Cricket is not quite as devoted to snacking as his new friend, but he decides to help himself to some pumpkin ice cream with butterscotch topping, then stands back and watches her sundae get bigger and bigger. "Don't make yourself sick, now. That can happen in a human body. And the cold might make your head hurt if you eat too fast."

"A bird, huh? That explains your choice of costume. I'm fond of magpies."

He tugs a chair out for her and sits across from it, at an empty table. "Do things taste different right now, since you're in a human shape?"