The train suddenly arrives, and Alan rushes out and is about to board the train when he slips on the wet pavement and hits his head on a post, killing him instantly. The woman, watching from the waiting room, turns to the ticket agent and says,"This reminds me of a story. On a dark stormy night like this my brother . . ."
You complain to the ghost that his story shows no sign of ending.
There's no second option here.
We tried one into the sea of stories but it was in danger of losing its way, which we can't have happen in such a short example.
How manipulative.
Do you think the other parts of this story are not manipulative?
I'm lamenting the illusory nature of the freedom promised by a hypertext narrative. It's all fenced in and pre-mapped.
Socially composed hypertext narratives can offer more freedom for authors and readers who join as authors ("wreaders"). But this is at the cost of prolixity and lack of narrative strength. For an example, take a look at Hypertext Hotel.
So for readers who aren't writing, their freedom is much restricted.
Why shouldn't it be? To make plots is to craft timelines, whether single or multiple.