Here is the deal: Everything will come to an end. It is an old adage but an important one, “nothing lasts forever.” I am constantly reminded of this as I see my favorite book series come to an end or I see a television show air its final episode. I am here to argue that there is nothing, and I mean it when I say nothing, as satisfying as a good conclusion.

Whether the villain gets his or her comeuppance or the guy finally gets the girl person of the preferred gender, a satisfying ending is nearly impossible to create. As someone who eats up stories faster than I eat up carrot cake (my favorite dessert), I find that a truly satisfying ending is not only very difficult to attain, it is very difficult to describe.

An ending is a simple thing to describe. “We are breaking up, “ or the almost more heartbreaking, “All was well,” which ends the seventh Harry Potter novel, are perfect examples of endings that can leave you feeling empty and longing for more. The end to a romance (and yes, I am comparing an actual romance and my romance with the Harry Potter universe because in my mind they are one in the same.) The trick is to end something without leaving everyone with a longing for something more.

Here is how I like to end things. I like things to end totally wrapped up. I hate it when I leave after a long day's work only to remember I forgot something on my desk. That is an unsatisfying ending if I have ever thought of one. I like all of the loose ends tied up because loose ends quickly become ropes in my mind that hook onto me and drag me into the bottomless pit of despair. That is hyperbole but you get the picture. I like my endings gift-wrapped and neatly presented. The endings don’t have to be sugary sweet, they just have to be real endings.

I feel so unfulfilled when I read a novel that ends on an uplifting moment, not a true conclusion but it ends with a happy seeming moment. Am I just supposed to assume things will all work themselves out? Help me a little bit and tell me what is going to happen. I am almost begging you just explain to me what is going to happen to my favorite characters.

The worst is when I imagine stepping out of the safe world of literature and fiction and enter the real world. Oh my goodness, at some point what I am doing right now will end. College, friendships, shows, good times, bad times, they all come to an end. And we are left standing there alone.

I refuse to accept that.

Being alone isn’t the only ending—it absolutely can’t be. I just refuse to believe that. Maybe it is me looking for clean-cut endings to everything, and maybe I am an idealist, but why can’t my ending be like a Dickens’ novel? Why can’t I end with the love of my life sitting in a beach house? Who knows, maybe it can.