“I don’t know,” said Heather, “It’s as unexpected and unexplained as the way you ended up back on the wall.”

“Being eaten was amazing enough, but then being free was an even bigger surprise.”

“We might never know what caused it,” said Heather.

They began to talk about their lives and experiences for a while, and eventually reached the end of the track.

“Is your car nearby then?” asked Heather.

“Yes,” said Chad.

“Would you mind giving me a ride back to my own car?” asked Heather, “I don’t really feel that keen on doing the walk back.”

“I’m happy to give you a lift,” said Chad, and drove slowly towards the gardens until she pointed out her car.

“Thank you,” said Heather, looking out through the windscreen at the scenery outside.

“Heather?” asked Chad.

“Yes.”

“When you were spooning me up the second time, just before you put me into your mouth, you said that I should have asked you out to dinner. Did you mean that you would have come out to dinner with me if I had asked, instead of spoiling your lunch the way I did?”

“I think it would have been the better approach for you to have taken,” said Heather, “Asking a lady out is the conventional approach. I wouldn’t have said yes to every man that asked, but I believe I would have said yes to you.”

“Thank you,” said Chad, “I guess I really spoiled my chances when I took out those binoculars.”

“I thought it was very graceful of you to show me the bushwalk and drive me back after I’d eaten you,” said Heather, “And you were a delicious mouthful to gobble down.”

“Would you … perhaps like to … give me a second chance, and come out to dinner with me tonight?”

“Thank you, I’d love to,” said Heather, “I joined you on the bushwalk and again in your car, to give you your second and third chances to ask.”

“Really?” asked Chad.

“Yes. You’re a handsome young man. I’d have been happy to have kept you in my tummy, but now that you’re back, I’d like to go out with you.”

She gave him her address and telephone number and asked him to pick her up at seven o’clock. When he knocked on her door that evening, she opened the door wearing a beautiful black dress and a green coat. He drove her to a nice restaurant and talked with her over the meal.

“You’re looking at my tongue while I’m eating,” she said after a while, “Did I make a big impression on you, when I was eating you?”

“Oh yes,” said Chad, “I was looking at your beautiful shapely full pink lips and your big sparkling pink tongue at point blank range, at relatively giant sized proportions.”

“You’ve spoken very generously about the whole affair. I might have underrated your ability to treat a lady well.”

He drove her home and stopped the car in her driveway.

“Thank you for a delicious meal,” she said, “Come to think of it, I suppose you’ve given me two today, even if I didn’t get to keep the first one.”

“Do you wish you could have?” he asked.

“I suppose not,” said Heather, “Or I’d never have had the second.”

“Do you think I’ll ever end up that small again?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t mind if you did.”

“Would you eat me again?”

“Probably,” she said, “Does that discourage you?”

“From what?”

“Well you’ve taken me out to dinner, talked with me, gotten to know me and driven me home. I haven’t gotten out of the car, and I’m sitting right beside you. I thought that a man would know what to do next.”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t ever been on a date before,” said Chad, “I haven’t had much social experience with ladies at all. Maybe that’s why I got things wrong in the gardens in the first place.”

“Maybe so,” said Heather, “I’ll help you along then. I would like you to kiss me.”

He turned to see that she was looking at him now, not the scenery outside as she had done earlier. Her front porch light was on, illuminating the garden. The scene was set for some passionate romance, and he simply had to work up the nerve to do as she’d asked.

He realised that Heather had been making her feelings equally clear when she had been preparing to eat him. This time there was no mistaking her intentions. Chad leaned across a little, and put his arm around her. Heather responded by taking his other hand in her own, and offering her lips. He recalled that he had told her over dinner what an impression those lips had made on him when she’d been spooning him into her mouth.

He touched her lips with his own and enjoyed the kiss for several minutes.

She finally withdrew her mouth and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“Thank you for a delightful evening,” she said, “It’s been a special treat for me to have given you your first kiss. I know you couldn’t have given me my first kiss, but you have given me the first truly fresh start since my divorce. Tonight, for the first time, I no longer feel angry with him, but happy with you instead.”

“I’m the happiest I’ve ever been,” said Chad, “And I’d love to go on seeing you.”

“I’d like that very much,” said Heather.

“I never imagined we’d be doing this, when I was trying to dodge that spoon in the salad bowl today.”

“Didn’t you?” she asked.

“I certainly wanted to kiss you, but I couldn’t see how I’d get the chance.”

“Well I didn’t expect to see you again after I gobbled you down, but I’m glad it’s worked out this way. My husband left me for a younger woman.”

“I think he was very foolish,” said Chad, “But in a way I’m glad he did.”

“I think you’re a sweet handsome young man,” said Heather, and pulled him tightly with her arm.

“Even though I upset your lunch?”

“You were my lunch,” she said, “I’m not sorry for eating you, but I wish I hadn’t been so cold and unfriendly to you while I was doing it. I can see from our first kiss, that you were just too shy to approach me directly for a date. So you tried to be content by admiring me from afar.”

“I couldn’t have expressed it better myself,” said Chad, “I’m so glad you understand. I didn’t know if you liked me at all, when you were lifting me up with the spoon.”

“I could see that your tiny face was handsome and young, but I felt certain that you’d be the most delicious part of my lunch, and you were. I realise now that I would have eaten you, given the chance, whether you’d used your binoculars or not.”

“You would?”

“Yes, and I’d like to go on seeing you, Chad, but if you should find yourself that small again, you can expect me to do everything possible to eat you all up again.”

“But what if I don’t get out next time?”

“Then I’d have eaten you properly,” said Heather, “I’m sure I’d have no regrets about that, Chad.”

“Oh,” said Chad.

“Do you still want to keep seeing me?” asked Heather, “It’s more likely to happen again if we’re in close proximity to each other.”

“I couldn’t possibly stop seeing you,” said Chad, “I’ll take my chances on being eaten and hope I get out in time if it happens.”

“I think I love you more than I ever loved my ex-husband,” said Heather, “He wouldn’t stay with me when he had no risk and nothing to lose. You’re willing to risk being gobbled down forever in order to stay with me. I’m sorry for what I said at lunch time. I’m very fortunate to have met someone who liked me enough to take out those binoculars.”

“I think I’m actually lucky too, to find someone who liked the taste of me enough to spoon me onto that beautiful sparkling tongue of yours.”

“You’re adorable,” said Heather, and kissed his cheek.