There was a man who loved to go fishing every Sunday morning. He would wake up at the crack of dawn, grab his fishing gear, and head out to the lake to spend the day casting his line.
One Sunday, as he was sitting in his usual spot on the banks of the lake, he noticed a sign that read, "No fishing allowed. Violators will be prosecuted." He was shocked and disappointed, but being the determined fisherman that he was, he decided to ignore the sign and fish anyway.
Just as he had cast his line and was starting to relax, a game warden appeared out of nowhere and approached him. "Hey! Didn't you see the sign? No fishing allowed here!" the warden scolded.
The man, not wanting trouble, quickly reeled in his line and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't see the sign. I'll leave right away." But just as he was about to pack up and leave, the warden stopped him.
"You know what? I'm feeling generous today. I'll make you a deal. If you can answer a riddle, I'll let you fish here all day without any trouble. But if you can't answer it, you'll have to pack up and leave immediately. Deal?"
The man, intrigued by the challenge, agreed to the deal. The warden then presented him with the riddle: "I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish. What am I?"
The man thought long and hard, scratching his head and trying to come up with an answer. After a few minutes, he finally exclaimed, "I've got it! It's a map!"
The warden was impressed. "Correct! You're a clever one. You can fish here all day without any trouble." And with that, he walked away, leaving the man to enjoy his day of fishing in peace.
As the man settled back into his fishing spot, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Who knew that solving riddles could be the key to catching fish? Maybe I should start carrying a joke book with me next time!"