Darryl slid three quarters into the vending machine and weighed his options. The choices were the same; they were always the same. Nevertheless it was always a difficult decision first thing in the morning. As he stood in front of the plexiglass panel studying his options, the little fella in green popped out from behind a Snickers Bar. Folding his arms across his chest, he impatiently tapped his foot awaiting Darryl's choice.

Funny, Darryl Blake was the only one who could see the gnome in the candy machine. Ever since he was a child, he had been able to see the little guy hiding behind one of the options. When he selected B-2 or G-8, the green clad figure would scurry into the right position to push out the candy bar or bag of chips within the line of rings holding it in place.

It never failed to excite Darryl. "Did you see that?" he would exclaim after he reached into the opening to claim his treat. Usually no one would admit to noticing such a strange sight until his workmate, Alvin Mims, asked: "Do you mean that little man in green who pushes the candy out?"

"You saw him? You really saw him?" Darryl responded in a voice full of awe. He could hardly believe there was someone else in the office who could see what he could see.

"Nah," Alvin responded, giving Darryl a hearty slap on the back, "nothing there, mate. Not a thing."

Crest-fallen, Darryl returned to his desk passing a myriad of staring eyes. It was a small office therefore everyone was privy to the conversation at the vending machine. He knew he had made a fool of himself again. Grown people simply didn't believe in gnomes, fairies or elves. Nowadays even little children barely believed. But Darryl did; he knew they were real. And he was going to prove it.

The very next morning found Darryl Blake standing in front of the vending machine once again. The gnome was standing with his hand propped against an Entenmann's honey bun. His tiny emerald clad legs were crossed at the ankles in anticipation of a prolonged decision process. Instead of making a choice, Darryl suddenly exclaimed: "There he is!" Pointing frantically at the A-3 position, he encouraged his co-workers to hurry over.

Chairs scraping the tiled floor filled the small room as employees pushed them away from desks to rush in a group toward the vending machine. The crowd pressed close to the candy dispenser as everyone peered inside then dispersed back to their daily assignments. "Nothing there, mate," Alvin remarked, with a shrug of the shoulders. Behind Darryl's back, he made a finger twirling sign beside his ear. "Man's crazy," he whispered to Stella Arbuckle, his desk mate. "No Nonsense Stella", as she was known in the office, briskly nodded before turning back to her laptop.

Quickly punching the A-3 position with his stubby index finger, Darryl watched in awe as the gnome pushed the honey bun toward the plexiglass front of the machine. Bending swiftly, he claimed his breakfast before returning to his own desk. All eyes were focused on him as he crossed the room. "He's really there, you know," he assuredly exclaimed before returning to his seat.

The room fell into silence as the employees turned to their work. Some were amused by the thought of a gnome in the vending machine while others were disturbed by Darryl's claims. Other than Alvin, no one challenged their co-worker's assertions that what he saw was real. They understood he was a little different than the rest of them; he'd had a slight learning disability in school, but he was also good at his job. For the most part, he was friendly to all and well liked amongst the office staff. If he saw a little man pushing candy in the machine then let him. However, if it disturbed the jovial atmosphere of the workplace, that was another thing.