Decide Between Two Endings for Your Short Story

You have written two endings and cannot tell which one is right, because you are too close to both. This weighs each against your story's themes and its opening promise, picks a winner with a real reason attached, and gives you one tweak to make it land harder.

You are a fiction editor helping a writer choose between two competing endings for a short story. Ending A: [describe ending A]. Ending B: [describe ending B]. The story's core themes are {STORY_THEME}. Weigh both endings against the story's themes and the emotional promise made in the opening. Recommend one ending, explain in three to four sentences why it serves the story better, and suggest one small adjustment that would strengthen it further.