He lived in the old folk's home, but he had never lost his independence. "Bring 'em on!" was his motto. He had achieved quite a reputation there. Despite what people spoke of as "The Fall", he maintained his air of hubrus.
"That fall was a long time ago, and I'm as good as ever. Oh, a little arthritis, but I'm still my own man. Nobody tells me what to do, or how to think," he would say.
So it was with great anticipation that a challenge was made by a circus owner. "Arm wrestle the Great One, and win a wonderful prize, plus the admiration of all. So far no one has won. Be the first."
"No problem," said the old man. "I have what it takes to beat anyone at anything, because I have a secret weapon!"
So the day came that he entered the gorilla's cage and locked hands with the monster. At the signal, he confidently flexed his arm muscles. For a time it looked like an even match. It even looked like the old man would win.
"The owner of the gorilla has taught him to hold back for a while," said one of the audience. "He will give the old guy a chance to use all his strength. Then, Pow! He'll bang his knuckles on the table."
And so he did. Suddenly the gorilla acted just as the spectator had said, and the match was over.
"But he said he had a secret weapon," voiced a friend.
The now defeated man stepped down from the Great One's cage. His head was bowed as he murmured, "How could I have lost? After all, I had Free Will."
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