The irrational sense of optimism that Ed always carried in his demeanor was slowly starting to subside. Starting a business was hard! Well, no, he supposed that wasn’t completely true… getting people to try something new is what was hard. They took such comfort in the ordinary-telling them he had a pill that could cure any ailment wasn’t good enough. What they wanted was proof of some sort! Stats! But how was that possible if no one would volunteer as a guinea pig? One thing was for sure-Ed had taken the drug himself, and the things that he saw while under the influence… sheer brilliance. Not to mention his back pain had gone away! Nothing could compare to this stuff and he knew it-everybodyneeded Thneed.

If only they knew that they needed it.

Ed Onceler sat inside the bar, brooding over a half empty glass of rum with a slight pout on his lips. His chin was resting on his hand and his elbow on the bar. He slouched over his rum and even heaved a brief sigh of dissatisfaction. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all… or maybe he was just being too optimistic with his advertisement. “Cures any ailment!” “Everybody needs Thneed!” If it weren’t so true, he’d bring the claims down a notch… but people just didn’t understand! Thneed was ahead of its time was all. That’s what he kept telling himself.

Absentmindedly, he tapped his guitar with his foot. It was a beautiful ‘58 Rickenbacker 325, identical to the one John Lennon had when he was a Beatle, and Ed brought it with him most places he went. Music was one of the few things he was passionate about. There was never a wrong time to have a guitar! He had set it against the bar before he took his seat at the stool and was now secretly hoping there would be a karaoke session of some sort tonight. If he couldn’t prove his family wrong with the money he earned selling Thneed, maybe he could become rich and famous singing music! (There was the starry-eyed naivety he’d been missing mere moments ago.)

At any rate, he felt he’d been sitting here for a tick too long. He finished off his rum and set the glass down, decidedly ready to return home after a day that brought forth little progress.