“Well it’s what we usually do. Otherwise, if you bring us back to just before you put me in the pavlova, you’ll be starting the next timeline with no meat to give you a balanced dinner,” said Murray.

“I don’t think I need any more timelines,” said Trudi.

“Well how else are we going to keep doing it?” asked Murray.

“We’ve never really done it the first time,” said Trudi, “Not if it keeps getting invalidated by time travel each time after I’ve swallowed you.”

“But I explained all that before I started teaching you. The way it works is that you have all the memories of doing it, and then you bring us back to before you did it,” said Murray.

“Which means that, ever since we started playing these games, you’ve never really faced up to your fate, because you know it will only be temporary,” said Trudi.

“If you did it permanently, without reversing time, then you’d never be able to do it again,” said Murray.

“I had nine years to think about it, not that many timelines ago,” said Trudi, “I’m every bit as romantic as you are, and I always have been. A lady really only needs one set of memories, especially if they’re happy ones. I don’t really need to be pouring the memories of more and more alternate timelines into my mind, and then trying to focus that already crowded mind on the task of initiating yet another timeline too. I think I’m ready to let time resume a more natural course.”

“Well okay. I’ve grown to like being these meals of yours. I’ll miss it, but are you sure your mind won’t be too crowded to bring me back, before you let time roll on uninterrupted?” asked Murray.

“It won’t be an issue. I’ll be letting time roll on uninterrupted from the moment I last brought us back and started the timeline we’re living in now,” said Trudi.

“Oh ... I can’t believe you’d still do this to me, after I’ve given you every viable alternative,” said Murray.

Completely unmoved, she positioned the can above the pavlova and sprayed whipped cream all around him, partly covering each of the strawberries and about half of the pavlova’s surface.

“You were saving yourself, and as I told you before any of our recent collective time tinkering efforts, I don’t have any need to assist you in that endeavour,” said Trudi, “Your lessons have given me a lot of half finished meals and a full nine year do-over. I got through those nine years without you the first time, and I’m sure I’ll do fine in the replay. My time with romancing you and playing time tricks on us both doesn’t need to go on any longer. You’ve been a chapter of my life that has made for a unique and interesting interlude. Now it’s time for me to start the next chapter. In order for me to do that, you’ll need to make the journey down to my inner realm without using time travel to book a return trip,” said Trudi.