What’s the end really like?
That’s what I want to know. In
stories, the end is either a whimper or a bang, and equally shocking either
way. But is that what the end is really
like?
And more importantly, what will my end be like? What is MY end?
Sometimes, we like to imagine that we are magnificent. That we are great lions, fierce and facing
the world. Or even that we are dogs, foolishly brave and unrelentingly loyal. But perhaps sometimes we're not even that.
Most people think that they would be a hero if they could,
but not many have to chance to figure out if they might be one. The fact is, we never hear about the failed
heroes. We don’t hear about the heroes
who broke the rules and died. Or the
heroes who followed the rules and died.
Because in our minds, they aren’t heroes – not really. And even if they are, who is left to tell
their story? Who will tell the story of
the almost-heroes who almost-won? It
doesn’t make for a climatic ending or a dramatic beginning.
The end of the story is the most important. Without it, a hero never becomes a hero, and
the traitor never is uncovered, and the last minute convert doesn’t have time
to switch sides. The villain is never
vanquished, and the damsel is never rescued.
Not a very good story, eh?
But what’s the end really like? We only hear one kind of ending – the happy
kind. But sometimes, the almost heroes,
those who are forgotten, make a sort of ending – a different, bitter ending. These are those who led the failed
revolution and died dishonorably. Or those who
couldn’t push the man out of the way of the train, or weren’t able to block the
bullet. The people who couldn’t mend the
relationship, who didn’t get the part.
Those who weren’t successful despite all of their efforts – they have an
ending too. What about the heroes who couldn’t be heroes, who failed at being heroes? Those who did everything right, or everything wrong, just hoping to save someone else, or even just themselves.
Who tells about them? What’s their ending like?
