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as they walked deeper into the woods.
    “I didn’t know people lived in the forest,” joked Jagz.
    “There’s a lot that you probably don’t know. But I won’t judge you for it,” said Shera with a sarcastic smile.
    As they approached a row of lush bushes that seemed impossible to pass, Shera unexpectedly grabbed Jagz’s hand and pulled him through.
    Leaves engulfed them as they pushed deeper and deeper through the thick brush. Just as it seemed that they were completely surrounded, and lost in a sea of green, Shera spotted the opening she was searching for and pulled Jagz through to an open clearing.
    “What is this place?”
    “Take a seat on the ground and try to relax,” said Shera in a soothing voice as though prepping him for a meditation.
    “Relax? I’ve never sat on the ground before. Are you sure it’s okay?”
    “Oh Jagz, you are really too funny. Some of the things you say… Are you an alien or something?”
    “An alien? Yeah, funny,” Jagz tried not to show any sign of how odd of a moment, of all moments, it was to call him an alien.
    “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m just playing around.”
    She reached around for her backpack, opened the latch, and pulled out what appeared to be an orange ball of some sort. It was bright, round, and vibrantly colorful. As she guided it towards him, he noticed a faint, but intensifying fragrance. A smell unlike anything he had encountered. The smell, almost too powerful to comprehend, forced Jagz to turn away.
    “Lunch is served!” She peeled back what now appeared to be a ball of multiple layers.
    “What the? What is that?” said Jagz.
    “Huh? Do you really mean to tell me you have no idea what this is? Wait, wait, you have never had any real food before have you? Wow. And I thought I was weird. Here. Close your eyes and open your mouth.”
    Jagz hesitated.
    “Come on now. Don’t be shy.”
    He first looked at her a little confused, but, out of nowhere, a wave of trust washed over him at the sight of her smiling eyes and he gently closed his own and opened his mouth. He heard what seemed to be liquid of some sort squirting faintly nearby and, just as he was about to open his eyes, felt a strange sensation on his lips.
    Shera slowly put the mysterious object in his mouth, first rubbing it gently on his lips, allowing it to caress his tongue as the fragrance wafted towards his nostrils. Once she fit the whole thing in his mouth, she told him to bite down.
    As his teeth sank in to the mysterious object, he was met with a burst of excitement, which was almost too much to handle. Jagz started to cough, but caught himself, slowly chewing on the magical delight in his mouth. Once he swallowed, he opened his mouth again, hoping for more. He couldn’t get enough. He was in paradise.
    “Okay,” she said. “You can open your eyes now.”
    “Wow. Just wow. What in web’s name was that?”
    “It’s an orange, Jagz,” said Shera, as though it was obvious.
    “An orange? Sure, I’ve tasted an orange on my Chook, granted I have never had one on it’s own, but I have never had anything like that, nothing with so much life, pureness in taste, so much excitement, so much joy. Real food. That was magic!
    “I knew you’d love it! And there’s more.”
    “Where did you get it?”
    “Oh, I have my ways. A gal can’t share all of her secrets on the first date.”
    “First date? Oh, I had no idea.”
    “Relax, silly. I’m just messing with you. Besides, if we went on a date I would hope you would pick the place.”
    Jagz pondered this, A date. A real date. He knew she wasn’t talking about inter-web dating, where two or more people shared a holographic experience as though they were eating, drinking, seeing, and feeling the same thing all together. He knew she wasn’t referring to   hypnocyberactive webrelations, an activity common amongst those looking for intimate sexual pleasure in a safe and controlled simulated stimulation.
    No, she was not referring