📁CASE FILE 14-P

Presumed Brief Noodle Touching with a Claim of Verification

📎 APPENDIX 14-P/B — On the Material Impossibility of Claiming “Fortuitous Contact” When One Arrives Wearing Gloves, Carrying a Measuring Tape and a Flashlight.

—Your Honor, I insist: it was fortuitous.

—Were you wearing gloves?

—Yes.

—A flashlight?

—Yes.

—A measuring tape?

—…yes.

—Why?

—I wanted to check something.

SILENCE.

The prosecutor slowly opens the caboodle.

—Your Honor… there is also a vernier caliper.


📎 APPENDIX 14-P/B

On the Material Impossibility of Claiming “Fortuitous Contact” When One Arrives Wearing Gloves, Carrying a Measuring Tape, a Flashlight and a Vernier Caliper

Document linked to: CASE FILE 14-P

Classification: RESTRICTED

Access level: Authorized personnel only

Status:
Open, but with its legs together

Warning:
Do not bring measuring equipment closer


I. PURPOSE OF THE APPENDIX

The purpose of this appendix is to determine whether the approach toward another person’s noodles may be considered accidental, casual, fortuitous, or “just something that happened” when the person under investigation is simultaneously carrying:

a) gloves;

b) a measuring tape;

c) a flashlight;

d) a vernier caliper;

e) the facial expression of someone who knows perfectly well what they are doing.

The provisional answer is:

Oh, come on.


II. LIST OF ITEMS SEIZED

During the preventive search, the following items were found:

Item 1. A pair of gloves.

The defense claims they were worn because “it was cold.”

It is recorded that it was July.

Item 2. A three-meter measuring tape.

The defense claims that “they always carry it.”

No construction work has been recorded.

Item 3. A flashlight.

The defense claims that “there wasn’t enough light.”

The events took place at 11:42 a.m.

Item 4. A vernier caliper.

At this point, the defense requested a recess.


III. SUPPLEMENTARY STATEMENT

When questioned about the presence of the vernier caliper, the person under investigation stated:

“I didn’t know I had it.”

When asked how they could possibly be unaware of a precision metal instrument in their pocket, they replied:

“I carry a lot of things.”

When asked whether they routinely carried tools intended for the precise measurement of diameters, they replied:

“It depends.”

The investigating authority considers the term:

“It depends.”

particularly serious.


IV. FORTUITOUS CONTACT HYPOTHESIS

The defense maintains that the approach toward the noodles occurred through an unforeseeable chain of events:

  1. The person under investigation was walking.
  2. They slipped.
  3. While slipping, they accidentally switched on the flashlight.
  4. While attempting to regain their balance, they put on the gloves.
  5. The measuring tape deployed itself.
  6. The vernier caliper appeared.

The Noodles Dignity Commission considers this version:

VERY DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE, GREGORIUS.


V. TECHNICAL REPORT ON THE VERNIER CALIPER

The appointed expert confirms that the seized object is capable of performing highly precise measurements.

When asked what possible use it could have in a noodle-related area, the expert:

a) looked at the prosecutor;

b) looked at the defense;

c) looked back at the prosecutor;

d) said:

“I’m staying out of this.”

His statement is considered technically impeccable.


VI. THE MEASURING TAPE INCIDENT

During the reconstruction of events, the measuring tape suddenly deployed.

The affected person shouted:

“HEY! NOBODY MEASURES ANYTHING HERE!”

The session was suspended for twenty minutes.

Mother Patience ordered the removal of:

a) the measuring tape;

b) the vernier caliper;

c) Gregorius.

Not necessarily in that order.


VII. AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES

The following shall be considered aggravating circumstances:

a) having calibrated the vernier caliper beforehand;

b) having asked “Hold still for a second”;

c) having said “This will only take two seconds”;

d) having written down figures;

e) having repeated the measurement “just to confirm.”

Repeating the measurement shall be considered:

IMMEDIATE METRIC RECIDIVISM


VIII. ON THE ALLEGED BREVITY OF THE EVENTS

The defense insists that any eventual contact was “very brief.”

This Secretariat reminds all parties that Article 5 of the Constitution establishes:

“Not out of curiosity.
Not to check something.
Not because ‘it was only for a moment.’
Not even with gloves.”

Accordingly:

BRIEF DOES NOT MEAN AUTHORIZED.

And certainly not with a vernier caliper.


IX. CONCLUSION

In view of the seized equipment, this Secretariat provisionally rejects the following hypotheses:

a) coincidence;

b) bad luck;

c) slipping;

d) spontaneous curiosity;

e) “I was just passing by.”

The facts present indications consistent with a possible:

NOODLE VERIFICATION OPERATION WITH METROLOGICAL SUPPORT

with the specific aggravating circumstance of:

CALIBRATED PREMEDITATION


FINAL PROCEDURAL NOTE

At the conclusion of the session, the person under investigation asked:

“Are you going to give me my vernier caliper back?”

The answer was:

“WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

And for the record, this appendix is hereby signed.

Without taking measurements.

📜 THE OFFICIAL CONSTITUTION OF THE ATTIC ARTICLE 5

On the inviolability of drawers, the legal status of caboodles, and the absolute prohibition against touching the noodles without a court order

5.1. The drawers of The Attic are inviolable.

No authority, official, chronicler, gnome, nun, beaver, vegetable holding public office, or person who says “I was only looking for something” may open them without the consent of their owner or a court order.

Drawers that are already open are exempt, but only until someone asks:

“Who left this like this?”

5.2. The following conduct shall be considered improper administrative opening of a drawer:

a) pulling it slightly to see if it opens;

b) looking through the gap;

c) rummaging without taking anything out;

d) taking one thing out and leaving another;

e) saying “Was this here?”;

f) closing it quickly upon hearing footsteps.

The occurrence of two or more such behaviors shall constitute qualified rummaging.

5.3. Caboodles shall enjoy constitutional protection insofar as they constitute bulky collections of papers, documents, notes, copies, receipts, drafts, and other things that nobody dares throw away because:

a) they might come in handy;

b) someone saved them for some reason;

c) there is a paper clip;

d) they look important;

e) they have been there for far too many years.

5.4. No caboodle may be destroyed without first undergoing the General Procedure for the Assessment of Papers That May Be Useless But Who Knows.

This procedure shall consist of the following stages:

a) looking at the caboodle;

b) sighing;

c) leafing through three papers;

d) finding one from 1998;

e) saying “I’ll keep this”;

f) putting everything back in the same place.

5.5. Caboodles shall be officially classified as:

a) simple caboodle;

b) considerable caboodle;

c) respectable caboodle;

d) caboodle that already needs a chair;

e) structural caboodle.

A structural caboodle shall be considered any caboodle whose removal might affect the physical or emotional stability of The Attic.

5.6. The creation of a new caboodle for the sole purpose of explaining the contents of a previous caboodle is prohibited.

Should this occur, both caboodles shall be merged into a Consolidated Macrofile of Documentary Confusion.

Gregorius shall receive a copy.

Nobody knows why.

5.7. The noodles constitute a material, symbolic, and deeply personal reality protected by this Constitution.

Consequently:

NOBODY SHALL TOUCH ANOTHER PERSON’S NOODLES.

Not out of curiosity.

Not to check something.

Not because “it was only for a moment.”

Not even with gloves.

5.8. Access to the noodles may only be authorized by means of:

a) a final court order;

b) a reasoned ruling;

c) the presence of two witnesses;

d) a prior report from the Noodles Dignity Commission;

e) the complete absence of Gregorius.

5.9. The expression:

“Don’t touch my noodles”

shall have immediate, executive, and sufficient legal force.

It shall require no:

a) seal;

b) registration;

c) certified copy;

d) sworn translation;

e) further explanation.

5.10. Any person who, after being warned, responds:

“But I didn’t touch anything”

shall be considered administratively suspicious.

If, in addition, they keep their hands behind their back, the Special Protocol for Unconvincing Denial shall be activated.

5.11. Photographing, cataloging, numbering, weighing, classifying, or including the noodles in a spreadsheet is prohibited.

Especially in a spreadsheet.

5.12. In the event of a conflict between the right of access to public information and the right to noodles privacy, the following shall always prevail:

NOODLES PRIVACY.

Because there are limits.

5.13. If a gnome is caught inside a drawer, they may not plead ignorance of the rule.

They shall be asked:

“What are you doing in there?”

The answer:

“Nothing”

shall not be considered legally satisfactory.

5.14. Spoons with criminal records may not act as witnesses in proceedings relating to drawers, honey, or noodles until they have demonstrated the required six consecutive months of dry conduct.

FIRST ADDITIONAL PROVISION

Any caboodle containing a paper marked:

“IMPORTANT”

shall automatically be preserved for another fifty years, even if nobody remembers what was important about it.

SECOND ADDITIONAL PROVISION

If another, smaller caboodle is found inside a caboodle, no attempt shall be made to separate them.

They may have developed a bond.

TRANSITIONAL PROVISION

Drawers currently filled with unidentified things shall be granted an indefinite period in which to continue exactly as they are.

FIRST FINAL PROVISION

Any violation of noodles dignity shall be published in the OAT — Official Annals of The Attic, with names, surnames, and, where appropriate, an approximate drawing of the culprit.

SECOND FINAL PROVISION

This article shall enter into force immediately.

There is no need to publish it.

This noodles business should already be common knowledge.

📜 THE OFFICIAL CONSTITUTION OF THE ATTIC ARTICLE 4

On the inviolable right to an afternoon snack, spoons with criminal records, and emergency procedures in the event of a pine-nut cake disappearance

4.1. Every person, gnome, nun, chronicler, beaver, vegetable holding public office, or creature of a nature still pending classification shall have the right to a snack.

This right shall be:

a) universal;

b) non-waivable;

c) imprescriptible;

d) given priority over meetings that have already gone on far too long.

4.2. No one may be deprived of their snack on the grounds of:

a) an open file;

b) a closed file;

c) a misplaced file;

d) having asked “How much longer?” during a meeting;

e) unconfirmed suspicions of honey possession.

4.3. A spoon with a criminal record shall be considered any spoon that has previously been involved in any of the following:

a) stirring honey without authorization;

b) turning up sticky inside a drawer;

c) being found next to an empty jar;

d) disappearing for more than forty-eight hours and returning without explanation;

e) having been seen in Gregorius’s company after six o’clock.

Repeat-offender spoons shall be entered into the Central Registry of Small Utensils with Questionable Conduct.

4.4. No spoon may be considered guilty merely for being sticky.

However, if it is sticky, bent, and inside a gnome’s pocket, proceedings shall be opened.

4.5. The total or partial disappearance of a pine-nut cake shall constitute an Institutional Emergency of the Highest Degree when any of the following circumstances apply:

a) the cake was whole ten minutes earlier;

b) no one admits to having eaten any;

c) a knife with crumbs is discovered;

d) Sister Pietat says, “I only had the tiniest little taste”;

e) Gregorius stops making eye contact.

4.6. Once the emergency has been declared, Urgent Procedure 12-C for the Location, Custody, and Eventual Recovery of Cake shall be activated immediately.

This procedure shall include:

a) locking the doors;

b) counting those present;

c) counting the plates;

d) counting those present again because Aurelius has moved;

e) inspecting the crumbs;

f) asking who did it;

g) listening to an administratively revealing silence.

4.7. Cleaning the table before the investigation has concluded is prohibited.

The crumbs shall be considered pastry material evidence and shall be collected, labeled, and secured in an official envelope.

If anyone eats them, they shall automatically go from witness to suspect.

4.8. If a piece of cake is found hidden beneath a caboodle, the presumption of premeditation shall apply.

If the caboodle is labeled:

“Miscellaneous Matters,”

the aggravating circumstance of administrative bad faith shall also apply.

4.9. Sister Pietat shall have the right to make a statement in the presence of legal counsel provided that she stops saying:

“But it was only a tiny little piece.”

The size of the piece shall be determined by the Independent Commission for Portions and Other Blatant Lies.

4.10. Under no circumstances may an investigative commission be established while cake is still available.

First, there shall be a snack.

Then we shall see.

4.11. If the cake disappears during the very meeting convened to investigate the disappearance of the cake, the events shall be classified as:

The Great Pine-Nut Scandal of The Attic

and shall result in:

a) the immediate appearance of Aurelius;

b) the precautionary suspension of all spoons;

c) inspection of the poodles, solely with a court order;

d) an extraordinary publication in the OAT;

e) the look from Mother Patience.

4.12. The look from Mother Patience shall have sufficient evidentiary value.

Nothing further shall be required.

FIRST ADDITIONAL PROVISION

Anyone who says:

“I didn’t want a snack”

and is subsequently discovered eating cake directly from the tray shall lose, for seven days, the right to express an opinion about portion sizes.

SECOND ADDITIONAL PROVISION

Spoons that have served their sentence may request the cancellation of their records provided that they can demonstrate six consecutive months of dry conduct.

TRANSITIONAL PROVISION

Until the Central Registry of Small Utensils with Questionable Conduct is effectively established, suspicious spoons shall be kept in a cup with a piece of paper reading:

“DO NOT TOUCH.”

It is presumed that someone will touch them.

FINAL PROVISION

This article shall enter into force immediately upon its publication in the OAT — Official Annals of The Attic.

If any pine-nut cake remains at that moment, the entry into force may be postponed until after the snack.

📜 The Official Constitution of The Attic — Article 3

On the separation of powers, excessively sleek turnips, and the unjustified presence of zucchinis in official premises

3.1. The powers of The Attic are divided into:

a) Executive Power;
b) Legislative Power;
c) Judicial Power;
d) Gregorius’s Power to claim that he knew nothing about it.

The latter shall be independent, irresponsible, and surprisingly difficult to locate after five o’clock.

3.2. No turnip may simultaneously hold more than one public office if it displays a degree of sleekness exceeding the level permitted by regulation.

Sleekness shall be assessed by the Technical Commission for Turnips and Other Elements Excessively Convinced of Their Own Importance, through visual inspection, prudent palpation, and, in exceptional cases, a prolonged stare.

3.3. A turnip excessively sleek shall be defined as one that:

a) enters a meeting without having been invited;
b) occupies a chair with excessive confidence;
c) says, “I’ll take care of this”;
d) has its own folder;
e) has been seen speaking quietly with a cucumber.

In such cases, the turnip shall be placed under discreet administrative surveillance, unless it is already a member of the commission responsible for monitoring it.

3.4. The unjustified presence of zucchinis is prohibited in:

a) official offices;
b) meeting rooms;
c) archives containing sensitive documents;
d) drawers that lock;
e) any place where Gregorius says, “There’s nothing here.”

The mere appearance of a shiny zucchini on a table shall result in the immediate opening of a file.

If the zucchini is very shiny, two files shall be opened.

3.5. Cucumbers holding public office shall be required to declare annually:

a) assets;
b) conflicts of interest;
c) the number of known jars of honey;
d) a list of turnips with whom they have held conversations lasting more than four minutes;
e) any notes taken while staring intently at a vegetable.

False statements in such declarations shall be punished by the temporary removal of the official seal and the obligation to sit next to Aurelius for an entire meeting.

3.6. No zucchini may be appointed Director General solely on the grounds of being shiny.

However, if it is very shiny and wears a necktie, the Board may consider the matter.

3.7. The separation of powers shall be respected at all times, especially at snack time.

Accordingly:

a) the Executive Power shall execute;
b) the Legislative Power shall legislate;
c) the Judicial Power shall judge;
d) the honey gnome shall touch nothing.

3.8. Any attempt to concentrate all three powers in a single person shall be considered contrary to the Constitution.

Any attempt to concentrate them in a turnip shall be considered, in addition, reckless.

3.9. If a cucumber, a turnip, and a zucchini are found gathered behind a closed door, the Protocol 7-B for Unreported Institutional Horticultural Confluence shall be activated immediately.

The protocol shall consist of:

a) knocking on the door;
b) waiting;
c) knocking again;
d) asking, “What are you doing?”;
e) not believing the answer.

3.10. If an amorous clam appears during an inspection, proceedings shall be suspended until someone explains what it is doing there.

If nobody knows, the clam shall be placed provisionally under the authority of the Department of Culture.

ADDITIONAL PROVISION ONE

Turnips displaying excessive sleekness that already held public office before this Article came into force shall have thirty (30) days to reduce their sleekness, resign from office, or learn how to disguise it.

ADDITIONAL PROVISION TWO

The shininess of a zucchini shall not constitute sufficient evidence of corruption.

But it certainly won’t help.

TRANSITIONAL PROVISION

Until the corresponding Technical Commission is established, the sleekness of turnips shall be determined by Mother Patience with a single look.

Her decision shall be final.

FINAL PROVISION

This Article shall enter into force the day after its publication in the OAT — Official Annals of The Attic, except for Section 3.6, which shall enter into force when someone finds a necktie the size of a zucchini.

🍺 Wilhelm & Klaus

In Zwergenbach, not everyone experiences Oktoberfest in quite the same way.

Wilhelm prefers to quietly read the village chronicle.

Klaus prefers to make sure he can’t.

—“Klaus, let me read.”

—“I’m just looking.”

—“You’re blocking my book.”

—“Oh.”

Pause.

—“What are you doing now?”

Klaus smiles.

—“Keeping you company.”

😂🍺

In Zwergenbach, even reading can become a hazardous activity.