I realize that it is a bad trait of mine. Still, whenever I am driving on a rather deserted country road and see a sign telling me to “Stay out”, “Do not enter”, or “No trespassing”, I have the strongest urge to drive down that lane to see what they are hiding back there.

Imagination goes to work when I see such signs and can’t see where the lane goes to. Maybe they are moonshiners, trying to hide their still. There seems to be only one easy way to find out.

On the other hand, maybe this is a nudist colony. In that case, I should not drive down the lane, especially if my children are present. I do not want to expose my young ones to the nudist lifestyle. If my kids are not with me, I maybe would be strongly tempted to explore, not that I want to see naked people. It is just my curiosity getting the best of me.

Possibly an old witch lives at the other end of this driveway. Perhaps she is cooking some potion to make a red apple become poisonous, just as in the story of the Sleeping Beauty. If I am seen by a witch, she may put a spell on me and I become a frog, waiting for someone to kiss me and make me human again. I may reconsider about entering that place.

Anyhow, I think you get the point; those signs warning me to not enter are beckoning me to investigate. Unless there is a strong warning, accompanied by a threat to my well-being, it is hard to resist the urge to disregard the sign.

Probably, the majority of those signs are simply efforts to protect the property. I can understand that. However, in that case, maybe the signs should be obvious. The signs should jokingly tell people that it is private property and that there is no reason for the non-owners of the place to enter.

Such signs as “Trespassers will be shot; survivors will be shot again” or “Property protected by three of us, me, Smith & Wesson” are clearly jokes, aren’t they?