A Natural-Born Cynic
- Meet Flora Belle Buckman, a romance-hating ten-year-old hypochondriac obsessed with superheroes.
- You might call her a cynic. Her mom certainly does. In fact, Flora has been called a cynic so many times that she even refers to herself as a "natural-born cynic."
- Earlier in the summer, she promised her mom, a romance novelist, that she would stop reading comic books so much.
- Her mom calls out to her to remember the "contract" where she promised this, and instantly Flora regrets it.
- Just then, she hears a loud noise coming from her neighbor, Mrs. Tickham's house. Outside, Mrs. Tickham is vacuuming her yard. Huh?
- Flora can't believe her eyes, especially because there's a squirrel right on Mrs. Tickham's path. Watch out, lady.
- While watching, Flora thinks of Alfred T. Slipper from a comic book called Incandesto! In it, a timid janitor transforms into a crime fighter called Incandesto.
- She wishes Alfred was there, but since he's not, she'll just have to fight crime herself.
- Too late—Mrs. Tickham just vacuumed up the squired. Oops.