A Spy Story

There were spies in the room. Everyone knew it. Everyone was on edge. They were all working slowly, checking over their shoulders.

Assistant Chief Walker stood at the balcony overlooking the room. He didn’t like what he observed. The workers looked shifty, uncomfortable. Some looked up at the observation deck, wondering if there would be some kind of retribution. He turned to the staff gathered with him on the deck.

“By the time Chief Parker returns, we’ve got to turn out the spy,” said Walker.

“But Chief,” began the secretary Kinder.

“But nothing, Secretary,” snapped Walker. “We are going to find a way.”

“There are 300 workers in that room,” said the treasurer slowly. “How are we supposed to separate a spy from the rest?”

The Assistant Chief outlined the plan. “There are scruples in this room, and there are unscruples. We separate the scruples from the unscruples, and out go the unscruples!”

“Good plan, Chief,” said the assistant secretary. He scratched his head. “But how will we distinguish the scruples and the unscruples?”

“Are you all on this email list?” It was an hour later, and the workers had been dismissed to lunch break. Peter Waters and his friends had gathered at a table. Peter was the very definition of a scruple. He had never even stolen a drop of water, much less signed on to spy on the Company. Everyone was silent for a moment.

“I’ve been added too,” replied Polly. She was the pride of the group, her family being a very distinguished one in the neighborhood. If the email group had Polly’s stamp of approval, they all wanted in.

“Let me check my email!” Everyone at the table grabbed their Blackberries. There were murmurs of interest. “Oh, yes, I’m in the group.” “I have access too!” After a lunch of bread, cheese, and oranges, they all returned to their work stations.

“An email list?!” It was much later. A group of unscruples sat munching celery sticks in a side room. “That’s their plan?”

“I guess,” said Walter Peach, eating a celery. “Probably adding the proven scruples to the list. Maybe they’ll narrow down the list of all the workers over time by seeing who isn’t on the list?”

The first Unscruple opened her Blackberry. “Well, since none of us are in the list yet, we’ll have to try to sign on, somehow. I suppose we can try guessing the name?”

“Try… List of Factory Scruples?” guessed Walter.

“Too easy,” disagreed the Unscruple, trying it anyway. “Goodness! That’s right! And it’s a public list!” The unscruples set aside celery and grabbed phones. By that night, every worker in the factory was on the list.

“How can every worker in the factory be on the list?!” Secretary Kinder marched onto the discussion deck, his face a mask of confusion.

The treasurer examined the list of names. “These timestamps don’t make sense.”

How will the Chief identify the spies? Read on in December to find out.