anecdote / antidote
A short story versus a remedy.
An anecdote is a brief account of an incident. An antidote is a remedy, literal or figurative: an antidote to boredom. Do not use antidote for a story, or anecdote for a cure.
Examples
Use He opened with an anecdote about the first print run.
Use Humor was her antidote to the long wait.
Avoid Humor was her anecdote to the long wait.