“Miss Waters!”

“I think we have a believer,” she said, as she stopped at a stop sign and looked down at him, with a slight turn of her head.

“It’s amazing. You’re a genius.”

“You’re taking it well so far. I guess it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”

“Where are we going now?” he asked, as he realised just how real this had all suddenly turned out to be.

“My house.”

She stopped at a supermarket on the way, and left him in the glove box, while she bought some groceries.

They talked all the way to the holiday house. Miss Waters took him into the house and spent the night with him lying on her soft skin, and spent most of the next day talking happily with him, as she took him on pleasant walks alone.

He had been planning ways to get out of the kitchen at the last moment, but no opportunity presented itself. In the end, she warmed him on the stove, and then took him to the dinner table and sat down.

“You were right,” he said, “I’m no longer asking questions of disbelief.”

“Naturally,” she said.

“I’m going to enjoy this as much as I can, even though I wish I could get out of the permanency of the ending.”

“I can guarantee you’ll enjoy it,” she said, “Tell me honestly though: Would you have chosen the suspension instead, if you’d known this was real?”

“It’s hard to know. Maybe your tongue will give me the best I could ever have, and still spare me the suspension.”

“You’re so sweet, little Milo, I’m going to gobble you all up!”

Miss Waters kissed his whole face and upper body for several minutes, and then slid him gently into her mouth and ate him.

In the end of year university holidays, 19 year old Beany went into the city to walk around it. He entered a food mall at the base of a skyscraper building, and saw a familiar lady. He walked over and said hello.

She was wearing light blue, and had the long hair he remembered, and looked lovely.

“Hello,” she said, “I’m sure we’ve met before, but I can’t think where.”

“It was many years ago, on a Sunday morning. I was staying at a relative’s house, the one I’ve since inherited actually. I went for a walk through a nearby bush reserve, and came to a Girls Club house on the edge of the reserve. You were 19, the oldest Guide, and the leader. You invited me in, with the other members, and showed me the booklets, and told me all about the Girls Club. I stayed for morning tea, became friends with you, and then eventually went back.”

“You remembered all that better than I did!” she said, beaming, “You were barely 9 at the time. Do you work here in the city?”

“No. I’m on university holidays.”

“You don’t have much money to spare. I’m meeting my boyfriend Phil for lunch here shortly, and then driving him to the airport for his overseas trip. Why don’t I take you out for dinner tonight, and we can catch up on years of news?”

“Thank you. That would be fun.”

“Let’s meet back here at six o’clock then,” she said.