By FoxFaceStories

When an entire college literature class is transported to a fairy tale world while studying folklore, they soon find themselves living out actual famous fairy tales! But these various friends, groups, and even professors must now contend with the world starting to change them. After all, Puss in Boots wants a wife, the Big Bad Wolf is looking for a mate, and the Goldilocks bears have laid a transformative trap for the next unwelcome visitor to their home . . .

Prologue Here

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Fable 3, Part 1: Goldilocks

Joel Tabbot was in a panic. The overweight African-American man ran his hand over his sweaty dark skin and through his short curly hair. He was starting to sweat through his clothes as well, something that often happened during warm days, but even more so when he was very anxious, which was definitely the case right now.

He’d landed in this strange forest and had no idea how that had happened, other than something had gone very wrong with Professor Styles’ mysterious tome of fairytales. The last thing he remembered was a strange bright light, and then a feeling like he was being sent elsewhere, almost like he was being transported to another realm. He’d read many fairytales, some from his studies of West African fables and myths, that included ideas of other planes of existence, but it was hard to imagine this was the case here.

“Are you okay Joel?” Abigail asked. “We can stop here if you want?”

The beautiful blonde had landed in this strange world with him, and he was deeply thankful to have his best friend by his side. They had been friends since childhood, and even when Abby matured into a buxom bombshell, he’d still treated her the same. The fact that Joel was actually a closeted gay man probably helped in that matter; he had no interest in trying to woo her, nor was there the upset that so many men had because she had simply ‘friendzoned’ them, as that damn Spencer had often whined about. And in return, Abigail had always been there for him, giving him a space at her apartment when his parents had found out he was gay and kicked him out of their home, and always keeping his secret. Plus, they loved their nerdy subjects, adored literature, and both had a guilty pleasure in Rural Farmer Seeks Wife: Love Island Edition, the trashiest of trashy love shows.

“I th-think I can keep going,” Joel said, giving her a smile even as he struggled up a hilly portion of the forest trail. “Maybe just a little longer.”

“Joel, we’re lost, not in a race. Let’s take a break. There’s a stream right there and I’m thirsty anyway.”

“Thank God,” he said, taking a heavy breath. “I was really pushing myself there.”

“Yeah, I can tell. Let’s get you a drink. I still have some protein bars in my bag. I was saving them for after the gym, but somehow I don’t think that’s the biggest concern right now . . .”

They both took a much-needed pause. Joel flopped down onto his rear and tried to get his breath under control. He didn’t like being overweight, but by this point it was just part of who he was. The man had slowly ballooned up over his years at high school, and he was paying for it now. Not only was he morbidly obese, but his stomach made him cringe in agony when it rumbled with a need for more food. It was his fault, he knew. His fault for giving in to his addictions. Abigail had tried to help in the past, but ultimately it had come to nought, though not for her lack of trying. He was forever grateful to her for that, but sadly he had only gained more weight since. Now, the hot air, the hard road, and the lack of anything to eat beyond the protein bars Abby had in her purse was making his stomach do loops inside of his big belly.

“Nghhh,” he grunted.

“Are you okay, Joel?” she asked.

He nodded, his forehead pouring sweat. “I’m f-fine. Just my stupid stomach.”

“Have some water.”

“That won’t help.”

“Joel, you’re going to faint from a heatstroke or something if you don’t drink.”

He nodded, then shifted himself towards the stream. The water was refreshing as he cupped it to his mouth, and soon he was swallowing prodigious amounts, gulping them down to refresh himself. It was only when he lifted his head that he saw something surprising, like a sign from heaven. Or at least a sign further up the dirt road near the edge of the hill. 

Home of the Three Bears. 5 Miles.

“Abby!” he said, pointing. “Look at that!”

The blonde woman frowned, then stood and ran to the sign to inspect it. Joel Tabbot followed not long after, waddling over to it and still wiping his brow.

“Okay, that can’t be a coincidence,” Abigail said, tracing her fingers over the sign. “This is old, not a new sign. See the moss? It’s been here a while.”

“You think it’s connected to the Man in the Moon?”

Abigail nodded, then stood and placed her hands upon her hips. “Okay, hear me out, because I’m putting forward something crazy here. We both saw that weird cat laughing in that tree and then it just sort of . . . disappeared, right? Remind you of anything?”

“The Cheshire Cat,” Joel replied, nodding slowly. 

“Exactly. And the moon looks all wrong. And there’s no sign of civilisation beyond a few dirt roads and some old windmills to the south - so nothing modern. And here’s a sign for the cottage of the Three Bears. Please don’t think I’m crazy, Joel, but I’m starting to think when that flashy trick happened with Professor Styles’ book, we were transported into some kind of-”

“Fairytale dimension,” Joel finished.

Abigail nodded, biting her lip a little, as was her nervous habit. “Yeah. Again, maybe I’m just going crazy, but it seems to add up. So we should stay clear of that cottage, just in case the bears are real.”

Joel’s stomach picked a dramatic moment to rumble quite loudly. He was already thinking about three lovely bowls of porridge and not even caring if one of them was too cold and the other was too hot. All that mattered was that, once they were in his belly, they would be just right. It was a stupid notion, he thought, to sneak into the cottage famous for being snuck into, but then a thought occurred to him.

“Wait, Abby, you’re wrong! It’s the perfect place to visit!”

“Joel, the bears chase Goldilocks out of the house!”

“They might not even be real! But even if they are, they only catch her because she falls asleep.”

Abigail appeared to consider this for a time, biting her lip again as she tossed and turned the idea in her head. “Okay, you’re right. And for all we know, we’re not in a fairytale land or the bears aren’t really bears or something. Besides, it’s not like either of us are Goldilocks herself, right?”

Joel smiled, but he couldn’t help but notice that Abigail’s hair actually was very golden. Still, that wouldn’t be a problem, he was sure. The five mile walk to get to the home of the Three Bears, on the other hand? That would be un-bearable.

Joel giggled at his own silly pun.

***

The house was indeed large, a two story log construction with a rather rustic appearance. The windows had been immaculately fitted, the shutters currently closed to prevent the wind from getting in, and it had an impressive thatched roof from which a large brick chimney jutted up. Small curls of smoke emanated from the chimney, but there was no other sign that anyone was home. The house was situated in front of a rather scenic lake, and a circle of forest trees surrounded it at a distance, with plenty of room for the inhabitants to have set up some lovely flower gardens and what appeared to be a number of bee hives for farming. All in all, Joel found himself more than a little captivated; the place looked like a paradise to him. While he loved African myths and fairytales, the image of that perfect cottage life in the woods had always appealed to him, even though he knew he could never pursue it. It was a life of some physical hardship, after all, and he certainly didn’t have the body for that. But as an escapist fantasy, it was illuminating to witness.

“It’s beautiful,” he said.

“Yeah,” Abby replied, placing her hand on his as they hid behind a wall of chopped wood. “It’s like a fairytale home from the medieval ages come to life. The kind of thing you might see at Disneyland or something, only real.”

“Exactly what I was thinking,” Joel replied. He wiped more of the sweat from his brow. God, he was hungry. “And if we are in a fairytale land, this could be the original home of the three bears; the one from which all other cultural interpretations and reinventions come from.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Abigail said. She grimaced a little, trying to see any sign of movement through the one window that had its shutters half open. “What do you think? Should we go in?”

“I was going to ask you that.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Joel, this was your idea.”

“Oh, yeah,” he replied, grinning a little sheepishly. “Right. Um, I guess I’ll go check. Can you give me a signal if some angry bears approach?”

“Signal you? I’m going to be running, Joel.”

“You think you can outrun a bear?”

“Don’t need to outrun a bear, remember?”

Joel sighed. “Oh yeah, that’s right. You just need to outrun me. Not a hard feat, I guess.”

She gave him an awkward smile. “Sorry!”

“I’ll never forgive you,” he said, and stuck out his tongue in a teasing manner. This was part of their regular dynamic. Abby never judged him. She never really judged anyone, even though plenty of people judged her. She was, of course, unbelievably beautiful. Sometimes Joel even thought it was hard to be gay around her, she was just that mesmerising. But it made people call her ‘bimbo’ and ‘slut’ and claim she slept with professors to get her amazing grades. They really couldn’t comprehend the idea that a woman could be blonde, beautiful, and brainy. It was the same with people pitying Joel; they barely wanted to look at him, and treated him with disdain, barely able to believe there was smarts there. Maybe that was why Abby had always stuck by his side, and he to hers, and also why they were so good at ribbing one another while always knowing where the line in the sand was. It made him want to do her proud, and so he went up to the front door, took another deep breath, and knocked.

And then knocked again.

And then knocked a third time, just for emphasis.

No sound came from within. He tested the door, but it was locked. 

“Hello!?” he shouted, his voice bellowing loudly. But there was nothing. No one was inside, or if they were, they were sleeping damn soundly. He half-turned and shrugged his massive shoulders to Abigail. The woman left her hiding spot and looked through the half-open window.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be back in a moment. We’re just here to grab some supplies. No sleeping in a bed that’s ‘just right’, okay? Otherwise we deserve what we’re getting.”

“I know! I mean, I wouldn’t mind a nap, but I’m not taking one here.”

She gave him a teasing tongue in return for his earlier one, then slid her body into the window in a way that Joel would definitely not fit. Moments later, she opened the door and let him inside.

“Coast is clear,” she hissed. “We’ll just get some supplies and leave an IOU or something.”

Joel nodded. His stomach grumbled again, reminding him just how much he really needed to eat something. Anything.

“I’m thinking this place might actually have bears in it; check the portraits.”

The large man took in the interior of the house. It was even more rustic on the inside, with candlesticks and old-fashioned upholstery and shelves. The stairs looked like they would creak just from looking at them. Numerous little ornaments adorned the shelves and walls, many of them knitted creations and crocheted messages, such as ‘Home is Where the Honey Is’ and ‘A Good Family Can Always Bear It Out.’ But there were also sketched portraits. They weren’t exactly going up on the Louvre anytime soon, but they were certainly better than anything Joel could do. Three bears were displayed in separate hanging portraits, though they weren’t exactly like any bears Joel had ever seen in his life before.

“They look sorta . . . more human-like.”

“It makes sense,” Abigail said. “If we are in a fairytale world, then the creatures from the tales might be more anthropomorphised than we would otherwise imagine them to be. That’s how they’re often represented in most of the fairytale books, after all.”

Joel took in the portraits. There was the large, bespectacled Father Bear, the Mother Bear with her knitted scarf, and the adorable little Baby Bear. But there was evidence that time had passed since the original tale, because another portrait showed a large, rather powerful-looking bear figure flexing his muscles and with a goofy grin on his face that made Joel grin in turn. It was embarrassing to admit, but Joel found himself strangely . . . intrigued by the burly figure of the grown-up bear. He swallowed and looked away. He definitely didn’t want to awake yet another part of himself that needed to be closeted away. 

“Okay, let’s do this,” Abigail said. “Grab enough food for us and nothing more. I don’t want any angry bears. And no sleeping here!”

“I know, I know!”

The pair split up, Joel taking the lower floor and Abby taking the upper one. There was something rather sweet and tasty in the air, and his stomach rumbled again, sensing the delicious taste of an already-made meal to eat. He followed his nose, trying to ignore how extreme his hunger was getting.

“That definitely smells like porridge,” he said.

Sure enough, it was. In the rather quaint kitchen, large enough to seat a rather large family of anthro-bear folk at the table, was a single bowl of freshly warmed porridge. It was still steaming slightly, the wonderful scent of honey flavouring wafting into the air. 

“Mmmmh,” he moaned, his stomach rumbling again. The smell put a huge smile upon his features, and he sniffed the air again, almost like a bear himself. “I’m sure one bowl of porridge won’t be too much of a good thing, surely?”

Abigail’s warnings - and his own - dissipated in the midst of that wondrous scent. It was impossible to describe, like it contained all the sweetness in the world. The hypnotised Joel pulled back the centre seat at the table and sat down upon it, the wood creaking from his weight. His hunger was ravenous, and he could think of nothing more than eating this porridge. In the far distance, a sound echoed out from the forest; someone was crying out in pain, and he sounded familiar.

“Did you hear that, Joel?” Abigail’s voice echoed down from the second floor.

But Joel wasn’t paying attention. He was looking at the porridge, unable to even look around to find out what was happening, not even caring enough to ask Abby to repeat herself. His hunger rose further, his mind unable to counter the allure of the food placed before him. Some part of the man’s mind knew that this wasn’t natural; he’d resisted food before. Yes, it was an addiction, but he wasn’t daft about it; he could sense an obvious piece of bait. And yet, something magical compelled him, as if completely hypnotising both him and his stomach. Slowly, the man took the wooden spoon and stirred the porridge. It sent up a more powerful aroma, which he inhaled, eliciting a pleasurable moan from the man.

“You okay down there?” Abby called out. “I thought I heard something growling on the horizon.”

“I’m fine!” Joel yelled. “There’s nothing coming.”

Not that he knew. He hadn’t even looked out the window behind him. Otherwise, he might have seen three dark shapes starting to manifest at the edge of the treeline. All that mattered was the magical porridge. He held it up to his lips and tasted it.

“Not too hot,” he said, smiling. “Not too cold. It’s just . . . right.”

And then he dove in.

Joel shoved spoonful after spoonful of the sweet, mushy porridge into his maw. He’d never tasted anything like it, and despite the size of the bowl its contents was shrinking rapidly as he imbibed it. Soon it was halfway empty, and yet the large man was only speeding up, getting some of the porridge mix on his fingers and then licking it intensely before getting another spoonful. 

When there was only a fourth or so to go, Abigail descended the steps, empty-handed.

“I’m sorry, Joel, I can’t do this! I can’t steal from an innocent family of bears. It’s just not right and - oh God! Joel, are you okay?”

But the heavyset man couldn’t even answer. He was ravenous, his eyes maddened. He’d reached the point where he knew something was absolutely, critically wrong, but there was nothing he could do. He tried to grip his wrist with his free hand, but he overpowered himself in his pursuit to devour the entire porridge bowl, which was fit to feed  a full bear.

“A-Abby!” he managed. “Can’t s-stop eating! C-cursed!”

“Oh Jesus,” his friend said. She ran to his side to help him, but he threw her off in the act of taking in another spoonful.

“Sorry!” he cried.

Abigail got back up onto her feet. She moved to snatch the bowl, thinking quickly. She might have even gotten away with it, if not for the enormously loud BANG of the front door slamming open. Three enormous black anthro-bear people raced inside, thudding upon the ground heavily and turning into the kitchen. They raised themselves up on their legs and roared together, which sent Abigail screaming and running to the other side of the room. Joel looked up in fear, but had to keep eating. He was almost done. So very close to being done.

“HA!” boomed the eldest bear, the Father Bear with glasses. “Finally, Goldilocks, we catch you, and with an accomplice, no less!”

“What a pity that fat boy is eating the porridge instead of you,” Mother Bear said, crossing her arms beneath her woollen scarf. 

“But now the trap is sprung!” ‘Baby’ Bear said, though he hardly looked like a child anymore, now being a full grown and clearly quite powerful adult. “It cost me a lot of labour to get that magic porridge, but now’ll get your just desserts, thief! Enjoy being a bear, and a good wifely one at that!”

Abigail’s jaw hung low. “Wh-what!?”

“What!?” added Joel, who had just finished. “Look, we’re not thieves! We - I mean, we came to look, but we decided not to take anything and-”

His stomach startled to rumble, but others were shouting over him.

“Nonsense!”

“Lies!”

“We can see Goldilocks right behind you, liar!” Baby Bear finished.

“I’m not Goldilocks!” Abigail shouted. “I’m not even a natural blonde, I dye it! See?”

She summoned the bravery to stride forward, pulling at her hair and showing the brunette roots below the blonde. Joel’s stomach rumbled again. It was starting to quake violently, shifting in an unnatural way that was making the heavyset man groan and clutch his dark-skinned belly, the midriff of which was now showing.

“Ohhhh, I d-don’t f-feel so good. What did you s-say this porridge does?”

The bears examined Abigail’s hair and dress.

“She does look a bit different from our last meeting with Goldilocks,” said Father Bear, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his muzzle.

“Her accent is a little bit different, too,” admitted Mother Bear.

But it was Baby Bear who sniffed her up close, causing Abigail to withdraw in fear and grab a pan from the kitchen top, holding it in front of her protectively. “I’m not Goldilocks, I’m telling you!” she shouted.

More rumbles. More strange pressure. Joel was sweating bullets, and could barely even speak. He tried to stand, but it was like he was somehow getting even heavier. His arms were itching, and something at the base of his tailbone was starting to push out. He grunted, and it sounded almost animalistic.

“A-Abbey! I think - ngnh - something’s happening!”

“It’s not her,” Baby Bear said, sniffing the air again. “Ma, Pa, it’s not her! We got the wrong thief!”

“We’re not thieves!” Abigail insisted. “We were just looking for shelter. We’re not from this world, and don’t belong here. We’re really sorry, but Joel is - oh God! JOEL!”

All eyes in the overcrowded room suddenly turned to Joel, and even the bears started to gasp as they realised what was happening.

“He finished eating it!” Mother Bear said. “Baby Bear, do something!”

“I’m not a Baby anymore, Ma, and I’m not a witch or sorcerer either! The change is going to happen now - it’s already started!”

Indeed, his ears were starting to shift further up his head, and they were gaining brown fur upon them as they took on a more triangular shape. Joel’s shoulders were widening, cracking audibly in a way that left him growling just like a bear. He fell backwards, smashing the seat beneath him to pieces despite its strength. His jeans ripped open, exposing more brown fur which was the same colour as his dark skin. It erupted, ripping more of the fabric and exposing his even thicker thighs. He squirmed and kicked, turning over the table loudly. His entire body was changing, but it was also growing stronger. Fat turned to muscle, and the fat deposits that remained gave him a powerful weight instead of a debilitating one. 

“Rarggh!” he roared, scratching at his shirt and turning it to shreds, which only exposed more furry growth. “What did you d-do to meee!?”

“The porridge was meant for that thief Goldilocks!” Baby Bear insisted. “She’s been such a continual nuisance. If she’s gonna steal from our household, it’s time she put back! So I figured, why not find me a nice bear wife!”

“A bear . . . wife!?” Abigail gasped. “Wait, but Joel is a man!”

“Not for much longer,” murmured Father Bear, only for his wife to shush him.

“P-please!” Joel groaned, his voice turning higher and more feminine. “We really weren’t going to s-steal. I mean, we were! B-but we decided against it. I just couldn’t stop eating the p-porridge because it was magic or some shit and - aghhh!”

His hands turned into paws, developing strong claws, and the same was true of his feet. He managed just barely to stand as the fur spread up to his chest, but then he nearly fell back down as the pressure mounted in his chest. To Joel’s horror, two furry breasts began to push out. He understood now why Mother Bear wore a long scarf that hung over her chest, because clearly the anthro-bear females of this strange fairytale world had breasts! And in Joel’s case, they were becoming large ones. 

“Oh my God, Joel,” Abigail said, rushing to his side and stroking the fur on his back. “You’re turning into - I’m so sorry!”

“I’m sorry too,” Baby Bear exclaimed, moving to Joel’s other side. “You weren’t the target. But - oh, bother!”

But it was far too late for anything to be done. Joel moaned as his genitals pulled inwards, a passage forming between his hairy thighs that left him totally female. His belly was still large, but it left him not so much fat as quite voluptuous, a pear-shaped female figure with a great deal of womanly bulk. His, now her, jaw pushed forwards, gaining a snout and big black nose. Fur covered her face, but the structure of it altered as well, giving it a female look. Finally, her black hair was left atop her head, growing longer so that she now had gorgeous dark curls that contrasted against her rich brown fur.

And then it was done. Joel panted before the three living fairytales and her best friend Abigail, now a totally naked anthro bear with large breasts, very wide hips, and quite the rear as well - one that now possessed a short little bear tail to boot. The new female anthro-bear looked over her body in shock. 

“I’m a - I’m a - I’m a BEAR GIRL!?”

Abigail was just as astonished. She had her hands up, as if still threatened by the bear family, but wasn’t sure what to do or if she should be afraid or not. Joel was even larger than he had been - but now the new female bear-girl was no longer obese but simply possessed a strong, stocky-build. Much of the fat had surged towards her large breasts and to her hips and rear, giving her a voluptuous figure that was obvious even through all her fur, with a pear-shaped outline that almost seemed to emphasise her new ability to breed. She held up her hands, staring at the paws she now possessed. They were halfway between a human’s hands and bear paws, with more manipulable digits, but still the sharp claws and the fur and the pads and - and all of it!

“I’m a BEAR GIRL!?” the poor thing repeated, her voice a low yet powerful contralto.

“It seems that’s the case, yeah,” Abigail managed to say. She slowly approached her friend, and after a moment’s hesitation, she reached out to stroke her back, not quite knowing what else to do. For her own part, the feminised and bearified Joel found this motion oddly comforting, though she still roamed her form with her changed hands, feeling her body hair, her black snout, her slightly triangular ears atop her head, and her changed proportions. She made a growling sound just like that of a real grizzly bear when she touched her short tail, and an even louder one when she touched between her legs. Sure enough, there was nothing there but a feminine entrance; a vulva leading to a vagina that was hidden within a patch of softer fur.

“This can’t be real,” she groaned, before sticking out her long tongue in disgust, a tongue perfect for invading into the deepest recesses of a beehive. “Abigail, I’m a BEAR GIRL!”

“I know!” the blonde beauty exclaimed. “I - you three! You have to change him back! We’re sorry for coming here, but like I said, I’m not Goldilocks! We were lost and desperate, and Joel here decided not to steal anything or even to stay here! If you have to punish anybody, then make it me!”

Father Bera shrugged. “We could punish her?” he suggested to his wife.

“Oh, hush, dear! No one is getting punished. Not after we’ve already stuffed things up as we have! Baby Bear, this was your trap, is there anything we can do?”

The now adult bear son was looking at Joel quite strangely. The formerly obese man couldn’t figure out the male bear’s expression, but Abigail knew immediately what she was seeing. She was more than used to men ogling her body, or even straight up falling in love with her at a glance. And that same look was now on Baby Bear’s face. He was, in a word, utterly smitten, his jaw literally dropping at the sight of the now-voluptuous Joel bear, her breasts proud, her figure breedable, her curves thick and bear-like.

“I - I’m sorry,” he declared, his former confidence having vanished. “It was a spell I sourced from a witch passing through! She said it was permanent! It would make an intruder into my mate . . . and bind her to me forever. That was to be her punishment, for stealing from us all the time and taking advantage of bear-kind. Goldilocks would pay us all back by helping cook the food, maintaining the house as my wife, and . . .”

“And?” Joel asked, already struggling to take this all in.

Baby Bear looked away, clearly a little nervous. “And, well, by providing Father Bear and Mother Bear with grandchildren, just like they’ve been wanting from me for ages. And being quite vocal about it!”

“We just want what any parent wants of their grown child!” Mother Bear stated.

“And perhaps a few more after that!” Father Bear added.

“Which is part of the, uh, transformation as well,” Baby Bear said nervously. “That you would be, well, quite fertile. Ready to make some cubs with me.”

That was more than enough for Joel. Perhaps if the reveal was just a little bit shocking, or too much, she would have stayed on her feet. Instead, the amount of surprise was just . . . right.

And so she fainted on the spot.

To Be Continued . . .