A man is walking through the desert...

EDIT: Sorry for the wall of text! Shaggy dog story, y'know?


A man is walking through the desert. He's trying to find some water, because he's dying of thirst. He keeps walking, searching, desperately in need of water.

He sees an oasis up ahead of him, and runs to it. When he gets there, it turns out that it was just a couple of trees. No water. Just a mirage, mostly.

He keeps walking, and finds another oasis. He is fooled once again, and this oasis is just a couple of trees, and a camel. No water.

The man continues searching, and sees some men up ahead of him. He notices they look like salesmen, as they're wearing suits and holding briefcases.

"Hey!" the man calls, waving to get the salesmen's attention. He runs over to them. "Do you...have any...water?" He pants, out of breath.

"Sorry, sir," the first salesman answers, "we only sell ties."

"Ties?" the man echoes.

"Yes, ties," the second salesman replies.

"So...no water?"

"No, sir."

The man, a bit angry, brushes past them and keeps walking. He's really desperate for water now.

Suddenly, he sees a pool in front him. Hundreds of people are swimming around, drenched in the water. Fountains are spraying high into the sky. The man runs towards it. It's not a mirage this time.

Two men are standing at the gate. The man walks towards them.

"Excuse me," he croaks. "Will you let me in?"

"No," the first security guard responds.

"But...I'm dying of thirst and I need water!" the man exclaims. "Please, please let me in! I just need one drink!"

"Sorry sir," the second security guard says, "but we only allow people wearing ties."