Someone at work was relating the plot of a book she read, and it made me think of this story. It’s been driving me crazy all night that I can’t remember the title or who wrote it. I want to say Roald Dahl, but that doesn’t seem quite right. It’s a well known mid 20th century story. Anyway…
A down-on-their-luck couple get visited by a strange man who makes them an unusual bargain. He presents them with a small box with a big red button on it. “If you push this button,” He informs them “I will give you a million dollars. BUT — some person who you do not know will be killed instantly.”
The couple debate it, the husband doesn’t want to be responsible for another person’s (even a stranger’s) death. The wife says “who cares about some stranger? We need that money!” Ultimately, they push the button. The strange man gives them a million dollars, puts the box with a button away in his suitcase and heads out the door.
“Hey wait a minute!” cries the husband, “can we know who got killed?”
“Sure,” says the stranger cheerily as he gets in his car. “That’d be the LAST person before you who pressed the button.” Then he drives away.
I can’t for the life of me remember who wrote this. I know someone who reads this must know it. Help!!
Seems like the short story version twist is different from twilight zone twist.
From what I read - shorty story twist is - husband dies - and when the wife protests she is told something like “well did you really know your husband.”
Yes this is the much better ending. I knew this was based on a short story and assumed it ended the same. I even have the story in a book somewhere but guess I never read it.
I’m pretty sure there was a similar story in Chuck Palahniuk’s “Haunted,” but I don’t have it handy now so I can’t check. I’ll try to remember to check when I get home.
Huh, I never connected the "someone you don’t know"s from the 2 parts of the story. There are so many people in the world that dying from this is like winning the lottery.