Endings — 68 of 70

Volume 5 - Text

Book 1 - Regretful

To relate the introduction to the game:

say "Game over.[paragraph break]";

say "Or, rather, the games were over. All the manipulations, all the accusations, all the late-night self-recriminations. All that agonizing nonsense was finally at a permanent end, to the extent that any long-term relationship ends permanently in the heart.[paragraph break]";

say "She knew full well that the good memories would wash up from time to time, like glistening glass bottles on a beach, each one containing an unopened letter to a happily-ever-after that would never come to pass. She hated those memories. Promises unkept, false foundations built on sinking sand. They deserved to die.[paragraph break]";

say "Best not to think of any of that now.[paragraph break]";

say "She had returned the key, and the landlord had promised that the deposit would be refunded in the mail. She wasn't planning, so much as hoping, that the refund would pay for something like absolution: umbrella drinks in a sunny remote bar, where she might be able to see sand and beautiful people. Surely there would be someone there who could share her vision of erasing the past.[paragraph break]";

say "She snapped out of her reverie. The apartment was dirty: smudges and scratches on the paint, unidentifiable blotches on the carpet, scuffed and scarred linoleum tile, and cracked and warped wood in need of refinishing. This was no longer home, it would never be home again, and this would be her last time in what used to be home. With so many things gone -- hell, so many [italic type]feelings[roman type] gone -- it only remained to her to remove a last few personal items, before wishing the apartment a final good riddance.[paragraph break]";