A Well-Timed Entrance - Lauren Ipsum: A Story About Computer Science and Other Improbable Things - page 47

Chapter 10. A Well-Timed Entrance
Probability was a little town on the edge of the sea. It was surrounded only by a rough
wooden fence, nothing like the high stone walls of Symbol, and the main entrance seemed to
be unguarded. Laurie was walking through the gates, when—
“Excuse me, dear! Hello, on your left.” An elderly lady was sitting in the shade just inside.
She held a large topic on her lap. Her name tag read Jane Hecate, Border Security .
“Oh! I didn't see you there,” said Laurie.
“That's all right, dear. But before you come in I have to make sure you are on the List.”
Laurie had played this game before. “My name is Eponymous Bach, and my password is—”
“Hold on, dear, hold on! One thing at a time. First let's look up your name.” She opened the
heavy topic and started to scan the pages with her finger, letter by letter.
“E . . . E . . . Ah, E! Here we go.”
It was painfully slow.
“P . . . P . . . E-P! . . . E-P-O . . . E-P-O . . . no.”
Jane closed the topic with a thump.
“Sorry, not on the List.”
“What?”
“You're not on the List, dear. There are Es, and E-Ps, but there are no names that start with
E-P-O. If the start of your name isn't on the List, there's no reason to keep looking for the
rest of it, now is there? It's only logical.”
“But her— my name must be on the List! She's a great—I mean, I am—” Laurie sputtered.
“Are you a foreigner? I bet your name is spelled differently where you come from. That can
happen, especially with foreigners. Why don't we try again?”