My name might still be Richard F. Yates. (I'll check with City Hall tomorrow...) How have you been?
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The POPCORN was cursed. They knew from the very beginning, but the temptation was too much. Carnes was the first to break, and he was instantly changed into a rocking-horse as soon as his teeth crunched down on the fluffy, white popcorn bite. Sears and Jenkins went next, and the rest found the room suddenly two gooses fuller. Blake sank to his knees, said goodbye to his Corvette, and took a bite. A bowl of pudding appeared on the floor, but the remaining humans all agreed that it still looked a bit too much like Mr. Blake, so they decided not to set the bowl on the fireplace mantel, out of direct sight. The remaining guests sat slowly back down around the table. Four left... The Whinny twins went next, each taking a single piece (they were both on diets), and they both popped like balloons.
Down to Ernesto and Mrs. Blibble. Ernie was a beast, but even a beast gets hungry. Crossing himself, he grabbed an entire handful of popped corn and shuvved it into his gob. With a slight "hiccup," he became a potted geranium. Mrs. Bibble wiped a tiny dribble of sweat from her brow with a silk napkin, but she held strong. (She'd eaten a cheese sandwich before leaving for the meeting...) Just before she broke and reached for a piece of fluffed corn, she heard a laugh and the door to the kitchen swung open.
Mr. Castro, the HOST for the evening, came thru the door carrying a large platter filled with potato chips and pepper-poppers. He stepped towards the table and stopped, seeing a nearly empty room, with only Mrs. Bibble, two gooses, and a geranium still sitting at the table. "What the hell happened in here?" he asked in a choked voice. Mrs. Bibble and one goose pointed at the large popcorn bowl in the center of the table.
"But I warned everyone that the popcorn was cursed! Why didn't they listen?" Castro stammered...
"What do you expect!?" the geranium said. "We were starving!" The gooses and Mrs. Bibble nodded furiously.
"I TOLD you weirdos that I was going to get snacks!!! I was only out of the room for ten minutes!!!" Castro set the tray of food on the table next to the popcorn bowl, and quickly reached out to smack Mrs. Bibble's hand, which had started to reach for a bite from the popcorn bowl... "Sorry!" she said and snagged a pepper-popper, instead. The pudding on the mantle let out a laugh...
