This is the way I heard it.

Percy was no stranger to making big decisions.

He worked on secret projects for a large government contractor and supervised an elite team of

physicists, engineers and mathematicians. He understood the importance of being firm,

clear and concise with respect to all aspects of communication and decision making.

But today, the choice that Percy faced was simply to agonizing to rush.

Peanut butter or chocolate. Other people, less disciplined and more indulgent,

perhaps, might have chosen both, but Percy limited himself to one snack per day,

so the decision was not so easily remedied. The bold and bittersweet luxury of the great American

chocolate bar were the rich and creamy goodness of a peanut butter cluster. Happily,

Percy's discerning gaze fell upon an intriguing confection that absolved him of any further

procrastination. A peanut butter cluster drizzled with chocolate fudge. Hallelujah.

Percy slid his nickel across the counter, wrapped his treat in a napkin and slipped the tidy bundle

into the front pocket of his new suit. Never knowing the nickel he just spent would reveal a strange

and powerful force within the universe, incubating, in fact, in the heart of Percy's laboratory.

The team was already hard at work by the time Percy arrived, and the experiments were

progressing ahead of schedule. The technology being explored on this particular day had the potential

to allow a more accurate prediction of weather patterns and provide a better way to monitor sea levels.

The test results were encouraging, and by mid-afternoon, Percy was starting to feel like the

technology in question was far more significant than anyone realized. He was also starting to feel

like it was time for a snack. A bit early, maybe, but why not? The comforting weight of his confection

had been a reassuring presence all day, and really what was life after all without the celebration

...