I have seen the end of it all.

There is a product, created by Glade, that is being advertised on TV. I had the misfortune to view said advertisement. The product is called Scentstories, and purports to tell a story using scents.

A story.

Using scents.

You put a "disc" in, and it "tells a story in five scents, one after the other". (That's a relief. I'm glad they didn't try to tell it with all five scents simultaneously.) The disc has pictures of rainforests and waterfalls on it, but you cannot see the pictures after you put it in the device.

This is unusual. Many cultures have amazing storytelling traditions, oral tales that are passed down from one generation to the next. Here in the States we apparently are developing a new tradition: olfactory storytelling. I like that we have five scents, because this means that Glade can follow the traditional plotline of introduction...action rising...climax...resolution...epilogue.

I can just see it now: you put in the Scent Disc, and the scents begin to disperse...Perky, adorable young woman turns to geeky husband..."Aww, they just kissed!" she says dreamily.

"Honey, I thought you'd given up the smack," he says sadly.