Midnight Pals: Sunsweet Prunes (Patreon)

Ray Bradbury: submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this the tale of the lazy summer of youthBradbury: long days down by the river, fishing in miller's pond, afternoons at the soda shop, ice cream sundaes with fabulous unicorn worlds built of whipped cream, nickels for a dimeBradbury: and becky miller's freckled-face kissesBradbury: sweeter than sunsweet prunes

Bradbury: sunsweet prunes, i tell youBradbury: the only prune that's sweeter than a nostalgic midwestern childhoodBradbury: and they come in these little individually wrapped plastic packs tooKing:Poe:Barker:Koontz:Lovecraft:Bradbury: I just think they're neat

Bradbury: according to my stories, in the far distant future of 2001Bradbury: we shall travel in tubesBradbury: we'll have flying carsBradbury: and we'll all be eating our sunsweet prunes out of individually wrapped plastic packsPoe: wait you never said that in your storiesBradbury: i wish i hadBradbury: i would have been 1 for 3 at least

Bradbury: look, they individually wrap these sunsweet prunes in plasticBradbury: what a world!Bradbury: its like living in the not too distant futurePoe: doesn't that create a lot of wasteBradbury:

Bradbury: tearing open this individually wrapped snack pack reminds me of tearing open presents on christmas morning, snow on the ground, ma and pa taking the day off from working the farm, the whole family arriving in a caravan of automobiles, aunts and uncles and cousins by the dozen, oh my! oh my! uncles a little too loud after three egg nogs, cousins playing cops & robbers in the hay loft

Bradbury: and the feasting, the jollity! too many voices all at once, raised in laughter, in song. the twinkle in dad's eye, the red roses in mom's cheeks, grandpa's baritone chuckle. falling asleep to the sounds of bing crosby on the tombstone radio, surrounded by the warm glow of early eveningKing: wow these prunes sound pretty incredibleKing: i'm sold!Koontz: [tearing open sunsweet prune container] guysKoontz: i think my prunes are brokenKoontz: i didn't feel any of that stuff ray said

Poe: ray are they paying you to advertise for prunesBradbury: no no of course not!Bradbury: i would never accept money to tell you about the incredible health benefits of america's favorite prunes, sunsweetBradbury: full of 12 different antioxidentsKing: can i buy them with my american express card

Neil Gaiman: but ray!Gaiman: using the limitless vista of your inpirational mind to advertise a mere consumer goodGaiman: such a tawdry use of the gift of imagination!Gaiman: it cheapens us as writers just as the low low prices of chipotle cheapens organic rice and GMO-free beans to bring wholesome healthy Mexican inspired fusion cuisine to the masses

Gaiman: you can't leash the phoenix of creativity to the millstone of commerce! Gaiman: she must fly free!Gaiman: free like the secret dragon sauce available now at now extra charge at your local chipotleKing: neil's right!Poe: about chipotle?King: about everything!!