Obesseus knew something was wrong the moment the letter arrived.

No crumbs.

No sauce stains.

No joy.

It said IMPORTANT in big angry letters.

Josh Jollyrancher slid the paper across the table. “You owe taxes.”

Obesseus squinted. “Owe who.”

“The government.”

Obesseus gasped. “THEY KNOW ABOUT THE GRAVY?”

Professor Math adjusted his glasses. “It’s not about gravy.”

“They always say that,” Obesseus whispered.

Josh pointed to the form. “You earned income.”

Obesseus nodded. “Yes. From buffet.”

“And now,” Josh continued, “a portion must be paid.”

Obesseus froze.

“…Portion.”

Professor Math drew a diagram.

Total Gravy − Tax = Net Gravy

The room went silent.

“They taking gravy off top?” Obesseus asked.

“No,” Professor Math said quickly. “It’s proportional.”

Obesseus slammed the table. “PROPORTIONAL GRAVY LOSS IS STILL GRAVY LOSS.”

Josh sighed. “You don’t pay in gravy.”

Obesseus looked around suspiciously. “Then why they want numbers shaped like bowls.”

Professor Math tried a softer approach. “Think of it as contributing to roads.”

“Gravy roads?” Obesseus asked hopefully.

“…Regular roads.”

“So I pay gravy for no gravy road.”

Josh nodded. “Yes.”

Obesseus stood up. “THAT A SCAM.”

Josh flipped to another page. “This is withholding.”

Obesseus’s eyes widened. “THEY WITHHOLD THE GRAVY BEFORE I EVEN SEE IT?”

Professor Math whispered, “He’s learning too fast.”

Josh pointed to a pie chart.

“This shows your tax bracket.”

Obesseus leaned in. “Why gravy in cage.”

“It’s not a cage.”

“It surrounded,” Obesseus said. “Free gravy should roam.”

Josh lost it. “NO ONE IS STEALING YOUR GRAVY.”

At that exact moment, a pipe burst.

Gravy flooded the floor.

Obesseus screamed. “THE AUDIT HAS BEGUN.”

He grabbed his bucket and fled through the door, shouting, “YOU WILL NOT TAKE MY GRAVY.”

Josh stared at the chaos.

Professor Math sighed. “We should have started with deductions.”

A word from the Snackland Financial Advisory :

If Obesseus hears the word portion

during tax season,

hide the gravy.