One thing that has always bothered me about chooseyourownadventure stories is I am limited to my own ideas for choices. There is no way to know that my reader wanted to jump out the window instead of slaying a dragon or have a psychotic break instead of having a nice chat with his neighbor. As you can tell, I have never published a (good) CYOA for this reason. That is why I am here today: to appeal to you, my readers and maybe even not my readers, for the first choices of a journey; albeit it is a short one.
Here is the set up: You are a 98-year-old man who has been working at a J-mart for the past six decades before being thrown into a nursing home by his two ungrateful children. Divorced by 36 and never remarried John (you) is abrasive and gruff. As he ambles on with only one hour left in his (meaningless?) life what will he do next?
Opening: "Hi John," Martha says to you once again.
You stopped responding after the third time she perked up and greeted you. You look around the hallway filled with other disgruntled old folks and Swathmore Health Care staff, most of whom are feigning smiles, but some of which have forgotten how happy they were supposed to be. The entire room smells like death, it figures because most of the people in the center have died long ago. You walk up to the front desk and are greeted by another cheesy smile.
"Dorothy, what a coincidence to see you here," you say with a fake smile of your own.
"I could say the same for you," the woman behind the counter says, not even making eye contact.
For the first time in your long life, the neurons in your brain fire an interesting command. So interesting, in fact, you cannot help but act on it.
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No response is a stupid response (or maybe it is). I don't care; I will make all responses into options for the one hour of life this poor man has left to live. Will he die a nobody, a nationally recognized hero, a nationally recognized villain, or a mediocre J-Mart clerk?
