I watched a nature program about a mama bear waking up after a winter’s hibernation. She had two cubs, so small that they had a hard job following her when she left the cave. The snow was deep and the grown bear took off, leaving her babies to struggle through the deep snow. They floundered and sank but kept on, trying to catch up with the one who meant warmth, security, and food.
At last, the snow was above the heads of the babies and they could go no farther. They were in danger of freezing to death. I was just about to switch channels. I like animal shows and I know that nature can be harsh and unforgiving, but I do not like to see animals die, especially baby animals. However, this story had a happy ending. The mother bear came back to her babies, they cuddled against her, got warm milk into their stomachs and survived.
Happy endings–isn’t that what we all hope for in a story? As a writer, it’s my privilege to see that each cozy mystery has a satisfying conclusion, with, maybe just a question about, what happened next? In other words, a conclusion that leads the reader to imagine what the characters are doing after the last page is read and the book is closed. That, to me, is a successful ending.
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