“Mr. Foley is unable to join us today, children – he’s a little under the weather.”
“But my name is Marvellous Mr. Mammon and I’ve been asked to step in.”
“Today, I’d like to tell you a story.”
“There was once a man who owned a little store here in Arcadia. The store sold just one singular item and sold it well. You see, whilst there was a boom in soup, this store owner sold it hand over fist.”
“Everyone wanted soup.”
“The storekeeper eventually couldn’t get enough of the supply to fulfil the demand. With stocks limited, people came by begging to buy what he did have. They would propose inordinate amounts of credits for even a single can of the stuff.”
“Before you knew it, the store owner – knowing what he could sell the soup for, would buy what he could at inflated prices, realizing that he’d make more than his money back.”
“This in turn alerted the manufactures, who slowed down the process of making the soup.”
“And whilst soup was a commodity of the highest order, everyone sought to profit.”
“But you see, the generation after that – they didn’t much care for soup. They’d been raised differently. They’d saw what their parents did to get soup and it made them hate it. They despised the stuff.”
“They were raised to understand the value of other more important things.”
“You sell a lot of soup, don’t you Mr. Fidel?”
“Tons and tons of the stuff, by all accounts.”
“However, your variety of soup is in the depraved and disgusting. You serve the vile needs of those desperate to guzzle down your dirty concoction of filth.”
“You hold to ransom their deepest darkest desires and sell what they require for a profit.”
“Until Felix Foley.”
“Because what you don’t realize is that Felix Foley is raising the next generation of children, Mr. Fidel. He’s raising them to be good, honest, and decent people. He’s raising them to know the difference between right and wrong; good and bad.”
“When the soup boom of Arcadia cost families their homes; children stood up and paid attention.”
“They no longer wanted soup – not at the cost.”
“Well, now that Felix Foley is here to help the children of Arcadia – they won’t want your vile, disgusting wares, Fidel.”
“And soon, like the greedy disgusting Shopkeepers before you, you’ll go out of business.”
“The children of today are the adults of tomorrow and whilst everything has a price, their soul belongs to Felix Foley – not Aarman Fidel.”
“Wow, I heard what you said, Mr. Mammon.”
“I realized that I can’t hide myself away, not when the children of Arcadia need me.”
“But first, I’m really hungry, aren’t you?”
“I wonder if Mr. Fidel has any soup he could spare? I’m really craving some soup.”
“He doesn’t sell soup, Felix. He sells depravity and you’re the only thing stopping the children of today from being his customers of tomorrow. Besides, I have just the thing for you.”
“Oh gosh, a pencil.”
“The children are but a pencil in your hand, Felix; write them well.”