127
John looked over the entire supermarket ahead of him. The dozens of aisles, each one adorned with glamorous foods and drinks, called out to him. Yet he had only one location in mind. The fresh fruit aisle. His wife, Laura, sighed heavily as she was dragged across the store to look at the fruit. It didn’t take very long for John to find what he was looking for; the long yellow berries sat like a beacon in the middle of the aisle. The curves of the soft, sweet fruit were so very appealing to him, but not necessarily for the taste. He began picking out the largest, yellowest bunches, practically throwing them into the cart.
“Ahem,” Laura coughed at him, putting the fruits back.
“What? I need them,” John shrugged, confused as to what she meant.
“You’ve got plenty of bananas at home,” She gave an exasperated sigh.
“I don’t have anywhere near enough!” He stood up, staring at her.
“No John, we can’t buy more bananas. We’ve already got like 80 at home!” She snapped at him, earning several glances from the other customers.
“I only need several million bananas,” He grumbled to himself, putting the berries back. He could tell that he wasn’t going to win that argument. The 80 or so bananas would have to do for now.
The middle of the night was when John’s true work took place. Everyone, including Laura, thought he was just some paperwork manager in a large office, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. His real job was about to begin. The bananas had all been dried, and they were ready to burn. They were burned to charcoal in his industrial furnace, then burned again in the firepit to make ash. Water was then carefully poured into the mixture to remove soot and other unwanted materials, before the gray sludge got drained and purified. Ever since the state-wide ban on potassium, the amount of new clients he received was overwhelming. He was the man in charge of the potassium black market.
After cleaning the soot and debris out of the mixture, John was left with a fairly small amount of potassium and oxygen. He poured it into a stainless steel pot, and set it in his furnace. He had to get it extremely hot to remove the oxygen.
The sun was just beginning to rise as he poured his potassium into a small disc. 80 bananas resulted in only a couple quarters worth of potassium, but it would still sell for upwards of 500 dollars. He quickly rushed back to the house, so he wouldn’t seem suspicious when his wife woke up. He began making biscuits, Laura’s favorite, before she awoke. The buttery smell drew her from the blankets.
“Ah, good morning! I’m making some biscuits. Want some?” He cheerfully asked. Laura stared blankly at him for a few seconds before she registered what was asked.
“Uh yeah sure! I’ll take some,” Her voice was groggy and rough. After the food was cooked they both sat around the table, eating. The warm food quickly woke her up.
“Say, what did you do with all the bananas?” She asked. John simply smiled and shrugged, as if to say he took care of them.
“Well, I guess we’re going back to the store this week. Your banana addiction is almost bankrupting us,” she joked at him. John simply smiled and drank his coffee, for he knew his business was doing well.
“Ahem,” Laura coughed at him, putting the fruits back.
“What? I need them,” John shrugged, confused as to what she meant.
“You’ve got plenty of bananas at home,” She gave an exasperated sigh.
“I don’t have anywhere near enough!” He stood up, staring at her.
“No John, we can’t buy more bananas. We’ve already got like 80 at home!” She snapped at him, earning several glances from the other customers.
“I only need several million bananas,” He grumbled to himself, putting the berries back. He could tell that he wasn’t going to win that argument. The 80 or so bananas would have to do for now.
The middle of the night was when John’s true work took place. Everyone, including Laura, thought he was just some paperwork manager in a large office, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. His real job was about to begin. The bananas had all been dried, and they were ready to burn. They were burned to charcoal in his industrial furnace, then burned again in the firepit to make ash. Water was then carefully poured into the mixture to remove soot and other unwanted materials, before the gray sludge got drained and purified. Ever since the state-wide ban on potassium, the amount of new clients he received was overwhelming. He was the man in charge of the potassium black market.
After cleaning the soot and debris out of the mixture, John was left with a fairly small amount of potassium and oxygen. He poured it into a stainless steel pot, and set it in his furnace. He had to get it extremely hot to remove the oxygen.
The sun was just beginning to rise as he poured his potassium into a small disc. 80 bananas resulted in only a couple quarters worth of potassium, but it would still sell for upwards of 500 dollars. He quickly rushed back to the house, so he wouldn’t seem suspicious when his wife woke up. He began making biscuits, Laura’s favorite, before she awoke. The buttery smell drew her from the blankets.
“Ah, good morning! I’m making some biscuits. Want some?” He cheerfully asked. Laura stared blankly at him for a few seconds before she registered what was asked.
“Uh yeah sure! I’ll take some,” Her voice was groggy and rough. After the food was cooked they both sat around the table, eating. The warm food quickly woke her up.
“Say, what did you do with all the bananas?” She asked. John simply smiled and shrugged, as if to say he took care of them.
“Well, I guess we’re going back to the store this week. Your banana addiction is almost bankrupting us,” she joked at him. John simply smiled and drank his coffee, for he knew his business was doing well.
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