The Furnace

"The Furnace" is a short story authored in instalments by Stephen King and 28 other writers as a piece of collaborative fiction. King's opening was originally published in 2005 in the educational magazine Know Your World Extra. Plot summary The text of "The Furnace" authored by King comprises the first two paragraphs of a story, with the reader invited to complete the story. King's opening concerns a 10-year-old boy, Tommy, who must retrieve wood from a cellar while fearing a creature he believes is behind the furnace. A completed version of the story, authored by King and 28 other writers, was published on the Weekly Reader website in October 2007. Publication The two opening paragraphs of "The Furnace" were donated by King in an attempt to encourage young people to develop an interest in writing. They were published in volume 32, issue 2 of Know Your World Extra on 23 September 2005 as a feature titled "Write Your Own Scary Story". Readers were invited to submit instalments to complete the story themselves in a serial fashion. The title was not supplied by King.