The Missing Ingredient

"Kornfeld in Accounting told me that the suits upstairs are gonna take the company public and every employee is gonna get a block of shares based on their pay grade," Jim said happily. "Fixin' to be a lot of well off folks around here Freddie, us included. Good reason to continue bustin' your ass, aint it?"

"You got that right," Freddie laughed. "Rafferty in Human Services told me young Lucas was gonna sell the company to some big outfit and most of us would have been out of a job. Now he's gone and the deal fell through, and that's fine with me. I'm outta here, Jim," Freddie said, finishing his coffee, "see you later."

"Take care, man," Jim called to his colleague. 'This is one great place to work,' he thought happily. 'Now we'll all own the company.'

***

Ralph Hall picked up the beeping phone. "Product testing, this is Ralph. No sir, we haven't found anything unusual in the last cakes we tested. No sir, we haven't been able to get any samples from that last batch that went out, they were all sold. Yes sir, I know the public is clamoring for more. Yes sir, some other ingredient must have been added, but we don't... Yes sir, were still looking. We will sir, thank you sir, goodbye and Happy New Year."

Ralph tilted back in his chair, his mind reviewing the numerous fruitcakes and ingredients they had tested in vain. He gazed idly at the company motto framed on the wall, oblivious to its ghastly irony.

'We put our hearts into every cake we bake'

End.