The Faithful Sentinel

The watchman was supposed to prevent a crowd from assembling.

He checked at every hour: Is anyone already here? If yes, he’d go back to his post. If no, he’d call out — One here! Pay attention! — and return to waiting.

The problem: his question was malformed. He was checking for a gathering in the town square, but the crowd assembled in the town plaza — one word different, enough to break the match. He checked every hour. He found nothing. Every hour, he dutifully called out to the empty square. The plaza filled with announcements.