This is a strange little task.

I couldn't decide whether to play it as possibly true or obviously crazy, and in the end wound up with clearly fictional. Ah well. Task accomplished, and it sounds like my contact enjoyed it.

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The original ad, posted on CraigsList Friday afternoon.


160 watt power inverter - $8 (berkeley)

Jensen 160 Watt power inverter. Three foot cord with a cigarette lighter plug, single outlet. Unit is used, worked fine the last time I used it. Local pickup only in Berkeley.

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The first response.

from "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
to sale-892357667@craigslist.org
date Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 4:35 PM
subject power inverter

Do you still have it? Where are you located in Berkeley to pick it up? Do you have a ph# to arrange pick up?

THX++++

My name's A-- (510) --- ----

THX+++

A

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Much sooner than I expected, someone responded. So, I had to come up with a plan for the dead drop. I threw some stuff together, then set out in search of a suitable location.

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from "K. R. Millstone" <itsnotparanoia@gmail.com>
to "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
date Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 6:19 PM
subject Re: power inverter

Hello A--,

Wow, that was a fast response. The power inverter is all yours if you want it.

It's important that we not be seen meeting in public, so I've arranged a dead drop.

At the corner of Ward St. and Ellsworth St. in Berkeley is a planter in the middle of a traffic circle. Just behind the north facing sign is a large bush. In the base of that bush is hidden an upside-down white flower pot. Inside the flower pot is your inverter. I've attached a photo with an arrow showing the location. You can pick it up at your leisure. Just leave the payment in the same place.




Also, I left three blue paperclips on the curb right in front of the sign. Please scatter them when you make the exchange. That way I can see at a glance whether you've been there and avoid the risk of making unnecessary trips to check the drop location.

Here's a map showing the location: map

Best,
Karsk

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from "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
to "K. R. Millstone" <itsnotparanoia@gmail.com>
date Fri, Oct 24, 2008 at 10:43 PM
subject Re: power inverter

Wow...I find this a little awkward... what's going on? I want a power inverter, not blow! ;-) It seems like I'm buying the plans to a secret russian submarine instead! How am I gonna know that the product is not defective or that is gonna blow up my car's output? Not quite the confidence builder here... can you clarify a bit? :-)

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from "K. R. Millstone" <itsnotparanoia@gmail.com>
to "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
date Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 10:41 AM
subject Re: power inverter

Sorry - I know this is a little unusual. I don't blame you for being suspicious.

Trust me, though, you don't want to know all the details.

The power inverter works, and it's perfectly legal. I bought it years ago to use a laptop in the car, and I no longer drive a car, so haven't used it in years. (All this cloak and dagger stuff has nothing to do with the power inverter itself. I just have to make sure they're not using you to get to me.)

You're welcome to try it out first to see if it works, then come back and leave me the cash. As far as the thing blowing up, well, you can unscrew the case and look for explosives if you want. Or, you can just assume that nobody's going to waste a perfectly good car bomb on a stranger. After all, you're the one who contacted me.

Best,
K

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from "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
to "K. R. Millstone" <itsnotparanoia@gmail.com>
date Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 12:08 AM
subject Re: power inverter

I might be able to stop by the location tomorrow afternoon or later in the work week. I'm driving from SF, so please make sure it remains there for a few days. I'll test it and if it works I'll drop off the money as agreed.

THX

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I checked that the package was undisturbed, and also sprinked some 10 Kopeck coins around on the ground nearby.

In responding to A--, I decided that my last message had been too conciliatory and sane. I wanted to up the weird just a little bit, so I added a black-and-white crop of Lank's campaign trail photo and turned him into an enemy agent.

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from "K. R. Millstone" <itsnotparanoia@gmail.com>
to "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
date Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 1:01 PM
subject Re: power inverter

Hi -

Just checked, and it's still there, as of Sunday 12:30pm. Stop by at your leisure. If you don't have a chance to stop by today and want me to check again later in the week, let me know.

(Also, I'm quite sure I wasn't followed. But, just in case, you may want to keep your eye out for the guy in the attached photo. They tell me he died in Akmola in 1997, but I don't believe it. Then again, I haven't seen him since then, so maybe it's really true this time. He won't approach you in public, but I wouldn't let him follow you home if I were you.)

-K

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from "A--" <d--@yahoo.com>
to "K. R. Millstone" <itsnotparanoia@gmail.com>
date Sun, Oct 26, 2008 at 8:19 PM
subject Re: power inverter

(the bird has left the nest)

:-)

Thanks for the thing. It was a very exciting adventure, true or not. Great writing, the pic and the Akmola detail. You should write a novel a la Fleming!

Cheers & good luck!

A

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Looks like I went a little overboard and made it too obvious that I was neither crazy nor telling the truth.

Still, the guy did play along, and left the cash in the flower pot. He even wrapped it up in the plastic bag and rubber bands just like the original package.

Not all that exciting, as tasks go, but it was more interesting than most craigslist exchanges, and I did get $8 and free up a wee bit of closet space in the process.

Finally, if anyone wants to use itsnotparanoia@gmail.com for something, let me know. It seems too good an address to waste on just this task. I was surprised to find it available.

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images follow, but you've already seen the interesting ones.