billy begins to lose weight at a steadily accelerating pace, and he soon realizes that lemke has cursed him. he also learns that the judge who gave the unfair verdict was also cursed by the old man, causing scales to grow on his skin. the town police chief who helped soft-pedal the charges against billy is cursed with a horrifying case of acne. both men eventually commit suicide. week after week, billy continues to shed pounds despite constantly gorging himself.