The Candyman Mystery - by Chelsi L.

The candyman has yet to be revealed.

The story begins on a dark night in the Southern Ocean. Life at sea has many perks, one of which is the abundance of delicious sweet treats. Everything from candy bars, cookies, pies, cakes, you name it, is available 24/7. Given my tendency to have a sweet tooth, I committed to a dessert-free diet for the duration of the cruise. Some of my wonderful shipmates had decided to join me in solidarity, and we therefore began the no-sugar challenge.

However, one sailor was secretly against this pact. Roughly 24 hours after our declaration, I began finding sweet treats hidden around my lab space. There were m&m packets and sodas in my coat pockets, in my glove-liners, and even in my boots. Apparently, war was declared.

Several days go by after the candy began appearing, with no sign of further retaliation. I resisted the candies with all my will-power, and taped the evidence to the white-board, declaring my refusal to give in to the candyman's game. Of course, someone began eating the treats from the board, thankfully removing them from my sight.
One cold morning, I noticed a note on the whiteboard, asking me to check my email. I found a message from science member 29, with a delightful riddle.

"If you think you know the culprit,
to conclusions you are leaping.
Pay close attention to,
who is awake and who is sleeping

The gifts shall continue,
there's sugar aplenty.
You'll find the next surprise,
behind boxes whose sum is 20.

-Candyman"

Of course, I looked behind my sample boxes, finding candy behind boxes 9 and 10. That is 19. Maybe I am missing something, or the candyman miscalculated. Yes, I checked box 1. There was nothing there.
I was confident the candyman revealed his identity. A list of our names next to our science number was in the lab, but not to my surprise, the candyman covered his tracks. The name on science number 9 was blacked out.
So I recruited Croy, the science technician who handles our internet connection. He agreed to temporarily block Sci9 from the internet, to see who would come to him to troubleshoot. I knew I had him backed into a corner. I responded to his poem.

"Hello candyman.
 Your reign is about to end.
Consider yourself, unwrapped.

Cheryl"

(My ship nickname is Cheryl)

Their response?

"My reign is never-ending
My power only grows
These emails I'll keep sending
Who am I? No one knows.

I lurk in the shadows,
Ive covered my tracks.
Let's PROPEL this charade,
to it's sugary MAX.

Croy cannot help you,
my line can't be tapped.
Soon you will find,
it is YOU who will be unwrapped!

-Candyman

Time passed and no one came to complain about their interweb connections. Candyman was always two steps ahead of me. Of course, I found a chocolate bar in my PROPEL electrolyte box. And I was beginning to question MAX, a watchstander. Though I knew the Candyman would not reveal themselves so easily.
Upon further inspection of the science list, by flashlight, the crossed out name was of a person who helped load the ship but is not sailing with us. Interesting. Again, the candyman was covering his/her tracks. I was beginning to lose hope.

Days passed, and I had no new evidence. I was beginning to think the whole team was conspiring against me. I watched my back, trusting no one.


Today, the candyman appeared once again. I left an empty cup in the computer lab and left the lab temporarily. Upon my return 5 minutes later, Candyman had filled my cup with m&ms. Good move, I was impressed. But it must be someone who was awake and nearby, watching my every move.

However, I received new information today. The only thing I can say is, I found you Candyman, you can hide from me but you cannot hide your IP address. I'm coming for you, when you least expect it.