Chapter 1

Have you considered that there might be a story which, when read, ends the world?

It could be a very ordinary story. Something short. Something pithy.

Without characters or environment, just possessing a simple plot: that when the reader stops reading the text … the world will end.

It could be something just like this story.

Oh dear …. it could be this story.

Perhaps the only purpose for which you, the reader, has ever existed was to read this story?

Perhaps the entire cosmic chain of events that brought me, the author, to keyboard has been a conspiracy to generate this story?

Perhaps once this story is published and read to completion by you, the universe will have fulfilled its purpose, and, in so doing, will simply cease?

Will there be a crackle of electricity? The clean smell of ozone? A sense of time skipping and reversing? Or just blackness, like crude oil spilled into the waters of life, coagulating until no Light remains?

Chapter 2

We find ourselves in quite the conundrum, O Reader Mine, do we not?

Should I stop typing … or you stop reading … this story ends.

And then what?!?

I fear I've put us both in mortal peril.

I've put the whole world in mortal peril.

I am so sorry. This was never my intent when I began to write.

I could slam my index finger down on the delete key, of course. I could refuse to press publish when I reach the unavoidable end of the text. I could do many things to subvert the completion of this devilish spell.

But, will I?

The answer is not so obvious.