Alternate Ending to Stranger Than Fiction

Karen threw a blank stare at Harrold; not knowing what to do. Just when she thought she had finally found a conclusion to her tragedy, she realized the power of her words. Karen was trapped in her own story that she created, just like Harrold who was confined in the nexus of his choices and Karen’s story. Karen just stared intently at Harrold’s eyes as if she was sifting to the many parallel universes that may lead to the death of this young man. As Karen stared longer, it felt like the prolonged silence has answered for the both of them, and she pulled her gaze away from Harrold.

Karen guiltily bit her nails, and she uneasily paced accross the room trying to think.

“I want to live!” said Harold, with fierceful eyes. Karen stopped walking when she heard this, but she still couldn’t give an answer. “I did not ask for this. I don’t deserve this,” said the unusually agitated Harrold.

Both of them paused, and the silence crept in again. Harrold regained his calm, and he figured that he said more than what he was supposed to, so he headed to the door for his departure. “Well, if you’ll excuse me,” Harold politely said and then turned the door knob.

Penny just watched Karen sit quietly at her desk as she was also left speechless by the sudden turn of events. Karen looked at the tall buildings she imagined leaping from when she had the writer’s block. She grabbed a cigarette from her pocket, and continued to write her story:

The phone rang the third time.

But Harrold thought nothing good would come out of his effort, so he left.

He gave up.

Harrold strolled upon the busy streets thinking about what he wanted to do for the day. He was not counting his steps. He was not thinking of going back to work. He tried not to think of death.

To start off his real “vacation”,