“Excuse me,” she said quickly and dove for the spoon.

She jumped up, and just as the spoon was about to touch the pot, the cook Gaffall shouted: “Stop!”

He ran forward and tore the spoon from Nourbese.

“You can’t use a dirty spoon for His Highness,” he said, handing her a new spoon.

“Excuse me,” said Nourbese, and bowed.

“Now you may taste the exquisite stew,” said Gaffall with a guiding hand and an unnatural smile.

The pharaoh looked at Gaffall with a stern gaze, then at Nourbese. The spoon touched the surface of the bean stew and broke the surface tension, and a few cooked beans tumbled into the spoon. Nourbese lifted the spoon toward her mouth and strained with everything she had not to shake. Suddenly the pharaoh grabbed her arm, and the stew from the spoon fell onto the carpet. Calmly but firmly, the pharaoh said: “Stop.”

Nourbese stopped breathing.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” he asked. The whole room froze. Total silence.

“Do you think I don’t know what you’re trying to do? Do you think I don’t have ears and eyes all around my palace?”

He sounded more and more aggressive, and held Nourbese’s arm tightly and squeezed harder. Two guards grabbed Gaffall’s thick arms and held him too.

“What are you accusing me of, Your Grace?” asked Gaffall, looking like a question mark.

“Don’t play dumb, Gaffall, the death penalty awaits you and your accomplice!”

“Nourbese had nothing to do with this,” said the cook. “Guards, take the traitors away!” shouted Kelogs, pointing at Gaffall and Nourbese.

The guards began dragging him from the room; he tried to wrench and pull himself free from their grip, but it was in vain, they were too strong.

“Nourbese!” shouted Gaffall. “Use the stew to escape!”

Nourbese tore herself out of the pharaoh’s grip, ladled up a spoonful of stew, and ran toward the balcony. She put the spoon in her mouth and swallowed. Immediately she felt her belly swell. With every step she took toward the balcony, her belly swelled like a balloon. The beans and the milk mixed in her belly, and her intestines began to rumble like a souped-up motorcycle. Nourbese came out onto the balcony and was struck by the warm sun. The gas inside her became too strong. She pulled off her pants, in case any poop came out, and pushed.