Death by Chocolate

An elderly man lay dying in his bed. In death's agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolatechip cookies wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed.Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, andwith even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping therailing with both hands. With labored breath, he leaned against the doorframe, gazing into the kitchen.

Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already inheaven: there, spread out upon newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies. Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his devotedwife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table,landing on his knees in a rumpled posture. His parched lips parted; thewondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth; seemingly bringinghim back to life.

The aged and withered hand, shockingly made its way to a cookie at theedge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.

"Stay out of those," she said,
"they're for the funeral!"