"I didn't," Elias replied. "I just knew that eventually, there would be a 'Sunday.' And when it arrived, I didn't want to be the one explaining why I wasn't ready."

"You were right," the contractor said, exhausted. "But the odds were so low. How did you know it would be yesterday?"

Elias insisted on the reinforced steel pilings. He fought the board, signed the extra paperwork, and endured the jokes about his "paranoia." For two years, the building sat there, over-engineered and quiet. Then came a Tuesday in October.

Elias was a veteran architect who had spent thirty years building "safe" structures. He was methodical, predictable, and, frankly, a bit bored. He was currently overseeing the construction of a small community center in a coastal town. Because the area hadn't seen a major hurricane in decades, the local contractors wanted to cut corners on the foundation to save money.