{"id":3928,"date":"2025-06-25T07:40:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T06:40:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/edgeverse.org\/?p=3928"},"modified":"2025-06-25T14:26:24","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:26:24","slug":"articles-of-intent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/edgeverse.org\/?p=3928","title":{"rendered":"Articles of Intent"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Here you can read an entire shorty story, completely free. Blips are strictly less than two thousand words, or maybe more, and typically have a surprise twist in the tail. \nThese stories are free for you to download and share but please link back to us so we can build our site and create more free content. \nThanks very much for visiting. Please enjoy the story. <\/h6>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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After reading about my difficulties with multi-tool acquisition, Seth decided he\u2019d enjoy rubbing my nose in it by buying one himself. What better way for Seth to mock Jack\u2019s inability to acquire nice things from an international market than to buy one himself and tell me how great it is?<\/h5>
Well \u2013 he found a way. He wrote a story that really nails home that he\u2019s got something I don\u2019t have.<\/h5>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Articles of Intent<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Sir Seth of Goddwinington<\/h5>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\u201cCan I see some ID, Sir?\u201d
Welcome to my life, where this is a daily occurrence. I can practically count on it. While smoking in public isn\u2019t exactly banned, it\u2019s heavily frowned upon and guarantees mild harassment from any passing police officers. Outside of the capital though, the police aren\u2019t militarised, so if you treat them with human respect they normally return the favour. Some even turn out to be pretty nice guys, people that, out of uniform, I\u2019d happily have a beer with.
These two\u2026 who could tell? One was average height and build, and very cleanly shaven. He seemed to be in charge. The other was a little more stocky and sported a well maintained moustache. He seemed to be the junior officer, and if I was going to have any trouble, it would more likely be from him.
\u201cGood evening officers. I\u2019m perfectly happy to tell you who I am: I\u2019m Malcolm Taylor, but this is a nation of laws\u2014none of which I\u2019m currently breaking\u2014and accordingly, I\u2019m not obliged to show you any ID unless you arrest me first. Not trying to be difficult, of course\u2026\u201d
\u201cWell, you are smoking in public, Mr Taylor,\u201d said the junior officer.
\u201cThat\u2019s not against the law,\u201d I reminded him.
\u201cBut it doesn\u2019t look good,\u201d added the senior officer. \u201cThis is a school zone, and you standing here smoking could be interpreted as loitering. Now, I don\u2019t want to arrest you\u2014waste your time, spoil your evening\u2014over something as minor as this, that we have no hope of charging you with anyway, but we can avoid all that if you just play along and show me some ID.\u201d
Even in the counties, the police still have this manipulative way of speaking, making out that they\u2019re doing me a favour by inviting me to have them violate my rights. I don’t know if they learn it at basic training, or if it\u2019s this very arrogance that drives them to become police in the first place. Who could tell?
\u201cSorry, officer,\u201d I said. \u201cI\u2019m afraid I must insist. Am I free to go?\u201d
The two officers looked at each other, and after a few communicative glances, they nodded their heads and returned their attention to me.
\u201cMr Taylor,\u201d said the senior officer. \u201cI\u2019m placing you under arrest on suspicion of loitering with intent. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court.\u201d
As he reached around his belt for his handcuffs, I felt it wise to volunteer some pertinent information.
\u201cThank you, officer. By way of advanced disclosure, I have in my possession a multitool. It\u2019s inert and kept in a dedicated sheath in my satchel pocket. I don\u2019t want you to mistake it for a weapon.\u201d
\u201cI see, Mr Taylor. We\u2019ll look at it when we reach the station.\u201d<\/p>


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\u201cSuspicion of loitering with intent?! Have you lost your mind?!\u201d
\u201cHe wasn\u2019t being cooperative, Sarge. We gave him a fair chance to show us ID and he refused, on some kind of principle.\u201d
\u201cThat\u2019s not an arrestable offence, and you know it. If he makes a complaint, then the Chief will have our heads. Still, that horse has already bolted; what\u2019s done is done. I suggest we tread very carefully on this one.\u201d
The Custody Sergeant was a much older, and clearly more seasoned officer than the other two. His years of desk duty had also likely taken its toll, as he was a little overweight and no longer had the imposing edge that most beat coppers exhibit. 
He heaved himself up from his seat, walked around the charge desk and approached my seat in the waiting area, the other two officers flanked behind him. Brandishing a very extensive set of keys, he leaned over and carefully removed my handcuffs.
\u201cI do apologise for the trouble, Sir,\u201d he mourned. \u201cMy junior officers are a little too eager in their duties on occasion, and if that\u2019s the case here, we\u2019ll have you on your way as soon as we can. But once they make an arrest, there\u2019s a process that has to be followed.\u201d
\u201cI would expect nothing less, Sergeant,\u201d I said.
\u201cWell, we\u2019ll try to get you processed as quickly as possible and we\u2019ll soon sort all this out. Let\u2019s skip the holding cell and head straight for the interview room.\u201d 
The three of them escorted me into a less than friendly environment, sparsely furnished with three chairs and a bolted down table with two antiquated tape recorders off to one side. The desk sergeant made a point of leaving the door open and gestured for me to sit down on the far side of the table. Him and the other senior officer sat opposite while the junior officer stood near the door.
\u201cI think we can skip the recording\u2014let\u2019s keep this informal for now. I\u2019m Sergeant Typhoea, and these are Constables Scapula and Ursines. Usual spelling\u2026\u201d
\u201cEvening all!\u201d said Scapula, the arresting officer. (That\u2019s how the police say, \u2018Hello.\u2019) \u201cMr Taylor, you mentioned when I arrested you that you had in your possession some kind of weapon?\u201d
\u201cA multitool,\u201d I corrected, \u201cwhich I made a point of saying was not a weapon. It\u2019s in my satchel.\u201d
\u201cMy apologies, a multitool. Could you show it to us please?\u201d
\u201cCertainly,\u201d I said, reaching for my satchel. With caution, I eased my hand into its side pocket and pulled out a black nylon sheath which I held up for the officers to see. I popped open the case and removed the shiny steel tool, resting it on the table in front of me. The officers\u2019 eyes lit up as if enraptured by a thing of great beauty. \u201cIt\u2019s a Leatherman Wave+, a good mid-range tool, and currently the world\u2019s best seller. You\u2019ll probably find a lot of people carry these.\u201d
\u201cI see,\u201d said Scapula. \u201cBut why were you concerned about us finding it?\u201d
\u201cWell it does have a very sharp blade, if you\u2019ll allow me to show you.\u201d I picked up the multitool and proceeded to open the primary blade. Setting it back on the table, I continued, \u201cIt\u2019s shorter than 3 inches, so not much use as a weapon, but you could hurt yourself with it if you\u2019re not careful.\u201d
Scapula reached over and picked up the knife by the handle. He studied it, then reached out to test the blade with a careful touch, nodding that it was indeed very sharp. Nodding once again with some sense of satisfaction, he rested it back on the table.
Next it was Typhoea\u2019s turn to examine it. He also seemed quite impressed, but rather than risk cutting himself, he decided to try to close it.
\u201cAh, you can\u2019t close it like that. As a safety measure, all blades and other tools have built-in locking mechanisms. At the hilt, you\u2019ll see a small tab you have to push down to release the blade for closure. Having that means you can safely use the knife and exert some significant pressure without fear of it snapping back.\u201d
Typhoea identified the locking tab, and after succeeding in closing the blade, he placed it back on the table again. \u201cIt does feel like a very durable, well put-together tool. What else does it do?\u201d
\u201cWell,\u201d I began, picking up the multitool and opening some of the other tools. \u201cIn its folded condition, you have the primary blade you just saw, which you should note is 420HC steel\u2014this is a good compromise between useability and durability. We don\u2019t want it getting corroded during the often lengthy periods of time it\u2019ll remain stowed. You also have a near identical blade with a serrated edge for cutting less solid materials, such as rope. It sports a wood and metal file with an additional diamond file on the opposite side, and a saw which is a perfect size for very small trees. All of them lock securely into position, of course.\u201d
I closed all the blades and unfolded the tool in its entirety to the sound of gasps.
\u201cUnfolded, you can already see we have sturdy multi-use pliers\u2014needlenose and regular, with built-in wire-cutters. The handle is also rounded making it very comfortable to hold. Along the shaft we also have extending paper-scissors, multiple screw drivers with reversible heads and a bottle opener that doubles as a tin opener. Along the edge, you\u2019ll note ruler markings in both metric and imperial\u2014if you can get the shaft just straight, the two combine into a single, slightly-under 8 inch ruler.\u201d
As the two nodded along, Ursines decided it was his time to chime in. \u201cThat\u2019s all well and good,\u201d he began. \u201cBut speaking honestly, when are you ever going to need one of those?\u201d
\u201cExactly!\u201d I enthused. \u201cWhen you know you\u2019re going to need a screwdriver, you carry a screwdriver; when you know you\u2019re going to need a spanner, you carry a spanner. This is for all those other times when you have no idea what you\u2019re going to need.
\u201cMy wife actually made a similar remark when I first brought it home. \u2018I can\u2019t imagine any scenario where one of those will be useful,\u2019 she said. \u2018Me neither,\u2019 I agreed. \u2018This tool was designed to compensate for my alarming lack of imagination in that regard.\u2019 A couple of weeks later, she ended up buying one herself\u2014not the same one, mind. She went for a Micra. It\u2019s smaller and lighter, and has different features, but it\u2019s no less sturdy.
\u201cWhen you have one of these in your possession, you start to perceive the world differently, I find. You start to see everything as problems to be fixed, shortcomings to be improved, things that can only be done by utilising the unique qualities of the multitool. It\u2019s like it increases your perception of usefulness. Just this morning, I noticed the toilet door was snagging slightly on the frame when I opened and closed it. I popped out the wood file, shaved a little off, and now it\u2019s right as rain. That felt amazing!\u201d
The three nodded along, my point evidently having landed well.
Typhoea raised a finger and said, \u201cSo that\u2019s a Wave+ is it? I\u2019m quite tempted to get one myself now.\u201d
\u201cYou won\u2019t regret it. The Wave+ is a good general use model and comes with a 25 year warranty, so its resale value is also good if you later decide to upgrade to one of the other versions. The Charge+ TTI is also very popular, and that has the advantages of a set of Titanium outer grips and a blade made from an even stronger metal\u2014S30V. It does cost a fair bit more, but sits at the very top of the range. 
\u201cThere are also heavy-duty options, as befitting the requirements of someone requiring more than just an occasional convenience. The Surge, for example, is the same tool as the Wave, only scaled up.\u201d
\u201cI think the Wave+ would probably fit my needs more than adequately,\u201d said Typhoea, rubbing his chin.
\u201cNot me,\u201d said Ursines. \u201cI\u2019m going with the Charge+ TTI. Why settle for less?!\u201d
\u201cSame,\u201d added Scapula. \u201cI\u2019m always having trouble around the house and never having the right tools available. I need something heavy duty. The Surge it is for me.\u201d
\u201cIs there anywhere around here that sells them?\u201d asked Typhoea. 
\u201cProbably not,\u201d I said. \u201cBut you can order one online and it\u2019ll be in your hands by tomorrow afternoon. As it happens, I have a scannable discount code on my phone. Point your phone cameras at it and it\u2019ll get you 10% off the retail price.\u201d
\u201cThat\u2019s very generous of you to let us use it,\u201d said Typhoea. \u201cI\u2019ll fetch my phone.\u201d<\/p>


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Twenty minutes later, I was free to go with no charges having been filed, and three confirmed sales, two of which were of lucrative high profile models. Not bad for a single arrest.
Management has spent years shifting to online sales while downsizing brick-and-mortar locations, and wonders why business is down. As I keep demonstrating time and time again, multitools are tactile objects\u2014people need the experience of holding one in their hands to realise they\u2019re suddenly naked without one. 
Feet and products on the ground is how they\u2019re going to shift products, and with over 30 sales already this month, it\u2019s how I make a living.
But for now, the night is still young, so I\u2019m heading to Marblehurst for a smoke!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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