Bartholomew “Barty” Butterfield, a man whose ambition far outweighed his common sense, had a problem. A big, sandy, camel-sized problem. He’d promised his wife, Delilah, a lavish desert holiday – think five-star oasis, not sand dunes and questionable hygiene – and had, shall we say, slightly overestimated his financial capabilities. His “lavish” trip consisted of a rickety camel named Kevin, a tent that leaked more than a sieve, and a dwindling supply of questionable dates.
“Barty,” Delilah huffed, surveying their less-than-luxurious surroundings, “this isn’t exactly the ‘romantic desert escape’ you promised. This is… well, this is a desert.”
Barty, ever the optimist (or perhaps just delusional), chuckled nervously. “My dear, the romance is in the *authenticity*! We’re experiencing the raw, untamed beauty of the desert! Think of it as… rugged luxury!” He gestured wildly at a particularly stubborn sand dune.
Delilah wasn’t buying it. “Rugged luxury? Barty, I’m sharing a tent with a creature that smells suspiciously like old socks and regret. And you haven’t paid our dinar debt to Omar, the camel-rental guy!”
Barty paled. Omar, a man whose glare could curdle milk, was not a man to be trifled with. “I… I was going to pay him after the… the authentic romantic getaway,” Barty stammered.
Suddenly, Kevin the camel let out a loud bellow, then promptly deposited a large, perfectly-formed sandcastle at Barty’s feet. It was magnificent, intricate, a true masterpiece of cameline architecture.
Omar, who had just arrived, stopped dead in his tracks. His glare softened. “My word,” he breathed, “Kevin is a genius! Forget the dinars, Butterfield. I’ll pay *you* for this incredible sandcastle. And maybe some lessons for my own camels?”
Barty, dumbfounded, watched as Omar eagerly took out his wallet. It turned out, desert debt wasn’t so bad when you had a camel with a knack for architectural sand sculpting. Delilah, however, still hadn’t forgiven him for the “rugged luxury”. Apparently, “authenticity” didn’t extend to the questionable state of Kevin’s hygiene.
