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#42 End of Story

Reaching the end of a story is a bittersweet thing. Upon reading the final word of a particularly good piece, you’re often hit with a sort of story-hangover: the ache of wanting to stay in the world of the tale, yet knowing there’s no more story to be read.

 

A truly excellent ending can mitigate that pain — which is why, as a writer, it’s crucial to nail the end of your own stories! Of course, this can mean different things for different pieces. A great ending might underscore a story's theme, or it might pose more questions than it answers; it all depends on context and execution. For more info, check out our tips for crafting a memorable ending here, and then dive into our ending-themed prompts below!

 

p.s. — We're hosting a Live Copyediting Workshop! On May 20th, Editors Tracy Gold and Julie Artz will take to YouTube to copyedit passages submitted by writers like you! For a chance to have your writing featured, click this link to register for the event and you'll receive submission instructions by email.

This week's prompts

Write a story that ends with the narrator revealing a secret.

Mystery – 159 stories

Write a story that ends in the past.

Teens – 68 stories

Write a story that ends with a character asking a question.

Narrative – 259 stories

Write a story that ends by circling back to the beginning.

Short Story – 213 stories

Write a story that ends with one character waiting for the arrival of another.

Kids – 199 stories

Stories

Diamond Necklace

Submitted to Contest #42

Ida and I were walking along the beach and I saw a beautiful purple shell. I quickly picked it up before the waves took it. My father always used to give me shells... “Whoa, this is so pretty!” I said. Ida had also found a beautiful shell, and hers was light blue. “Let’s keep looking around,” Ida said. I wanted to go look for my father, but I humored Ida. We waded in the water every so often, picking up shells here and there. Something shone in the sunlight, and I stooped to retrieve it. I grasped a small charm and pulled a long chain o...

44 likes 32 comments 32
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Time Travelers

Submitted to Contest #42

The tension was like there were a million sharp knives in the air, and you had to dodge getting cut by each one. We had been here before. We swore that it would never happen again. We promised each other that we would never talk, let alone see, each other again.“Okay. One of us has to talk, and since I’ve always been the talkative one, it might as well be me. I thought that we weren’t going to see each other again.” I looked up from my hands and realized it was Chloe who was talking.“Yeah, well, that’s what I thought, too. But here we are!”L...

44 likes 2 comments 2
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But, Calista...

Submitted to Contest #42

I breathe in deeply, trying to remember the lessons about lying that my mother taught me years ago. I open my eyes, staring into the cop’s eyes.He leans to the other person, whispering. I still hear it, “She fits the description, black hair, and blue eyes.”“Katrina Hemlin?” he asks, directed to me this time. I nod and the police continues, “You were friends with Calista Normf?” The name unleashes a flood of emotions, and I try to keep it in. Tears sting my eyes, I don’t bother to keep them hidden. Maybe the cops will let me go, most of ...

43 likes 37 comments 37
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Angel Of Hope

Submitted to Contest #42

I loved doing the dirty work. No, I didn’t mean typical dirt-under-your-fingernails type of gardening or scrubbing drains and toilets. It’s more like the filthy blood and sweat that goes into making an ugly, otherwise undone job successful. The satisfaction upon completion is blissfully thrilling— I would rather die than give up that feeling. Settling into the sofa, I took a deep breath. I had done a particularly good job today. The United States had far surpassed the million cases benchmark, thanks to my fabulous spree, recently. Spain...

43 likes 34 comments 34
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Wish You Were Here.

Submitted to Contest #42

Daniella scratched her mosquito bite, groaning in satisfaction as the itch reduced. She then rubbed her rug burn, which she had gotten the previous day. Daniella tapped her foot to the rhythm of the clock. She heard the doorbell ring, and she shot to the door. She saw her best friend Caleb. Daniella smiled and hugged him.“Hey, hey! How far are we running today?” Daniella pretended to think.“How about ten miles.” Caleb groaned.“That’s way too short.” Daniella grinned at him. “We will run ten miles now, and maybe ten miles in the afternoo...

42 likes 27 comments 27
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Prom

Submitted to Contest #42

I woke up to my alarm beeping and threw my arm over to my nightstand to turn it off. But it wasn't wear it normally was. I shook my head, got up, and started looking around the room. Finally, I found it in my closet, next to a dress. But not just any dress, my prom dress for the coming night. That night was prom. I was so excited because it was my very first prom, and I was going with the guy that I'd had a crush on since kindergarten. His name was Ryder, Ryder King. It was always funny when our teachers did attendance, because they had no c...

42 likes 10 comments 10
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Living A Lie

Submitted to Contest #42

They told me to just wait in the damn car! Why didn’t I just listen? I would’ve been better off this way. I want to tell you how this ends, but I suppose I should start at the beginning. When this all started. When everything was perfect. Cut to a family of 6. Me, my brother and my two sisters. We were a nice family. A good family. Before this all started. We lived in a quiet, suburban town that hardly gets any action. I THOUGHT that was us. I could've never been more wrong. I never knew that my father’s words would resonate with me as they ...

42 likes 54 comments 54
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Just Another Choice

Submitted to Contest #42

1.You are Dr. John Freeman, a 34-year-old millionaire for finding the cure to Leukemia. You have recently been put in jail for accused murder, and have been sentenced to 113 years in prison. You know you are innocent, but there is no proof. You must get out of here somehow. You get one call with somebody, and you know you must pick wisely. After a lot of thinking, you decide you want to call another doctor, who helped you find the cure but got no credit. You know she would want some money. So now you sit across Dr. Diana Cross, who glares at...

40 likes 9 comments 9
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Where are you, John?

Submitted to Contest #42

JohnWind brushes my face as I let in the warm end-summer breeze pass me by. I’ve always loved driving. There’s both a sense of rush and calmness that goes with it. Always has. A sense of control yet freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want. I hang my arm on the open driver side window and tap my cigarette on the metal frame before lighting it up. ​Ring.Ring.​“Hello,” I say, as I try to put it on my ear against my shoulder.Muffled noises echo in the background as Nathan’s footsteps can be heard shuffling around.​“Hey, John...

39 likes 25 comments 25
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Fallen Petals

Submitted to Contest #42

I woke up in a large cellar. I was surrounded by darkness itself. We meet again, I murmured to the darkness. You will be okay Emily.I sat up slowly, wincing at the pain in my side. I looked around. I see hundreds of containers that held dry flower stems, without any petals, except for the flower to my right. A beautiful rose, with no missing petals. I smiled in this darkness. I looked around further. I stroked the rose, that was once enclosed in a glass case. What the heck is this? Beauty and the Beast??  Where ...

39 likes 28 comments 28
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The Evil Magician Boy

Submitted to Contest #42

His soft footsteps pad gently along the carpet of the backstage. He is the essence of coolness, complete with tuba and magician’s wand. His hair flows ever so neatly in the direction of his audience and they are watching in rapt silence as he demonstrates his talents. They are many. His teeth glisten like lined up marble marshmallows; straight and white in his mouth like soldiers of a bonfire army ready for battle.  This boy is no ordinary boy, but instead a boy so full of shrimp and crackers that he barely has room for a brain beyond b...

39 likes 26 comments 26
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Wish You Away.

Submitted to Contest #42

Thank you so much to Ruth Porritt who gave me the brilliant idea of concluding my other story, "Wish You Were Here." I suggest reading that story before this one. I am proud to share with you the thrilling sequel to "Wish You Were Here." I hope you enjoy it!Daniella stretched her arms far behind her head. She scratched Lucy her cat. George was sitting on his computer scrolling through articles.“I’m going for a walk.” Declared Daniella.Her husband made a grunting noise, then continued to read. She stood up, and patted Lucy one last time, and ...

38 likes 21 comments 21
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Sisterly Love

Submitted to Contest #42

“Beth, please! Don’t do this! Magic shouldn’t be used like this, you can’t bring her back, you—” “Can’t I?” Beth casts a snide grin at me before looking back at her computer. “No, you can’t! I asked Mal, and he—” “Mal is a child. He never knew the whole of what this power could do.” I squirm. I have to crane my neck at such a severe angle to see Beth from my vantage point of strapped to the floor that it hurts my neck and eyes both. “Only one person has ever succeeded, and they only—” “They only brought the target back for seventeen minutes...

38 likes 14 comments 14
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The Monster

Submitted to Contest #42

Everyone's favorite thing to talk about is "The Monster". I don't understand what the big deal is. So, there's a monster. What's so bad about a monster?One thing that no one knows, though, is if it's a human or a creature. What do you think? You've heard of it, haven't you? Most likely.If it is a human, then they must have some messed up things inside of their head. If it's a creature, then it's kind of fine. Just because it's a creature and it might come from a savage species.The government has been looking for The Monster for years now. At...

37 likes 22 comments 22
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Any moment now

Submitted to Contest #42

 I have to go in. I drove passed the house three times this week without gathering the courage to step out of the car. But today, I have to go in.  My sweaty hands cling tightly to the wheel and a few tears are adding up in the corners of my eyes.  I decided to start slowly. Baby steps, as they call it. First step, I just walk around the house. Second step, I’ll gather their stuff, my stuff now. Third step, I store it all in my apartment. Last step, I … I shouldn’t think about the last step. I shouldn’t even org...

37 likes 25 comments 25
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