leaving him forever. George hoped choice A. And who was that mysterious man? Well, his parents had told him to take his allergy pill. So, without a second thought why, he popped it in his mouth and washed it down with some water. Immediately, he felt sick. He knew his parents had poisoned him. Yet, he didn’t feel like he was dying. He felt like he was being stretched. He looked down and almost choked on his pill. His legs were growing. They grew taller and taller. He couldn’t believe it. So his parents had done something about his problem. His chest was now even with the table in the living room. That meant he must be about 5 feet tall. Now he was a little above the average height. He felt great. He felt like he was stretching again. His upper body was growing now! It grew up and up. His arms stretched and grew. His stomach stretched up until it was even with the table. He looked to the measurement chart he kept on the wall. He was now 6 feet tall! He was so happy, he leapt for joy. But before he could land, his middle section grew, planting his legs on the floor in mid-leap. He looked to the measurement chart. He was now 6’3! He was so amazed, he collapsed on the couch. He looked at his stomach. Unfortunately, his belly was still as skinny as it was.
You could see his ribs through his skin. Apparently the pill only worked on his height. Suddenly, he was hungry. Really hungry. He ran to the fridge. It was stocked with all sorts of food. He took what he thought he needed. It wasn’t enough. In all, George ate two supreme pizzas, three cans of Coke, five hamburgers, four chicken wings, an apple pie, two chocolate bars, and one cake. He was still a little bit hungry. He couldn’t believe it! His stomach hadn’t even grown to fit it all. Then, his stomach trembled. He thought that an Alien was going to burst out of his stomach. But, nothing happened. He looked around. For the first time, he realized his house was older. The pill must have aged him. He figured he must be 26 to be this height. He looked at the date. He couldn’t believe his eyes. According to the date, he was only 16! 6’3 at 16! It had never been done. He looked at the clock. It was about ten o’clock at night. He climbed into bed and went to sleep. Thankfully, his bed was big enough to fit him. He woke the next morning feeling good. He got out of bed and went to brush his teeth. He looked at his skinny frame in the mirror. Except, it wasn’t skinny anymore! It had a definite bulge to it, and it jiggled a little when he walked. He loved his life. For breakfast, he ate twelve bowls of cereal, eleven French toast, nineteen pop-tarts, and fifteen waffles. He got up, pushed his chair in, and his stomach trembled again. He wondered why it did that whenever he ate. All of a sudden, he felt tired. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. He felt himself dozing off. When he woke up, it was almost six o’clock. He got up to prepare dinner. Then, he noticed his stomach. It had grown again. The button on his pants had popped, and his stomach had pushed the zipper all the way down. He shook himself. The stomach jiggled back and forth. This was the stomach he always dreamed of. Then he remembered how hungry he was. He went to prepare dinner. Two weeks past like a blur. George had grown to 7’4, and kept growing every day. His stomach had outgrown five pairs of pants, three sizes of shirt, and it sagged down to his pants pocket. George couldn’t have been happier. Every day, he would eat, and then fall asleep. Whenever he woke up, his stomach would be bigger. Yet, he felt homesick for his old body. The pill would wear off eventually. But when? He pushed that thought aside. He was hungry again.

His parents had made a deal with the old man. They wanted to make George appreciate who he was. The old man knew what would happen to George. But, his parents wanted to see him again. He decided to speed up the process. George finished his giant meal. Suddenly, he felt dizzy. He stumbled to the bathroom. He looked at his reflection in the mirror. His head was in the middle of the frame. However, it was rising. George’s head rose to the top of the mirror. It kept rising until his chest was even with the top. George went to the measurement chart. He was now 7’11. He began to tremble. His frame shot up to 8’2. The trembling increased. George’s stomach bulged, grew, and sagged. His last pair of pants ripped open. His stomach kept growing. When he couldn’t fit his hands around the bulge, it stopped growing. The old man waited for the waterfall of tears to start. Instead, George began to whoop for joy. He begged his body to grow bigger. The old man couldn’t believe it. Usually, kids ran bawling to his door. His parents were just as shocked. The old man shrugged and said,

“Eez goyng to hav to stay zat way. But, I shall make life leevable for you.”
The old man waved his hand. The town returned to its regular age. George stayed 16. His parents walked in the door. They went up to George. He had shrunk a little. He was 7’8, and his stomach only jiggled when he shook his stomach. His parents decided to live with that. They made sure George appreciated his figure. George agreed to never wish to grow again. But secretly at night, he wished he could be just a bit bigger. The old man kept to his promise. They never ran out of food, and George always had enough to eat. But, the old man couldn’t resist a wish. In the year that followed, George grew to 8’, and when he inhaled or drank water, his stomach would always grow to accommodate all of it. And it never stopped growing. He didn’t have a limit to how much he could take in. He would always be growing, and when his parents left him, the old man would tinker with him a bit more. And whenever someone asked him why he ate so much, his answer would be

“I’m a growing boy.” And no one could argue with that.