This cache is inspired by a series put out by 'Possum. I am using his description of Shaggy Dog Stories with his permission.
Shaggy Dog stories have been around since ancient Greece, and most likely longer. Traditionally, a shaggy dog story involves a long, often detailed narrative ending in an unexpected, often irrational, and supposedly humorous final sentence. One form of the genre features a story which may seem serious and sincere, completely ridiculous or somewhere between. The punch line usually mishandles a well-known quote, adage, title, or song lyric so that there is some sort of pun or play on words that makes no real sense but still relates to the story. For example, most of us have sung about "Little Bunny Foofoo hoppin' through the forest, scoopin' up the field mice an' boppin' 'em on the head." The Blue Fairy comes down, admonishes Bunny's behavior and gives him three chances to mend his ways upon pain of being turned into a goon. Of course, over the next three days, Bunny ignores the Blue Fairy, squanders his chances, and is changed into a goon. The moral of the story? "Hare today, goon tomorrow".
The hide is quite typical. The kids and geopups may want to stay in the car, though, depending on which road you use for parking. One road is not terribly busy, but there is plenty of traffic rushing along on the other, so be sure to keep a watchful eye.
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Rick was a truckdriver. One day, he was doing his thing, driving his truck, and making his deliveries. He was on a cross-country trip, and while driving along, he got a flat tire. He exited the vehicle to work on making the necessary repairs. Once the repairs were completed, and while he was wiping his hands on the rag, about 20 feet off the side of the road, off in the desert, he saw a lever sticking out of the ground. So, he tossed the rag into the cab of the truck, and sauntered over to what he had seen in order to investigate.
As he approached the lever, he noticed a snake coiled up on the ground beside it, watching him. He thought to himself, "Whoa! Gotta watch this guy. I'm just going to reach around here and pull this lever..."
Just then, the snake looked at him and said, "Um, excuse me, but I wouldn't do that if I were you!"
"You can talk?" Rick asked.
The snake replied, "Of course I can talk."
"Well, who are you?" Rick asked.
"I'm Nate," the snake replied. "I'm the guy who guards the lever. My job is to make sure that nobody pulls it."
"Guards the lever? What do you mean? What happens if someone pulls it?"
Nate explained, "It's the end of the world - it's the end of life as we know it. My job is to stop people who try to pull the lever. And since I've clearly done my job with you, do you want to go get a beer or something?"
"Um, well, I'm not from around here. I wouldn't know where to go."
"Oh that's ok," Nate replied. "I'll tell you where to go. Just help me up into the truck."
So the pair went and got into Rick's truck and headed into town. They pulled up to a watering hole that Nate recommended, and headed inside. Rick helped Nate up onto a stool at the bar, and the bartender said, "Hey, Nate! How's it going?" Several other people came over and patted Nate on the back and exchanged greetings with him. All of this surprised Rick quite a bit.
"You guys all know Nate?" asked Rick.
Several people responded, "Oh yeah...Nate's a great guy," and "Yeah, Nate's the guy who guards the lever." So they continued carousing for a while until Rick said that he really needed to get going and finish his deliveries. Nate agreed, and asked Rick to take him back to the lever before he took off. Rick gladly obliged.
After dropping Nate off at the lever, Rick continued on his route, and finished his deliveries. A few weeks later, as fate would have it, Rick was coming back through the same area where he had met Nate, and he suffered a blow-out. Only this time, he was driving a bit too fast, and the truck went out of control. Rick looked up and saw that he was careening straight for the lever! Knowing that if he hit the lever, it would be the end of the world, he made a last ditch effort. He grabbed the wheel and pulled with all of his might in an effort to avoid hitting the lever. The truck just barely missed the lever, but he did run over Nate.
Then, from out of nowhere, dozens of people suddenly appeared. They were all screaming at Rick, cussing him for killing Nate. No one would listen to him or hear his side of the story. A reporter asked, "So, how does it feel to be the guy who killed Nate?" and shoved a microphone is his face.
Rick calmly replied, _________________________________.
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If you want to know the punch line, go and find the cache!