Tags: Full Body Inflation, Female Inflation, curse, floating, magic, Prose that Blows 9 - Here I Come to Save the Day, Prose that Blows Runner-Up: Best Story, thief
Text: Alisa could have had the easy life. Almost as soon as she could walk, she'd been trained as an acrobat in her family's circus. It was long, hard work for little reward, but she accepted it as her calling and put all her heart into it. Then, when she was 12, a lottery ticket bought on a whim made the family instant multi-millionaires. Almost overnight, her parents shut down the circus and retired to a life of luxury. But Alisa knew she'd never be happy with everything just handed to her on a platter, and after a few months of "retirement", she ran away from home.
It was hard living, but Alisa stuck through it, supporting herself with a combination of odd jobs and petty theft. Soon enough, her talents were noticed by a gang of bank and museum robbers. With her lanky, athletic build, gymnastic prowess, formidable flexibility, and quick intellect, she could sneak or squeeze past any guard or security system in her way. It wasn't long before the skills of this teenage girl exceeded those of grown men twice her age. Realizing that her team was only holding her back, Alisa set out on her own, seeking out ever more valuable treasures. By the time she was 18, she'd amassed a fortune to put her parents' to shame. And as her abilities grew, so did her scrawny physique blossom into a shapely hourglass figure.
Alisa's latest target was the "Eye of Helios", a mysterious crystal from ancient times. She'd already wormed her way into the museum's basement and reprogrammed most of the sensors, but the pressure-sensitive floor was totally inaccessible. No matter — there was a skylight almost right over the gem that she could easily crack open. After lowering herself down a rope almost to floor level, it was only a matter of swinging back and forth until she made it to the case.
While on a job, Alisa always wore a black PVC catsuit that covered everything from the shoulders down, except the tops of her breasts. It gave her plenty of freedom of movement, had no loose fabric to snag on things, and was nice and inconspicuous in the dark. The only disadvantage was the lack of pockets; anything she wanted to take with her had to be stuffed in her cleavage. But that was space enough for a light job like this. The glass cutter came out, and after a few seconds the golf-ball-sized gem went in. Another job done, she started hauling herself back up the rope.
About ten feet up, Alisa started feeling oddly stiff. For some reason, her arms weren't bending as easily as they used to. She put it down to overexertion and kept climbing. But a few seconds later, she noticed her catsuit slowly tightening around her upper body. Glancing down at herself, she was taken aback by what she saw: her bosom had swollen to over double its normal size! For a while, she just gaped at her chest as it continued to grow, before realizing that she had to get out of this building while she still could.
When she was halfway up the rope, Alisa had to stop — her ballooning breasts were squeezing the gem between them, and the pinching sensation was getting intolerable. Gripping the rope firmly in her left hand, she snaked the other one into her ever-expanding canyon of cleavage. After some squirming and shoving, she managed to encircle the crystal in her thumb and forefinger. But when she tried to pull out, Alisa found her hand was stuck. The PVC of her catsuit was shiny and slick, but the hands and feet were textured for traction and grip, and her compressed chest had clamped down hard on its contents. Try as she might to extract herself, Alisa was hopelessly ensnared in her own booby trap.
In her struggle, she lost her grip on the gem, and it slipped down the front of her suit, coming to rest around her midsection. Exasperated, Alisa decided to resume climbing. With one hand out of action, her progress was slow, but she was still on track to make it out by morning.
About three-quarters of the way to the skylight, she noticed something odd about the way the rope was rubbing against her stomach. Craning her neck around her cleavage, she was shocked to discover that her belly was also blowing up! Alisa redoubled her efforts, but her bloating body had used up what little slack the tight suit had to offer, and the constricting material was really interfering with her movement. Raising her arm above her shoulders was a struggle against increasing resistance. Her legs, packed like overstuffed sausages into overstretched PVC, were getting harder and harder to bend, and her ascent slowed to a ponderous crawl. Still, she should have enough time to flee the scene before the guards came.
Suddenly, the rope slipped from between her legs. Alisa stifled a scream as she held on for dear life with her one free hand, dangling precariously over an eighty-foot drop. She realized she'd never get her feet back on her lifeline while it was draped over her protruding abdomen. Calling upon all her childhood lessons, she swung the rope behind her, catching it between her textured feet. Her grip was somewhat secure again, and she resumed her climb, but between the awkward position and her lack of flexibility, she was proceeding at a snail's pace. At this rate, she'd only escape by the skin of her teeth.
At long last, Alisa made it to the ceiling, and her head emerged from the skylight. One final obstacle awaited her, though — her belly wouldn't quite clear the edge. The Eye of Helios had lodged at the apex of its curve, sticking out like the navel of a pregnant woman, and it was this protrusion that had snagged. Alisa pushed herself as hard as she could, and felt the gem slip over her sweat-slick skin, down towards her nether regions. With her remaining strength, she pulled herself up onto the roof, collapsing on her back in a state of total exhaustion.
This was where they'd find her, Alisa realized. She didn't have the energy left to run, if she could even move in her constricted state. They wouldn't even have to throw her in a cell — she was already inextricably trapped in her own personal PVC prison; they'd just have to cut her out of it when her sentence was up. This had to be the Eye's fault. Alisa realized her body had blown up wherever it had touched her bare skin. Even now, she felt her butt and thighs expanding as the trapped crystal pressed against her crotch. For months, she had lusted after that jewel, and now she only wanted to get it away from herself.
As the first rays of sun beat down on her, Alisa felt a strange warmth. Her eyes flew open in shock as she felt her back pull away from the roof. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the ground receding from her, inch by inch. Frantically, she cast about for something to grab onto, but it was no use. Her latest inflation had stretched her suit to its limit; from her fingers to her toes, she was stiff as a board. All Alisa could do was scream for help that would never come, as she floated ever so slowly up into the colorful dawn sky.