"Huh?" Enders moved in close, blinking, as he looked at the last line, which was printed all in capital letters, as was the entire program, the computer knowing only this style. The line read ZARF IS WITH YOU AGAIN. Enders said nothing.
"Who is Zarf?" Klein asked.
"I dunno. Nobody in here uses that code." Enders looked up, puzzled. "And why would he stick it on the end like that?"
Klein stood. "For fun."
This is a page from Apple Crunch, a 1981 novel by Frederic Vincent Huber. I read it when I was eleven or twelve. I was a pre-teenager. I wanted agency in the world.
I thought the idea of a computer hacker, invisibly causing chaos, was the coolest thing ever.
It's not a terrific book. But if you ever wondered why I started using the handle "Zarf" -- this is why.