"And then the murders began."

So a writer named Marc Laidlaw had an interesting idea:

The first line of almost any story can be improved by making sure the second line is, "And then the murders began."

— Marc Laidlaw (@marc_laidlaw) March 3, 2017

Let's try it out! Here's a few beginnings that you might recognize:

“I wonder what Piglet is doing," thought Pooh. And then the murders began.

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One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar was hatched out of a tiny egg. He was very hungry. And then the murders began.

  —————————

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. And then the murders began.

  —————————

"Where's Papa going with that axe?” said Fern to her mother. And then the murders began.

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Imagine you’re in a dark room. And then the murders began. 

(Okay, I sort of cheated. That last one was from THE DRAKE EQUATION!)