Six Scifi Stories (5 page)

 

*****

 

It is impossible for me to describe the state of ecstatic anticipation that engulfed me as I waited for Lynda to have her first taste of me.

That night, as she fixed and ate a salad, I watched from the kitchen counter in her tiny apartment and wished that she were putting ME in her mouth instead of the lettuce. Each time her plump, ruby lips parted, admitting another green forkful, I quivered with excitement in my wrapper, barely able to hold back from crying out for immediate consummation.

It only intensified my arousal that she had not hidden me away as I had expected, but instead had put me right out on the counter. Instead of whiling away the time in a dark cupboard, having to content myself with listening for her voice and movements, I was out in the open, able to see everything, able to be seen...and knowing that she would not have positioned me thus if she did not intend to devour me sooner rather than later.

And yet, I still had to go easy on her. Bruised and vulnerable, she responded well to patience and tenderness; it would be a mistake to exert any but the mildest pressure.

She was a skittish fawn in need of gentle coaxing. Never mind that I was more like a RAGING INFERNO in need of immediate QUENCHING.

As she carried her dirty dishes from the kitchen table to the sink, I caught her eye. Her gaze lingered just long enough to test my resolve to play it cool...but I managed with a mighty effort to keep from blurting out an insistent plea for love.

"How was your dinner?" I said instead.

Lynda snorted as she dropped her plate and silverware into the dishpan. "I'm sick of salad," she said disgustedly. "And tofu and yogurt and water and plankton snacks."

"But you should be proud of yourself," I said. "You've set a goal, and you're sticking to it, even though it isn't easy."

Lynda sighed. "I've really made up my mind this time," she said, filling the dishpan with water from the spigot. "I decided that this is it. Once and for all, I have to get my weight down."

"I believe in you, Lynda," I said. "I know you can do it."

"I wish I felt so confident," said Lynda, adding soap to the dishwater. "It's just I've failed so many times before. I've been on lots of diets, and I've always ended up quitting."

"That doesn't mean you won't succeed this time," I said. "Forget the past. Look at this as a new beginning."

Lynda scrubbed a plate clean and slotted it in the dish drainer alongside the sink. "I want to," she said slowly. "I'm tired of being miserable. I'm sick of being alone."

"Surely you must have people who care about you," I said, enhancing my glow and aroma as I sensed her defenses weaken.

Lynda cleaned her silverware and placed it in the drainer, then headed for the table to get her water glass. "My parents are gone," she said sadly, giving me a look on her way back to the sink. "No brothers or sisters. I have a few friends here and there, but that's about it."

"I understand," I said. "You want to be in love."

Lynda stopped cleaning the glass and looked over her shoulder at me. "Geez," she said. "I must be pretty transparent if even a snack cake can figure me out."

"Or maybe I'm just a really smart snack cake," I said. "Smart enough to see how much you have to offer, at least."

Lynda turned back to the sink and finished washing the glass. "If you're so smart," she said, "give me a good reason why I shouldn't say to hell with my diet and just eat you right now."

FINALLY, I thought. FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY she was READY to PEEL off my wrapper and PULL me INSIDE that magnificent MOUTH all WET and WARM and SOFT and CHEW AND CHEW AND CHEW ME until we two were inextricably mixed together.

Automatically, I brightened my glow and moistened my cake and heightened the shine of my frosting. The moment I had waited for was finally upon me, and my every dream and desire was about to be fulfilled and I KNEW it would be more wonderful than I had ever imagined.

And yet, even as every atom of my being vibrated with the thrill of impending gratification, I forced myself not to cry out in delirious passion. Remembering her shy and fragile condition, I reigned myself in, choosing a more subtle approach that I calculated would be more likely not to frighten her off.

"Well," I said, trying my best to sound like a supportive friend. "I guess the main reason would be that you want to stick to your diet."

"Right about now," she said, drying her hands on a dish towel as she turned to face me, "I don't much care about my diet."

OH LYNDA, I LOVE YOU, I thought. TAKE ME NOW, I wanted to howl, but instead I said, "But you just told me how important it is to you."

TAKE ME NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW!!

"I know," said Lynda, "but just looking at you is driving me crazy. All I can think about is how good it would feel to eat you up."

Hearing those words, I felt as if my supercreamy center was about to explode, spraying ultrachocolate crumbs and frosting all over the kitchen...all over Lynda. How I kept my voice even and said what I said, I'll never know.

"Maybe that isn't such a good idea right now," I told her. "Maybe we should wait."

Lynda tossed the towel aside and walked over to me. "But I don't want to wait," she said. "I want you now."

"I just think we should both be sure," I said, playing devil's advocate, letting Lynda take the initiative. "I want it to be perfect. I want us both to be ready."

Reaching out, Lynda stroked my wrapper. "Oh, I'm ready," she said, her voice filled with desire.

"Well then," I said, deciding the time was right to let the situation run its course. "If you're sure, then let's take the next step. Let's see where it leads us."

Slowly, she lifted me from the counter. She raised me, still wrapped, to her nose and inhaled deeply of my rich fragrance...then sighed blissfully. "It's been too long," she said. "It feels like it's been forever."

Her luscious mouth was so close, I had trouble keeping my mind clear. "I'll make it worth the wait," I said, obsessed with the warmth of her breath as it fogged my cellophane wrapper. "I'll give you what you need, Lynda."

Hungrily, her eyes ran up and down the length of me, drinking me in. "I don't think I can wait another minute," she said, her fingers trembling as she held me. "I have to have you right now."

"It's okay," I said. "I want you, too. I've wanted you since the first moment I saw you."

"Oh God," she said as she fumbled with my wrapper, tearing it open. "Give it to me. Please give it to me!"

I was out of my mind with desire as she tugged me free of my packaging and threw it aside. The feel of her fingers around me, bare flesh against bare cake and frosting with nothing between us, was infinitely better than I had ever imagined.

FINALLY, she was poised to DEVOUR me, to fulfill my urgent burning LUST and GRIND me up in her MOUTH so TENDER so MERCILESS so WET so RED...and even though I knew I'd been made to crave and seduce her, though I knew my drive to get her to eat me was designed to push her to develop a taste for Smidgens and buy many more of us...I WALLOWED in her embrace and LONGED for her none the less.

I had NEVER known ANYTHING SO WONDERFUL in my life. I felt the PULSING of her fingertips as she raised me toward her MOUTH, and the whole world MELTED AWAY, leaving nothing but her glistening LIPS AND TONGUE AND TEETH.

She opened WIDE and moved me CLOSER. The SMELL and HEAT of her BREATH washed over me, drowning out all coherent thought, stripping away everything but GREEDY ABANDON.

Then, suddenly, the rapturous spell was broken. A chorus of tiny voices spoke up, and Lynda stopped drawing me into her mouth.

"Don't do it, Lynda!" said the voices. It sounded like there were dozens of them, piping shrilly from somewhere in the kitchen. "Don't give in! Remember your diet!"

Slowly, Lynda turned, looking for the source of the tinny cries. Even before her gaze settled on the Sea Sprite bag on the counter, I knew that the plankton snacks inside were responsible for ruining our rendezvous.

"You've worked so hard to lose weight!" said the plankton snacks, their deep green curlicues visible through the window on the front of the cellophane bag. "Don't give up now! Don't let him take advantage of you!"

I looked up at Lynda, hoping we could still retrieve the magic...but the look on her face told me I'd lost the advantage. Her eyes were guilty and distant, her jaws clenched, her lips clamped tight.

"Lynda," I said calmly, making a play though I knew it was doomed. "I just want you to be happy. There's nothing wrong with finding a little happiness, is there?"

My words were indeed futile. Slowly, she lowered me to the counter.

"Woo!" shouted the plankton snack chorus. "Way to go, Lynda! We knew you could do it!"

"Shut up!" she said angrily. "Just shut the hell up!"

"But we're on
your
side," chirped the plankton snacks. "We want you to succeed! We want you to stick with
healthy
snacks like
us
instead of
bad
,
fattening
junk
food
like Smidgens!"

Lynda stomped over and snatched the Sea Sprite bag from the counter. As the cellophane crinkled in her hand, the green curlicues in the bag erupted with joyful cries and whistles.

"Yay!" they said. "You go, girl!"

Then, while the plankton snacks were still twittering merrily, Lynda tore the bag open...and dumped them down the garbage disposal in the sink.

As the snacks cried out in surprise and protest, Lynda ran water into the disposal and switched it on. A chorus of tiny screams erupted from the sink as the disposal ground the plankton snacks to bits with a mighty rumble.

Flicking off the disposal and pitching the empty Sea Sprite bag on the floor, Lynda turned to face me. "Don't
you
say anything, either," she snapped, tears running down her chubby cheeks. "Not a
word
!"

Fearing she might dump me down the disposal after the plankton snacks, I remained silent. Lynda did not say a word, either, as she lumbered out of the kitchen, but I could hear her sobbing when she got to the next room.

 

*****

 

Much later that night (last night), she returned to me. Her brown hair was matted and stuck to her face, her skin was pale, her eyes bloodshot from crying.

I, of course, thought she looked as ravishingly beautiful as ever...though I felt sad that the love of my life had so clearly been suffering. I wished more than anything that I could comfort her with my sweet chocolate cake and deluxe creamy filling.

But I knew I needed to take it slow.

"Hello, Lynda," I said softly.

She did not answer. Shuffling to the refrigerator, she opened the door and pulled out a bottle of water. She looked utterly exhausted and defeated as she slouched into a chair at the kitchen table, letting the refrigerator door stand open behind her.

"Listen," I said after a moment. "About earlier. I'm sorry if you felt pressured."

Lynda unscrewed the cap from the bottle of water and had a drink. Staring into space, she slowly lowered the bottle to the table when she was done.

Faced with her dark, unresponsive mood, I considered staying silent...then decided instead to inch forward while choosing my words carefully. "I just want you to know I'm here for you," I said. "I know we just met, but I really feel a connection between us."

"I hate myself," Lynda said without looking at me. "I've always hated myself."

"I think you're being too hard on yourself," I said.

"Here I am, forty-two years old," she said, her voice slow and ragged, "and I have never had anyone love me. Not a man or a woman or anything in between. And who can blame them when I look the way I do?"

"There's someone for everyone," I said, longing for her to pluck me from the counter and pull me toward her mouth again.

"I haven't weighed less than two hundred pounds since I was seventeen years old," said Lynda. "I've got no self-control when it comes to food."

EXACTLY WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN A WOMAN, I thought, but what I said was, "It isn't easy these days, what with all the techno-marketing you're subjected to."

Lynda sighed, still staring into space. "I tried a diet implant once," she said. "Gave me a shock every time I tried to overeat. It worked fine for a couple of days. Then I went on an eating binge and actually burned it out."

Hearing her talk about the binge got me excited, but I kept my voice level and sympathetic. "I think that just shows what a strong person you are," I said. "It shows me you can overcome any obstacle if you set your mind to it."

"I'll bet I've been on hundreds of diets through the years," said Lynda. She took another drink of water and hung her head. "I've tried every diet you can think of, and nothing worked. This time was different, though. This time, I came up with a guaranteed way to lose the weight."

"And what way is that?" I said.

"It was working, too," she said, her voice thick with frustration and regret. "Until
you
came along."

"I'm so sorry, Lynda," I said, even as my thoughts swirled around the probability that her depression would lead her to devour me soon. "Maybe I was being selfish, but I can't help myself when it comes to you."

"You and your ultrachocolate frosting," said Lynda. "All smooth-talking and looking so good. I kept trying to walk away, but I couldn't get you out of my mind."

"You had the same effect on me," I said softly.

Lynda put her head down on her folded arms and sobbed. "I couldn't help myself," she said. "I promised myself this would be my last diet, and I still couldn't resist you."

"This is just a bump in the road," I said. "There's nothing wrong with taking a little break. You can still keep your diet going."

"You don't understand," said Lynda. "I swore to myself...oh God..."

"What?" I said. "What is it?"

"I swore I would never eat something like you again," she said. "I swore I would
die
before I'd do that."

Suddenly, I went cold. The hopes and fantasies I'd been so sure were about to come true seemed to plummet away from me. "Lynda, no," I said. "Please don't say that."

"I thought I could stop eating...if the alternative was killing myself," said Lynda. "But I was wrong. Or maybe...maybe I just want to kill myself."

"I know that isn't true," I told her.

She lifted her head from her arms and turned to face me. "I'm sorry if I led you on," she said, "but we were never meant to be."

"I know you're unhappy," I said, my mind racing to find the right words, "but things will get better."

"I used to think that," said Lynda. "But not anymore. Not for me."

Somehow, I had to keep her going, keep her breathing, keep her EATING. "Think of all the things you enjoy, Lynda," I said. "Think of all the things you'll miss out on."

Smiling bitterly, she pushed herself up out of her chair. "It's nice of you to try to talk me out of it," she said, "but it just makes me feel worse that you're the only one here to do it."

"Don't throw your life away, Lynda," I said, the pitch of my voice rising with desperation.

"Besides," she said, "we both know why you're really doing it. We both know what you want."

"Please, Lynda," I said. "Don't end it like this!"

She marched off into the next room and came back with a handgun. "That's one of the reasons I like you so much," she said, her expression suddenly frighteningly serene.

"I need you, Lynda!" I said. "I love you!"

"We both have one track minds," she said calmly. "All I want to do is eat, and all you want is to be eaten."

She raised the gun slowly, turning the barrel toward her LUSCIOUS MOUTH.

"Wait!" I said. "You're right! I want you to eat me! At least eat me before you do it!"

"No," she said, cocking back the hammer of the gun.

"Why not go out with a smile on your face?" I said. "I'm telling you, once you've tasted a Supercreamy Double Ultrachocolate Deluxe Smidgen, you'll think you've died and gone to Heaven!"

"I swore I'd die before I put something like you inside me again," said Lynda, "and for once in my life, I'm keeping my promise."

"But I'm not as bad as you think! I'm packed with vitamins and minerals!"

"You'll say anything to get what you want," said Lynda.

"You've got me all wrong! I care about you! I can help you lose weight!"

"But this way," said Lynda, "I can keep it off forever."

Finally, she slid the barrel of the gun between her lips. All I could think of as I watched was that I wanted more than anything to trade places with that gun.

It was enough to drive away every last shred of my self-control. "EAT ME EAT ME EAT ME EAT ME!" I screamed, pelting her ears with focused beams of hypersound...refusing even then to give up on the woman who was both my lover and a potential source of future revenue for my manufacturer.

The screaming didn't stop until long after she had closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.