Mr. Smith lived in the country, but he worked in the city. So, he had to go by train to his office five days a week. One day, while he was on the train and was reading his newspaper, a man who was sitting behind his seat leaned towards him and tapped him. Then, he told him he was leading a very boring and repetitive life. To tell the truth, he took the same train at the same time at the same station; he sat in the same seat and read the same newspaper every working day. Mr. Smith turned around and asked him angrily how he could know all that about his life. The man answered him he always sat in the seat behind Mr. Smith's.

While I was in a café, I met an old man. He was drinking a coffee and asked me if I had heard the radio news the day before. I said no and wanted to know what had happened. He told me a pack of hungry dogs had eaten his best friend. I was very surprised and asked him for further information. He explained me he had gone to his best friend's olive grove and had seen the dogs and some big bones here and there. Then he added we would never know all the facts. After that, in order to prove the accident, he showed me a match box and opened it. There was a bloody thumb inside. He told me he had recognized it as his friend's because of a cut in its nail. Afterwards, he went out the café sadly without paying his coffee. Since I was moved by the sad event, I offered myself to pay his drink. The waiter, who had heard my offer, laughed. I got a surprise and asked him the reason of his fun. He told me that actually the old man had made it all up; the match box had a hole on the bottom to insert his thumb and the blood was only red ink. After those words I wondered whether a cup of coffee was worth that story.