User blog comment:Ye Ole Fire Chief/True fears/@comment-4849011-20180510232533

Here's one of my more unique fears- the fear of having my mind read. It started back in the 3rd grade when we did a unit on Australia. The teacher had spent some time there, so she had personal experience, and she had an Australian children's magazine or book. One of the stories had a boy who was cursed so that people could hear his thoughts, leading to trouble. For instance, a bully was biking along when the boy thought something bad about him. The bully stopped his bike and went over to attack him. The idea of people turning against you for things that should be private is a frightening one, especially if you're as shy and private a person as I am.