Story #2: "Happy Endings" by Margaret Atwood

Honestly, this story was pretty confusing. There were only two characters at the beginning, but then we kept meeting more and more people... the whole thing went by pretty quickly, and I think that's because of Atwood's choice of writing style. I liked the format of the story- it seems like they're alternate endings, but they're actually not because they all involve certain characters based on the previous ending. For example, you wouldn't know who Fred and Madge in Ending D were unless you read Ending C. Like I mentioned before, even though all of these major events fly by in a matter of minutes, I think it serves a purpose. Your spouse may die, or your house may be swept away by a tsunami, but in the end, that's just a part of life. I like how Atwood touches on an event that seems SO important, but then she just moves on. It really proves her point, how you can live your life however you want, but the ending will always be the same. The beginning and the middle are the fun parts. Here's my alternate ending:

G.

Again, John and Mary and Madge and Fred, after their long and busy lives, finally pass away. They're gone and it seems as if everything has ended, but let's not forget the children that they left behind when they left the earth. The five of them grieve and grieve for what seems like forever, looking back at the fond and not-so-fond memories. They laugh and cry and sometimes even smirk in confusion when certain secrets are revealed, but why do those matter? The past is the past. As time grows, the children grow, and the children's children reach all of their milestones in what seems like no time at all, and life goes on and on and on... but their endings are not like you would expect. There's no denying that their lives end eventually, but they simply reach another stage in their life and it doesn't all screech to a halt when the word "death" is approached. They live their lives and are not defined by their end, but by the parts that really show who they are. Because everybody has the exact same ending.

(restart at G, replacing the names if you choose)