"[Luke], I am your father." That infamous Star Wars line is a prime example of how a well-crafted plot twist can breathe new life into any story.
We've been thinking about plot twists this month in Mashable's social book club MashableReads, as we read James McBride's The Good Lord Bird. As readers follow Little Onion, a slave who is rescued (or kidnapped, depending on who you ask) from slavery by John Brown, The Good Lord Bird shocks readers with a variety of plot twists, including the fact that Little Onion is a boy who is posing as a girl to survive.
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Inspired by the book's surprises, we asked Mashable readers to write Twitter short stories that shocked us with a plot twist. Submissions ranged from quippy puns to terrifying horror stories. Check out the winners and runners-up, below:
Winners:
She gazed upon the mindless horde - thousands lumbering forward. The guards fled in fear. She muttered "Curse you, Black Friday." #MashReads— Joi DC (@JoiTheBoy) May 14, 2014
"There was no point" she thought, as she watched him struggle to sharpen the rubber on the end of the pencil #MashReads— Christine Anderson (@chri5tinetwitt) May 14, 2014
#MashReads Breaking News: China has crashed. Turkey has fallen. Greece dispersed. A waiter at an UN banquet tripped over...mayhem unleashed.— Tom Roy (@tomroydigital) May 15, 2014
She released the vial. "One drop, young stranger, will erase the drinker's memories completely." He whispered, "Mother, I know." #MashReads— Mindy Weisberger (@LaMinda) May 19, 2014
The tux was baby blue and the music from Foghat. He was crushed when his daughter and her prom date asked him to stay in the car.#MashReads— J. Ricky Cox (@Racerbiochem) May 19, 2014
Runners-Up:
She fussed and fussed over him; telling him how great he was, and how sweet. She was chatty, for a cannibal. #MashReads— Matt Shipman (@ShipTale) May 18, 2014
'So what are you in for?' I asked. 'Stealing a rope' he said. Then continued: 'It's just that there was a goat on the other end' #MashReads— Tony Longwe (@TonyLongwe) May 14, 2014
at the house that was advertised "peace full neighborhood" he was baffeled to find out that back yard open towards a graveyard #MashReads— itsAftab (@itsAftab) May 15, 2014
The day was long & chilly. She felt trapped. Then he came home, & she melted in the warm embrace of his oven. He loved pizza. #MashReads— Broadwayfl (@Broadwayfl) May 19, 2014
A deadly killer on the prowl sneaked in surreptitiously, injected deftly. Helpless as the victim lay, a tiny mosquito flew away. #MashReads— Somali (@schakrabarti1) May 18, 2014
Want to learn more about Mashable's social book club MashableReads? Check out our Goodreads and Facebook.