Creating content in the age of AI has never been easier. Recently, I shared a fictional story about a poisoned pumpkin pie served on a morning news program on TikTok that went viral for me at least. But that’s the beauty of having ideas in today’s world—whether it’s a script, a video, or a story, you don’t have to let it sit around in your head forever. You can execute it quickly.
With AI tools like Eleven Labs for voiceovers, Minimax for AI-generated video, and your favorite video editing software (I used Premiere for this one), you can bring any concept to life in a single day. Gone are the days when an idea would stay in the form of a note, or an unwritten movie script—today, you can create and share it quickly and effectively. Most people use TikTok for talking head movies, but I like to create fictional stories that mimic how I write.
I’ll be releasing The V.E.U.(The Vermont Expanded Universe) volume one shortly and while this story isn’t in this issue
Here’s the FICTIONAL story I posted on TikTok, now adapted for the blog.
Margaret Reynolds carried a dark secret—one she almost took to her grave.
In 1982, Margaret appeared on Vermont’s W.V.A.X. morning show. She shared her prize-winning pumpkin pie recipe live with the hosts, Preston Baxter and Nancy Tatum. Margaret, with her grandmotherly charm, walked viewers through each step of her recipe. Since live baking takes too long, she had premade slices for the hosts to sample.
No one suspected what was about to happen.
That same night, Preston Baxter fell violently ill. Something was eating him from the inside. He wouldn’t recover. His co-host, Nancy? She was perfectly fine.
No one pointed fingers at Margaret, the sweet woman who charmed the audience. No one thought she had poisoned Preston’s slice, live on air, with all of Vermont watching. The toxin came straight from her own garden.
For years, the poisoning remained a mystery. Margaret was never a suspect. But decades later, on her deathbed, she confessed.
It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t food poisoning.
It was revenge.
Preston Baxter had committed a crime—one he didn’t even remember. When he was in high school, Margaret had paid him to watch her beloved teacup poodle, Fifi. But Preston neglected the dog. He took the money and forgot to feed her. By the time Margaret returned, Fifi had died.
Years passed, and Preston never realized that Margaret, the grieving dog owner, was the same person he baked pies with on live TV. He never knew who had caused his terminal illness.
Margaret, though? She never forgot.
Her revenge came in the form of a slice of pie, served cold. Preston never saw it coming.
@christorychannel In 1982, WVAX’s morning show turned deadly. Margaret Reynolds baked a pie, but it wasn’t just her recipe that shocked viewers. A forgotten grudge led to a deadly slice of revenge. Part of the Vermont Extended Universe. #VermontExtendedUniverse #TrueCrimeFiction #WVAXMorningShow #1980sMystery #PumpkinPieRevenge #VintageMystery #VermontLegends #TikTokStorytime #FictionalHistory #VermontStories ♬ Pieces of Memory – Carlos Carty
Christopher lives in Vermont with his wife, twin boys, border collie and corgi. He has owned a film production company, sold slot machines, and worked for Tony Robbins. He writes in his magical tiny house and sometimes writes in his blog at chrisrodgers.blog
Visit his author’s page.