The Brownie Diet

She'd never had something so creamy and delicious before in her short four-year life. DW bit into a brownie and almost spit it out because her tongue got sore, not from the tiny, crunchy walnuts inside but because the flavor made her salivate so hard that she sprayed the chocolate square and the little nuts on top.

"Dad, what is this?" she asked, her mouth full of the delicious treat.

"It's called a brownie, DW, and you aren't supposed to talk with your mouth full," her mother scolded.

"Sorry," she murmured, her mouth still full of the brownie. She didn't want to swallow her first bite because then she'd have to eat another bite, and soon the brownie would be gone. In fact, that's exactly what happened. She finished her first brownie and reached for another, but her mother pushed her hand away.

"DW, we're going to eat dinner in two hours. David, I told you not to make these until later," Jane hissed.

"I need the others for five o'clock. I thought you remembered that," David groaned, gathering a box of supplies to take to his catering van. "DW, listen to your mother. I wasn't going to make any brownies for you all, but I had some leftover batter. It's a one-time treat, but you have to eat your dinner before you can have another one. In fact, she probably doesn't need another one today, Jane. The dentist was already worried about the grape juice."

"She likes grape juice, David, and I do water it down now," Jane said through gritted teeth. Arthur looked up from his plate to give his parents a perplexed look. They hadn't been so snippy with each other since a few months ago when the car was in the shop for two weeks.

"Are you sure I can't have another one?" DW asked.

"You can't!" the Read parents said together.

"Fine," DW pouted, disappearing up the stairs and into her room. Almost immediately, Nadine appeared, slumping onto the bed with her. "I want more brownies, Nadine, lots more brownies. In fact, I think I want to always eat brownies from now on."

"And nothing else?" Nadine asked. DW shook her head firmly. "What about apples? Don't you like apples?"

"Not as much as brownies," she smiled. "They're gooey and yummy and I want more," DW said, sitting up again. "I'm going to get the whole plate of brownies and store them away. I bet I could live a whole year off of brownies, a whole lifetime!"

"But all that chocolate might make you sick," Nadine warned. "Remember Halloween?"

"Oh yeah, my stomach did hurt pretty bad," DW nodded, lying back again. "But if I just eat one a day and nothing else, then I'll be having brownies all the time."

"You'll be hungry for most of the day if you do that. And what if Ms. Morgan orders pizza for good behavior again? Would you turn down a slice of cheese pizza for a brownie?" Nadine questioned.

"I'd turn down a whole entire cheese pizza for just one crumb of a brownie," DW said joyfully. "I'd trade Arthur for less than a brownie crumb, maybe even just one of the little crunchy things on top. It's just that good, Nadine. Have you ever had a brownie?"

"Yes, a few times," Nadine nodded. "I agree that brownies are good, just like ice cream sundaes and buttery popcorn and cake, but you can't eat them all the time. You have to eat a variety of foods or you'll get sick."

"Brownies are too delicious to get sick over. You're making me sad, Nadine," DW growled, standing up again. "I'm going to take the whole plate of brownies, then I'm going to hide them in the closet away from Kate and Arthur and all the other people who might take them. And that's all I'm going to eat forever and ever and ever!" DW said, opening the door, which made Nadine disappear.

Downstairs, Arthur was watching Bionic Bunny in the living room. When DW peeked into the kitchen, she could see the platter of brownies sitting on the kitchen table. Outside beside the catering van, DW's parents were talking to each other, waving their hands at each other or something. DW didn't care what they were doing; she just wanted the brownies.

After gently pushing out a chair, she climbed onto it and reached for the platter. When she made sure she was alone, she ran upstairs, hiding the plate in her closet behind her clothes and dolls. After eating a small crumb, she finished covering them and closed the closet door.

"And when dinner time comes, I won't eat a bite. It's brownies for this preschooler!" DW nodded firmly, pulling out a coloring book and scribbling away with a smile.

"Dora Winifred, I suggest you eat what's in front of you or you get no dessert!" Jane warned, her face wrinkled with frustration. David was still gone, and here sat DW with a full plate of food while Kate screamed beside her.

"That's fine, Mom. May I go to my room now?" DW asked.

"And what's so important in your room? Are you playing some game again, DW? I've told you not to throw anything else out the window," Jane warned.

"I'm not throwing anything out the window," DW groaned. "Can I just go? I'm not hungry."

"I don't like your attitude, young lady! You'll stay at this table until you eat. Arthur, stop watching this and eat your food," Jane said coldly, trying once again to give Kate a bite of food. Her dinner for the night was pea baby food, and in one swift move of her arm, the entire spoonful was flung into Jane's face. "Great," she sighed, wiping her face while Kate giggled. "Yes, very funny, Kate, but you need to eat your dinner too. Come on, here comes the airplane!" she tried, but Kate wouldn't have it.

"Fine," Jane hissed, putting the lid back on the baby food and giving Arthur a stern look, "Make sure she doesn't leave the table. And you eat what you're supposed to or you can forget about that movie with Buster."

Arthur nodded, not sure why he was the current target. He went to take a bite of his food when he noticed DW trying to slip out of her chair and back to her room.

"DW, you need to eat. Mom's in a really bad mood," Arthur warned, careful to keep his voice low.

"I don't want this. I want brownies, Arthur. They're too good for us to eat this stuff all the time," DW said, pushing her plate away. "Give it to Pal. He likes people food," she said, dropping a green bean to the floor just in time for Jane to return.

"That's it!" Jane screamed. "Go sit in the living room! If you're not going to eat your food, then I won't reward you by giving you what you want! Sit in the living room and just...just sit there!" Jane screeched. DW meekly did as she was told, disappearing around the corner and moving to the couch without a second thought.

"Sorry, Mom, I-"

"I don't care, Arthur. Just finish your food and go do your homework. If you've already done it, then just be quiet. Please, just be the one who listens," Jane sighed, trying to give Kate some apple sauce. She was still fussy, so Jane closed the container and went into the kitchen. Kate started kicking the table and giggling as the silverware wobbled on the table and made a funny noise. Arthur shoved his remaining bites into his mouth and fled the room, not wanting to be around when his mom noticed that Kate had kicked DW's plate from the table too.

At bedtime, DW went upstairs and returned to her brownies, her stomach protesting in hunger. She devoured one in mere seconds before climbing under the covers. Jane never suspected a thing as she put Kate down to sleep. Jane then disappeared without saying a word.

"Oh not again," Jane sighed, watching DW push back her plate of pancakes. "David, please, just reason with her or something."

"I put the chocolate spread on the pancakes along with the raisins and banana slices in a smiley-face formation, DW," David sighed. "What's wrong with it this time?"

"Is the chocolate spread brownie-flavored?" DW questioned.

"No, DW," Arthur sighed. "You're going to be hungry if you don't eat, which could make you sick. And what's this about brownies anyway? I thought you'd had them before."

"She has," Jane agreed with a disgusted tone. "You either eat or you won't be going to school, DW. It's fieldtrip day, but if you want to miss out," Jane trailed off, disappearing into the garage as the dryer's timer went off.

DW thought for a moment. She really wanted to go to the museum with her friends, but she also wanted more brownies. She was hungry too, but was she hungry enough to eat something other than brownies?

She shook her head, crossing her arms after pushing the plate away.

"DW, your mother has things to do today. Eat your food so she can take care of business," David sighed.

"Come on, DW, eat the pancakes. I bet the chocolate spread tastes a little like brownies," Arthur offered.

DW poked at the spread with her fork before putting a little on her tongue. After pushing it around for a moment, she realized she liked the taste, but it was nothing like brownies. She put her fork down and resumed her position.

"Fine, I'll take her to Thora. She'll know what to do," Jane sighed.

But Grandma Thora didn't know what to do, and by the next morning, DW still hadn't eaten with her family. She had, however, finished her brownies, and now she needed to find more. She thought of asking her father to make some more, but he wasn't interested, she knew, and she knew dorky Arthur couldn't help...or could he?

When both of their parents were out of the room that next morning, DW asked Arthur if he knew how to make brownies.

"I accidentally made brownies before when I was trying to make a chocolate cake," Arthur said, "but I'm not supposed to use the oven. What's with you and brownies, DW?"

"That's all I want to eat from now on, but I don't have anymore," DW admitted.

"You stole the brownie plate?!" Arthur exclaimed. DW tried to shush him. For some reason, it worked. "Mom and Dad have been really grumpy lately. You need to eat normal food to get on their good side, then ask Dad to make them again. And THEN, you need to only eat what they give you. They don't mind giving us treats, but we can't eat unhealthy all the time."

"But they're so good," DW pouted.

"It doesn't matter, DW," Arthur sighed. "I...I'll see what I can do. But you need to eat something. Just eat some chocolate spread on toast with peanuts like I do. It kind of tastes like a brownie, and it'll keep them happy."

DW agreed, but only because Arthur said he'd help her with the brownies. As soon as she was done, her mother packed her in the car to head to preschool, leaving Arthur and David in the house alone. Together, they plotted to fix DW's love for brownies once and for all.

"All for me?" DW moaned, her mouth watering as she looked at the large plate of brownies before her. The whole plate was hers, but she could only have two a day. DW agreed, shoving one into her mouth, sending crumbs all over the table. She eagerly cleaned them up, watching as the others ate a brownie from their plate. "What's different about mine?"

"You like them so much, so we thought you needed your own plate. That way, we share our plate and you get your own. You get a lot more brownies. See?" Arthur pointed, showing her that he and their parents only got three brownies while she got ten to herself.

"Whoa, that's so cool!" DW cried. "Can I have my second one now?" she asked. The others nodded, watching her eat it as they wiped their lips. Jane then put plastic wrap around the plates and took them to the counter. She put DW's name on her plate and left the other one blank. Both went into the bread box, and DW nodded. She knew where her brownies were. She didn't have to hide them anymore, which made her happy.

It was the middle of the night and DW's tummy was making strange noises. At first, she poked it and told it to be quiet, but she knew tummies didn't work like that. If it was upset, she was to use the bathroom, so she did. But this time, she went so much that she felt weird afterwards. When she was done, she decided to get her mother.

Throughout the night, Jane sat with DW outside the bathroom door on a cot they'd made. Every few minutes, DW would have to return to the bathroom, and the poor girl looked ill. Jane looked tired, but she was smiling slightly. Arthur's plan had worked.

"DW, are you okay?" Arthur gasped. DW was somewhat pale, and her face was stuck in a frown. When asked what she wanted for breakfast, she pointed to the toast and eggs and the milk jug. "Whoa, no more brownies?"

"They made me sick!" she cried. "Can I stay home, Mommy? I didn't sleep last night."

"I know you didn't, dear," Jane smiled. "I already sent your teacher an email explaining everything. You can stay out."

"Why did the brownies make me sick? They were so good and delicious," DW cried. "What went wrong?"

"You have to eat a variety of food or you will get sick," David said, winking to Arthur. "You know, that cartoon channel shows Mary Moo Cow at this time. Would you like to eat in the living room?"

DW nodded meekly, following her dad into the living room.

"I'm glad you thought of that, Arthur," Jane smiled. "And she isn't really that sick. Laxatives do that, but I asked her pediatrician about it first. He'll be happy to know it worked so he can pass that knowledge on to other parents."

"I didn't think it'd be that simple. I just suggested the laxatives because of Grandma Thora," Arthur shrugged. "She said they work wonders for her, but she has to bake them into brownies to stomach them, the taste I guess."

"Well, it's over now. And your dad and I feel better too. I think we needed something like this to cheer us up," Jane giggled. "I hate tricking my children, but sometimes a good joke goes a long way."

"We won't ever tell her though, will we?" Arthur asked, fearing the brownie diet could start again.

"No, no," Jane chuckled. "No, this one stays with us."

The Read family agreed to keep the ordeal a secret, and not only did they maintain the secret, DW never touched another brownie, at least not unless she'd eaten a good, balanced meal first.

Theme 045: Relief

To complete the themes yourself, I have the list posted on my profile. The list is for any type of fan fiction (one-shot, drabble, etc.) and any fandom. Challenge yourself in other ways to make it more fun, and enjoy!