Undercover Tales :: by Jeff Davis

Chapter 1 Sly and the Kids

A blood-curdling scream from downstairs pierced the silence of the upstairs of the house, and the battle for the channel changer was in high gear. Three children struggling for control of the one channel changer with the fate of the next thirty minutes of lives hanging in the balance. Three children, three different shows (all reruns; seen at least twice), one television and zero consideration for the spy craft of cooperation, but then again Amanda, Allison, and Ryan are not noted for their ability to get along. Maybe I made a bad decision in selecting this brood of siblings for training. Nah, I think that these kids have what it takes, but this mission is obviously going to be one of my most difficult assignments.

Who am I? That is a fair question. My name is Sly the Spy, and I am the master of Intrigue. I’m sorry; I did not hear your question. The mission? Well …, I cannot tell you that, but I will tell you that these three children have been selected to be trained in the seven most important principle known to mankind. The principles? My, My, we are a little impatient, aren’t we? These principles will be revealed to you soon enough.

I keep a close surveillance on Ryan, Allison, and Amanda. Each of them has unique skills and personalities that are essential to my ultimate mission, but none of the children have met me … yet. After their initial training, there will have some great adventures ahead of them. You will get to know me as they get to know me. For now, let’s get back to the story. I know that you have many questions, and we will get around to them, but I need you to practice the art of listening, O.K.? Who knows, you may even find me to be interesting, but for right now, let’s get back to the excitement of the story.

This time they could not even team up against the third child for a two-thirds majority vote. Sometimes, the vote will generate a parental “Let’s Create Some Peace” show selection that allows the parents to avoid the real problem, create long-term animosity toward the parent in the odd child out, rewards negative behavior, and insures a repeat of the same behavior in the near future. This time? Oh, you are asking if this is the first time that Amanda, Allison, and Ryan have fought over the television. You do not appear to be very good at this listening thing. No, the channel changer fight is practically an everyday occurrence. The problem today is that the children do not realize that the ultimate lose-lose scenerio for children and television is about to occur. The final straw is about to be laid, and the parents have come to the realization that past decisions have lead to an out of control child situation, and the time to act is now.