Tea was rushing into the office, arms loaded down with all her work-related detritus, murmuring to-dos with all the hither-thither jibber-jabber of the proverbial Alice in Wonderland’s white rabbit. “Pens, pens,” continued the litany. “I need more pens!”

Effie poked her head in to better view this particular spectacle. “Don’t you have a million?”

“You see,” Tea explained (she was always up for an explanation), “I have the good pens distributed across all the places I might need them.” Several cheap pens were in evidence on the workdesk. “And somehow, the place I’m at never has any pens!”

Effie blinked—”Sounds like a pendemic”—then vamoosed before Tea could throw anything.