A cautionary tale

In a cabin, by a lake, in the mountains, there lived an elderly gentleman. He lived a peaceful life of seclusion. He did not own a telephone or any other communication devices. He didn't have any pets. His only pasttime was reading. He only bathed during the summer, because he didn't want to risk getting sick. Besides, he thought, who would care if he was clean?
Then, one day, he started reading about a boy who left home to see the world. The story captured his imagination. He finally decided to take a trip. So, he went to the general store, borrowed their phone, and bought a plane ticket. Having arrived at the airport, the man began to notice that people were looking at him strangely. He examined them. They weren't dressed much differently than him. They didn't sound much different from the people he'd associated with in the past. 'Ah, well' he thought. 'Maybe I'm just imagining it.'
Unfortunately, this continued throughout the flight. The only kind person was his flight attendant. She offered all sorts of amenities. Even a breath mint!
As he was leaving the plane, he noticed that the other passengers seemed relieved by his departure. 'That's okay.' he thought. 'Things will be different now that I'm here.'
After a pleasant cab ride to the city, he began his long-awaited walking tour. He had only progressed a couple of blocks when, suddenly, he was set upon by a gang of bat-wielding teens. As they pummeled him to death, they cried 'Kill the zombie!!'

Moral of the Story: Smelly old men are zombies

Living life

What if you knew when you were going to die? I know that a lot of people have bucket lists. I wonder what those lists would look like if they actually knew how long they had. I think about the things I haven't done, the places I haven't been yet, and the feelings I haven't expressed to certain people. I always reach the same conclusion. I would have more courage to live life if I knew I was on a clock. What sense does that make?

Open minds

What if a dormant telepathic gene were suddenly awakened in humans? There are some people I can't seem to figure out. Telepathy would certainly be a plus in that situation. On the other hand, I like my privacy. That would be impossible around a strong telepath. Where do you fall on this question?