As a writing exercise and as part of our Halloween fundraiser, several of us here at FtB are participating in a short story chain. William Brinkman started us off with some scene setting in FTB Presents: A Dark Intellectual Web (Episode 1), and Freethinkingahead expands on a couple of characters and gives us intimations of trouble awaiting us in A Dark Web: Part Two. You’ll have to check in every day as a different blogger builds on the story, reaching a climax in time for Halloween.
I’ll be reading with a particular anxiety, because they cruelly assigned me the job of writing the final bit, and I have no idea where the story is going. It’s all a surprise! I suggested that one possible final chapter would be, “And then a giant spider leapt out of a tree and killed them all! The End,” but apparently that would be cheating and not very satisfying.
Would it be cheating if readers suggested angles I could take in the comments?
I’d like to see something with Elon Musk getting on a spaceship to Mars.
Hmm, how to improve the ending. Hmm. Maybe two giant spiders jump out and eat them all? This is difficult. strenuous thinking Wait. I’ve got it! THREE Giant Spiders jump out and eat them all!
=8)-DX
You know that crack in the moon? It means the egg sac is finally hatching. Billions of baby giant spiders descend on Earth!
Better idea: make the Earth the cosmic spider egg sac.
@1 “I’d like to die on Mars, just not on impact”
The giant spider jumps out… at an angle of 35 degrees!
PZ Myers @3 — Doctor Who already did that one.
Just don’t end it with “… and then I woke up”.
Couldn’t we have a surprise happy ending? Maybe the twelve giant spiders didn’t mean to kill everyone, and in pennance they become vegan and form a hippy commune.
How about everyone evolves into a crab at the end. I’ve heard it’s the hip thing to do.