Once, there was a snake named Nathan.

Once, there was a snake named Nathan.

All of his friends, however, called him Nate.

One day, Nate was slithering along the middle of the road, when he came across a large lever, placed directly in the middle of the road.

On this large lever, someone had placed a sign that read, “Do Not Pull Lever: THE WORLD WILL END!!!”

As Nate sat there, in the middle of the road, pondering the urgency created by using three exclamation points on the sign, there came a car speeding down the road.

At the wheel of the car was a blue-haired little old lady, and next to her, in the passenger seat, sat her equally blue-haired old lady friend.

The driver was speeding, and could barely see over the steering wheel.

So, there Nate sat, pondering the sign.

And onward drove the old ladies, speeding down the road toward Nate and this world-ending lever in the middle of the road.

Much too late, the old lady who was driving (again, at reckless speeds), saw the snake, and saw the lever with the sign on it.

She had only a split second to make her choice: Would she hit the snake, or would she end the world?

At the last second, she swerved, and hit the snake, killing him.

She turned to her old lady friend, whose mouth was agape at what had just happened.

The driver just shrugged.

“Well, better Nate than Lever.”