Friday, September 18 | 54 days until the conference | 250 registrations

The beautiful weather of Indian Summer was now definitely over. At the Crippled Horse, the terrace chairs were piled up underneath a canopy and rain was drizzling onto the tiles.

           Upon entry, Victor noticed how quiet it was in the usually buzzing bar. Only a few tables were occupied. The advertising screen, which had now been moved indoors and on which busy commercials were alternated with simple local clips, was spreading a harsh light.

           At the bar, he saw Dick, hunched over a beer. Victor was relieved to see him. His friend hadn’t returned his calls since the Bugbites scandal broke out.

           He didn’t look up until Victor tapped him on the shoulder.

           ‘I’ve been here a couple of hours, already,’ Dick confessed, ‘Nothing left to do anyway.’

           Stella met Victor’s eye, and shook her head.

           Dick continued: ‘I was fired this morning. It took Total Food Group precisely three days to wash their hands of me. They needed a scape goat, and well, they found him.’ He spread his arms. ‘It’s all on Dick Driessen.’ His arms limply fell onto the bar.

           ‘But it wasn’t your fault entirely, right?’ said Victor, taking a seat next to him. He’d never seen his friend this disheartened.

           ‘Those Food Spies hyenas just kept going on and on and on.’ Dick picked up a beer coaster and tapped the bar with it. ‘They ruined a beautiful product. An amazing product. Only because they felt the need to spread all kinds of rumors.’

           ‘Was it not true, then?’

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Written by Gerrit Heijkoop & Paula Vos

 Narrated by Kevin Stillwell