“She giggled as he pushed a lock of golden hair behind her ear. They had savored each bite of the picnic relishing in the time alone with one another. He uncovered dessert along with a surprise. Her radiant face lit up when she saw the diamond ring. He hesitantly asked the big question, but her answer was obvious by the squealing and hugging that followed. And the two lived happily ever after. The end.”

Wait! That can’t be the end. The scene needs to fade into the end. The narrator rolled his eyes, and scribbled out the last two sentences. He began to rewrite his ending:

“He hesitantly asked the big question, but her answer was obvious by the squealing and hugging that followed. The two collapsed into an embrace, and began whispering sweet nothings into one another’s ear. And there they stayed for the rest of the afternoon. Content to plan the big day, and live happily ever after! The end!”

There! That’s better! The narrator was already excited to write all about the wedding in the sequel.

“Is he still there?” She asked as soon as they fell to the ground. “He’s been there the whole time. Writing in that book of his!” He replied. She had seen the warning note when he presented the store bought cake, and understood immediately what roles they must play next. They had been undercover for weeks trying to get this stalker into the open. He called himself “The Narrator.” He would stalk his victims for a month, writing love stories about every detail in their lives, then recite the stories back to them on a tape recording sent to their house.

A lady ran by with her dog, subtly flashing the ready sign. They made eye contact with the man reading a newspaper on the bench. It was time.

“Freeze! FBI!” Suddenly the park was flooded with agents. Every “citizen” had their weapon drawn, and the two agents stood from their picnic and smiled as “The Narrator” was taken away in handcuffs. Another job well done!

The end!