Six Scifi Stories by Robert T. Jeschonek Read Free Book Online Page A

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,