Squirrel Wakes Up

It might not be more scientific, but it surely is more fun. Time after time, flying peanuts leave a line of splashes the whole way across the pond. Even Frog is willing to concede, informally of course, that the additional mass of the unsplit peanut might compensate for the inefficient contact surface.

Time after time, the peanuts stop just short of the edge. Once, an especially strong throw by Toad sends a peanut bouncing just over the sleeping Squirrel.

Then it happens. A flying peanut arcs over the shore and right onto Squirrel's head, breaking in half. Squirrel awakes with a start and spins in five directions simultaneously before falling down in a heap. Then he finally notices Frog and Toad on the other side, who are still chirping with laughter from their perch under the Great Fern.

Squirrel is not happy.

Ten months later, after the ethics board completes its enquiry, and the court case has dragged on, Frog and Toad settle with Squirrel for an undisclosed sum. Squirrel buys a condo in the Bahamas, far away from magical ponds.

And Frog and Toad? Without valid results, and saddled with legal fees, they return to the forest. Their next experiment better pay off this time.