This is my entry for @jeezzle's Challenge to write a story inspired by a newspaper headline. I'm doing day 2's headline called "Theater Official Fired Over Inappropriate Behavior."
I did this as a free write so it's not my best work. I gave myself 20 minutes and decided to just write what came to mind.
Story Title: He Was Sweating Artificial Butter
He couldn't help himself. He just loved it so much. It was his secret though. No one else knew. That's why he took a job at the movie theater...to have access to more of what he desired. He was reserved at first. He knew he needed to work hard to make it to the top so he wouldn't get in trouble.
When he was promoted to manger it was the happiest day of his life. He had power...and he had access to the theater after it was closed.
After the last employee left for the day Frank locked up the building. It was after 1:00 AM on a Saturday night. Frank wandered down to the lobby and looked out the windows at the parking lot. The place was deserted.
Frank smiled. It was time. He had been waiting for this moment all day. He headed to the supply closet and got out the popcorn kernels and artificial butter oil!
Oh, the heavenly smell as the popcorn popped and the artificial butter flowed! Batch after batch, Frank made popcorn and filled big trash bags full of it. He sat on the checkout counter watching the machine popped the kernels into fluffy white popcorn. He held a gallon of artificial butter oil in his hand. Every so often he'd take a swig.
"God, that's good," Frank thought.
After filling three trash bags with popcorn Frank loaded them in his car, cleaned up his mess, and then headed home. Once there he sat on the couch to watch television and started eating his popcorn.
Frank took a handful of popcorn and stuffed it into his mouth. He chased it with a shot's worth of butter oil. Popcorn....swig...popcorn...swig...over and over. Most people would be sick drinking artificial butter oil like this, but not Frank. He loved the slick feeling as it went down his throat.
"Much better than real butter," Frank always said. He'd use the artificial butter on sandwiches, in soups, casseroles, and more in place of real butter. It was free. He took what he needed from work and no one ever noticed. He was the manager after all....
Six Months Later...
The day Frank was arrested for stealing from the movie theater he knew he was in trouble. At first he'd only taken a little popcorn and butter oil. Over time, he took more and more. He didn't know how much he took but he'd stopped eating any foods other than popcorn and butter oil. He was sick all the time and was losing his hair. He couldn't stop. it was when his employees and family members told him he smelled like popcorn butter that he realized his sweat smelled like it. His pee smelled like it.
As he sat in the interigation room at the police station he began to smell popcorn butter. The shirt under his armpits was soaked with sweat....he knew as so as the police officier entered the room he wouldn't be able to explain away the smell.