The Penny


One day I was walking down the street I found a random penny on the ground.  Smiling to myself at my obvious good fortune, I picked up the penny and merrily went on my way.  A few minuets later I was standing at a crosswalk waiting for the light to change and humming to myself.  As I crossed the street I was hit by a charter bus and died.  

I floated next to my body watching as people came to see if I was ok.  I was watching a woman try not to puke when a bright light suddenly blinded me.  It was the sun reflecting off of a small bronze circle lying in the palm of my corpse. It was the penny.  Images suddenly flashed through my mind as I remembered what I did only minuets prior to my death.  I remembered that when I picked up the penny I had ignored the fact that it was tails up.  It’s funny how a seemingly insignificant thing can change a person’s life forever.

For if I had ignored the penny like so many other people have then I would’ve made it across the street safely and lived.  For if I had not died, it would not have been discovered that the bus driver was driving under the influence of alcohol. If I had not been in the way of the bus, it would’ve crashed into a traffic jam and would’ve killed over 20 people. Its funny how the actions of one person can impact several people without them ever knowing.  Now the question I pose to you is thus.  Was my death caused by the carelessness of a single human being?  Or was it the result of the bad luck of picking up a tails up penny?  You decide