Chapter 10

	Angela slowed her pace as she approached the entrance 
to the student university union store. She no longer noticed 
the computer door security monitor and took it for granted that 
the door would open automatically as she approached it. As she 
entered, she quickly and systematically examined the shelves 
for the cursory inventory that she did every day she had worked 
here. 
	Everything seemed to be in order. She pivoted on her 
toe and started to walk to her office. Then she saw the new 
items behind the salesclerk's counter. What in heaven's name is 
that? She strode quickly around the counter to take a closer 
look at the racks of candy peanut butter patties that Helen had 
left there four nights earlier. Where did these come from? 
	Just then Angela's supervisor entered the store. Angela 
waved a peanut butter patty at her. "Betty! Look at this!" 
	Betty took the patty from Angela, and held it up to 
read the inscription on it. "Helen's super nutritious peanut 
butter patties." 
	She opened it and took a bite. "Its delicious. You 
should try one. Or did you already try one when the order came 
in?" 
	Angela shook her head. "But I didn't order these. I 
don't know how they got here!" 
	Betty took a step backwards. "How is this possible? 
You are the only one, besides myself, authorized to actually 
place an order. Besides, we both stayed here Thursday until we 
closed at noon for the World Freedom day Holiday on Friday. 
These must have appeared between noon on last Thursday and now." 
	Betty looked around. "Is anything missing?" She spied 
the plastic replica of a blackened lung. "What is that? And, 
where are the cigs?" 
	Angela felt her heart beat rapidly. "Some thief broke 
into the store and replaced the cigs with this display during 
the holiday weekend!"
	The supervisor nodded her head affirmative. "Yes, that's 
the way I figured it also." She turned and strode rapidly to 
her glass enclosed office behind the main sales counter. 
	Once there she clicked on her computer, and typed in 
the phone code for the local branch of United Tobacco Company. 
As soon as she heard the answering "Hello", she spoke rapidly, 
"Clint, someone broke unto our store and stole all the cigs!" 
	Clint's voice showed his disbelief. "What? Have you 
checked your alarm recording system yet? Email me the pictures 
of the thief. But why didn't the alarm system alert the police 
when the thief broke in?" 
	Betty replied, "That's what I'd like to know. I'll call 
you back when I have the pictures." 
	Angela showed puzzlement on her face. "What pictures?" 
	Betty pointed to the middle of the far wall. There is a 
hidden camera in the wall. Actually the camera is not there. 
Only the lens is there. The camera is in another building. A 
fiber optic cable connects them." 
	"Why? Wouldn't it have been cheaper to have the camera 
here in the store?" 
	"Well, yes. But the university security advisors 
suggested it. They reasoned that if someone had sophisticated 
electronic equipment, they could break into the store without 
triggering the alarms. If they could do that they could also 
detect any active camera in the store and disable it." 
	Betty pointed to the wall. "The recording system we have 
doesn't radiate any energy, so a thief would be less likely to 
discover it." 
	Betty sat down at her desk, and invoked the computer 
program for the alarm recording system. "I'll start it at 
closing time last Thursday. The program skips over the part 
where nothing is moving. We'll see results almost immediately." 
	Angela bent over to get a closer look. The screen 
filled up with a yellow background. Then large black letters 
appeared, proclaiming, "Ultimate Security System: Copyrighted 
by Grant Richardson, January 6, 2075." 
	Then they saw the recorded action. Someone slowly 
descended from above, as if supported by an invisible rope. 
Angela took a quick look behind her at the ceiling. It looked 
normal. She returned her attention to the screen. The figure on 
the screen had her back to them. Her long light brown hair hid 
the small bit of her profile caught by the camera. 
	Angela thought, "From the back, she looks like Helen." 
	"Angela, I'm running this in record mode so I can send 
a copy to Clint and to University Security." 
	They watched silently as the figure on the screen stood 
in front of the shelf where the cigs had been. The figure hid 
most of the cig cartons from view. 
	However, one cig carton, slightly to the left of the 
mysterious figure, remained in view. They saw the figure reach 
out and pick up the carton, and after a moment put it back. No. 
She had put back a carton of peanut butter patties, not the cig 
carton. 
	The last scene showed the mysterious figure pulled 
upward again as if by an invisible rope." Angela looked again 
at the ceiling above the checkout counter. Nothing unusual 
there. 
	Angela thought, "I need to talk to someone about this." 
Going to her office, she opened her computer phone program, and 
typed Victors Phone code. When she heard the recorded message 
saying that Victor's phone had been busy for five minutes, 
she hung up. Angela decided to wait five minutes and try again. 
While she waited, Angela kept thinking about the mysterious 
thief. Why did the thief take only the cigs? Angela laughed as 
she imagined Helen's smile when Angela told her about the cigs 
being stolen. 
	Angela tried again to call Victor. When she heard the 
busy signal recording, she hung up. She'd wait a few more 
minutes. Angela begin to pace back and forth in front of her 
desk. Is there anyone else she could call? Yes. She could call 
Helen, and talk to her until Victor got off the phone. 
	Angela called Helen. On the fifth ring, Angela heard 
Helen answer. "Hi Angela. What's up?" 
	"Glad I caught you." Excitedly Angela spoke about the 
mysterious woman stealing the cigs and replacing them by peanut 
butter patties. Angela paused so that Helen could answer. 
	"How did you know it was a woman?" 
	"We had pictures of the back of the woman who did it. 
She had long hair just like yours" 
	"Angela, thanks for telling me. I need to think about 
this. May I call you later?" 
	"Sure! I didn't mean to bother you if you're busy. Call 
me when you're free." 
	Angela sat back in her chair and pondered a moment. 
She really didn't have anything else she could tell Helen when 
they met. Did Helen have any ideas about it? 
	Suddenly Angela connected "Helen's super nutritious 
peanut butter patties" with Helen. Could it be? It did look 
like Helen from the back. No, it's only a coincidence. It must 
be only a coincidence! Lots of people are named Helen. Besides, 
if she did it, why would she have used her real name on the 
wrapping for the peanut butter patties? 
	In the school cafeteria Helen let a worried look
cross her face. "What's wrong?" Bob's tone of voice showed
his concern.
	Helen looked from Bob to Joe, and back to Bob. "I 
might have made trouble for myself. Angela has pictures of
me exchanging the cig cartons for the peanut butter patties."
	"Huh? What peanut butter patties?"
	"Oh, Bob.  I haven't told you yet.  Last Thursday night,
immediately after I realized my powers, I flew to the student
union, and converted all the cig cartons to peanut butter 
patties. Their security camera caught me, but did not show
my face."	
	A frown flickered across Bob's face. Then he smiled.
"What will you do to fix this situation?"		
	"Right now I'm composing an email to send to the 
manager of the local branch of the cig company. I should let 
Angela know what's going on, so I'll copy the same message to 
her." 
	Angela, sitting back in her chair with her eyes closed, 
attempted to make sense of recent events. Suddenly the computer 
announced, "Incoming text message." Angela opened her eyes, and 
pressed the accept key for the message. 

To: Clint@cig.Eastside.VA.US.com 
CC: Angela@Eastside.USEVA.us.edu 
From: Aunt.Izciguf.Ana.Tic@Eastside.USEVA.us.edu 

You have a problem. 

I'm responsible for your problem. 

Your problem is that you won't deliver any more Cigarettes to 
Eastside Campus. 

Since I'm responsible for your problem, I offer you some 
alternative solutions. 

(1) Leave in the warehouse the cigarettes that you would have 
sent to Eastside Campus. I will buy them from you at Cost. This 
would be only a temporary solution. 

(2) Shut down your production of Cigarettes and start up a 
different more useful business to people. I will help you get 
started. 

(3) Close your business. I will individually help you and each 
of your employees get other jobs at least as personally 
satisfying as the current job. 

(4) If you have any other suggestions for how I may help you in 
light of my preventing you from delivering Cigarettes to 
Eastside, I am listening. 


Aunt.Izciguf.Ana.Tic 

	Angela read the text message over twice. She still 
found it incredible. She pressed the print option, stood over 
the printer as it printed the message, and then ran with the 
printed copy to her supervisor's office. She dashed directly to 
her supervisor's desk, handed her the paper and gasped, "You've 
got to read this!" 
	The supervisor suspended her emotional reaction until 
she could read the paper. As she scanned the paper, she called 
Clint again.  When Clint picked up, she said, "Clint! Please 
check your email immediately. Our mysterious thief just sent 
you an incredible message." 
	Clint's voice came through loud enough for Angela to 
hear. "I'm already looking at it." Grim humor showed in his 
voice. "Well Betty, I don't think any insanely arrogant 
fanatic will stop me doing business with you. I'll turn this 
over to my legal advisors. We'll be ready in case this fanatic 
tries to intercept our delivery to you next Week. Thanks for 
your concern."