Martha always told anyone who would listen that she thought she was the luckiest girl in the world. A small legacy from her grandfather meant that she got through college without having to take out even a single student loan. And just as she was graduating with an English degree and absolutely no idea what to do with it, what did she do? She won the lottery. Seriously, she won the actual state lottery. Nine hundred thousand dollars after taxes, just dumped right into her lap.
Not enough for an ultra-wealthy lifestyle; but Martha had lived in Hershey, Pennsylvania her whole life, and she'd always known what she wanted to do for a living if she got the chance. And now, it had happened--she was one of the few, the proud, the chocolate taste-testers! It didn't pay much--just a small stipend in exchange for filling out detailed forms on the taste, smell, and texture of the candy she got from the company--but as far as her sweet tooth was concerned, it was a dream job. She got to eat candy for a living! It didn't make dieting any easier, of course, but Martha had long ago resigned herself to shopping in the plus-size section of the department store.
Yes, Martha had thought for a long time now that she was the luckiest girl in the world. But today, she knew it.
"Let me get this straight, Doctor Tanner," she said. "You're telling me that eating these chocolates will actually make me lose weight?"
Doctor Tanner smiled. It went a long way to relieving the somewhat severe effect of her appearance. She clearly went out of her way to dress professionally, hiding her green eyes behind a pair of thick glasses and pulling her blonde hair back into a tight bun. "Please, Ms Radcliffe," she said, "call me Cassidy. And I'm quite serious. You see, the human brain has developed certain survival mechanisms over the eons, instincts that have helped us stay alive in times when our food supply has been uncertain. Our brains instruct our bodies to find foods that are high in fats and sugars--quick energy in the immediate future that can be transformed into fatty tissue and stored for later use when food is scarce."
"You don't need to tell me about that," Martha said, smiling ruefully and looking down at her own ample belly. "I know all about craving sugar."
"And it's exactly those cravings that I'm talking about," Cassidy said. "You're simply a highly adapted lifeform, that's all. A machine designed to store energy as efficiently as possible. Your mind might know that there's plenty of food in the cupboard, but your body is telling you to watch out because famine could be just around the corner. That's where these chocolates come in."
"What," Martha said, "they're...appetite suppressants?"
"Not exactly," Cassidy replied. She held up her hands, palms out. "You see, there are certain key regions of your brain responsible for regulating your body's input and output. On the one hand, it generates cravings for food..." She lifted her right hand up. "And on the other, it's instructing your body not to use any of the energy it's stored as fat, and keeping your metabolism low." She lowered her left hand. "So suppressing your appetite alone wouldn't do the job, because you'd still have trouble losing the weight you already have."
Martha nodded. "I tried those diet shakes for a month, you know, back when I was in college. They tasted terrible, I was always hungry, and do you know how much I lost? Two pounds."
"That's where the chocolates come in," Cassidy said. "They contain a chemical that stimulates a part of your brain that synchronizes your appetite with your metabolism. So the more of these special chocolates you have," she continued, slowly returning her hands to their old position, "the better your body judges how much you need to eat and how fast it uses up the energy, until--" She snapped her fingers with both hands, and dropped them back down to the desk. "You're at your ideal weight, and your body keeps a healthy metabolic balance. None of the dangers of stimulants, none of the risk of diuretics...the perfect weight-loss program. The only real question is how it tastes...and that's where you come in."
Martha wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. She'd actually had dreams just like this, about chocolate you could eat as much of as you wanted without gaining weight, and this was even better. "It sounds..." She fluttered her hands in excitement. "Go ahead and back up the truck, Doc!" she cried out.
Cassidy chuckled. "Well, there are a few formalities to be worked out. Since this is a bit more involved than just adding a new layer of caramel, we'll need you to sign a few extra release forms." She slid a small sheaf of papers across the desk to Martha. "Just standard legalese, nothing to worry about."
Martha skimmed the forms, her eyes glazing over just a little as she tried to wade through the incomprehensible legal jargon. It looked pretty straightforward, just a release from indemnity in the event of any side effects. She looked up at Cassidy. "Side effects?" she asked. "Like what?" She remembered hearing about some of the side effects of that olestra stuff, words getting tossed around like 'anal leakage', and shivered.
Cassidy shook her head. "We haven't noticed any problems in the test animals; but since it acts on brain chemistry, we can't rule out an effect on your moods or your feelings, something subtle that might not show up in a cat or a rat." She reached into her desk and brought out a small leather-bound notebook. "Which is why we'd like you to keep a journal of your thoughts and feelings while you're testing the chocolates, just to supplement the weekly interviews. Anything that you feel is a significant change to your thoughts or emotions, just write it down in here."
Martha took the notebook, then scribbled her signature on the release forms. "Alright," she said. "Anything else I should know?"
"Nothing comes to mind," Cassidy said, standing up and heading over to a refrigerated cabinet. "Of course, standard non-disclosure agreements apply, don't go sneaking this stuff off to other candy companies...or to diet food makers, for that matter." She pulled out a plain white cardboard box and handed it to Martha. "There shouldn't be any side effects from overdosing, but try to make those last all week."
Martha grinned. "If this works, that shouldn't be too hard, right?"
Cassidy smiled right along with her. "Let's hope not. Anyhow, I'll see you next Monday at the same time...oh, and make sure to keep track of your weight. We'd like to know how fast the pounds melt away for the ad campaign."
With a nod and a chuckle, Martha made her way out of Cassidy's lab. She always liked visiting the labs--Martha had never really felt responsible enough to own a pet, but that didn't stop her from enjoying the trip past the rows and rows of lab animals playing in their cages. She pressed her finger to the bars as a cat rubbed up against it, and watched the rabbits for a moment...until she realized just what they were doing, then she blushed crimson and headed rapidly for the door. They were known for it, after all, but still...
