In the morning, Jerry awoke and instinctively knew that he'd been with Sarah again. As usual he didn't remember anything, but he could always tell when she'd visited. He felt around on the sheets for the remnants of any nocturnal emissions and was relieved to find none. Then he rolled over to check on Melissa, and was surprised to see that she was wide awake and staring at him.

"Good morning" he said, "Have you been up long?"

"Oh, I've been awake for a while. Jerry, did you know that you talk in your sleep?"

Jerry suddenly had a feeling of impending doom. Melissa never asked a question in that particular way unless it was a prelude to an extended interrogation.

"Gee, I didn't know. Did I say anything interesting?"

"Who's Sarah, Jerry?" Melissa said, looking at him in that special icy way that always made him want to run and hide the cutlery.

"Uh, I don't know anyone named Sarah, I swear!!"

"Well, you sure had one helluva throbbing hard-on for someone you claim not to know. Now tell me the truth Jerry, WHO IS SHE!!!"

"Honest, I don't know anyone named Sarah. You're the only woman in my life. That's the truth!!"

"I don't believe you Jerry. There's no way you don't know this chick. And, there's another thing I want to know. How come you were mumbling stuff about wanting her to swallow you? You kept saying it over and over again, and you had a big smile on your face to go along with the big hard-on. No more lies Jerry. Tell me the who she is ... NOW!!!

Jerry felt like a mouse trapped in a corner by a cat. Melissa had missed her true calling in life. She should have been an interrogator for the North Koreans. The only thing missing were the electrodes hooked up to his balls. He finally figured that he might as well come clean about Sarah. But, there was no way he was going to mention the tank. She was going to have to DRAG that out of him.

"OK, here's the deal. I don't know any real woman named Sarah. She's just some chick I've seen in my dreams my whole life. She was there long before I met you, or anyone else for that matter. She's not real Melissa, she's just a figment of my imagination, Honest!!"

"Bullshit!! Nobody gets THAT turned on over some chick in their dreams. How long have you been screwing her behind my back? Where did you meet her? You'd better tell me Jerry, OR ELSE!!!"

"I'm NOT lying to you Melissa, I swear on a stack of bibles. Look at me sweetie, you can always tell when I'm lying. Do I look like I'm lying?"

Melissa held Jerry in her fiery gaze for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, her facial expression softened, and a flicker of a smile appeared on her face.

"OK Jerry, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt ... this time. But if I ever find out that you lied to me, your ass is grass. I still want you to tell me what that swallowing business was all about."

Jerry decided to push his luck and tell a half truth.

"I don't know for sure. I never remember anything that happens in my dreams, unless I'm dreaming about you. Who knows what the heck I was talking about. It could have been anything."

"You dream about me?"

"Sure sweetie, all the time. You're the only girl in my life that matters. You don't need to worry about competing with some silly dream babe."

"I don't want you dreaming about this Sarah any more Jerry."

"I'm not sure if that's possible Melissa. I only dream about her when I'm deep asleep, and I don't have any control over what happens then. Like I said earlier, I never remember anything anyway. I'll try not to dream about her, OK? That's the best I can do. Now come on, let's kiss and make up."

Melissa was suddenly all cuddly again, and Jerry breathed a huge sigh of relief at having dodged yet another bullet.

For some reason, Jerry didn't dream about Sarah for the next four nights. He felt her subtle presence, but she chose to remain invisible to him. This was the first time in years that he could recall not seeing those gorgeous eyes as he drifted off to sleep, and he wondered why. He missed her. Even when he tried to dream about her he couldn't, and that troubled him. Was she mad at him about something? He knew that it was dangerous to dream about Sarah as long as Melissa was around, but he was willing to take the chance. He hoped that she hadn't left him forever.

On Friday, Sarah returned. As Jerry slowly drifted off to sleep, he saw the faint but familiar outline of her lovely brown eyes.

"Sarah, is that you? Where have you been, I missed you."

"I've been mad at you Jerry. I didn't like the way you talked about me to Melissa. I'm not just some chick you've been dreaming about your whole life, and I'm not just some figment of your imagination. You should know that by now."

"I didn't mean any of that stuff Sarah!! I had to say it to get Melissa off my back. How do you know about that conversation anyway?"

"You dreamt about it Jerry, and I know everything you dream about. I told you about that before, remember? I also know that you feel guilty for saying those things, so I forgive you. I just wanted to stay out of sight for a few days to let you know that you're not in complete control of me, and that I have feelings too."

"I'm sorry. I'll be more careful about what I say from now on."

"That's not enough Jerry. I want to see you in that special way again. I want to see you tonight."

"That's just not possible Sarah. I've already told you about not having access to the tank. It's at Roger's place."

"I know that Jerry. But, you WILL come see me tonight. You'll HAVE to come to me."

"What do you mean I'll have to? Sarah? Sarah come back and talk to me!!"

Sarah had vanished as mysteriously as she had appeared, and nothing Jerry did could make her reappear. He eventually drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Jerry and Melissa were awaken by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Geez, it's two thirty in the freaking morning. Who the heck could be calling?", Jerry mumbled. He reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jerry? This is Sally. Oh God, I think something horrible has happened to Roger. Can you come over here right away? I'm so afraid!!"

The sound of Sally's trembling voice yanked Jerry into full awareness.

"Wait a minute, slow down Sally. Tell me exactly what happened."

"Roger and I had a big argument a few hours ago about some silly little thing. He went storming out of the room and said that he was going down to his lab. When he didn't come back I got worried and went downstairs to check up on him. I saw that the tank electronics were turned on, and figured that he was probably inside. But, when I lifted up the lid, he wasn't there. Could you please come over Jerry. I'm so scared I can't think straight."

"Are you sure he didn't just go outside for a walk or something?"

"I'm positive Jerry. Roger told me a lot about the tank, and I'm sure something horrible happened."

"OK Sally, try to calm down. I'll be over in a few minutes."

All the hubbub had awaken Melissa, who was listening intently to the conversation.

"What's wrong Jerry?"

"That was Sally. Something's happened to Roger, and I've got to go over there right away. She's really scared."

"I'm going too Jerry."

"OK. Hurry up and get dressed."

Jerry was hesitant to have Melissa tagging along because, depending on what happened, he might have to tell her the truth about the tank. He hoped he wouldn't have to tell her the whole truth about Sarah.

They quickly threw on some clothes, dashed out of the house, and arrived at Roger's place a few minutes later. Sally was waiting for them on the porch. Her arms were folded tightly in front of her, and it was obvious that she had been crying.

Jerry and Melissa ran to her side and put their arms around her.

"It's OK Sally, we're here now. Let's go down to the lab."

They descended the stairs and walked over to the tank. The lid was opened.

"All right now, what makes you think something happened to Roger while he was in the tank?"

"Look close Jerry, see the patches floating in the water? Roger would never have left those in the tank. You know how meticulous he is about taking care of his equipment. But, what really convinced me that something terrible had happened was what I saw at the bottom of the tank. Look."

Jerry peered into the water and saw what appeared to be a small metallic object resting on the bottom. He was pretty sure he knew what it was.

"It is okay for me to retrieve it?"

Sally nodded. Jerry reached into the tank and scooped up the object. His suspicions were correct. It was Rogers "Dream Masters" ring. Jerry wore a similar ring on his hand. On the top was a golden infinity symbol, representing the infinite possibilities of dreams. Jerry and Roger had helped form the "Dream Masters" club in their sophomore year of high school. It consisted of a small group of like-minded kids who were heavily into science fiction and fantasy. After graduation they'd drifted their own separate ways, but they always tried to get together at least once a year for a big party at Roger's place. Roger and Jerry were the real leaders of the club, and wore their rings proudly. They had sworn oaths many times that they would wear the rings until the day they died. Jerry had never seen Roger without it.

"Roger told me all about the ring and how it kind of symbolized the friendship you guys have had for so long. When I saw it lying on the bottom of the tank, I knew that something was horribly wrong. That's when I called you."

"Have you called the cops yet?"

"No, I figured I'd wait until you got here. Do you have any ideas what to do?"

Jerry did have some thoughts about what might have happened, and they scared him. He recalled a snippet of the dream conversation he'd had with Sarah a few hours earlier, specifically the part where she'd said that he'd have to come see her tonight. He hadn't thought much about it at the time, but now it was all becoming clear to him. As hard as it was to believe, Sarah had somehow pulled Roger completely into the world of dreams. He didn't know exactly how she'd done it, but it was the only thing that made sense. Now, how the heck was he going to explain his theory to Sally and Melissa, especially Melissa.

"Sally, how much did Roger tell you about his experiences in the tank?"

"Quite a bit. I've been in the tank myself once, but it was too scary for me. Roger laughed and thought I was a chicken."

"Did he ever tell you about any of the people he met while he was dreaming?"

"Well, we were pretty drunk one night and he told me some really wild stuff about a girl named Sarah."

"Sarah?" Melissa said, looking at him in an accusing way. "Jerry, is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Jerry knew that this was probably going to happen eventually, he just didn't think it would happen this way. He briefly considered telling Melissa the whole story, but decided that his first priority had to be finding Roger. Besides, he wasn't in the mood to put up with another one of her hissy fits.

"Melissa, I'll explain everything to you in a while, but first let's work on finding Roger, OK?"

"No, I want to know everything ... RIGHT NOW!! TELL ME!!!"

"Melissa, this is no time for one of your jealous rants. I think I know what happened to Roger, and Sally and I are going to need all your support to get him back. If you don't want to help then leave. You can be as pissed off at me as you want later on, but for now GET OFF MY BACK!!"

Melissa looked at Jerry in shock. Her lower lip was quivering as she tried to fight back a sniffle. Jerry had never reacted angrily to any of her outbursts before, and she didn't quite know what to say next.

"OK Jerry, I'm sorry. Tell me how I can help."

Jerry walked over to her and gave her a big hug. Then he walked over to Sally and held her hand.

"Sally, this is going to be hard to believe, but here's the condensed version of what I think happened. Somehow, Roger has been pulled into the world of dreams by Sarah, a girl that both Roger and I met while we were tanking. I have no idea how she did it, but I suspect that it's really me that she's after, and she's just using Roger as bait. I'm going to have to go in after him, and I need to rely on you guys to monitor the tank's electronics. Do you think you're up to handling that?"

Melissa and Sally both looked at Jerry with incredulous expressions on their faces, their mouths agape.

"Jerry, this is no time to joke around!!", Melissa said.

"I'm not joking guys, I'm dead serious. If you had any idea what Roger and I experienced while we were in the tank dreaming, you'd understand why I think that he's somehow been snatched by Sarah. She's far more than just a dream."

"Jerry, I don't want you to do this!!", Sally said. "This is crazy. If what you're saying is true, and I'm not saying that it is, you could get hurt."

"I have to do it Sally. Roger's my best friend, and I know he'd do it for me without any hesitation. I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try."

Melissa started sobbing as Jerry ducked into the john to change into some swimming trunks. When he returned a couple of minutes later, Sally seemed to have settled her down.

"OK Sally, lets make sure all the electronics are functioning properly. I'm going to need you guys to monitor me really closely. If you see any funny shit happening to my vital signs, yank me back quick. Sarah obviously found some way to keep the fail safe switches from tripping, or she never would have been able to snatch Roger."

Jerry and Sally satisfied themselves that everything was functioning normally as Melissa watched intently. Then Jerry walked over to the tank, climbed in, and hooked the electrodes up to his torso and head. At this point he realized that he was scared shitless. He had no idea what was going to happen or if he'd ever return. Melissa sensed his fear and started to tear up again.

"Jerry please don't do this. This is scaring me!!"

"I'm scared to, but I've got to do this. I'll be OK, I promise."

"You'd better not be lying to me Jerry, or I'll be really pissed!!" Melissa sobbed, as she bent over and kissed him.

"OK guys, lets get the show on the road", Jerry said, feigning confidence. "Sally, go ahead and close the lid. I'll see both of you in a little while."

"Good luck Jerry" Sally said, beginning to tear up for the first time. "Please bring Roger back to me!!"

Jerry took a deep breath as Sally lowered the lid. In an instant, he was bathed in inky darkness. As had happened on his previous tank trip, Jerry was initially apprehensive about being alone in the dark, but the apprehension quickly subsided, along with all the sensations of the external world.

Before he knew it, he found himself once again soaring high above the wispy clouds as he looked down on his home town. The euphoria he felt at being freed from the bonds of reality momentarily made him forget why he had returned to the world of his dreams. Then he quickly regained his focus, and began looking for Sarah. He couldn't see her, but he knew she was watching him. He could feel her presence enveloping him as he effortlessly floated among the clouds.

It wasn't long before he detected the faint image of Sarah's haunting eyes peering at him from just over the horizon. Jerry tried to float closer to her, but she retreated as quickly as he approached.

"Sarah, stop playing around and talk to me. What have you done with Roger?"

Sarah remained silent, content to simply gaze at Jerry from afar. Then she vanished.

"Hey, where'd you go? Come back, PLEASE!! This isn't funny Sarah!!"

Suddenly, Jerry felt a gentle gust of warm, moist air at his back. He turned around and was startled to see Sarah floating beside him, and she was huge. She blew another puff of air at him and giggled.

"Hi Jerry, I knew you'd come. I've really missed you."

"I've really missed you too Sarah, but you know why I'm here. Where's Roger? What have you done with him?"

"Don't worry about Roger, Jerry. He's in a very special place right now."

"Where's that? Can I see him?"

Sarah just smiled seductively and patted her belly.

"What the heck does that mean? Oh my God, DID YOU EAT HIM?"

"That's right Jerry, I ate him. I swallowed him alive, digested him, and absorbed him into my body. He loved every minute of it. You guys really are like two peas in a pod."

Jerry just looked at Sarah with a shocked expression. He was speechless.

"Oh Jerry, don't worry about Roger. He's fine. I can restore him to his body any time I want. Don't forget where you are. Anything is possible here. Roger is part of me and he's very happy. However, he does want to go back to his girlfriend sometime soon. He misses her."

"Wait a minute. The last time I was here, you told me that if I let you swallow me, I could stay in your stomach, or re-materialize outside your body, or do anything I wanted. Why can't Roger do that?"

"He could have up until the point where I totally absorbed him into my body. He gave himself to me willingly Jerry, and now only I can release him."

"Is that what you were going to do to me the last time I was here?"

Sarah looked at Jerry longingly.

"I would have allowed our beings to merge into one Jerry, but in a different sort of way. I wanted to share a kind of intimacy with you that you can scarcely begin to imagine. We would have become one with each other both physically and spiritually, but you would have been free to leave my body at any time."

"But why did you eat Roger?"

"He wanted me to. He was really mad at his girlfriend when he came to see me. I suggested that he let me swallow him so that he could curl up inside my tummy for a while and cool down. Once he was inside me, he fell asleep. Before long, I had digested and absorbed him. It was what he really wanted, I could tell. Once he was part of me, he ceased to exist in your world."

"So, that's why he vanished from the tank. Did you plan all this just to get be back in here with you?"

"No Jerry, I didn't plan anything. But once I had absorbed Roger, I knew you'd come after him. I know how strong your friendship is."

"Well I'm here, so could you please let Roger go now?"

"Only if you promise to stay with me. Just one of you can return to the tank. I want you to let me absorb you Jerry. Once you're part of me, your physical being will vanish from your world. Then I'll release Roger so that he can return to the tank."

Jerry sighed. This is what he thought Sarah had in mind, but he'd hoped it wasn't true.

"Why are you doing this to me Sarah?"

"Jerry, I've existed alone here in the world of dreams for countless millennia. Untold numbers of men have come to me in their sleep for comfort, and I've given it to them. But they always leave and remember little of me or the time we shared. You can't imagine what an empty and lonely existence I've lead. I especially looked forward to visits from You and Roger because you guys are so much fun, but in the morning you both forgot me like all the others. I only existed for you in the deepest recesses of your minds."

"Then, a few months ago, Roger visited me and it was so different from any of his previous visits. We actually ... touched each other in a physical sense. I'd never experienced the actual touch of another being before. It was exhilarating beyond belief. Then you visited me, and I knew that I wanted you to stay with me forever. I can make you happier than anyone else possibly could Jerry. Nobody knows you as well as I do. Melissa will only wind up making you unhappy. I know how you really feel about her Jerry, even if you won't admit it to yourself. Stay with me willingly Jerry. It's what you want."

Sarah's words both touched and startled Jerry, particularly as they related to Melissa. He thought he loved her, but deep inside him there had always been nagging doubts.

"Let Roger go Melissa, and then we can talk."

"Only if you let me swallow and absorb you Jerry. You can't both be in the tank at the same time."

Sarah reached out and touched Jerry's cheek softly with her fingers as she continued gazing deeply into his eyes. Jerry knew he was falling under her spell, and he felt powerless to prevent it from happening. As he stared at her, she began slowly growing larger and larger.

"Come inside me now Jerry, so we can be as one." Sarah said in a seductive whisper.

As before, she opened her heavenly mouth wide and beckoned him to enter it's glistening pink interior. He floated through her sensuous lips to the very back of her mouth, and settled gently onto the warm, moist surface of her tongue. Thoughts of why he had returned to the world of dreams were nearly forgotten as he was overwhelmed by the intense pleasure of being deep inside Sarah's sweet mouth, gazing down her luscious throat once again. Sarah slowly closed her mouth, enveloping Jerry in darkness while gently compressing him against her soft palate with her tongue. Then she swallowed him, and Jerry quickly slid down her incredible undulating esophagus to her stomach.

As he lay there in the inky darkness listening to the wonderful muted sounds of Sarah's body, he tried to keep his memories of the outside world from fading away entirely. Something in the back of his mind commanded him to resist being absorbed, even as his conscious mind was totally surrendering to Sarah and her sweet desires.

Jerry could feel Sarah's loving presence enveloping him, even as the sensations from his body were slipping away. She was absorbing him, and the feeling was both soothing and exhilarating at the same time. At some point, he knew that he and Sarah were one. At that exact instant, he sensed that Roger had been released, as Sarah had promised.

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In Rogers basement, a sudden commotion coming from the tank caused Sally and Melissa to leap to their feet. They ran to the tank, threw back the cover, and gasped at the sight of Roger. Jerry was gone.

"Oh my God, where's Jerry?" Melissa shrieked.

"Sarah has him," Roger whispered in a weak voice as he slowly got out of the tank.

Sally and Roger embraced as Melissa wept uncontrollably.

"Melissa, I know things look bad, but I have a funny feeling that we haven't lost Jerry forever. I sensed something in the instant that I left Sarah's body and Jerry was absorbed. I can't put my finger on it, but let's hang out down here for a while and see what happens, OK?"

"So, what exactly happened in there?" Sally asked.

"Left Sarah's body? Absorbed??", Melissa exclaimed.

Roger spent the next 15 minutes explaining everything that had happened. Sally and Melissa just looked at him with their mouths open.

"She actually ate you?" they said in unison.

Roger nodded as he clung tightly to Sally.

--------------------------------------------------

Inside Sarah's body, Jerry felt a physical and spiritual intimacy with her that he could never have imagined. Despite those intensely wonderful feelings, he couldn't help thinking about the agony Melissa must be going through worrying about him.

"Jerry, I'm going to let you go," Sarah said. "I know your deepest thoughts, and I won't force you to stay with me unless you're completely willing. I thought I could make you forget all about your world, but I was wrong."

The next instant, Jerry found himself floating outside of Sarah's body, looking at her tear laden eyes.

"I know that you have feelings for Melissa, and I won't force you to stay with me if you want to be with her."

Jerry didn't know what to say. He had been unbelievably at piece inside of Sarah. Now that he was no longer one with her, his memories of the real world began to return. He had a hard time looking at her sad eyes, because he knew how much she cared for him.

"I really do love you Sarah. I could have stayed with you and been happy. You know that"

"I know Jerry, but you belong to your world, not mine. It's time for you to go back there. Thank you for letting me know what it's like to be touched ... to feel you inside me. Don't ever forget me. Goodbye Jerry."

She kissed Jerry gently on the mouth. He closed his eyes as her lips touched his. The next thing he knew, he was spitting out a mouthful of salt water.

As Jerry stood up in the tank coughing, the girls shrieked in unison.

"Dude, you made it back!! Way to go!! Something told me we hadn't seen the last of you.

Roger helped Jerry from the tank. Melissa rushed over and hugged him.

"What happened in there Jerry?" she asked.

"I don't think I'll ever be able to fully explain it. Sarah let me go because she sensed that I wanted to return to you. She wouldn't keep me there unless I totally gave myself to her. I guess I couldn't do that."

"You guess?" said Melissa suspiciously.

"The whole experience has been pretty draining Melissa. Right now, all I want to do is dry off and unwind with you guys for a little while. Hey Roger, you got any brewskis?"

"Dude, does a bear shit in the woods? What's your pleasure?"

The four of them walked upstairs. Melissa and Sally sat down in the living room and began talking while Jerry and Roger went to the kitchen to snag a couple of beers. When they returned to the living room, the girls were staring at them.

"What?" the guys said.

"Roger, I want you to dismantle that stupid tank and never use it again. Do you have any idea how frightened I was that I'd never see you again? It's time for you quit screwing around with all these useless experiments and do something with your life. If you want me to stay with you, you need to grow up and quit acting like a character out of 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High'. Do you understand me?"

Roger stared at Sally incredulously.

"The same thing goes for you Jerry. I don't know if I'll ever know what really went on in that tank. But, I expect you to forget all about that bitch Sarah if you want to stay with me!!"

Jerry and Roger looked at the girls then looked at each other. Then they looked at the girls again.

"Uh, could you ladies excuse us for a few seconds," they said as they bolted for the kitchen.

"You guys come back here right now!!" Melissa and Sally yelled as the guys scurried from the room.

"Dude, this sucks most heinously!!" Roger said.

"Tell me about it!!" said Jerry.

"I suggest we go downstairs, hop in the tank, and see if Sarah's still hungry. I don't know if I can handle this kind of shit from Sally."

"Sarah's gone Roger."

"What do you mean GONE dude?"

"The way she said goodbye to me, I don't think either of us will ever see her again, even in our dreams."

They chatted for a while longer, then headed back to the living room to face the music.

Sally and Melissa led the guys back down to the basement and watched like hawks as they dismantled the tank and unhooked all the electronics. It was a hard thing to do, but deep down inside they both knew that the tank would keep calling to then if it remained intact. When they were done, they all went back upstairs and talked. Jerry and Melissa left for his place a couple of hours later.

That night, Jerry tried to dream about Sarah but couldn't. He knew he'd lost her forever.

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Roger and Sally got married about six months later. Jerry and Melissa tied the knot a couple of months after that. Roger and Jerry were best men at each other's weddings.

Roger began attending College and wound up getting an electrical engineering degree in a little over two years. He was sceptical about school being worthwhile, but he did it to get Sally off his back. She convinced him that he'd never be able to get a real job without a degree. He discovered that it was actually kind of fun, and emersed himself in it like he did with everything else. He took an incredibly heavy class load, but still managed to ace everything. When he graduated, he landed a plum job at a NASA research facility about 20 miles from his house.

Meanwhile, Jerry and Melissa moved to San Diego after he snagged a great programming job for a high tech firm there.

As the years rolled by, Jerry and Roger tried to keep in touch, but Melissa made it increasingly difficult. After the incident with Sarah, Melissa had become even more possessive, to the point where she even exhibited jealousy over his friendship with Roger. Jerry often wondered how things would have turned out for him had he stayed with Sarah. He missed her terribly, and his less than happy life with Melissa made him long for Sarah to return to his dreams. Every night, he tried to conjure her up, to no avail.

About fifteen years into their marriage, Jerry came home from work a little early one day and discovered Melissa and the Krispy Kreme Donut man doing the wango tango on the living room couch. He was overwhelmed with the irony that Melissa, obsessively jealous Melissa, would cheat on him. Things went downhill for them rapidly after that, and they divorced less than a year later. Melissa eventually moved in with the donut man while Jerry remained in his house, alone.

He didn't date much after the divorce, and he found himself spending more and more time thinking about Sarah, wondering about what might have been.

More years passed, and Jerry began feeling as though he was merely marking time. When he looked at himself in the mirror in the morning while he was shaving, he dwelled on things like his rapidly thinning hairline, his emerging paunch, and the lines on his face. He was not a happy person.

Then one day Jerry began to think to himself, "I wonder if Roger still has his tank equipment. Maybe if I went back into the world of dreams, I could find Sarah again."

Jerry began thinking more and more about the tank. Finally, he decided to pick up the phone and call Roger. The two of them had agreed years ago never to talk about the tank because it dredged up too many memories, especially for Jerry. Roger's phone rang and rang before a recording finally answered.

"Hi, we'll be out of town on vacation for a couple of weeks. Please leave a message and we'll get back with you when we return."

Jerry hung up the phone and slumped down into his chair despondently. Then he suddenly bolted to his feet.

"Fuck this shit!!" he said to himself. "I've got to see if the tank is still there."

Jerry grabbed his key chain from his coat pocket and a smile quickly crept across his face. The key to Roger's house was still there. He ran from the house, jumped into his car, and drove off. Roger's place was about an 8 hour drive if he did the speed limit. He made it in a little over 6. When he pulled into Rogers driveway, it was just past midnight.

He walked up to the familiar front door, inserted the key, and turned it. IT WORKED!! He hadn't visited Roger and Sally for about 5 years and he had been concerned that Roger may have changed his locks. Thank goodness he hadn't.

Jerry flipped on the stairway light and descended into the basement. When he turned on the basement lights, he was shocked. Gone was the chaotic laboratory of Roger the mad scientist. In it's place was a nicely finished recreation room. Jerry looked off into the far corner and spotted the door to what used to be Rogers junk room. It was his last hope. He walked over, gingerly opened the door, and turned on the light. He was overwhelmed with relief when he saw that the room was the same mess that it had been nearly 20 years earlier. Then he spotted something that made his heart skip a beat. He ran to the far corner of the room, and underneath a large pile of dusty junk he located the dismantled tank!!

As he looked around, he found what appeared to be some of the electronic equipment that had been connected to the tank. He wasn't interested in any of the fail safe switches. He just prayed that the sensory masking electronics and the stuff that controlled the temperature of the water was still intact. After about 10 minutes of further digging, he found what he was looking for. Everything appeared to be dusty but otherwise undamaged. He wouldn't know if the stuff worked until he actually hooked everything up. If the electronics were broken, he knew he was screwed.

Jerry dragged what he needed into the rec room and began trying to reassemble it. It'd been a long time, but he pretty much remembered what went where. The hardest part was getting the tank itself onto the legs that supported it. The bottom half of the tank must have weighed 150 pounds, and was very awkward to work with. Attaching the lid was fairly easy. Fortunately, Jerry and Roger had taken care when they disassembled the tank. Nothing appeared to be bent, and the lid appeared to fit like a glove. However, he wouldn't know for sure how good the seal still was until he was actually inside the tank.

Next, he hooked up all the electronics. This was the crucial part. If he plugged the stuff in and it didn't come on, he figured he'd have to forget the whole thing. He had no idea how the various sensor systems worked, and he'd never be able to figure out how to fix them. He shoved the plug into the socket, crossed his fingers, and flipped the power switch. Everything sprang to life.

"Yeehaa!! Now I need to fill this thing with water. Shit, I wonder if Roger still has any epsom salts!!"

Jerry returned to the junk room and rummaged around for 15 minutes to no avail. He was just about to give up when he noticed a pile of wood that had somehow escaped his scrutiny. He quickly started burrowing through the pile. When he reached the bottom he struck pay dirt. His eyes were greeted by four unopened 50 pound bags of epsom salts.

"YES!!!" he yelled in triumph as he picked up the bags one by one and carried them to the rec room.

He hooked up the hose and began filling the tank with warm water. As the water level slowly rose, he began dumping in the epsom salts, keeping a close eye on the salinity and temperature gauges on the control panel. He tried to keep the water as close to skin temperature as possible. Twenty minutes later, the tank was filled and ready to go.

Jerry put on the swimming trunks he'd brought with him, took a deep breath, and climbed into the tank. He kept the lid up until The water temperature reached equilibrium with his body. Then he taped the biofeedback patch to his forehead and lowered the lid. The tank had a panel of instruments on the underside of the lid so that a user could operate everything by himself if necessary. When he was sure that everything seemed to be functioning, he shut off the control panel light and was emersed in total darkness. The lid's seals seemed to have survived all the years without any damage.

Now he just tried to relax, and hoped that the biofeedback electronics were indeed working correctly. Thankfully, they were. Before long, he began to experience the familiar euphoria of being totally isolated from all outside stimuli. Then, as both times before, he eventually found himself floating blissfully among puffy clouds, looking down on his home town. It would have been easy to become overwhelmed with the sheer ecstasy of soaring effortlessly through the skies like a bird, but Jerry knew that he had to keep focused on his purpose, finding Sarah. The memory of her voice and the look in her eyes as she said goodbye to him so many years earlier haunted him as he searched.

He soared for what seemed like hours calling her name and looking behind every cloud, to no avail. He kept expecting to see her appear from nowhere as she had before, but it wasn't happening this time. He was quickly becoming discouraged, and tears began to form in his eyes at the thought that he might truly never see Sarah again. He felt like such a fool for ever leaving her.

"SARAH!!!!" he shouted again and again, but all he heard in response was the sound of the wind. Suddenly, as he soared over the town's central park, a flicker of movement on the ground caught his eye. He quickly swooped down to investigate, but all he found was an empty park bench. Then he spotted a glistening object lying on the ground next to the bench. He walked over and picked it up, and his heart skipped a beat. It was one of the earrings Sarah had been wearing on their last encounter. He clutched it tightly in his hand and looked to see if she was anywhere around. She wasn't.

After a while, he began to feel strangely tired and sat down on the bench. He'd always assumed that he'd never have any need for sleep while he was tanking, but he suddenly felt totally exhausted. Eventually, he stretched out on the bench and dozed off. When he awoke, he realized that his head was now resting on something warm and soft, instead of the hard surface of the bench. Then he opened his eyes and gasped in joy at the sight of Sarah's radiant face looking down at him. His head was resting on her lap.

"SARAH!!!" he exclaimed as he quickly sat up, "Is it really you?"

"It's really me Jerry. Are you happy to see me?"

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you. I didn't think I'd ever find you again. Were you hiding from me all along?"

"I wasn't hiding Jerry. I was far, far away in a place dream people go when they don't want to be part of anybody's dreams anymore. If you hadn't come back here when you did, I would have been gone forever. Are you ready to stay with me now?"

"Nothing could make me leave again. I never should have left the last time."

Jerry looked at Sarah's left ear and smiled.

"I believe this is your's" he said, opening up his hand and displaying the earring.

"Gee, I wondered where that went," she say coyly. "Would you put it on me please?"

Jerry attached the earring to Sarah's left ear, and then just gazed into her eyes. All the memories from so long ago when he and Sarah spent the short time together as one came rushing back into his mind as he fell under her sweet spell once again.

Sarah held Jerry's hands in her's and began gently kissing him. Jerry's eyes were closed, but he knew that he and Sarah had begun floating. As they slowly spiraled upward into the sky, she began kissing him more and more passionately. Before long, he realized that Sarah's mouth was becoming much larger that his. He simply kept his eyes shut and relaxed, knowing what was going to happen next. Her kisses kept getting wetter and wetter, until eventually he felt his head being slowly sucked through her soft lips into her warm, dark mouth. Soon, his whole body had been sucked through her lips, and he was laying face down on the surface of her juicy tongue begging to be swallowed. He didn't have to wait long. In a few seconds he was once again deep inside her body, and all thoughts of Melissa and the world he'd left behind were forgotten as he willingly gave himself to Sarah and became one with her.

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"Hey whose car is that?" Sally said as she and Roger pulled into their driveway.

"It looks like Jerry's," said Roger. "What the heck is he doing here. I wonder if he and Melissa had a big fight."

"Hey dude, where the hell are you?" Roger yelled as he entered the house. There was no response.

"Look Roger, the basement light's on!!" Sally said.

They looked at each other and then ran down the stairs. There, in the middle of the floor, was the tank.

Roger quickly walked over and looked at the external control panel. None of the gauges were registering anything. Then he lifted the tank's lid and looked at Sally.

"He's gone to be with Sarah" he said softly, as they both stared at the pair of red swim trunks floating in the water.

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A few weeks later as Roger was about to drift off to sleep, he was greeted by Sarah's huge brown eyes for the first time in over 20 years.

"Sarah, my God!! I never thought I'd see you again."

"Hello Roger," she said, smiling sweetly. "I have somebody here who'd like to talk to you."

"Hey man, what's happening?" a familiar voice said.

When Roger finally located the voice, he was overjoyed to see that it was Jerry. He was lying contentedly on Sarah's chest, with his head nestled comfortably between her perfect breasts.

"Shit dude, you sure as heck look happy!! You look like you're about 20 again!! Damn, I love your new ear muffs!!"

"Yeah man, everybody's gonna want a pair of these."

"So dude, are you there for keeps?"

"Yup. I stayed inside Sarah's body for so long that there's absolutely no connection linking me to the outside world any more. I guess I'm stuck here!!" he said as he rolled over and gave Sarah's left titty a big motorboat.

"Stop that, or I just might have to eat you!!" Sarah squealed in mock protest.

"Ooops, looks like I'm in trouble now!! Hey just one more thing man. I left something for you in our secret hiding place. I couldn't take it with me, so I wanted you to hang on to it for me. Try to remember to look there when you wake up. Whatever you do, don't forget this dream!!"

"OK Dude, will do."

Sarah suddenly reached down, picked Jerry up between her fingers, and looked at him hungrily.

"Uh oh, it looks like my sweetie has something planned for me. Hey, it was sure good talking to you again man."

"Absolutely dude!! Will I ever see you guys again?"

"Oh, I wouldn't be surprised if we popped up from time to time when you least expect it."

"Far out dude!!"

"OK Mr Motorboat, time to say goodbye!!" Sarah said, licking her lips.

"Gotta go man!! You never want to keep a hungry woman waiting. I'll catch up with you down the road sometime."

"OK dude, take care!!"

Roger watched as Sarah picked Jerry up by the ankles and slowly stuffed him head first into her mouth. She kept pushing gently until all of him except his feet had disappeared down her throat. Then she looked right at Roger and swallowed while keeping her mouth wide open. Jerry's feet quickly vanished, leaving nothing in Sarah's juicy mouth but her quivering uvula. Then she closed her mouth and smiled.

"Bye for now Roger. Don't worry about Jerry, I'll take REAL good care of him. I promise."

"Uh, I'll bet you will. Bye Sarah."

Sarah vanished as quickly as she had appeared. Suddenly, Roger awoke and sat upright in bed.

"HOLY SHIT!!" he exclaimed, waking up Sally in the process.

"Honey, what's the matter? Did you have a bad dream?"

"No, I had the most WONDERFUL dream. Come on, let's go downstairs for a few minutes."

"Roger, it's 2 o'clock in the morning!!"

"I know, but this can't wait. Come on, lets go!!"

Roger grabbed Sally's hand and quickly led her out of the bedroom and into the living room, stopping in front of the fireplace.

"Roger, what is going on?" she protested.

"Just a second and you'll find out."

Roger pressed his finger against a spot about halfway up the left side of the mantle. He smiled as tiny gears began whiring and a small opening began to appear on the top of the mantle, from which emerged a rectangular metal container.

Roger grabbed the box, unlatched the top, and dumped it's contents into his hand. It was a ring, Jerry's "Dream Masters" ring. His dream had been real.

Roger showed the ring to an astonished Sally. Then they embraced each other, both of them overjoyed at the knowledge that Jerry was safe and sound in the world of dreams with Sarah.

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Inside Sarah's dark and steamy stomach, Jerry once again found himself being sensuously digested.

"Damn, it just doesn't get any better than this!!" he thought as he closed his eyes and felt himself being slowly absorbed atom by atom into Sarah's gorgeous body. It'd only been a few short weeks since he'd left the physical world behind. Sarah had told him that she had delights in store for him that would make him forget all about being swallowed, things that she had thought of during all those countless millennia that she had spent alone. She wouldn't be specific, but something in her eyes told him not to doubt her words. However, he was in no particular hurry for her to show him what she'd meant. After all, he had all the time in the world to find out.