Cache-22 Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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“I hid an ammo can in a park.” Mr.Charlie said one evening.
Yossarian stopped what he was doing and looked at the floor. Finally, shaking his head slowly he asked “Why?”
“Why what?” asked Mr.Charlie.
“Why did you hide an ammo can in a park?” Yossarian clarified.
“Because it was better than a Lock n’ Lock,” was the answer.
“What is better than a Lock n’ Lock?”
“Nothing, really. Those work great.”
“But I thought you said you hid an ammo can in a park”
“I did.”
“But why did you hide anything at all in a park?”
“Oh, I didn’t hide just anything. I hid an ammo can. I told you that already.”
Yossarian waited for a moment before taking the bait.
“Ok, why did you hide an ammo can in a park?”
“So that people could find it,” answered Mr.Charlie.
“Which people?” Yossarian asked, not really sure he wanted to hear the answer.
“Why, the people looking for it, of course!” sniggered Mr.Charlie.
“Why would they look for it?” asked Yossarian as he grew slightly pink.
“Because it is there,” Mr.Charlie said with a satisfied grin.
“All right, but why is it there?”
“Because I put it there.”
“So that anyone could find it?”
“No, just people looking for it.”
“But why would they look for it?”
“So they can find it.”
Yossarian stopped for a moment and promised himself not to talk anymore.
“So you hid an ammo can in a park just for people to go find,” he continued. “Fine. What do they do when they find it? Take it with them?”
“Of course not, they leave it there so other people can find it.”
“Then why do they find it?”
“I told you, because I hid it there,” Mr.Charlie sniggered.
“But why?”
“Why what?” Mr.Charlie asked innocently.
“Why did you hide an empty ammo can in a park for people to find?” Yossarian pleaded.
“Who said it was empty?”
“Isn’t it?” Yossarian asked meekly.
“No, that would just be silly.”
“Ok, I give. What’s in the can?”
“Stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” Yossarian wasn’t sure he wanted to know that either, but knew Mr.Charlie would tell him anyway.
“Stuff nobody wants. They probably have it all already.”
“But then why is there stuff in the can?”
“So that people can find stuff when they find it!” Mr.Charlie exclaimed excitedly.
“Do they put stuff in the ammo can, or take it out?”
“Neither. Or both. Probably neither. It doesn’t really matter. That’s not the point.”
“Then why do you care if they find it?” yelled Yossarian.
“I don’t care if they find it or not. That’s not the point either,” Mr.Charlie said with exaggerated patience.
“Then why did you put in the park?”
“Because it was just the right place for it.”
Yossarian didn’t ask any more questions. He didn’t want to know.
“Don’t you want to know?” asked Mr.Charlie.
Yossarian shook his head.
“It was just the right place to hide it because there is no way to get into the park,” Mr.Charlie said with a slightly self-satisfied smirk.
“Why is there no way into the park?” sighed Yossarian.
“Because nobody wants to go into the park.”
“Why doesn’t anyone want to go into the park?”
“Because there’s no way to get in!” exclaimed Mr.Charlie.
Yossarian thought for a moment.
“There is no entrance because nobody wants to go in, but they can’t go in because there isn’t an entrance?” he asked, shaking his head.
“Yep. If people don’t want to go there they don’t even notice there is no way to get in. Once they decide they want to go in they realize there is no entrance and they can’t get in at all. They were better off not wanting to get into the park in the first place because then it wasn’t a problem.”
“Then why would anyone try to go to the park?”
“Because there is an ammo can there.”
“But they can’t get it?”
Mr.Charlie shrugged.
“So that’s the catch?” Yossarian asked.
“Yep, it’s Catch-22. If you want to find the ammo can full of stuff you don’t want in a park you can’t get into, you need to not want to find it at all.”
Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he observed.
“It’s the best there is,” Mr.Charlie agreed.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Arkg gb gur snyyra ybt.