Snake Oil

The salesman came to town in a cheerful yellow wagon.
His clothes were dusty, but otherwise in good condition. As his two horses slowed to a stop, the salesman jumped off of the driver's perch and moved to the side of his wagon.
After a little fiddling, a panel opened up and expanded into a neat little counter coming off of the wagon and supported by a couple of spindly legs.
Smiling, the salesman went to the back of his wagon. Unlocking the door, he opened it and brought out a box full of vials.
As he carefully set them on the counter, a group began to gather near his wagon as the townspeople to notice of the stranger.
Once the vials were positioned to his liking, the salesman turned back to his wagon and hung a banner on the conveniently positioned nails.
The gathered townspeople murmered to each other as they saw what was on the banner.

Come one and all, and receive this miraculous cure-all!
Proven to restore your health, this rare remedy will revitalize your life!
Available for one day only, you'll not want to miss out on this marvelous medicine!
So come on up and buy a vial of the exquisite elixer known as Snake Oil!

The townspeople looked at the salesman, smiling from behind the counter of vials.
Then they turned, and walked away.
The salesman's smile faltered for a moment, but then he shook his head and the smile returned.
The people would come, he was sure.
The ones who needed his help always did.
So the salesman waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
The sun soared across the sky, and was soon replaced by a brilliant moon.
And still the salesman waited.
Throughout the night, he waited for a customer to come.
In the wee hours of the morning, the salesman gave a sigh. Taking the vials, he began packing them away.
As he placed the second to last vial in the box, a small cough caught his attention.
The salesman looked around, and found a little boy staring up at him.
"Does it really work?" The boy asked, sniffing as he ran a hand under his nose.
"Why, of course it works!" The salesman exclaimed, a wide grin appearing on his face. "My Snake Oil has been known heal any ailment."
The boy gave a cough and rubbed his nose again. "Folks say snake oil is nothing but colored water."
The salesman shook his head. "No, no, my Snake Oil is a hundred percent the oil from the rare southern sepent of the desolate desert. Not a single drop has been diluted!"
The little boy frowned, sniffling as he thought.
He looked at the salesman, then the the only remaining vial on the counter.
He coughed again, and once his coughs subsided, the boy looked back at the salesman.
"How much is it?"
The saleman studied the boy, his smile shifting slightly.
"Why, it doesn't cost much at all, my fine fellow. A measly three bits, and the vial is yours."
The boy looked down at his feet, obviously uncertain. The salesman waited, his smile never wavering.
Finally, the boy looked up, wiped his nose, and nodded.
The boy dug in his pocket, and pulled out three bits.
The salesman took them, and handed the boy the small vial.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, my fine fellow. All you need to do is drink the entire vial, and whatever ailments you've suffered will vanish."
The boy shuffled away, and the the salesman finished packing away his merchandise.
As the sun barely glinted on the eastern edge of the sky, the yellow wagon rolled out of town, and the boy unstoppered the vial.
Taking a raspy breath, he tilted it back and drank down the contents.
They were foul tasting, but he swallowed every last drop.
And as he lowered the now empty vial, the boy found that his chest felt lighter, his each breath easier, and that his nose no longer ran uncontrollably.