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"What's it like to be a strawberry?" Nick wondered aloud as he sat at the table, hands ontop of one another on the table in front of him, chin resting on his hands. He stared at the strawberry resting in front of him in the center of the table. He had been intending to eat it when that question had popped into his head.

"What's it like to be something where your sole existance is to be eaten or rot? Does it bother the strawberry to know that it's going to be eaten one day? Does it los any sleep over it?" As you can see, Nick was very bored.

"I wonder if it's against Strawberry law to murder? If so, how come no strawberry police are after peopled who eat strawberries?" Nick thought about that. "Maybe their aren't any strawberry police left because they've all been eaten."

AJ wandered in. "Talking to yourself again? Mm, strawberry." AJ said, then popped the strawberry into his mouth.

"Hey! That was my strawberry!" Nick complained.

"Then you should have eaten it instead of staring at it across the table talking to it." AJ said, and left. Nick sighed, grabbed another strawberry from the basket - a rather small one -, washed it, and was about to eat it when another thought hit him.

"Are small strawberries just small or are they some strawberry mothers kid?" Nick asked, resuming his earlier position with the strawberry in front of him.

"Somewhere, is there a strawberry mother crying for her child that got kidnapps? Was the strawberry child kidnapped? Or did it run away? Does it have brothers or sisters? What about a father? What does the father do for work? Or does it work? What if it doesn't have to work because strawberry growers give the family all it needs. Is that a fair trade?"

"Is what a fair trade?" Howie asked, walking in.

"Not having to work and having all of your needs provided for, but in exchange having some of your people eaten." Nick replied. Howie blinked.

"No, I don't think that's a fair 'trade'." he said. "You eating that strawberry?" Then, without waiting for an answer, Howie ate the strawberry.

"Hey!" Nick exclaimed as Howie left with a wave. Nick sighed and got another strawberry, ate it, and was going to eat another one when another thought struck him. He set the strawberry on the table and leaned back in his chair, thinking.

"Do you hate me now that I've eaten a strawberry? Might that be why the first strawberries are always the best - because the last strawberries have seen all their friends and family eaten and that makes them sour and rotten?" Nick switched the subject to a more interesting one. "Do any strawberries come back maimed but alive? Does it hurt to get turned into strawberry jam? Or do they die with the first mash?" Nick thought some more, staring at his strawberry intently, and didn't even notice Kevin come in until Kevin ate his strawberry.

"That was mine!" Nick complained. Kevin grabbed a few more strawberries and ate them before replying.

"If it was your strawberry you should have eaten it." he said, then got a glass of water and left. Nick sighed and got another strawberry.

"Do any strawberries ever escape the basket-cage? Do they want to? Maybe strawberries WANT to be eaten. Maybe that's why there's been no resistance. Or maybe they know they couldn't possibly win so they didn't try. After all, what would they use for weapons? Grass blades? Pebbles? Small sticks? Their stems? Maybe they've already tried to attack, but we didn't even notice. After all, who would notice a strawberry attacking? They probably got mashed before they could say 'charge'!" There was a cough from the doorway. Nick looked up.

"You need to get out more." Brian said, arching an eyebrow.

"I need someone to get out WITH." Nick said pointedly.

"We're all going out right now." Brian said.

"Coming." Nick said, and ate his strawberry without a second thought before leaving. Brian also grabbed some strawberries before leaving.

In the silence that followed, a small, squeaky voice spoke up.

"Drat! We almost had him on our side!" it said.

"Sh!" Another said, and the first voice quieted.

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