Jared heard every word. His flesh was on fire as it slowly dissolved in the caustic acid around him. His tiny, battered body lay fully engulfed in the folds of the massive organ. He was breathing heavily, growing delirious.

And yet, the smile on Jared’s face was one of pure bliss. He’d been scared, but there was no turning back now. This was the final stage of his life, and he realized that he had performed perfectly. He was just a man, after all, just food, and he was finally giving himself up to the betterment of society, and to someone he loved more than life itself. Melody was cute and fun. She was clever, overwhelmingly strong, and sillier than any woman he’d ever met. To give his strength to her, he decided, was the greatest privilege he could imagine.

He had yelled to be heard, this time not out of fear but out of love. He shouted that he hoped Melody had a good life, that she was always happy and well-fed. He shouted that he was glad it had been her, and that death was less scary when he was inside of her. Most of all, he shouted that he loved her.

Melody, of course, could not hear him, but that was just fine. After all, the job of a man was not to be heard but to listen. Jared had been a good, subservient man for his whole life, and as his last shreds of consciousness faded, he realized that his death was not punishment for not being good enough. In fact, it was a reward for a job well done.

About fifteen minutes later, Melody’s cell phone buzzed, notifying her that Jared’s sister had replied to the text.

“Congrats! How’d he taste?” The text was followed by a confetti emoji.

Melody turned the question over in her head. By now, the taste had faded from her tongue, and she no longer felt any movement in her stomach. It was as if he had never existed.

“Kinda sweet,” she replied. “Better than candy. I loved him!” She thought for a moment, then retyped the last sentence. “I loved eating him.”

“Happy 4 you!” The response was almost immediate. “Now that I don’t have to look after that little bug, I can start going to more parties. I hear Lauren is holding one next Friday. Wanna come with?”

Melody’s stomach felt pleasantly full as she contemplated the idea. Today had been the most fulfilling day of her life in more ways than one, and there were plenty of attractive boys at her school. Who would be lucky enough to become her second favorite snack? She licked her lips and was pleased to notice that they still held the faintest taste of Jared.

“Ya,” she typed, “let’s do it.”

As the rest of her life seemed to stretch out in front of her, Melody imagined that she was drawing energy from the tiny body being digested in her gut. She imagined herself becoming more beautiful, more desired, and more powerful. As she lay back on her bed and pulled her homework out of her backpack, she spared one more fond thought for her first crush before turning her attention to other things.