Chapter Eleven
The weekend went by uneventfully (making a welcome change from the slave labor at Vicky's hands), and on Monday, election week at Dimmsdale High School kicked off. Timmy, Tootie, A.J., and Chester were amongst the other Dimmsdale Elementary students attending the lecture that had been set up by the teacher running the election.
For her part, Vicky was not canvassing, owing to all of the dirty tricks that she had pulled the previous week. Now, all that Vicky and the other candidates were allowed to do was to wear sashes marked with the word 'CANDIDATE' on their person. No posters, buttons, or advertising was permitted.
Timmy and the others were watching how the ballot boxes were being made up, as well as the ballots themselves. The teacher took pains to tell the children that each ballot box and the ballots were marked with a special stamp to show that the ballots and the boxes were not counterfeit.
It was this latter safety feature that Vicky had talked to Timmy, A.J., Chester, and Tootie about before they went to the lecture. All of them had paid close attention because Vicky had them tied up in chairs with their feet immersed in buckets of water. The buckets had wires running out of them and running to a control box that Vicky had in her had. The control box in turn was plugged into a wall socket.
"You better be in the mood for listening, Twerps and Twerpette", Vicky had said once they had been secured, "because otherwise you'll all be feeling the effect of 120 volts running through your wimpy little carcasses!"
"Now that's a convincing argument", Timmy shakily acknowledged. The others nodded.
"I want you to get me a sample of the election ballot with the special stamp", she said first, "then you are to give me an accurate description of the ballot box type. Here's a camera cell-phone so that you can take pictures of it. Understood?" she finished while holding up the control box.
Timmy and the others vigorously nodded their heads. The lesson had been taken to heart at the lecture later on that day as A.J. had managed to get excellent shots of the ballot box sample while Chester had managed to purloin a sample of the ballot paper with its stamp without the teacher noticing.
"Excellent work, Twerps!" Vicky said after the cell-phone camera and purloined ballot was handed to her at the end of the day, "Now get out of my sight. Be back here tomorrow at the same time!"
"I've got a pretty good idea what Vicky wants those pictures and the ballot paper for", Wanda opined while Timmy was walking back home.
"And I don't think it's for making handkerchiefs either", Cosmo added. Both Wanda and Cosmo were in their squirrel disguises.
"Well, we'll have to make plans for that too", Timmy replied, "and speaking of plans, is what I suggested last night legal?"
"Well, according to Da Rules – meaning Jorgen – it is legal only if all the candidates get it as well", Wanda replied.
"That's good enough", Timmy replied, "I don't like the idea of Vicky winning, but if she wins because the students honestly think that she's the best, then it's different than her winning because she's cheating".
"That's what democracy is all about, Sweetie", Wanda confirmed, "at least we're making sure that the playing ground is level".
"But so far, all we've done is to make her more popular", Cosmo noted.
"Which is why Timmy's idea for the debate this Thursday is the best chance to even the odds", Wanda pointed out.
Timmy thought about those words ruefully the following day when Vicky had Timmy and Tootie start printing up counterfeit ballots – complete with having them marking them with an 'x' on eight out of every ten ballot papers beside Vicky's name. A.J. and Chester were making counterfeit ballot boxes into which the counterfeit ballot papers were being stuffed into. Wanda had correctly guessed that Vicky would be pulling such a stunt.
Thanks to close examination of the ballot paper stamp, Vicky had an exact copy made so that all of the ballot papers, plus the seals on the counterfeit ballot boxes had the stamp affixed. These boxes and papers looked indistinguishable from the others.
"When the polling places around the school closes, then I'll have the real boxes switched with these so that regardless of how the debate finishes, I'll win anyway!" Vicky chortled as she pushed a button on a remote control unit she carried.
"Ouch!" Timmy and the others said in unison. Vicky had placed upon their ankles shock bracelets when they reported in that afternoon. Vicky was being rather liberal in shocking them to ensure that all of them were working on the counterfeiting.
For the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday, the bogus ballots were produced(being carefully numbered in the process in order to ensure that not too many ballots were made). Finally, at the end of the school day on Wednesday afternoon, the chore was completed.
"Okay, Twerps and Twerpette!", Vicky said, "Vamoose, and keep your mouths shut about this or else you won't be doing much more talking by the time I've finished with you!" All of them raced out of the room and out of Dimmsdale High School.
As Timmy walked home with Cosmo and Wanda close at hand, Timmy said, "Vicky has really made a mockery out of the political system. I'm sick of helping her on this!"
"Well, at least the debates should even things out", Wanda soothed.
"But with those fake ballots, she's sure to win despite the debate. Unless….." Timmy said.
"What do you have in mind, Timmy?" Wanda asked. Timmy quickly filled her in on his idea.
"Yes, I see no problem with that wish, Sweetie, but you'll need to wish for it just after the polls close so that Vicky won't be suspicious", she advised.
"Then we'll go ahead with the plan for tomorrow's debate", Timmy said, "You have the stuff ready?"
Wanda and Cosmo held up small bottles. Timmy nodded in satisfaction.
"I think the students watching the debates tomorrow are going to be in for quite a treat then", he said in anticipation.
Wanda and Cosmo nodded. The voter's choice for class president could not be changed by magic, but since most of the students would be basing their vote on how each candidate did in the debate, that was where Timmy's last effort to stop Vicky from gaining an unfair advantage would take place…