The three esteemed grand judges—including the town’s elderly, dignified Mayor and a notoriously strict culinary critic—took their seats at the tasting table. By drawing straws, they decided to sample Beatrice’s pie first. The critic cut a beautiful wedge, noting the perfect consistency of the fruit filling. The three judges picked up their forks, took a massive, enthusiastic bite, and began to chew. For three seconds, there was absolute silence. Then, the chaos hit.
The Mayor’s eyes suddenly widened to the size of saucers, and his face turned a violent, terrifying shade of crimson. The culinary critic let out a strangled gasp, dropping his fork and clutching his throat as involuntary tears streamed down his face. The third judge reached frantically for a heavy glass pitcher of water, knocking it over and flooding the scoring sheets. All three men began coughing, wheezing, and violently fanning their mouths in absolute agony. The crowd erupted into a panic. Arthur and Beatrice sprinted to the table, screaming, “What’s wrong? What did you put in that?!”