Belly aching somewhat from her large meal, Lisa payed and left, resolving to walk to her apartment to plan her next move. She had a lot to do, and if there was a scoop here she definitely wanted to get at it before any other journalist snatched it from under her nose.
The weather had turned hotter than ever, making Lisa feel distinctly overheated as she walked briskly along the sidewalk; if it was this warm for her, she shuddered to think how many incidences of heatstroke this town saw yearly. Carrying around a five hundred pound body was a struggle at the best of times - under the summer sun it must be exhausting.
Her route back to her apartment led her through a small park, and as she walked along one of the extra-wide paths through the trees she was interested to spot what seemed to be a children's playground. It wasn't a playground like she used to play on though - a dozen low benches were scattered around aimlessly, upon which the children were lounging. Not a single one was running around playing tag or skipping, and the solitary piece of equipment was an old slide that looked like it was falling apart - all the kids were just sitting around and talking, occasionally reaching down to grab a snack from the many bags of junk food that littered the ground around the benches.
Lisa glanced around; none of the parents were anywhere to be seen. Weren't they worried about their kids being unescorted? Then she thought about it, and realised that in this town, abductions probably just didn't happen. Perhaps there were some benefits to this obesity thing after all, she considered wryly.
Actually, if none of the parents were around, this might be a great time to get an interview with one of the kids without their mom or dad interfering with the results. After checking her surroundings once more, she hurried up to the gate of the playground and slipped inside.
The nearest bench to the gate had one girl on it who looked perhaps seven or eight - it was hard to tell though. Her form was absolutely smothered in fat, rolls upon rolls sagging from everywhere on her body. Thighs as thick as Lisa's waist were forced wide apart to allow her vast belly room to sit, barely covered by a stretched 'Frozen' T-shirt - her massive rear spread out voluminously on the bench, buttocks spilling off the back even as her legs dangled over the front. She blinked through thick glasses at the approaching Lisa, face buried by chubby cheeks and a double chin which almost seemed to merge into each other.
"Hello, what's your name?" Lisa asked, smiling her most friendly smile as reached the bench. She hadn't even realised children could get so big before.
"Um, Clara."
"Clara! That's a nice name. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your lovely town, Clara," she asked, still smiling widely.
"I, um, I guess so," Clara mumbled, scratching her belly with a hand almost buried by her own forearms.
"Great! Well first off..."