Stocks and Buns (Short Story)

It's Friday here at Megaplex, but I've got this month's story up!

The rabbit slid up to him quietly and glanced around before he spoke. “Hey man, wanna buy a burger?”

The wolf paused, confused by the man who was waylaying him. “I mean that’s why I’m here.”

“Then let me hook you up,” said the rabbit with a cool, disarming smile.

David looked at the entrance to Burger House, and then back to the rabbit. They were ten feet from the door. The rabbit didn’t have a Burger House uniform on, and he looked a little malnourished. “Do you work here?”

“No, of course not,” said the rabbit. “I’m an entrepreneur.”

“Right…” said the wolf, turning away from the interloper. He walked over and took hold of the door handle.

“No, seriously,” said the rabbit following the wolf. In one of his paws there was a Burger House bag, which he held up. “I’ve got a number #2 combo with a side of fries right here. It’s 4,000 credits.”

David frowned. His ears drooped a little, but he dropped his paw. “4,000 credits?” he asked.

“Yeah,” said the rabbit, looking into the window and then waving the wolf to one side, away from the door. “4,000 credits. It’s on a sesame bun, fully loaded, and some extra ketchup packets,” he added.

“You know they sell that for 3,500 credits inside,” remarked the wolf, not impressed.

“Maybe at 11:00 AM this morning, but it’s 1:00 PM,” responded the rabbit. “You go check the price and come back. I’ll be waiting here for the next intrepid person willing to trust me on this.” He made a shooing motion.

David just shook his head. He walked back to the door and entered the crowded restaurant. The smell of hot grease filled his nose as he got in line to place his order. His tail was starting to wag thinking about his lunch, when a commotion perked his ears.

“What do you mean, 9,000 credits for a veggie burger combo! This is ridiculous.”

David’s ears folded back. A ram was at the counter screaming at a vixen who looked aghast. “Sir, that’s what the price is now.”

“That is not what the price was yesterday!”

The fox wanted to say something, but a tall deer was stepping out from the back. The ram glared at the interloper who was asking what the problem was. The ram lowered his head and charged at the deer, but the deer apparently had anticipated this. He sidestepped and grabbed the ram by the neck and started dragging him outside.

“Not in my restaurant!” yelled the deer, as another employee joined in. Together they dragged the disgruntled ram outside as he continued to yell.

“You need to take a lesson in customer service!”

David stood shocked as the fox collected herself and then asked for the next customer to step forward. He looked up at the digitial menu board. A #2 burger without a drink and fries was going for 6,125 credits. The combo was 8,025 credits. The wolf’s muzzle hung open. He could have sworn he paid only 3,500 last week for a combo. As he watched, the price for the burger changed on the board and dropped to 6,075 and the combo went to 7,900.

David glanced out toward the rabbit outside. He could see the ears bounce as he shook his head, watching the ram get escorted off the property. Carefully, the wolf got out of line and went back outside. The rabbit saw him come out empty-handed and smiled, waving him over.

“What’s really in the bag?” David asked the intrepid entrepreneur when he got close.

“Oh, now you want to know what’s in the bag, eh? Well, #2, just like I told you.”

“How come your bag is so much cheaper than what’s inside?”

The rabbit pulled back. “I’m not obligated to tell you that.”

David pointed a thumb back at the Burger House. “Yeah, well the burger itself is over 6,000 credits in there.”

The rabbit blinked. “Really? That’s a new high for them. I might have to bump my price then.”

The wolf frowned, ears down. He could catch a whiff of the food in the bag. It smelled a little stale. “Come on, what’s the deal.”

The rabbit sighed. “You better be grateful I’m generous. Look, they’re surge pricing everything now, so if you want a cheap meal, you’re going to have to buy it from me. Otherwise, you can wait till 3 or so when the price drops before dinnertime.”

“How old’s the burger?”

“Shh,” said the rabbit. “Don’t give away my trade secrets. The market for this can’t support too many entrepreneurs like me. Now, you want an affordable meal, or not?”

The wolf’s stomach growled. “I do, but a cold burger is a cold burger.”

“Oh, I got a warmer back at my apartment, so it’s still fresh, well fresh-ish.”

David sighed and pulled out his phone. “Fine, I’ll take it.”

“Good man, good man,” said the rabbit, pulling out his cellphone. He quickly tapped on the screen and held up the phone. The wolf swiped, and 4,000 credits were deducted from his account, The rabbit glanced at the screen, nodded, and held up the bag. “Drink cup is inside with a receipt in case they ask you. That will let you use the code on the receipt and get your beverage.”

With that the rabbit walked off, leaving the wolf holding the bag. It did feel warm. He opened it and took the receipt. He then grabbed one of the fries and tried it. It tasted old, but it did still have some heat in it. Carefully, he entered the Burger House and went to the drink kiosk. As promised, the code worked, and he grabbed a soda. Tail down because he felt nervous, he sat off to the side.

Opening the bag again, he pulled out the wrapped burger and the fries. He had his doubts about this, but the burger was warm. Biting into it, he did feel better and his stomach appreciated the food. His tail wagged gently as he ate.

Reaching for one of the fries that had fallen into the bottom of the bag, he noticed a slip of paper that was also in it. The paper had a simple “Thank You!” on it with a phone number on the other side saying, “Order Ahead!”

He glanced over at the menu board, and watched as again the price in a number 2 combo was down to 7,800 credits. With a sigh, he pocketed the slip and went back to his meal, muzzle down. If Burger House was going to keep surge pricing their food, David was going to have to buy more of his burgers on the stocks and buns market in order to eat cheaply.