What is the best closing in literature?
"Oh, Jake," Brett said, "we could have had such a damned good time together."
Ahead was a mounted policeman in khaki directing trffic. He raised his baton. The car slowed suddenly pressing Brett against me.
"Yes," I said, "Isn't it pretty to think so?"
It doesn't have to be a novel, a poem or short story is fine, or even a song, for that matter.
All that's required is the source and the quote, but feel free to explain or lobby. Have fun.
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M$5 Answers
"At last they rode over the downs and took the East Road, and then Merry and Pippen rode on to Buckland; and already they were singing as they went. But Sam turned to Bywater, and so came back up the Hill, as day was ending once more. And he went on, and there was yellow light, and fire within; and the evening meal was ready, and he was expected. And Rose drew him in, and set him in his chair, and put little Elanor on his lap.
He drew a deep breath. 'Well, I'm back,' he said."
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M$this is the lead in paragraph to the ending
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"His neck was in pain and lifting his hand to it found it horribly swollen. He knew that it had a circle of black where the rope had bruised it. His eyes felt congested; he could no longer close them. His tongue was swollen with thirst; he relieved its fever by thrusting it forward from between his teeth into the cold air. How softly the turf had carpeted the untraveled avenue--he could no longer feel the roadway beneath his feet!
Doubtless, despite his suffering, he had fallen asleep while walking, for now he sees another scene--perhaps he has merely recovered from a delirium. He stands at the gate of his own home. All is as he left it, and all bright and beautiful in the morning sunshine. He must have traveled the entire night. As he pushes open the gate and passes up the wide white walk, he sees a flutter of female garments; his wife, looking fresh and cool and sweet, steps down from the veranda to meet him. At the bottom of the steps she stands waiting, with a smile of ineffable joy, an attitude of matchless grace and dignity. Ah, how beautiful she is! He springs forward with extended arms. "
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Sounds pretty good for ole Peyton Farquhar right?
SPOILER ALERT
"As he is about to clasp her he feels a stunning blow upon the back of the neck; a blinding white light blazes all about him with a sound like the shock of a cannon--then all is darkness and silence!"
"Peyton Farquhar was dead; his body, with a broken neck, swung gently from side to side beneath the timbers of the Owl Creek bridge."
Please take the 20 minutes of time to read this wonderful short story here
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce
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M$
Thanks, I did, and it was really lovely! Thanks for pointing this one out, had never heard of it.
@falcon18 I am so happy you enjoyed that story and @keepontryin I hope you have a fantastic 52nd brithday :)
Another good one. what a grand way to spend the morning of my 52nd birthday!
And a very Happy Birthday to you, keepontryin.
Enough said! If you don't know it, you owe it to yourself to read it,
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M$
In pace requiescat! - Edgar Allan Poe, The Cask of Amontillado
“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!” - Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart
full text of The Cask of Amontillado: http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/caska.htm
full text of The Tell-Tale Heart: http://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/thearta.htm
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M$
By Valerie Cox in “A Matter of Perspective”,
http://academictips.org/blogs/the-cookie-thief/
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The Cookie Thief
A woman was waiting at the airport one night,
With several long hours before her flight.
She hunted for a book in the airport shop,
Bought a bag of cookies and found a place to drop.
She was engrossed in her book, but happened to see,
That the man beside her, as bold as could be,
Grabbed a cookie or two from the bag between,
Which she tried to ignore, to avoid a scene.
She read, munched cookies, and watched the clock,
As the gutsy “cookie thief” diminished her stock.
She was getting more irritated as the minutes ticked by,
Thinking, “If I wasn’t so nice, I’d blackened his eye!”
With each cookie she took, he took one too.
When only one was left, she wondered what he’d do.
With a smile on his face and a nervous laugh,
He took the last cookie and broke it in half.
He offered her half, as he ate the other.
She snatched it from him and thought, “Oh brother,
This guy has some nerve, and he’s also rude,
Why, he didn’t even show any gratitude!”
She had never known when she had been so galled,
And sighed with relief when her flight was called.
She gathered her belongings and headed for the gate,
Refusing to look back at the “thieving ingrate.”
She boarded the plane and sank in her seat,
Then sought her book, which was almost complete.
As she reached in her baggage, she gasped with surprise.
There was her bag of cookies in front of her eyes!
“If mine are here,” she moaned with despair,
“Then the others were his and he tried to share!”
Too late to apologize, she realized with grief,
That she was the rude one…the ingrate…the thief!
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This one was mentioned in Dead Poet's Society.
http://www.antiromantic.com/neil-perry/
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"“It was a dark and rainy night. And this old lady who had a passion for jigsaw puzzles
sat by herself in her house at her table to complete a new jigsaw puzzle. As she pieced
the puzzle together, she realized to her astonishment that the image that was formed was
her very own room, and the figure in the center of the puzzle, as she completed it, was
herself. And with trembling hands she placed the last four pieces and stared in horror at
the face of the demented madman at the window. The last thing that this old lady ever
heard was the sound of breaking glass.”
http://hubpages.com/hub/The-Jigsaw-Puzzle
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M$
