I'll have a go

for (@{$data}) {
    my $key = $_->[0];
    my $last_element = $#{$_};
    my $random = $_->[rand($#{$_}) + 1];
    $vars{$key} =  $random;
}

[download]
A more concise way: 
%vars = map { $_->[0],$_->[rand($#{$_}) + 1] } @{$data};

[download]
You could represent like: 
$story = {
      protaganist => [ 'al debaran','narrator','japh','gilligan' ],
      dog => [ 'my pretty pitty' ],
};

[download]
or 
data/protaganist.txt
al debaran
the narrator
japh

data/trials.txt
adventures
bedraengisse

[download]

In reply to Re: making a markovian "mad lib" by trippledubs
in thread making a markovian "mad lib" by Aldebaran

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