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...
Japanese · Ryūnosuke Akutagawa · Japan · stories
Continue In a Grove: the fourth testimony
Three testimonies, three truths: the bandit, the wife, the dead man speaking through a medium. Akutagawa's 'In a...
Japanese · Ryūnosuke Akutagawa · Japan · stories
Continue Rashomon: after the rain
The servant steps out into the rain, and Akutagawa ends there — Rashomon's gate, the rain, a choice we never see....
European · William Shakespeare · England · plays
Continue Romeo and Juliet: the morning after
The Friar's message never arrived. That's the whole tragedy — a late letter. But what if it had arrived on time? Or...
European · William Shakespeare · England · plays
Continue Hamlet: Horatio's version
The stage is littered with bodies, and Horatio alone is left to tell the story. Shakespeare gives him the last word...
Japanese · The Tale of the Heike · Japan · epic
Continue the Heike: after Dan-no-ura
The Taira clan is destroyed at Dan-no-ura; the child emperor drowns with the imperial sword. 'The sound of the Gion...
Japanese · Natsume Sōseki · Japan · novels
Continue Kokoro: after the letter
Sensei is dead, the student inherits his confession and his guilt. Sōseki's Kokoro ends with a letter — the past...
European · Emily Brontë · England · novels
Continue Wuthering Heights: the next generation
The ghosts walk no more; young Cathy and Hareton are learning to read together. Emily Brontë ends in fragile peace....
European · Charlotte Brontë · England · novels
Continue Jane Eyre: Bertha's voice
Bertha Mason is the madwoman in the attic — Charlotte Brontë never lets her speak. But she had a life in Jamaica...
European · Jane Austen · England · novels
Continue Pride and Prejudice: ten years of marriage
Ten years of marriage. The estate, the children, Lydia still Lydia, Lady Catherine still Lady Catherine. Austen gave...
European · William Shakespeare · England · plays
Continue Macbeth: Malcolm's first year
Malcolm takes the throne and order is restored — on the surface. But the witches prophesied that Banquo's line would...
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...
Middle Eastern · Rumi · Persia · poetry
Continue Rumi: the reed returns
Rumi's reed flute sings of separation: 'Listen to the reed, how it tells a tale, complaining of separations.' The...
Middle Eastern · Ferdowsi, Shahnameh · Persia · epic
Continue the Shahnameh: Rostam after Sohrab
Rostam, the greatest hero of the Shahnameh, unknowingly kills his own son Sohrab — Persian literature's most...
Japanese · Sei Shōnagon · Japan · essays
Continue the Pillow Book: after the court
Sei Shōnagon's pillow book is a thousand years of lists: elegant things, hateful things, things that make the heart...
European · Oscar Wilde · Ireland · novels
Continue Dorian Gray: who finds the painting
The portrait is slashed and Dorian dies, suddenly old and withered. Wilde ends in moral symmetry. But the attic...
European · Bram Stoker · Ireland · novels
Continue Dracula: Whitby, one year later
The Count is destroyed — or so Van Helsing's band believes. Stoker left only ashes and a question mark. Continue:...
European · Mary Shelley · England · novels
Continue Frankenstein: the creature after Victor
The creature vanishes into the Arctic darkness, and Mary Shelley lets him go. But he is still alive out there — the...
European · Charles Dickens · England · novels
Continue A Tale of Two Cities: Lucie's long life
Sydney Carton goes to the guillotine: 'a far, far better thing.' Lucie lives on, carrying his sacrifice like a...
European · Charles Dickens · England · novels
Continue Great Expectations: the third ending
Dickens rewrote the ending of Great Expectations twice — first bleak, then hopeful. He couldn't decide what Pip...
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...
Indian · Ramayana · India · epic
Continue the Ramayana: Sita's voice
Rama rescues Sita, then — doubting her — subjects her to trial by fire, and finally banishes her. The Ramayana's...
Indian · Mahabharata · India · epic
Continue the Mahabharata: king of ashes
The great war is over, the field is a cremation ground, and Yudhishthira — who never lied — must rule a kingdom of...
Middle Eastern · Kalila and Dimna · folk tradition · fables
Continue Kalila and Dimna: one more retelling
Kalila and Dimna — the jackals, the lion, the endless stratagems. These fables traveled from India to Persia to...
Russian · Fyodor Dostoevsky · Russia · novels
Continue Crime and Punishment: the first spring
The epilogue gives us Raskolnikov in Siberia, seven years of labor, and the first hint that love might remake him....
American · Mark Twain · America · novels
Continue Huckleberry Finn: twenty years later
'I got to light out for the Territory ahead of the rest.' Huck runs from civilization at the last line, and Twain...
American · Nathaniel Hawthorne · America · novels
Continue The Scarlet Letter: Pearl finds out
Pearl grows up in Europe, rich and beautiful, the living embodiment of the scarlet letter. Hawthorne tells us she...
American · Herman Melville · America · novels
Continue Moby-Dick: Ishmael on land
Ishmael survives, floating on Queequeg's coffin — 'the great shroud of the sea rolled on as it rolled five thousand...
European · Arthur Conan Doyle · England · stories
Continue Sherlock Holmes: the case Watson never wrote
Doyle hinted at cases Watson never wrote down — 'the giant rat of Sumatra' and others. The canon is full of locked...
European · R. L. Stevenson · Scotland · novels
Continue Jekyll and Hyde: Utterson's decision
Utterson has read Jekyll's full confession. He knows everything now — the powders, the murders, the suicide....
Greco-Roman · Sophocles · ancient Greece · plays
Continue Antigone: Creon's last night
Antigone is dead in the tomb, Haemon dead beside her, and Creon left alone with his edicts. Sophocles ends with the...
Greco-Roman · Virgil · Rome (unfinished) · epic
Continue the Aeneid: the ending Virgil didn't write
Virgil died before finishing the Aeneid — his own instructions were to burn it. Augustus saved it, unfinished. The...
Greco-Roman · Homer, Iliad · ancient Greece · epic
Continue the Iliad: inside the horse
Troy has fallen, Achilles is dead — shot in the heel, the only vulnerable place on an almost-god. The Iliad ends...
Indian · Kalidasa · India · plays
Continue Shakuntala: after the ring
Shakuntala is recognized at last — the ring found, the curse lifted, the king remembers. Kalidasa gives us the...
Middle Eastern · One Thousand and One Nights · folk tradition · folk tales
Continue the 1001 Nights: night 1002
One thousand and one nights. Scheherazade has survived — the king's heart is changed, the killing is over. On night...
European · Johann Wolfgang von Goethe · Germany · verse drama
Continue Faust: what the saved man does with eternity
Goethe saves Faust at the very end — angels carry him up, and the whole tragedy tilts toward grace. But eternity is...
European · Leo Tolstoy · Russia · novels
Continue Anna Karenina: Anna steps back
Anna steps in front of the train — or does she? Tolstoy's ending is inevitable, but inevitability is a choice the...
European · Nikolai Gogol · Russia (burned manuscript) · novels
Continue Dead Souls: the burned chapters
Gogol burned the manuscript of Dead Souls Part Two in a religious crisis — the chapters went up in smoke, and he...
Russian · Fyodor Dostoevsky · Russia (unfinished plan) · novels
Continue The Brothers Karamazov: Alyosha's unwritten novel
Dostoevsky died before writing the planned sequel — Alyosha's story was meant to be the real novel. The greatest...
Russian · Alexander Pushkin · Russia · stories
Continue The Queen of Spades: the fourth card
Hermann knows the three cards — three, seven, ace — and plays them all. The queen appears instead, winking....
Russian · Alexander Pushkin · Russia · novels
Continue Eugene Onegin: after the rejection
Tatyana rejects Onegin — 'I love you, but I belong to another; I will be faithful to him forever.' Pushkin's duel of...
Norse · Poetic Edda · Norse · myth
Continue Ragnarok: the first morning
Ragnarok: the gods die, the world burns, the sea swallows everything. And then — the Edda promises — the earth rises...
Norse · Njal's Saga · Iceland · sagas
Continue Njal's Saga: the survivor's version
Njal is burned in his house, the great feud runs its course, and the saga counts the dead like a ledger. But the...
Greco-Roman · Euripides · ancient Greece · plays
Continue Medea: after the flight
Medea murders her children and flies away in the sun god's chariot — Euripides lets the monster escape. No...
Japanese · Murasaki Shikibu · Japan · novels
Continue The Tale of Genji: Ukifune after the mist
The Tale of Genji dissolves into mist: Ukifune, caught between two princes, vanishes — perhaps a nun, perhaps...
Greco-Roman · Homer · ancient Greece · epic
Continue the Odyssey: the voyage Homer didn't sing
Odysseus is home. Penelope is his, Ithaca is his — and he is restless. Homer ends the Odyssey with peace, but...
European · Dante Alighieri · Italy · poetry
Continue the Divine Comedy: Dante after Paradise
Dante climbs from Hell through Purgatory to Paradise and beholds the Love that moves the sun and the other stars....
European · François Rabelais · France · novels
Continue Gargantua: what the bottle said
Gargantua and Pantagruel quest for the Oracle of the Holy Bottle — 'Drink!' Rabelais died mid-sentence, in a way;...
European · Giovanni Boccaccio · Italy · stories
Continue the Decameron: the eleventh day
Ten days, ten stories a day, one hundred tales to outwait the plague. Boccaccio's brigata returns to Florence when...
Russian · Ivan Turgenev · Russia · novels
Continue Fathers and Sons: Odintsova after
Bazarov — the nihilist who dissected frogs and mocked everything — dies of typhus, asking for Odintsova, suddenly...
Russian · Anton Chekhov · Russia · plays
Continue The Cherry Orchard: Firs alone
The cherry orchard is cut down; the sound of the axe echoes as the family leaves. Firs, the old servant, is...
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。
Chinese · 庄子 · 战国 · 哲学
“不知周之梦为胡蝶与，胡蝶之梦为周与。”庄子把问题抛出来就走了，两千多年没人敢接。这个梦醒之后——到底是庄周醒了，还是蝴蝶醒了？续写梦醒之后的第一刻。
Chinese · 司马迁《史记》· 汉 · 史书
垓下之围，项羽不肯过江东，自刎乌江。司马迁写他“天之亡我，我何渡为”。但如果那天晚上，乌江亭长真的把他劝上了船呢？江东子弟多才俊，卷土重来未可知。续写项羽过江之后。
Chinese · 曹雪芹 · 清 · 小说
“白茫茫大地真干净”——这是程乙本的结尾，但曹雪芹原来的后四十回早已散佚。两百多年来，无数人试图补上这个中国文学最大的缺口：宝玉出家之后，宝钗的后半生怎么过？黛玉如果没死，葬花词之后还有什么？拿起这个断点，写你的后四十回第一回——可以...
Chinese · 兰陵笑笑生《金瓶梅》· 明 · 小说
西门庆一命呜呼，金瓶梅散场。兰陵笑笑生写尽市井，但人散之后呢？潘金莲、李瓶儿、庞春梅——这些被欲望推着走的女人，在西门庆死后各自去了哪里？续写西门庆死后。
Chinese · 冯梦龙《警世通言》· 明 · 小说
杜十娘怒沉百宝箱，纵身一跃。三言里最烈的一跃。但如果李甲追上来了呢？如果孙富没有出现呢？冯梦龙给了悲剧，你来写另一种可能：杜十娘的第二种结局。
Chinese · 刘义庆《世说新语》· 南北朝 · 笔记
“大雪三日，湖中人鸟声俱绝。”王子猷雪夜访戴，到了门口却不进去，“吾本乘兴而行，兴尽而返，何必见戴”。刘义庆写尽魏晋风度。但如果那天晚上他推开了门呢？戴逵见或不见，兴还尽不尽？续写推开门的那一夜。
Chinese · 吴敬梓《儒林外史》· 清 · 小说
范进中举发疯，好了之后呢？吴敬梓让他“好了”，却没写他“后来”。一个被功名逼疯又治好的人，再看科举、再看世人，眼里是什么？续写范进的后十年。
Chinese · 蒲松龄《聊斋志异》· 清 · 小说
王生穿墙术不成，崂山道士一笑而别。这个好高骛远的书生下山之后，是真的悔改了，还是换了个地方继续做梦？蒲松龄只写到“遂不复穿墙”，剩下的交给你。续写王生的下山之后。
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？
Chinese · 司马迁《史记》· 汉 · 史书
易水一别，荆轲一去不返。高渐离击筑，秦王称善，之后以筑击秦王，不中被杀。司马迁写刺客，写的是“士为知己者死”。但如果荆轲那一匕首中了呢？续写匕首中的那一天。
Chinese · 许仲琳《封神演义》· 明 · 小说
姜子牙封神，三百六十五路正神各归其位。许仲琳写尽热闹，但封完神之后呢？那个渭水垂钓、七十岁才出山的老人，自己得了什么神位？续写封神之后，姜子牙的去处。
Chinese · 王实甫《西厢记》· 元 · 戏剧
张生高中，莺莺封诰，王实甫大团圆。但《会真记》里，莺莺早就看透了张生“始乱之，终弃之”的凉薄。一个看透了丈夫的人，诰命夫人的日子怎么过？续写莺莺的后来。
Chinese · 蒲松龄《聊斋志异》· 清 · 小说
婴宁爱笑，王生爱婴宁的笑。蒲松龄写她“矢不复笑”，像是把天真收了起来。但天真收得住吗？婚后十年，婴宁还笑吗？续写婴宁的后来。
Chinese · 蒲松龄《聊斋志异》· 清 · 小说
聂小倩得王生之助投胎为人，蒲松龄给了她一个好结局。但投胎之后呢？那个在兰若寺弹琴的女鬼，还记得自己做过鬼吗？续写小倩投胎之后的第一世。
Chinese · 卡夫卡 · 奥 · 小说
格里高尔变成甲虫死去，家人如释重负，出去郊游。卡夫卡冷酷地停在这里。但那个“如释重负”的早晨之后，妹妹拉着小提琴的手会抖吗？父亲还会做那个梦吗？续写格里高尔死后的第一天。
Chinese · 欧·亨利 · 美 · 小说
德拉卖了头发，吉姆卖了金表，圣诞夜他们拥抱大笑。第二年圣诞呢？欧·亨利给了他们一个完美的夜晚，但生活还在继续。续写麦琪夫妇的第二年圣诞。
Chinese · 莫泊桑 · 法 · 小说
玛蒂尔德用十年青春赔了一条项链，最后得知那是假的。莫泊桑停在这里。但故事没完：回家的路上，她跟丈夫说了吗？十年后她再遇到佛来思节夫人，会说什么？续写项链的真相被揭穿之后。
Chinese · 鲁迅 · 1919 · 小说
孔乙己“大约的确死了”——大约。鲁迅留下这个“大约”，就是留了一个续写的门：如果那个冬天他没死，如果他真的进了举、或者彻底成了乞丐，咸亨酒店的柜台前还会有人记得他吗？从“大约”开始续写。
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？
Chinese · 杜甫 · 唐 · 诗
“安得广厦千万间，大庇天下寒士俱欢颜。”杜甫在漏雨的茅屋里写下中国诗歌最仁慈的一句。但第二天雨停了，茅屋还在漏。那个发愿的人，自己住在哪里？续写茅屋的第二天。
Chinese · 李白 · 唐 · 诗
“仰天大笑出门去，我辈岂是蓬蒿人。”李白四十二岁入长安，以为要做大事了。但长安给他的，是翰林待诏，是赐金放还。出长安的那一天，他回头看了吗？续写李白离开长安。
Chinese · 李清照 · 宋 · 词
“这次第，怎一个愁字了得。”李清照南渡之后，国破家亡，写尽一个“愁”。但愁的另一面呢？那个少女时代“争渡争渡”的人，还在她身体里吗？续写李清照南渡之后的一天。
Chinese · 苏轼 · 宋 · 散文
“惟江上之清风，与山间之明月，耳得之而为声，目遇之而成色。”赤壁之夜，苏子与客饮酒乐甚。但天亮之后呢？那个写下“人生如梦”的男人，回到黄州的第二天怎么过？续写赤壁之夜的第二天。
Chinese · 刘鹗《老残游记》· 清 · 小说
老残走四方，见一处是一处。刘鹗借他之眼看晚清，但老残自己呢？这个看透世事的江湖郎中，老了之后在哪里停下来？续写老残的最后一站。
Chinese · 狄更斯《双城记》· 英 · 小说
西德尼·卡顿走上断头台，“这是我做过的最美好的事”。狄更斯让他死得其所。但露西呢？她带着卡顿的孩子长大，会给孩子讲这个替身的故事吗？续写卡顿死后，露西的余生。
Chinese · 雨果《悲惨世界》· 法 · 小说
冉阿让在珂赛特怀里安详离世，墓碑上刻着诗。雨果很仁慈。但珂赛特呢？她终于知道了养父的一生——那个晚上，她对马吕斯说了什么？续写珂赛特知道真相的那个晚上。
Chinese · 大仲马 · 法 · 小说
爱德蒙完成了复仇，扬帆而去。大仲马给了他自由，没给他自由之后的生活：一个为复仇活了十四年的人，复仇完成后靠什么起床？续写基督山伯爵的复仇之后。
Chinese · 塞万提斯 · 西班牙 · 小说
唐吉诃德醒来，烧了骑士小说，立下遗嘱，安然死去。塞万提斯不让他复活。但桑丘呢？那个一直说“等您好了咱们再出发”的侍从，在主人坟前站了多久？续写桑丘的后来。
Chinese · 卡夫卡 · 奥（未完成） · 小说
《城堡》没写完，K 永远在村子里打转。有人说这是卡夫卡故意留下的永恒：抵达不了才是真相。但如果让你写下去——K 推开城堡大门的那一天，里面有什么？续写 K 的抵达（或永远抵达不了）。
Chinese · 《战国策》· 汉 · 史书
冯谖为孟尝君“市义”，狡兔三窟，名垂《战国策》。但三窟之后呢？那个弹铗而歌的人，老了之后还弹吗？续写冯谖的晚年。
Chinese · 陶渊明 · 东晋 · 散文
“归去来兮，田园将芜胡不归。”陶渊明四十一岁辞彭泽令，写下中国文人最潇洒的辞职信。但归去之后呢？不为五斗米折腰的人，米从哪里来？续写归去之后的第一个秋天。
Chinese · 《左传》· 先秦 · 史书
“不及黄泉，无相见也。”郑庄公与母亲姜氏发下毒誓，《左传》开篇即是人伦大戏。但后来颖考叔“掘地及泉”，母子如初。誓言收回了，裂痕呢？续写黄泉相见之后。
Chinese · 干宝《搜神记》· 晋 · 志怪
干将莫邪铸剑，楚王杀干将。莫邪生赤鼻，赤鼻为父报仇，头与剑俱入鼎。干宝写得惨烈决绝。但鼎沸之后呢？那个三头相啮的故事，楚王宫里还有人敢讲吗？续写鼎沸之后。
Chinese · 李煜 · 五代南唐 · 词
“春花秋月何时了，往事知多少。”李煜在汴京写下《虞美人》，七夕生日那天被毒死。宋人说他“做个才人真绝代，可怜薄命作君王”。如果他没做君王，只做个词人呢？续写李煜的另一种人生。
Chinese · 民间传说 · 民间故事
白素贞被压雷峰塔，许仙出家，小青修炼。法海“罪过”。但雷峰塔倒掉的那一天——白蛇传的各种版本里，塔倒了，人呢？续写雷峰塔倒掉的那一天。
Chinese · 民间传说 · 民间故事
英台化蝶，山伯的坟裂开又合上。故事到这里很美，但太短了：两只蝴蝶飞走之后，飞去了哪里？是江南的春天，还是再也不回来？续写化蝶之后的第一年。
Chinese · 洪昇《长生殿》· 清 · 戏剧
杨玉环自缢马嵬，唐明皇“七月七日长生殿”。洪昇写尽帝王之痴。但如果那天死的是另一个人，如果贵妃活了下来——她还爱那个把她赐死的男人吗？续写马嵬坡的另一种结局。
Chinese · 孔尚任《桃花扇》· 清 · 戏剧
侯方域与李香君历经离合，终在道观相见却出家而去。孔尚任让“离合之情”归于空门。但那个桃花扇还在——扇子上的桃花，是血点还是泪痕？续写桃花扇的下一任主人。
Chinese · 汤显祖《牡丹亭》· 明 · 戏剧
杜丽娘为情而死，又为情还魂，与柳梦梅成婚。汤显祖给了“情至”的圆满。但还魂之后呢？一个死过一次的人，看活着的世界是什么颜色？续写杜丽娘还魂之后。
Chinese · 吴承恩《西游记》· 明 · 小说
取经归来，师徒各得正果。吴承恩给了圆满。但那个在女儿国说“若有来世”的御弟，成了佛之后还会做梦吗？梦里是谁？续写取经归来后的第一个梦。
Chinese · 施耐庵《水浒传》· 元末明初 · 小说
一百单八将受招安，征方腊十去其六。施耐庵写尽悲凉。但如果宋江在招安的圣旨面前说了“不”呢？梁山泊的另一种结局是什么？续写拒绝招安的梁山。
Chinese · 罗贯中《三国演义》· 明 · 小说
空城计是小说家的妙笔，但历史开了个玩笑：如果司马懿那天没有多疑，如果魏军真的冲进去了呢？三国从此改写。续写“空城计被识破”的那一天。
Chinese · 《诗经·秦风》· 先秦 · 诗
“蒹葭苍苍，白露为霜。所谓伊人，在水一方。”《诗经》里最美的一场追寻，追了三千年也没追到。但如果有一天，水落了，芦苇干了，伊人转过身来呢？续写溯洄从之之后。
Chinese · 白居易《长恨歌》· 唐 · 诗
“在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝。”白居易写尽帝王之痴。但长恨歌的结尾是“此恨绵绵无绝期”——恨不绝，人呢？马嵬坡之后，太真在月宫里还恨吗？续写长恨的另一面。
Chinese · 李宝嘉《官场现形记》· 清 · 小说
李宝嘉写官场，“现形”二字入木三分。但现形之后呢？那些现了形的官，有没有一个想变回去？续写《官场现形记》里一个小官的良心发现。
Chinese · 纪昀《阅微草堂笔记》· 清 · 笔记
纪晓岚夜坐，客谈鬼狐。阅微草堂的灯下，什么都能谈。但纪晓岚自己呢？这个给《四库全书》当总纂官的人，深夜独坐时信不信自己写下的故事？续写草堂灯灭之后。
Chinese · 斯威夫特 · 英 · 小说
格列佛四次航行归来，成了厌世的怪人。斯威夫特没让他再出海。但如果还有第五次航行——这一次他会去往哪里？是更荒诞的国度，还是回到了人间？续写格列佛的第五次航行。
Chinese · 司汤达《红与黑》· 法 · 小说
于连走上断头台，司汤达让他“死得其所”。但德·雷纳夫人呢？那个为他开枪、又为他殉情的女人，在于连死后还剩什么？续写德·雷纳夫人的余生。
Chinese · 李汝珍《镜花缘》· 清 · 小说
百花仙子谪凡历劫，唐敖出海寻仙。李汝珍写了一百回海外奇观，但唐敖最后到底成仙了吗？那个“海外寻仙”的梦，醒来时是什么时辰？续写唐敖的归来（或不归）。
Chinese · 陶渊明 · 东晋 · 散文
渔人“遂迷，不复得路”，南阳刘子骥“欣然规往，未果，寻病终”。陶渊明连写两笔“未果”，是故意的：桃花源的美，正在于找不到。但如果刘子骥真的找到了呢？他看到的桃花源，和渔人说的是同一个吗？续写刘子骥的抵达。