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Found a notebook in a Denver coffee shop that cost me $300 to chase a fake story
It was full of what looked like clues to some local treasure hunt, with maps and dates. I spent weeks and about three hundred bucks on gas and copies, thinking it was a real puzzle someone left behind. Turns out, from a date inside, it was clearly a prop for a college writing project from like 2015. Anyone else get totally fooled by something that seemed real in a found journal?
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thompson.christopher1mo ago
Your napkin story cuts deep because it proves we're all primed for a mystery. The real trap is that initial spark of "what if," which overrides all common sense. My own downfall was a fake library checkout card tucked into a book, covered in urgent-looking notes. Chasing that ghost cost me a perfectly good Saturday. The worst part is you can't even be mad at the person who made it, just your own brain for taking the bait.
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Prop for a college writing project" is the worst kind of plot twist. I once followed a "secret" menu code scribbled on a napkin that just led to the bathroom. My capacity for believing random paper scraps is a real problem.
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seana141mo ago
Consider it a cheap lesson in creative writing. You basically paid for a story you got to live out, which beats most Netflix subscriptions. Maybe the real treasure was the overpriced coffee you bought along the way.
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