.40 - 3 Feature Leads: Twist Lead

 

Twist Lead:

• sets up the reader for one mood and then twists it, surprising the reader.

Information used for lead:

Someone called 18 people in the city last night. The caller identified himself as the president of Rutherford Ford, Inc., 2780 Doss Boulevard. He told each of the people that they had just won a new car from his dealership. Interviewed by reporters today, most of the people who received the calls said that at first they just couldn't believe it. And they were right. They couldn't. The person who called was a prankster, and Allen Rutherford, president of the dealership, says he has no idea who placed he calls, and that he's spending all his time today trying to explain the situation to those 18 people. "Someone apparently has a sick idea of humor," Rutherford said. After convincing people they had won a new car, the caller asked them to drop by the dealership this morning to pick it up. All 18 were there when the dealership opened its doors at 9 a.m. "I told them we never offered to give away a car," Rutherford said. "One woman told me she couldn't believe she'd won, and then she told me she couldn't believe it when I told her she hadn't. Two other women began to cry, and a man is threatening to sue me."

Lead:

Susan Walker a single mother, needing to work two jobs to sustain her family she arrives home exhausted.. She fades into her mattress. Her slumber shortly gets interrupted, in a daze Susan answers the phone. She hears a jumble of sounds and hears the words

 "free car". She becomes keenly focused on the mysterious voice stating "it's your lucky day madam!"

 Amidst a sensory overload, she makes her way to the dealership. Then upon seeing a gathering of people . She realizes this is actually happening. As she gets closer and closer shouting, bawling, and other outburst can be heard. 

Blinded by the image and scent of a new car. She notices that these screams and tears were not out of joy. She had just been pranked.