Ed stared at the large heavy shopping bag in her hands, the one that had fallen out of the back of a speeding truck laden with goods just a few seconds ago. There was no doubt that it held food, life-saving chow, the relief that would end the stomach-clenching hunger she and Ein had had to suffer for three days running, for what else could the heavenly smells emanating from the bag mean?

Ein yipped and pranced around her, urging her to open the bag and distribute the treasure. Ed giggled, sang, and then did a couple of cartwheels before plunking herself down on the sidewalk. Pressing the bag to her face, she inhaled deeply of the fragrance and let escape an "Aaaaah, Ed is very lucky!" before removing the staples and unrolling the folds.

Her eyes popped: the bag was packed with hamburgers as well as a large carton of fried potatoes -- enough food to feed ten people. The food was so fresh and hot she could still see the steam rising from it. But there was no time to dally because Ein looked ready and eager to make short work of their pile of treasure, so she tossed him several burgers and some potatoes then placed her share into the impromptu sack she'd made by stretching her shirt.

Leaving Ein to his bliss, Ed hummed as she crammed the golden brown potato wedges into her mouth, ignoring the momentary pain when the crisp coating broke open and released the scalding steam trapped inside. Oh, how she had missed hot food she could sink her teeth into! Lying starved and restless on the floor of the Bebop, she often dreamed of potatoes done just like these and now here she was, chewing on the real thing.

When all the fries were gone she started on the burgers. She spent a second thanking the bump in the road that had caused the careening truck to lose some of its precious cargo, then proceeded to tackle the triple-layered delectable without further delay. Despite its hefty size (it was almost as large as a small dinner plate), it proved to be no match for Ed's cavernous maw and powerful teeth, and in one bite, she managed to cut it down to half of its diameter. Her toes curled and another giggle-hum tried to wriggle up her throat as the juice from the ground meat patty (seasoned with pepper and bits of sweet relish) dribbled down her chin. It had been grilled well: the meat was tender inside but had those crusty slightly burnt parts on the outside. Closing her eyes, she savored and rolled around on her tongue the silken gobbets of cheese that oozed down the sides of the sandwich, lapped from her nose the daubs of mayonnaise that had made contact, subdued the cool but unruly lettuce leaves, and exclaimed with surprise upon encountering a burst of sweet tangy flavor from the ripest tomato slice she'd ever eaten. And on it went until all her hamburgers disappeared, each bite an explosion of flavors that made her chirp and purr, made her throw her arms up in the air and sing, "Ed loooooooooves hamburgers! Glorious hamburgers!"

About half an hour later, she turned to look at Ein, who by now lay sprawled out nearby, his belly distended, and wearing that look of languorous stupor that comes from having eaten too much. Around him were scattered the shiny foil wrappers and leftover morsels. It was then that she remembered that Jet, Spike and Faye hadn't had anything to eat as well.

She rooted through the mess she and Ein had made but found nothing worth bringing home. Her spirits sagged a little because as carefree as she was, Ed was fond of Spike, Faye, and Jet and she wished she could have shared this windfall with them.