Inspiration Relay
The last forty chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber are lost. Qing-dynasty readers wrote dozens of sequels, each unconvinced by the others. Now it's your turn — take the baton and write your version. Every continuation stays here, growing into one tree.
This week's relay
African · Anansi Tales (《阿南西的故事》)
Nyame the sky god set the price: if the spider wants to own all stories, bring him three things — the python Onini, the leopard Osebo, and the hornets...
African · Epic of Sundiata (《松迪亚塔史诗》)
Continue the Epic of Sundiata: the exiled prince's return
The lame child has grown into a man in exile. His mother Sassouma's prophecy rings in his ears: he will be the Lion...
African · Kebra Nagast (《凯布拉·纳加斯特》)
Continue the Kebra Nagast: the Queen of Sheba's son
Queen Makeda returned from King Solomon bearing a son, Menelik. The boy grows up in Aksum, and one day looks up and...
African · Tale of Sinuhe (《辛努海的故事》)
Continue the Tale of Sinuhe: the king's letter
On the night the old king died, Sinuhe fled Egypt. In Canaan he married, raised children, and became a tribal chief...
African · Anansi Tales (《阿南西的故事》)
Continue the Anansi Tales: the hidden wisdom
Anansi packed all the world's wisdom into a clay pot and tried to climb the tallest tree to keep it for himself. The...
African · Epic of Mwindo (《姆温多史诗》)
Continue the Epic of Mwindo: before facing his father
Mwindo was born walking and talking, a magic fly-whisk in his hand. His father Shemwindo abandoned him on the day he...
African · Zulu Tales (祖鲁传说)
Continue the Zulu Tales: the trickster's cattle
Little Uhlakanyana, small and sly, has tricked an ogre out of his cattle and driven them to the river by nightfall....
African · Yoruba Mythology (约鲁巴神话)
Continue the Yoruba Myths: the hat at the crossroads
Eshu the trickster strolls through the crossroads wearing a hat — black on the left, white on the right. Two best...
African · Yoruba Mythology (约鲁巴神话)
Continue the Yoruba Myths: the drunken creator
Olodumare sent Obatala to shape the land and mankind, with one warning: drink no wine on the way. Halfway there...
African · Tale of Two Brothers (《两兄弟的故事》)
Continue the Tale of Two Brothers: Bata's return
Falsely accused by his sister-in-law, the younger brother Bata fled his elder brother Anpu's raised knife into the...
African · Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor (《遇难水手的故事》)
Continue the Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor: the serpent's prophecy
The great serpent saved the drowned sailor and foretold his rescue by an Egyptian ship in two months, asking one...
African · Ozidi Saga (《奥济迪传奇》)
Continue the Ozidi Saga: the eighth duel
To avenge his father, Ozidi has won seven duels in a row, shielded by his grandmother Oreame's magic. When his...
African · 《阿南西的故事》(Anansi Tales)
天神尼亚梅说：想让故事属于蜘蛛，就拿三样东西来换——蟒蛇奥诺尼、豹子奥塞博，还有黄蜂莫莫蒂。阿南西已经用诡计抓到了前两样，现在他站在黄蜂巢下，手里只有一根香蕉叶和满脑子的坏主意。最后一关，他怎么骗过成千上万只黄蜂？
African · 《松迪亚塔史诗》(Epic of Sundiata)
瘸腿的孩子松迪亚塔在流亡中长大成人，母亲萨索玛的预言在他耳边回响：他将成为曼丁的狮子王。而此刻，暴君苏马奥罗的铁蹄正踏碎故乡的田野，信使跪在他面前——“回来吧，曼丁需要你。”松迪亚塔站起身，望向地平线。他的第一步，迈向哪里？你来接这一棒。
African · 《凯布拉·纳加斯特》(Kebra Nagast)
玛克达女王从所罗门王那里归来，带回了一个儿子孟尼利克。孩子在阿克苏姆长大，一天他仰起头问：“妈妈，我的父亲是谁？”女王望向耶路撒冷的方向，沉默了很久。这个答案，会把孩子带向王位，还是带向流亡？
African · 《辛努海的故事》(Tale of Sinuhe)
辛努海在先王驾崩那夜逃离埃及，在迦南娶妻生子，当了一辈子部落首领。如今他老了，新王的信漂洋过海而来：“回来吧，埃及没有忘记你。”他站在帐篷前，一边是异乡的儿孙，一边是四十年没见的尼罗河。这封信，他回还是不回？
African · 《阿南西的故事》(Anansi Tales)
阿南西把全世界的智慧装进一只陶罐，想爬到最高的树上独享。罐子顶着他的肚子，怎么也爬不上去。树下，他的小儿子慢悠悠地说：“爸爸，把罐子背在背上不就行了？”全世界最聪明的蜘蛛僵住了。儿子的这句话，罐子装得下吗？
African · 《姆温多史诗》(Epic of Mwindo)
姆温多一生下来就会走路、说话，手里握着神奇的捕蝇拂。父亲谢姆温多却在他出生那天抛弃了他。现在，长大的姆温多站在村口，身后是母亲的眼泪，面前是通往父亲领地的路——路上有巨龙、有食人魔、有冥界的入口。出发前夜，他把捕蝇拂在掌心转了一圈。这一战，他先找谁？
African · 祖鲁传说 (Zulu Tales)
小乌拉卡尼亚纳人小鬼大，骗走了食人魔的一群牛，赶到河边时天黑了。他把牛藏进芦苇丛，自己爬上树睡觉。半夜，食人魔的脚步声在河对岸响起——而牛群里，有一头牛开始哞哞叫。叫，还是不叫？他在树上做决定。
African · 约鲁巴神话 (Yoruba Mythology)
捣蛋神埃舒在十字路口踱步，戴了一顶帽子——左边黑，右边白。两个最好的朋友从两边走来，一个说“那顶帽子是黑的”，一个说“是白的”，吵到拔刀相向。埃舒靠在路边的猴面包树上，嗑着瓜子。他接下来是煽风点火，还是现身断案？
African · 约鲁巴神话 (Yoruba Mythology)
主神奥罗杜马雷派奥巴塔拉去创造陆地和人类，临行前只叮嘱了一句：路上别喝酒。奥巴塔拉在半路没忍住，醉倒在棕榈酒旁，捏出来的人全是歪的——驼背、独眼、跛脚。酒醒时，他看着自己造出的一群“残次品”。他是毁掉重来，还是认下这些孩子？
African · 《两兄弟的故事》(Tale of Two Brothers)
弟弟巴塔被嫂子诬陷，哥哥安普信以为真，举刀追杀。巴塔逃进山谷，把心藏进金合欢树的花里——心不死，人就不死。现在他化作一头公牛回到宫中，哥哥的刀又举起来了。这一次，巴塔说不说话？
African · 《遇难水手的故事》(Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor)
巨蛇救了遇难的水手，预言他两个月后会被埃及的船队救走，只求他一件事：回宫后向国王讲述这座岛。水手真的得救了，此刻站在王宫大门前——说出巨蛇的事，满朝文武会把他当疯子；不说，他又违背了对巨蛇的誓言。门开了，他第一句话说什么？
African · 《奥济迪传奇》(Ozidi Saga)
奥济迪为父报仇，连胜七场，祖母奥雷阿梅的魔法护着他刀枪不入。第八场的对手走进场时，全场安静了——那是他父亲生前的挚友，曾抱过幼年的奥济迪。对手的刀已经出鞘。这一刀，奥济迪挡还是不挡？