If you read “Attack of the killer cliches” here on Monday, you witnessed the power of words to drive us crazy. Here’s a short story, a cautionary tale, I wrote on the subject.

I read “Obsession” at the Hawaii Book & Music Festival a few years ago. Just one note on this story—yes, it’s important to care about language, but be careful that it doesn’t take over your life. There, you’ve been warned.