“I guess not,” he said, still surprised by the nature of her suggestion.

“Alright. Well I’ll set you up in comfort for the night. I’ll come and collect you tomorrow morning, and prepare to eat you for my lunch. Am I holding you too tightly, by the way?”

“No. Your fingers are very comfortable,” he said, marvelling at the politeness she showed in the midst of announcing her astounding proposition.

“I’ll make sure that nobody finds out that you’re in my stomach,” said Colleen.

She put him on a high table. Then she fetched a dolls house and put it on the table beside him.

“This was mine, when I was a girl,” said Colleen, “You can use the bedroom for the night, and I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Colleen, can I talk to you about this?” he asked.

“Of course, Rodney,” she said, and sat down on the chair, close to his position on the table.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about it, while you were carrying me here. I know I’ll enjoy the time I spend on your tongue at lunchtime tomorrow, and you’ll enjoy having me in your mouth. Then you’ll gulp me down, and you’ll still have more happy life ahead of you. Once I’m in your stomach, I won’t be able to do anything else at all in the world out here.”

“I’ll still be your friend while I’m eating you, and think of you as my friend, once I’ve finished.”

“Your mouth is magnificently beautiful, and your idea did sound thrilling at first. It still does, but I don’t think I want you to go ahead with eating me.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Rodney. I’ve been looking forward to it. But don’t worry too much. By tomorrow night, it will all be over and done with.”

“Well you still can’t eat me, without my permission.”

Colleen gave him a hauntingly beautiful look.

“I don’t think you’re looking at your situation very realistically, Rodney. Whether you go along with it willingly or not, I’m coming back here tomorrow morning, and at lunchtime, I’m going to eat you all up. You can voice your disagreement as much as you like, but I shall still gobble you whole for my lunch tomorrow.”

He looked at her in shocked silence.

“Were you prepared to eat me against my wishes, if I’d objected when you first suggested eating me?” he asked.

“I suppose I was. I hadn’t considered it really. I assumed, with your devotion to me, that you wouldn’t be difficult about it.”

“I’m still just as much in love with you,” he said, “And I’ll still find the contact with your tongue as thrilling as can be tomorrow. I just think that the rest of the arrangement is stacked very much in your favour.”

“It is, now that you don’t want me to complete the process of eating you,” she said, “But you’ll just have to make the best of it. Sleep as well as you can.”

“I think I might well be awake all night thinking about what you’re going to do with me tomorrow,” said Rodney.