“And action!”
The cameras started rolling as Pizza Paco began to walk down the line at his famous pizzeria. The camera for the commercial followed him.
“Here at Pizza Paco’s, you get to add your toppings,” Pizza Paco said to the camera.
Three triplet boys, about seven years old, yelled, “More pepperoni, please.”
“You design the crust, and you pick the cheese,” said Pizza Paco.
“More mozzarella!” yelled a man in a Venetian Gondolier outfit as Paco walked in front of him.
“Find that special ingredient, just for your pie,” Pizza Paco continued.
“Give me the garlic,” Jason the Vampire said. His contorted face conveyed that he really did not want the garlic.
“Cut!” yelled the director. “Vampire, what was that face?”
The whole crew converged on Jason. Jason played with the cape in his hands nervously. “Vampires can’t be near garlic. It wards off my kind.”
“Yes, but aren’t you a vampire stand-in?” Pizza Paco asked. “We asked for a vampire who could be around garlic.”
“Technically, I can be around garlic,” Jason said. “But I’m still a vampire, so I can’t endorse it.”
“This makes no sense,” the director said. “You’re here, and you can endorse garlic.”
“There’s a code,” Jason said. “I have to show solidarity with other vampires.”
“Well, what can you endorse?” Pizza Paco asked, exasperated.
“I like the color of beets, which reminds me of blood,” Jason said. “At the Vampire League, we often get pizza with artichoke hearts.”
“That really ruins the commercial,” Pizza Paco said.
“What if I just say, no garlic for me!” Jason offered.
“Let’s do it,” said Pizza Paco, storming back to his opening mark. “The triplets can only work for a little while longer.”