THE MONKEY’S PAWAN EXPERIMENT IN WANTING
THE PAW IS LISTENINGEST. 1902 — REAWAKENED 2026
YOUR WORDS. ITS INTERPRETATION.

Every wish
has a price.

Tell the paw what you desire.
It will give you exactly what you asked for.
That’s the problem.

Make your wish
Five seconds. One wish. No taking it back.
Not quite ready? Witness a wish
Three fingers of an ancient monkey’s paw, preserved on a brass stand
FIG. 01THE INSTRUMENTThree wishes. Infinite regret.
27° 10′ N   78° 02′ E
A LITTLE DESIRE. A LITTLE DREAD.SCROLL TO WITNESS ONE SHOT / EXPERIMENT 004
THE EVIDENCE

They got what they wanted.

A few wishes that should
have stayed wishes.

12 CASES OF WISHFUL THINKING

Curated fictional scenarios in film and cinematic stills. Personalized films begin with your own recording.

A LITTLE INSPIRATION

What would you ask for?

The first thought is usually the dangerous one.

01I wish I never had to sleep.02I wish everyone would listen to me.03I wish I could fly.04I wish I could read minds.05I wish I could never lose.06I wish my house would clean itself.07I wish I had a permanent seat at the table.08I wish everything I touched turned to gold.
A VERY OLD WARNING

Be careful what
you wish for.

In W. W. Jacobs’ 1902 story, a little paw offered three wishes. Each came true. None came free.

Now we have machines that can give us almost anything we ask for. This is a small experiment in asking better.

CONCEIVED ON THE ONE SHOT PODCAST