The Furnace (short story)
"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 concerns a 10-year-old boy, Tommy, who must retrieve firewood from a cellar while fearing a creature he believes is behind the furnace.[5] The two opening paragraphs of "The Furnace" were donated by King in an attempt to encourage young people to develop an interest in writing.[4] The final story, made up of King's opening paragraphs and contributions from 28 students, was published on the Weekly Reader website in October 2007.[2] Ira Wolfman, the Senior Vice-president of Editorial for Weekly Reader, described King's opening as "wonderfully creepy".