In writing, as well as the culinary arts, the last thing you want is for the final product to come out undercooked.

Maurice grunted as he stared into his computer screen. He drummed his fingers against the desk. He bounced his heel up and down. Then he straightened his back, readied his fingers against the keyboard and...

Nothing. He had nothing.

This had been going on for a couple weeks now, with Maurice bound and determined to at least start the book he'd been planning to write, only to give up when the words wouldn't come. Every night, he'd thumb through the "Lesley's Greatest Hits" File he'd been keeping for years, reliving the incredible tales of customer-induced madness within, desperate for the inspiration to get him started. After all, he wasn't getting any younger, and the thought of wasting his life as a simple Ruttle's store manager was too awful to contemplate.

Maybe Jimmy and Lisa had been right. Maybe the latest incident involving a 10pc Evolution Cookware Set had gotten to him. It had freaked out everyone in the store a little, truth be told. Most of his employees were used to Lesley's usual eccentricities when it came to the way she shopped, but no one had expected that level of... whatever that was. Ranting? Raving? He could still see the crazed fire in her eyes when, after assuring her that Jimmy had correctly told her about all the features of the set - the aluminum construction, non-stick coating, ergonomic handles, and domed tempered glass lids - she flew into a frenzy. "I DIDN'T ASK ABOUT THE FEATURES," she'd screamed before storming out. "I ASKED WHICH COLOR ROBOTS LIKE BEST: RED OR GRAY! WELL, I BET THEY KNOW THE ANSWER AT MADER'S!"

She hadn't been in the store since.

Now, as Maurice watched the tiny cursor on the blank page of his word processor flash, he questioned whether he might be taking advantage of someone who was truly sick. What if Lesley was actually mental and had only recently hit her breaking point? Would he be an awful person for profiting from her madness by writing a book about her?

Maurice shook his head. No, this book writing thing wouldn't do at all. He'd never be able to weave her story on to the page in a way that didn't trivialize her condition.

Besides, he thought with a grin, it'll probably make a much better musical.

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