The Monkey’s Paw Exquisite Corpse

Mr. and Mrs. White and their son, Herbert, welcomed their friend Sgt. Maj. Morris back from his time in India. He brought them stories and a souvenir: a mummified monkey’s paw, which would grant three wishes but came with a warning not to interfere with fate.

The next morning, Mr. White decided to test these so-called powers and wished for £200. Nothing happened. Satisfied, he set the monkey’s paw aside and the Whites went about their lives. Herbert went off to work, and it was full dark before the Whites heard a knock at their door. It was uniformed officers from Herbert’s factory, with shocking news: There had been an accident, and Herbert had been killed. They offered the family compensation: £200.

Later that night, mad with grief, Mrs. White found the monkey’s paw and begged her husband to wish Herbert back to life. Reluctantly, having seen the mutilated body, he did so. Not five heartbeats later, there was a booming knock at the door…

Editors at The Morning News offer alternate endings to the classic scary story. Feel free to do so yourself, over there or … wherever.