One Perfect Sentence - October 2024

[AgentPete]

Last month’s OPS had a broad brief: I asked you to create the first sentence for a book in the Romance genre.

This month, I’m looking for you to conclude the same book… But without writing the intervening 60, 80 or even 100 thousand words.

That’s right – I’d like your best closing sentence.

It can be as long or as short as you want.

We interpret “Romance” pretty loosely.

So what do I want out of your best closing sentence?

The same as always: emotional impact.

This will not be quite as easy as before. In real life, your reader will have read the entire book, will be very familiar with your characters and the sweep of the plot. The closing sentence will come as the satisfying conclusion of these things.

In the context of this contest, your closing sentence necessarily lacks those frames of reference.

Even so.

You are writers! Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears moist it again, and frame some feeling line.

***​

The Rules are exactly the same as last month's, with this addition – please post your entries anonymously. Tick the “Posting as Anonymous?” box to do so.

 

[Anonymous]

He'll never know the tears I shed are for his mother.

 

[Anonymous]

When I awoke, the bedside clock said 6.10am, and it was then reality came crashing in around me; the castle, my beautiful princess wife, leading the last battle to defeat evil Lord Nastygit… these had all been facets of a vivid dream, and I still had that sodding performance review meeting with Johnson from HR at 10.00.

 

[Anonymous]

Resting a hand painfully slowly on my shoulder, she said: ‘Me, too, signore – and you know it's said those of us who have seen the young lovers will very soon see them again.’

 

[Anonymous]

As Christmas bells rang, a grateful couple shares wine and a snuggle, a survivor dreams about the Army nurse who waited for him, a delusional woman looks forward to her Sunday morning date, an ex-convict lies smiling on his deathbed, and a curly-haired twenty-something is exactly where he needs to be.

 

[Anonymous]

As Christmas bells rang, a grateful couple shares wine and a snuggle, a survivor dreams about the Army nurse who waited for him, a delusional woman looks forward to her Sunday morning date, an ex-convict lies smiling on his deathbed, and a curly-haired twenty-something is exactly where he needs to be.

Correction:

As Christmas bells ring, a grateful couple shares wine and a snuggle, a survivor dreams about the Army nurse who waited for him, a delusional woman looks forward to her Sunday morning date, an ex-convict lies smiling on his deathbed, and a curly-haired twenty-something is exactly where he needs to be.

 

[Anonymous]

Afterall true love, real true love, is not a lucky discovery of perfection or mad infatuation but rather the acceptance of another faults alongside your own - we were just two broken souls facing down the oncoming storm together, hand-in-hand.

 

[Anonymous]

I would never believe at first sight again... second-sight however, well I'm only human.

 

[Anonymous]

After yet another life, past heartbreaking near misses and random pitiless intervention of fate, we once again lay in each other's arms, basking in our afterglow; the banked embers of our love alight against the night.

 

[Anonymous]

“Shall we elope to Portofino?” she asked, before smiling at the absurdity of seeking an answer from someone no longer there.

 

[Anonymous]

They hadn't spoken in more than three decades, but they thought of each other often, and that was enough.

 

[Anonymous]

We had reached the end game - him or me - I pulled the trigger… darkness.

 

[Anonymous]

I know, I know and I am sorry, but how was I to know that idiot would shoot himself?

 

[Anonymous]

'Never go back, never go back,' the train wheels were repeating, alternating with 'never go back, you know that's right' – but then, a tiny figure in the distance, I saw her...

 

[Anonymous]

And there we have it, Madeline and Daimios have found love, Marcus, is on his way to prison, I think I can say we are all happy with that, as for Geraldine, sexy, out of control Geraldine, you’ll never believe what she did next, the ridiculous child … but that I am afraid we will have to wait for until next month, when all will be revealed, yes, I would love to tell you now, but I promise it will well be worth the wait, it’s so unbelievable, even by her depraved standards.

 

[Anonymous]

We sat there for sometime in comfortable silence, and stared out towards the horizon; "what are you thinking about?" I eventually asked, "tomorrow" he answered with a smile.

 

[Anonymous]

They milled around, sipping champagne and overfilled beers, as wedding guests do, and no one but me saw his expression, icy as the cake.

 

[Anonymous]

I search his eyes for sarcasm, perhaps a hint of teasing, but all I see is love, shining strong thirty years on.