Soon Flip saw her walk into the room and sit down beside him. She was now wearing a light blue cuddly looking turtle neck sweater and dark blue jeans.

“Are you comfortable?” she asked.

“Very!” said Flip, “Miss Dakarta, I would love to stay here forever and be your boyfriend, if you’d have me.”

“I’m flattered, Flip, but I already have a boyfriend. We’ve dated and worked together for three years.”

“Do you mean Boy Archer?”

“Yes,” said Diana, “I love him very much.”

“He’s very fortunate,” said Flip.

“Thank you. While I’m grateful for your compliments, I’m concerned that you know my secret identity. It could slip out one day, couldn’t it?”

“I suppose so,” said Flip, hoping she would keep him with her as a friend, to safeguard her secret. She had been a wonderful teacher, and he would miss her anyway, regardless of the disappointment he had just absorbed.

“That’s why I think it would save me from having to worry about it, if I kept you with me, secretly, so that you couldn’t tell anyone, and nobody knew you were here.”

“Would it have to be in that container that you used to bring me here?” he asked.

“No,” said Diana, “I’d gain no pleasure or comfort from that, and we need it for transporting the wife bashers. We’ve started to distribute the latest arrivals as pets.”

“I’d never be a wife basher,” said Flip.

“I know you wouldn’t,” said Diana, “Now here’s what I have in mind. Boy Archer likes my tongue, my stomach and my neck. Do they look OK to you?”

“They look very nice. If it’s not inappropriate to still say so, they’re part of what I love about you.”

“I’m glad you can tell me that. I think the best solution to our problem would be for me to rest you gently on my tongue for a little while, then gulp you into my throat, and swallow you down to my tummy. It’s softer and has a little more room than the container, and you’ll soon dissolve into part of it. Nobody else will even know you’re there.”

“Do you mean that you’re proposing to EAT me?” asked Flip.

“I suppose I do,” said Diana.

“But why would you want to do something so awful?” asked Flip.

“It wouldn’t be awful,” said Diana, “When I first saw Boy Archer, part of me wanted to gobble him all up. He later told me that he almost wanted me to do it too. But we both found ourselves rapidly and deeply in love, and that took priority. From time to time, in our more carefree moods, we almost went ahead with it.”

“What stopped you?” asked Flip.

“Mainly our romance, but also a little, the need to go on teaming up as Winner Woman and Boy Archer to bring wife bashers to justice,” said Diana, “But you’re not a crime fighter, and we’re not in love.”

“I am in love with YOU,” said Flip.

“Yes, but since I’m not in a position to reciprocate, and you’re as young as Boy Archer used to be, and just as tasty looking, it would be nice to eat you all up to solve the conundrum of you knowing my secret identity.”

“Well now that you’ve explained it, I can understand why the idea appeals to you,” said Flip.

“I thought you would,” said Diana.

“I can’t say that it doesn’t appeal to me at all. It just doesn’t appeal as much, because there’s not a lot I can continue to do as part of your tummy.”

“But does it appeal to you enough to go along with me on it?” asked Diana.

“I love you very much, but I just couldn’t say yes,” said Flip, “Sorry about that.”

“It’s alright. I allowed for that possibility,” said Diana, “That’s why I didn’t bring it up until we got here. I’ll make it as pleasant and enjoyable for you as I can.”