Ages ago while on tiktok (probably when I should have been writing 😅) I came across an interesting writing prompt. The concept being using the same line to open and close a story with the added twist of the opening line being a “happy” thing and the closing line a “sad” meaning. Intrigued by this concept I decided to give it a shot myself.
Opening:
“So, this is it!” Laurel chirped while adjusting the veil around Evelyn’s shoulders. “Time to get you down that aisle girl.”
Laurel’s heart twisted in her chest. It was such an odd mixture of joy, pride, and mourning churning inside. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she smiled tenderly upon her friend. This was right, this was good. The man Evelyn walked toward now was the best thing to happen in her life. Laurel just wished it didn’t mean that the dynamic of their relationship would have to change forever. Once again it was time for her to come last in someone else’s life.
Closing:
Abandoned, alone, all the things they promised would never be, bereft of light and warmth. Every effort she made to help, to right the wrong done, nothing mattered. Laurel watched their eyes grow cold with hatred and heard their steps fade away, leaving her to collapse upon the heap of ash. Her breath hollow in her ears, not even the stars bothering to greet her. She failed. Closing her eyes, a tear sliped through as emptiness burns through her veins. Here and now was her forever, her eternal tomorrows. She opens her eyes and whispers in the dark. “So, this is it.”
One of the interesting things I found that a lot of the people from tiktok who partook in the prompt was to make the sad twist at the end be about the character’s death or the death of someone important to then. I wanted to challenge myself here and tackle to concept of a different type of sorrow, the sort of heartache we can bring upon ourselves and be trapped to live within if not careful.
How would you tackle this prompt challenge?