Phineas Widmark stood just inside the
entrance of Professor Widmark's Confectionery Emporium, just as he
had every day for the last ten years. As security opened the doors,
he raised his arms to greet the people waiting outside.
“Here's the secret of my success!
Hellooo, children!” he shouted in his best Ed Wynn voice, as kids
poured into store, their parents in tow. They scattered around the
store, and the Professor would approach them at random, performing a
merry jig and addressing the customers.
“Hello, youngster. Going after the
Silly Beans, I see.”
A little boy nodded. “I like the
green ones best!”
“The orange flavor? I like them
too...of course, I like them all.”
“Which is your favorite, perfessor?”
Widmark made a show of thinking hard
about such a difficult question. “I want to say tan is the
greatest—you think it might be cream soda, but it turns out to be
cherry!”
He gave a goofy wave, and then walked
over to a group of kids who had clustered around the display of
Professor Widmark's Tippy-Top Tasting Yummerific Bars.
“Excellent choice, boys and girls! I
love the Devil's Food ones, personally...but don't miss out on our
new flavors this year! There's Triple-Chocolate Butterscotch Bonanza,
Caramel Almond Explosion—careful of that one if you have any nut
allergies—and Super Duper Marshmallow Surprise!”
The kids oohed and aahed over the new
additions to the Yummerific lineup, allowing Widmark to sneak over to
the Soda Shoppe Drops display. They were creamy candies that tasted
just like an ice cream sundae—a new item, barely tested, but the
smiling faces by the free samples told him that it would be another
successful item.
It would be a good day. Plenty of candy
sold, plenty of happy children, and three public tributes to the Dark
Lord, satisfying his contract for another year.
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