--The Curse of Nimby Village--

	--Chapter 1: The Start of a Growing Problem--

	It started like any other day. The tree planted in the Town Square all those years ago had grown substantially. It was so cool to see. I still remember the day it was planted. My name is Digby. My sister, Isabelle is the Mayor's secretary and assistant. The Mayor always offers to help, but my sister always declines. I do wish she'd let Mayor Fura do some of the work at least, but I digress. Every day, I see Fura pass by and wave at me, and I would wave back. I would see Tom and his boys go to their shops, Kicks to his shoe store, Shrunk went to clean up around the club, and the Able Sisters with Leif shortly after. Blathers generally stayed at the museum. I always did admire his love for that old stuff... And honestly it was kinda interesting to learn about the fish in their tanks.

	Like I said, everything was pretty much normal, and everyone was happy. But one day when I looked outside to check the weather, I saw someone new. I knew it wasn't a human, and it certainly wasn't an animal. I didn't know what to think, either way, I didn't want them to walk around in the rain. So I put on my rain coat and my umbrella and quickly walked out to the new person. "...H-Hey. Are you alright?" They didn't answer... Just stared out at the ocean from the cliffside. "Uh... sir? O-Or ma'am?" Their  figure was quite slim, and they certainly looked like a boy. But they were wearing a dress. Just like the mayor.

	"...I'm looking for someone..." I perked up a little... "Uh. Okay? Who exactly?" They slowly turned around... "...Fura...Fura Takahashi..." I was honestly kinda scared at this person... "Heh... W-Well, you're certainly in the right place! She should be in the Town Hall, I can..." Just as I was about to offer to escort them, "...take you..." They just walked by me straight to Town Hall... "...there?" I shook my head and walked off to the gate of the Happy Home Showcase. I stood there just like I did every day, and I saw everyone heading to their shops and getting ready for the day...

	Today felt rather short compared to the rest, but when you get busy with potential customers, time just kinda flies by. I couldn't tell if I was just distracted by the villagers, but I didn't see Fura all day. I was a little worried since she always walked by around the same time every day. I guess I just missed her today. It was soon time for me to head home, thankfully it didn't rain too hard, so I hadn't gotten too wet. I left my daily post and unlocked the door to my house. I was glad to be home, taking my wet shoes off and putting them on the left side of the door. That's closer to the air vent in my home. I then went to the restroom and took a shower, after taking the rest of my clothes off of course. And after getting dressed in some nice warm clothes and reading a bit, I got too tired to even stay awake. I ended up taking a nap on my couch before moving to my bed and sleeping for the rest of the night. Little did I know that things  were about to get very, very, weird in my hometown of Nimby...

	--Chapter 2: Time For A Change of Pace--

	The next morning, I already knew something was wrong... I heard my phone ringing, which woke me up... When I opened my eyes, I did not feel good at all... My head was throbbing and I felt really really lazy... If it weren't for my phone, I probably wouldn't have gotten up... But I got up, and slowly walked to the phone... "h-hello...?" It was my boss, Lyle of the HHA. "Digby, babe. Where ya been?" I was a bit confused, looking up at the time. Oh geeze... 2p.m... I really overslept... "Oh no...Lyle, I'm so sorry...I feel awful... My head hurts really bad..." Thankfully Lyle was very understanding. "Nah, don't worry 'bout it. Ya haven't had a day off since December. Just call me tomorrow and let me know if ya feel any better, yeh?" I chuckled a little... The way he talked always cheered me up... "Thanks Lyle... I really hope I don't miss tomorrow too..."

	I walked to the bathroom, glancing over at myself in the mirror and-...Wait a minute... I must still be tired... I rubbed my eyes and looked at myself in the mirror more closely... I had definitly put on some weight... I was absolutely baffled... My sister could tell you I eat very healthy things. Especially between the two of us... I was very concerned... I had to know for sure... I ran to my room and put on my suit that I wore every day for work, and after struggling with my belt, I knew for sure... "...Uh oh..." I quickly grabbed my keys and ran out of the house, locking the door behind me and hurrying to Town Hall. My sister usually stayed there overnight, which was kinda nice, since I had the house to myself most of the time.

	On my way there, I was stopped by one of the villagers, Genji. "Good morning Digby-san. Is something wrong...?" I realized I started sweating... But I had just barely left my house and it really wasn't that hot today... "Well... Do I look different to you...?" Genji stepped back a little, looking at me and tilting his head a little... "...You look a bit bigger than usual Digby-san...Have you been eating properly...?" I nodded quickly... "Yes! I don't get it! I've been following your advice ever since you moved here, and now look at me!" Genji was as confused as I was... "I will try to help... But I must go for now. I will meet you at your home tonight." I sighed a bit relieved. "Thank you Genji... I'll see you tonight... I gotta talk to my sister..." Genji bowed as he always did when leaving. "Hai. Arigato." He walked off, as I bolted to Town Hall, as slow as it seemed...

	I carefully opened the doors, not wanting to cause a scene, and there was my sister, just sleeping at her desk... "Isabelle..." I shook her a little, patting her cheek and trying to wake her up... She soon got up and stretched a little, yawning and rubbing her face... "Oh...hi Digby...Sorry, there's a lot of stuff I still need to do..." I shook my head quickly and stepped back... "That's fine sis, I just need you to be 100% honest with me... Do I look fat...?" She giggled a little... "That's a silly question Digby~!" But as she said that, she looked at me, the joy slowly turning to confusion... "...b-but...Now that you mention it...Y-Yes...A little bit..." There was definitely no denying it now. 3 people agreed. I whined and scratched my head frustratedly...

	"I don't get it sis! I'm freaking out! I have not changed my diet, you know, the one Genji reccomended? How can I be gaining weight?!" Isabelle got up and walked around to me, giving me a tight hug to calm me down... "Well if it helps, I still love you. I don't care if you keep getting bigger. I'll just have more to hug and cuddle with~." I sighed a little... "Thanks...But I'd really rather not get bigger..." She nodded... "I know. It just wouldn't bother me." She smiled and sat back at her desk. "Where's Mayor Fura?" Isabelle shrugged a little... "She left a note saying she had an important assignment to do and she'll be gone for awhile." I sighed again... "Well, I hope she gets back soon. She's much smarter than me. She might know what's going on or how to fix it for sure..."

	"Well, do you have to work today?" I shook my head... "Well, I say, go home and just relax. Watch some movies, read your books, and just try to keep yourself busy." I turned and left... "Yeah...I will... Bye sis..." I walked back to my house, flopping on my couch and groaning a little, just looking at my body that had plumped up a bit from the previous day... Isabelle was right... I just needed to take my mind off of it. I played some games, went to the bathroom, watched some movies, went to the bathroom, read my book, went to the bathroom... Ya know, now that I think about it, I had to go a lot today... A lot more than normal... But just as I was thinking about it, Genji walked in... "Konnichiwa, Digby-san." I got up and smiled. "Hey Genji..." He went to the kitchen, placing a bag of groceries on the table... "I think I have figured out why your diet isn't working."

	"Really?!" Genji nodded, emptying the contents of the bag onto the table and organizing them as he went. "It is just a theory, but I think your body has gotten used to the food you're eating. Where it is supposed to help keep fat off your body, it's not." I thought about it and, it did make sense... "Well what should I do?" Genji grabbed a knife and already started preparing something. "I will show you how to cook new foods. I would reccomend eating in small amounts to start with." The rest of the night was quite fun, cooking with Genji. And the food was amazing. Genji then packed up and walked to the front door. "I wish you luck Digby-san. Arigato." He bowed a bit and left...

	I decided I just needed to relax, going to the bathroom and filling the tub... I always did like baths... Though this one was a bit less relaxing, cause now a bit of my belly wouldn't fit under the water... But I soon dried off, emptied the tub and put on my comfortable clothes... Though now they were less comfortable because they were quite snug, more than they should be... I went to bed and slowly drifted off to sleep... The next morning, my headache was back, and even worse... I groaned and held my head tightly... I rolled on my side and checked my clock for the time... 3p.m... Maybe I just went to sleep later than usual... I slid out of bed and walked to the bathroom, feeling even more sluggish than yesterday... I looked in the mirror, and was not pleased by what I saw... I was even bigger than yesterday...

	--Chapter 3: It Just Gets Worse--

	I couldn't believe it...Once again, I ran to my room and after struggling to remove my pajamas, tried to put my work clothes on... I couldn't put on my belt anymore and one of the buttons on my coat wouldn't close anymore... I panted nervously and felt like I was going to hyperventilate. I had to tell my boss... I grabbed my keys and as I tried to run out as I wanted to, I realized just how difficult that was with how big I  am. I could basically only waddle as my legs had gotten so big it was too hard to bend them very much... I whined and quickly waddled to Nook's Homes, where Lyle was, opening the door quickly and grunting as my gut bumped the edges of the door frame... I squeezed in, sweating profusely and looked at them both...

	Lyle stood up from his chair, Tom turned and gasped a little... They both just stared at me... "Guys...I'm freaking out so bad... I don't get what's going on..." Tom walked closer to me and grabbed my shoulders... "Digby, it's alright... You've got to just stay calm. It'll only cause more problems if you don't..." Lyle was too shocked to say much... "...W-Weren't you on a diet though...?" I nodded quickly... "I still am! Genji even came over and gave me a different one! I-I'm sorry Lyle, but I'm not ready to work today either..." Lyle nodded a bit. "I understand 110%... Tom, I'll be taking over fer Digby til he's better. Will ya be able to handle both spots for awhile?" Tom smiled and nodded... "Yes yes~. I've been waiting for a challenge."

	I slowly waddled back home, on the verge of breaking down and crying... As I was unlocking the door to my home, Genji approached... "Digby-san..." I sighed and slowly turned around, having to waddle back and forth to do so... "Genji...I don't get it...I-guhh...!" What I saw was even stranger than what I was going through... Genji...was bigger than yesterday... "...Something very strange is happening in our town..."

	I paced around the living room waddling back and forth and whining a bit. Genji was just calmly sitting on my couch... "Digby-san. You must calm yourself..." I stopped in front of him and faced him... "How can I stay calm! It's happening to you now!" Genji nodded. "I am aware. And I now see what you mean. This cannot just be from the diet...Did you see anyone else yesterday?" I nodded... "...M-My sister...Oh no..." Genji shook his head... "I just saw her a few moments ago. She looks the same. What about today?" I sat down, now that I was a bit calmer... "I had to go to Lyle and Tom..." Genji stood up and walked to the front door... "Then I know what we must do... I know you won't agree, but we must wait until tomorrow. I will then request Nook-Sama and Lyle-san to meet us here in the morning... If they also start to get bigger, we know it is more than mere coincidence. This... growing body fat is...contagious or something...I will see you tomorrow Digby-san..."

	--Chapter 4: The Daily Meetings Begin--

	The next morning, as I looked in the bathroom mirror, it got even worse. At some point, all of the buttons of my coat had popped off, and my pants ripped at the seams on the sides and had fallen off... Shortly after, there was a knock on the door... I went and opened it... There were Genji, Tom, and Lyle, all of them bigger than yesterday... "...Oh no..." I let them in and shut the door behind them... "It seems this is much worse than we gave it credit for..." All three of them flopped on my seats, Genji and Tom on the couch and Lyle in my big lounge chair... "So Genji...What do you think we should do...?" Tom sighed and wiped the sweat off his forehead... Genji thought for a moment... "I need to do a bit more research. Did any of you interact with anyone else today?" Tom and Lyle shook their heads. "Nuh-uh. We were at home til ya came and got us."

	"And I've been here all day..." Genji nodded a bit... "Good... I need to see if this...disease spreads through contact... I have given Isabelle a message to give an announcement to leave the four of us be for the night. I would appreciate all of us spending the night here... Then, one of us can go around and check all the villagers from a distance to see if they were affected..." Lyle looked over... "And if everyone's normal?" Genji nodded in response... "Then it is spread through contact and we need to confine this so it hopefully goes away..." Tom looked over... "...And what if they do get bigger...?" Genji stayed silent for a bit... "...Then there may be nothing we can do about it..."

	We spent all day together, Lyle, Tom, and I terrified, while Genji seemed to just think calmly... He also cooked for us, making bigger portions than usual, knowing it wasn't the food... And eventually, we all fell asleep... I offered my bed to the three of them, but they all agreed that since I was the biggest of us, it'd be easier if I took the bed. Thankfully the couch and chair all recline for three makeshift beds... I just laid in my bed, very unsure of what was going to happen to us... I occasionally glanced over at my clock, seeing the hours drift by so slowly... Over time, I heard the buttons on Lyle's coat popping off and hitting the wall... Later in the night, I heard Tom's sweater vest ripping very slowly and soon, with a much louder, quicker rip, I could tell his sweater had broken completely...

	--Chapter 5: Rock Bottom?--

	The next morning, I slid out of my bed... I didn't need the mirror to notice I was yet again bigger than yesterday as I forced myself through the now very cramped door frame... I looked at Lyle and Tom, who were still asleep, and just as I heard last night, Lyle's coat no longer fit, the buttons on the other side of the room, and Tom's sweater vest torn to pieces from his size... Genji wasn't around, I assume to go check the others around town... "Hey...Guys..." I shook them both, and after quite some time of rousing them, they eventually woke up, groaning and holding their heads... I flopped on the couch and sighed.... "You guys got bigger..." They looked down at themselves and at each other, also noticing me... "Dang... This is awful... Is this ever gonna stop...?" And just then, Genji came in with Cyrus. It took a moment to notice, but even he had grown...

	"None of you interacted with Cyrus yesterday?" We all shook our heads... "W-What is going on?!" Cyrus asked loudly particularly after seeing me... "We don't know... We just keep getting bigger every night..." Cyrus groaned and shook his head... "No way... No way! This is ridiculous!" Genji grabbed him... "Cyrus, you must stay calm... I have another plan...And if this doesn't work...No...I must stay positive." Cyrus pushed him off... "What's the plan?!" Genji sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, across from the couch... "We will all sleep in this room... We will all take turns watching everyone else overnight. If any of you see anyone grow, you need to write down the time it happened...My last assumption is this is a plot from someone...Mayor Fura is the most likely culprit as she left shortly after this started happening, and she hasn't been here since..."

	We spoke for a few hours and we had our overnight schedule... "So, Cyrus, you will be first, then Digby, Lyle, Tom, and lastly myself... We're all in agreement?" We all nodded... "Very well." The night went very quickly for me, but soon, Cyrus woke me up and went to sleep. I watched everyone very closely for the next two hours... When my shift was over, I woke Lyle and told him nothing happened yet, and went to sleep... It was morning, Genji waking all of us... And none of us got any bigger... Genji was baffled... "Nothing. None of us grew at all overnight..." Just then, there was a knock on the door... Genji perked up and quietly moved to the window, next to the front door... He carefully peaked outside... He gasped and looked at us... "...What...?" Genji looked terrified... and opened the door... And there was Kicks, almost as big as I am, with a note in his hand, shaking and whining, tears streaming down his face...

	--Chapter 6: The Threat--

	Genji pushed Kicks in the house, his belly and rump being much wider than the door, shutting the door and taking the note after asking for it politely... He stared at it and shook his head... "We've just been threatened..." We all gasped... "This note is written in another language... I can figure out the basic premise of it, but no one has used this form of Nimbian for years..." He read the note aloud...

"You all are a real pain...
Just stop fighting this and let it happen...
I'm getting real sick of your shit...
If you continue your investigation...
You see how big your little Skunk friend got...

I can make you all grow just as fast...
Mr. Nook...
I have your children...
Digby...
I have your sister...
Lyle...
I have your niece...
Cyrus...
I have your wife...

If you continue this childish game...
I will not hesitate to make them bigger than the 6 of you combined...

	We were devestated... We all cared about our family... Kicks and Genji were worried too... Genji sighed... "I am not trying to belittle your pain, but now at least we know this was planned..." Just then... I remembered... "...Genji! I saw a suspicious visitor to our town! They were looking for the Mayor! And he was wearing a dress just like Fura does!" Genji stood there in thought... "I see... It is only logical to assume whoever Digby saw is the cause of this...Unfortunately, the only person that would know where they are have left... Mayor Fura and Isabelle..."

	Tom stood up, after thinking for awhile... "The security cameras. The boys stayed at the shop last night. There are cameras all over the store... If Genji know this version of the language, perhaps he could identify the kidnapper..." Genji smiled. "Good thinking Tom... Let's go..." We all squeezed our way out of the door, except for me... I was definitely not fitting... "Uh oh...what'll we do..." I sighed a bit... "...You guys go...I can't fit through my door or any of my windows... I'm stuck here..." Everyone tried to argue with me... "No...It's fine... It's up to you guys... besides...I kinda started this..." Genji nodded... "...Very well... Wish us luck Digby... We'll try to hurry so you don't get much bigger..." I smiled and nodded, crying a little at the thought of it... And I could just shut the door, watching them all waddle away...

--To Be Continued--