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December 2007…

Thora met Trixie Robertson for another meal together during the holidays, and swapped notes. Thora went into depth about those aspects of her relationship with Duncan.

“Last time you asked me where things would go from there, it got me thinking,” said Mrs Robertson, “I let Stefan know that I was reconsidering eating him again.”

“Oh. How long did you keep him dangling?”

“Over the question, for several days. Over my mouth … well it would have been for several seconds, but he got away into the garden. I’ve had a real time trying to find him ever since. I don’t suppose you could come and help me chase him one day. Between the two of us, we could cut him off. You’re the only one I can tell about him.”

Thora didn’t want to upset her friend. She agreed to come over once, just to see if her assistance would help corner Stefan in the garden.

2008…

One day Stefan peeked out from a place of concealment and saw Mrs Robertson coming out into the garden to look for him. Close behind her was Thora!

“They’re going to team up and hunt me together!” he thought.

He did his best to avoid them both, running through flowerbeds in Thora’s direction, if and only when it was necessary to avoid Mrs Robertson. After a whole afternoon of this, he noticed the sun starting to go down, and then saw Thora’s shoes stop right in front of him. He looked at her ankles and then up to her towering face. She looked back down at him. There was no doubt that she had seen him. Had they agreed to let whoever found him first be the one to eat him, or was she going to hand him over to Mrs Robertson?

She looked at him pensively for several seconds. The power she had at this point was not lost on him.

Then she looked up and called out across the garden.

“I don’t think this is getting us anywhere,” said Thora, “If you still want me to stay for dinner, you might need to start cooking while we talk inside.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Mrs Robertson and headed indoors.

He waved his thanks at her. She smiled back. It had been difficult to deny her oldest and best friend her wishes, but Thora felt for the boy’s safety, conscious of the fact that Stefan could easily have been Duncan.

 

*          *          *          *

2008…

For months, Stefan had hid out in Mrs Robertson’s garden, dining on fruits while she was at the university teaching. She occasionally put out other food for him, so that he would not waste away before she could catch him and eat him.

One day she was more successful than usual in her pursuit of him. She cut off escape routes and converged on the place where the petals concealed him, having finally located his best hiding spot. Her fingers brushed the petals aside and revealed Stefan completely.

“You’ve been so unrealistic to keep this up all this time,” she said, “You’re still going to be eaten, and there isn’t another way left you can avoid it.”

 

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