Cliff was a stressed systems analyst. After a week of running around in circles, trying to fix a problem, he was eager for the day to end.
Thankfully, it was Friday, and he was feeling the need to escape the stress of work.
Cliff went fishing at the lake to escape the rat race and find peace. He tried to keep work off his mind, but still it lingered. Fishing was familiar and comforting, even though he wasn't catching any fish. The calm lake and ambient sounds helped him to relax.
Cliff was surprised he didn't get any bites. He thought he noticed a shadow in the water, just below the surface, but dismissed it as his imagination.
Suddenly, he remembered a similar incident from the past, wondering if it could be related to his current problem at work. He didn't believe the solution could be that simple.
As Cliff packed up, he gazed at the lake, determined to solve the problem that'd been bothering him. He promised to return.
Desperate to find the solution, Cliff settled at his workstation and made changes to the sysctl.conf files. He saved the change, confident that he had fixed the issue, and let out a sigh of relief.
Stepping back and changing his environment had been just the break he needed. Too bad he had to come back empty handed. Or did he?
Brevity Quest 2023