She took him off the baking tray, put him on a plate, and took him to the table, and sat down.

Colleen picked up the leprechaun, licked him several times, and swallowed him whole in front of Tarquin’s gaping eyes.

“That could have been me!” he thought, “And it will be the rest of them.”

“That was lovely,” said Colleen, “Now what would you like?”

He chose a prawn and enjoyed the most unlimited helping of prawn meat he’d ever had.

“Shall we head for bed then?” asked Colleen.

“Sure,” said Tarquin.

She took him upstairs and climbed into bed and sat up.

“Could I have some licks?” he asked, recalling how amazing it had looked watching her lick the leprechaun dinner she’d just had.

“Why not?” said Colleen, and lifted him towards her mouth and licked his face more times than he could keep count.

They she lay down and placed him beside her face on the pillow. He lay sideways, so that their eyes were level.

“It was quite a surprise when I looked up at the last of the cavern roof and saw you with the shovel,” he said.

“I’ll bet it was.”

“I feel sorry for the leprechauns, but at least there’s one good thing that’s come out of you catching them. Now you don’t have to make do with substitutes.”

“Do you really think so?” asked Colleen, “I’ve come to rather like the substitutes just as much in their own way, a fact of which your last request has reminded me.”

Her beautiful lips smiled right in front of him.

He suddenly went speechless.

“I’ll save you until the leprechauns are all gone,” she said, “And you can watch me eating each one of them in a series of sneak previews for you. I think I’ll give you your turn with the buzzer button in the oven too, when the time comes. I haven’t cooked any of the other substitutes. You’ll be the first.”

“That means I can look out of the oven at you preparing things in the kitchen, while I’m cooking.”

“I hope you’ll enjoy the view as much as the one you had in the gardens at your full size,” she said.

For weeks he watched her nightly leprechaun dinners going into her mouth and being gulped down by her slightly bulging neck, thinking of what he’d feel when his turn came.

“That was the last of them,” she said, after gulping yet another one down, “We’re alone in the house now.”

“And soon I’ll be alone in your tummy.”

“That you will. Let’s enjoy our last night with you outside of it.”

The next evening, she took him to the kitchen and asked him, “Do you want to suggest anything for your own recipe?”

“That pavlova I saw you unpacking after you went shopping would be nice to look up at you from within, and you could add some whipped cream and strawberries.”

“That’s an excellent suggestion. I’ll warm you up in the oven as planned first.”

She placed him on the baking tray and slid it into the oven and peeked in.

“Now there’s the buzzer and off switch,” she said, pointing to it, “You can watch me whipping the cream and pouring it over the pavlova and adding the strawberries, while you’re warming up.”

She blew him a kiss and closed the oven door.