Tag: dailyprompt-2119

Who is the most famous or infamous person you have ever met?

Chapter: The Hidden Shadows of a Good Age to Die

I never imagined the man I sat beside, shared a beer with, and joked about horse races could be hiding something so dark. Hugo Zalenski—just a regular face at the racetrack, sitting beside me in faded jeans and a worn baseball cap, puffing on a joint between sips of his beer. We shared stories, laughed at life’s oddities, complained about the heat, and somehow it all felt easy, like we were old friends connected by nothing more than the thrill of the races and a few shared vices.

Then one morning, I woke up, half-asleep, flipping through TV channels until his face flashed on the screen. There he was—Hugo Zalenski, the unassuming guy from the track, the friendly neighbor in the well-to-do area of Back Mountain, Pennsylvania. But the words scrolling beneath his mugshot felt surreal. Five counts of murder. Burning bodies, burying them in his backyard.

I felt cold all over, recalling the many times I sat just inches from him, oblivious to the darkness he carried. The air in my lungs felt heavy, and I could barely grasp the reality of it. Hugo had become someone unrecognizable, transformed into a name that people whispered in horror and disbelief.

I had thought of age, life, and death many times, even wondered at the right time to go and what a “good age to die” meant. But I had always thought about it in terms of the peaceful and natural. Hugo’s existence twisted those thoughts into something chilling, something that reminded me of the depths people could descend to while others, like me, remained unaware, merely spectators in their worlds.

It made me wonder, as I sat alone that morning with my coffee gone cold—what drives a person to harbor such darkness? Was there ever a good age for Hugo to make a different choice, to set his life on a different course before it reached that horrific end? The idea of a “good age to die” isn’t only about the when but the how. It’s about leaving behind a legacy of kindness, wisdom, and respect, not a trail of ashes and fear.

Reflecting on this strange encounter, I knew it wasn’t just about Hugo anymore. It was about all of us who live our lives, not knowing what lurks behind the faces we meet. It was about the reminder that life is short, that our choices define us, and that there’s an urgency to live each day with intention.