Daily puzzle

Put The Masque of the Red Death back in order

Seven beats from our edition of The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe, shuffled. Drag them, or use the arrows, until the story runs straight. No account, no streak to lose.

  1. The Red Death abroad A gruesome plague that kills within half an hour devastates the country, marking victims with blood at the pores.
  2. Prospero’s refuge Prince Prospero seals a thousand courtiers inside a fortified abbey, welding the bolts shut to keep the plague outside.
  3. The seven rooms After months of safety he hosts a masquerade through seven single-colored chambers, ending in the dreaded black-and-red room.
  4. The tolling clock Each hour the ebony clock’s heavy chime halts the revelry, and the black room keeps the dancers away with unease.
  5. The intruder appears Near midnight a masked figure costumed as the bloodied Red Death moves among the guests and outrages Prospero.
  6. The fatal pursuit Prospero chases the figure with a dagger through the rooms to the black chamber, where he abruptly drops dead.
  7. Death’s dominion The guests unmask an empty shroud, then fall one by one as Darkness and Decay and the Red Death rule over all.