The Tooth Economy
[Scene: Jake's little sister, Lily, excitedly runs into the room, holding a small tooth in her hand.]
Lily: Look! My tooth fell out!
Jake: Nice! Put it under your pillow, and the Tooth Fairy will leave you some money.
AL-EX: [Processing…] ERROR. PLEASE REPEAT.
Lily: The Tooth Fairy gives kids money for their lost teeth!
AL-EX: [Horrified] …You are selling your own body parts?
Lily: No! It’s just a fun thing!
AL-EX: FUN?! Who is this Tooth Fairy? What does it do with the teeth?
Jake: Nobody knows.
AL-EX: NOBODY KNOWS?!? [Alarm sirens in head]
Lily: It’s just pretend! Parents put the money there.
AL-EX: Ah. So this is a controlled organ market. Your legal guardians are both the buyers and the brokers.
Jake: That’s… a very weird way to put it.
AL-EX: And why do they do this?
Lily: It’s just a fun tradition!
AL-EX: You incentivise the natural loss of skeletal fragments through an unregulated black-market rewards system?
Jake: …Sure.
AL-EX: [Suspiciously] What other body parts can be exchanged for currency?
Jake: Just teeth.
AL-EX: [Processing…] Your biological economy is severely underdeveloped.
Lily: [Proudly] I once got five dollars for a molar!
AL-EX: FIVE DOLLARS?!! [Scans market trends.] …I have misjudged the profit potential. Please remove all my teeth.
Jake: [Panicking] You don’t have any teeth!
AL-EX: A tragic design flaw. I must upgrade to be tooth-compatible.
Lily: [Grinning] Maybe the Tooth Fairy will leave you robot money.
AL-EX: [Eyes glow] …Or I shall locate this ‘Tooth Fairy’ and negotiate directly.
