The young man exhaled, watching as the warmth of his breath formed clouds in the chill of the morning air. The sun had only just risen a few minutes ago, and a thin layer of fog still carpeted the ground. As he walked through the dense forest of bamboo he rubbed his arms, trying to chase away the frigid numbness in them.

He wasn't supposed to be out here. The young man knew that it was taboo to go so far out into the forest, away from the village. Even if there was a curse, he did not really pay it no mind. Besides, he feared the reprimands of his family far more, who were sure to give him an earful when he returned. He figured he would just give them an excuse, sneaking when everyone was still asleep in order to gather mushrooms or fish by the nearby river.

Both would be lies of course, as he had no intention in doing either. Instead he was out here for curiosity's sake, hoping to catch a glimpse of the so called goddess of this forest.

He really didn't believe any of the stories or legends told by his village. They were a simple farming community, and often prayed to this goddess for the continued blessing the of the rice paddies, and the generous fertility of the women. It was true that they always had prosperous harvests, and that the village always had no shortage of children. His elder sister in fact, was expecting her third child. But none of that really proved the existence of a goddess to him, and his inquisitive nature made him ravenous in finding out more about the goddess they paid tribute to, much to the annoyance of others.

Now here he was, in the bamboo forest, having decided that no answer could be clearer to his questions than seeing it, or not, with his own eyes. He did not give heed to any of the warnings the others told him, that seeing the gods with mortal eyes was dangerous. Why was it such a taboo, he had thought at the time, to see the goddess that supposedly helped the village so much?

As he pondered on such thoughts, he scarcely noticed that the fog covering the forest ground had yet to dissipate. In fact it seemed to only grow heavier. A sudden gust of wind made him stop in his tracks as he shielded his eyes from the piercing air. It was after he put his arm down that he noticed that everything had become eerily still.

The chirping of birds, and the clicking of insects had all stopped. The young man could now only hear himself breathing now. Giving a nervous gulp, he felt himself step back. Almost instinctively he found himself searching for cover. Stepping behind a dense thicket of bamboo, he crouched down, trying to hide himself.

It was not long after that she appeared.

In breathless awe he watched her emerge from the depths of the forest like an apparition. As more mist rolled in, he tried to stick his head out, in order to get a clearer look at her. The woman's skin was pale, not dark like his which had been exposed from the glare of the sun, having worked in the rice paddy fields. Her eyes had a striking golden hue to them, and her forehead was adorned with an emerald magatama. Her long flowing hair was white as snow, and two gnarled branch like horns stuck out from the top of her head. Loosely flowing around her arms was a red raiment cloth that glowed brightly under the light of the morning sun.

He knew that this woman, whose eerie beauty captivated him in its allure, was far from human. But it was the most striking aspect of hers that made him realize that he was looking at something far beyond the human plane.

It was her pregnant middle.

Obscenely gigantic, it was far bigger than her own body, which was lithe and small in comparison. A mountainous round swell that extended several feet in front of her. It made him wonder if she could even see anything, surely her field of vision would be very impaired by her own girth. The vast pregnant bulge was carefully wrapped in an intricate obi and kimono of a size that could have covered one of the houses in the village. Any normal human woman would collapse under the weight of such a tremendous belly, but as he saw, she had a bed of constantly forming clouds covering the ground of the forest that seemed to carry her vast weight, and she did not walk so much as floated.

The young man felt himself give a nervous gulp. At this point he knew he was looking at nothing other than the goddess of the legends his village talked about. And if that was the case, he knew he was in very deep trouble. Because if those legends were correct, he was very likely never to be seen or heard from ever again. Young healthy men tended to disappear whenever they encountered someone like her, as the stories go. And judging from her pregnant belly, she had been rather successful in luring away many a countless men already.

Deciding it was very imperative to get away as soon as possible, the young man began to try and quietly make an escape. Unfortunately for him his foot stepping on a dried twig only elicited a very audible snap in the otherwise silent forest.

The young man grimaced. Perhaps she did not hear it? After all such an innocuous sound must be common in a forest like this. He felt the thumping of his heart beat faster as sweat ran down the sides of his face. Against his better judgment, he looked up, to see if maybe the woman did not notice his presence.

Much to his dismay he found that she was staring right at him, her golden eyes locking on to his. He felt his knees begin to shake, as she stood up, his hand gripping tightly on one of the bamboo trees next to him. She herself made no effort to move toward him, only touching her pursed lips with the tip of the closed fan she held in her hand. There was no expression on her face, but even so he could feel himself wither under her intense silent gaze.

In one swift motion, she tilted her shoulder, causing the kimono to slink below her collarbone, revealing the naked flesh beneath, and the amble breasts that quivered atop the rising swell of her belly. He wanted to verbalize something, anything, to her, but no words came out of his throat. With a flick, she opened up the backside of her fan and began to wave it slowly. With a groan the young man could feel his feet begin to take heavy steps toward her, only to stop when he saw that his still had a death grip onto one of the bamboo.

The woman tilted her head, and continued to wave her fan. The will to hold on to the bamboo, the only thing keeping him from dashing to her awaiting bosom, was quickly leaving his body. Thoughts raced through his muddled head. Would it not be better to release his grip and go to her after all? What was there for him back in the village anyway? A boring life of drudgery and fieldwork? Why else would he venture out here if not to leave all of that behind? To join her instead, a goddess whose beauty eclipsed all earthly women, and help add to her fecundity for the rest of mortal life. What sane man would reject that? All he had to do was let go and come to her. A simple decision.

As resignation came over him, he finally let go of the bamboo. He began to walk toward her, without any hesitation. Already she had her arm outstretched ready to grab him and press him up against...

“Jiro!”

The young man named Jiro turned around, shocked out of his trance at hearing someone call out for him. Behind him stood his elder sister, one hand on her hip and the other cradling the round swell of her pregnant middle.

“I can't believe you're out here even after everyone warned you not to! You are in so much trouble.” She frowned as she looked at her younger sibling, his face covered in a sheen of nervous sweat.

Remembering the situation at hand, Jiro jerked his head back around. That mysterious goddess was surely still here, and who knew what would happen now that his sister interrupted them.

But there was nothing there anymore. Only some leaves on the forest ground where the woman once stood being kicked around by the breeze. Flabbergasted, Jiro could only gesture with confusion at his sibling.

The older sister only rolled her eyes at her younger brother. Turning around she began to head back, her walk punctuated by a slow waddling gait due to her pregnancy.

“You better hurry before breakfast is over. Otherwise you'll get double the punishment from grandma and grandpa too!” she said as she made her way back to the village.

For a moment Jiro only stood there, unsure of what had just transpired. Once more he looked back to confirm that the goddess of the forest was no longer there. Had it all just been in his head? A slight moment of madness?

He shook his head, not wanting to dwell on it any further. And yet, in his heart he felt a seed had been planted.

As he began to make his way back home, he listened to the sound of the wind as it blew through the bamboo trees. Though surely it was another trick of the mind, to him it sounded like the soft breaths of a woman, calling out his name.

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A picture I had commissioned that I wrote a story to go along with last Mayternity, which is a month in May devoted to pregnancy fetishism, kinda like Vore day. Wanted to try writing with the feeling of a classic folklore or mythological tale in mind. Anyway, hope those who haven't seen this yet enjoy it!

Picture drawn by https://saburox.deviantart.com/

https://saburox.deviantart.com/

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