The annual pie eating contest was the biggest event in town. For fifteen years, nobody had managed to beat the reigning champion, Old Mr. Hargrove, until a young mechanic named Ryan shocked everyone by finishing an entire pie ahead of him. The crowd erupted into cheers as the town's beloved baker, Walter Finch, handed Ryan a gold trophy, the prize money and a special prize. A freshly baked pie reserved exclusively for the winner. Ryan accepted it proudly and took it home.
The next morning, Ryan never showed up for work. His friends assumed he was celebrating, but days passed without a word from him. Police searched his house and found the trophy sitting on the kitchen table beside an empty pie tin. There were no signs of struggle, no footprints, and no clues. The town mourned his disappearance, but the baker simply shook his head and said that some people were never meant to handle success.
A year later, another winner disappeared after receiving the same special pie. Then another. Rumors spread through town, but nobody could prove anything. The baker always appeared heartbroken by the losses and continued sponsoring the contest. Eventually, people noticed a strange pattern: every winner vanished within twenty-four hours of eating the prize pie, while those who lost remained perfectly safe.
Determined to uncover the truth, a local journalist entered the contest and intentionally won. That night, instead of eating the pie, she hid a camera inside the bakery after closing. Hours later, the footage captured Walter entering a locked cellar beneath the shop. The room was lined with trophies, photographs of former winners, and empty pie tins. In the center stood a large dining table with a single chair reserved for the next champion. The camera cut off as Walter slowly turned toward it and smiled. The journalist was never seen again, and the following year, the pie eating contest continued as if nothing had happened.