Bottle Quote by Eoin Colfer
““Relax, Mr. Diggums. Have another nettle beer, or some spring water." The commander took two bottles from the cooler and offered one to Mulch. Mulch studied the label. "Derrier? No thanks. You know how they put the bubbles in this stuff?" Vinyaya's mouth twitched with the ghost of a smile. "I thought it was naturally carbonated." "Yeah, that's what I thought until I got a prison job at the Derrier plant. They employ every dwarf in the Deeps. They made us sign confidentiality contracts." Vinyaya was hooked. "So go on, tell me. How do they get the bubbles in?" Mulch tapped his nose. "Can't say. Breach of contract. All I can say is it involves a huge vat of water and several dwarfs using our ...eh" Mulch pointed to his rear end-"... natural talents." Vinyaya gingerly replaced her bottle.””
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Last Apprentice” series by Joseph Delaney, 2005
A humorous exchange reveals secretive dwarf labor and the absurdity of corporate secrecy.
In simple terms: Dwarfs hide how they make bubbles.
Key Takeaway
Question hidden processes.
Themes
humor
secrecy
workplace
fantasy
absurdity
Mood
playful
ironic
Type
fiction
humor
When to use this quote
- office gossip
- product development
- fantasy humor
Key Concepts
industrial secrecy
fantasy worldbuilding
Questions to Reflect On
- What does the joke say about corporate transparency?
- How does fantasy exaggerate real work life?
A Different Perspective
May trivialize real labor issues.
![“[Artemis] returned to the aft bay for Mulch's version of a briefing. The dwarf had drawn a crude diagram on a backlit wall panel. In fairness, there were more artistic chimpanzees. And less pungent ones. Mulch was using a carrot as a pointer, or more accurately, several carrots. Dwarfs liked…” quote by Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed3/eoin-colfer-736_carrot-top_artemis-returned-to-the-aft-bay-for-mulc_3057748.jpg)
