The Lady or the Tiger (with an ending by Sophie Frankenthal)

My Ending to the story

Without hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it. Everyone in the arena held their breath in anticipation. The sad truth of the matter was, that either way, this poor, young, lover would not get a happy ending. So truthfully- what would he care to die? The one thing he had devoted his life to was lost to him. The crowd knew this, and they sympathized- but still, entertainment was entertainment.

He closed his eyes, causing him to appear to be praying, hoping. He was ready to embrace whatever came his way because he too knew that nothing in life would be good for him any longer. And even if he didn't die, got married to a beautiful young lady, and even if he was indeed happy in the end, would his love not be jealous? Would she not attempt to make his life miserable? Because after all- she was barbaric, even more so than her father (who was the reason he was in this situation at all). But, on the other hand, that was what he loved about her. And then, in a flash, a recognition came to him. He trusted her completely- but what if he was wrong in doing so? If she knew who or what was behind each door, maybe she thought him better off dead. Either way, it was too late now. All of these thoughts rushed through the young man's head in the matter of a second.

He impatiently waited to hear the sound of near death, but upon realizing its absence, and hearing the crowd gasp, he opened one eye. Standing before him was not a tiger. Nor was she as fierce as one. But rather, a fair maiden with long fair hair tied in a braid looked at him earnestly. And what was more? She held a small pot of gold marked with the royal seal in her hands. The crowd went fanatic, cheering at a high volume, but the young man just stood in the center of the arena starting to doubt the goodness of being married to this woman over being eaten before he could respond. He watched as the door from which the priests and band would come, slowly open. He heard the sound of romantic music approaching. All of this excitement however, was early interrupted by the sound of a delicate bell, signalling for every citizen to quiet down. Everyone in the crowd grew silent, and slowly turned to look towards the sound. The king stood up. His normally happy and high demeanor slowly changed and his face contorted in an all consuming anger; his nostrils flaring, his eyes flashing, his mouth quivering, his face as red and hot as a volcano spewing fiery sparks into darkness. "Remove this man who is deemed innocent according to the decision of god- give him the reward he seeks for this one shall not be given to him. He is not deserving of this filthy putrid scum who dares steal from a king! A criminal! Let her come into the arena for all to see and let her open the door restraining the fearsome beast from fulfilling its deepest desire of feasting on human flesh! Let the world see what happens to a man who thinks he is equally important to the king if not superior, because in truth everyone in this room is inferior! And let that be engraved in your hearts." The crowd remained stunned at this never occurring situation that was unfolding before their very eyes. They watched as the kings guards dispersed themselves quickly. Two there to calm the king, two there to lead the young man to the audience, and two to lead the woman to the center of the arena where she would bring her very known fate upon herself. Everyone heard her cries. "Please, Im innocent, I recieved this gold as a gift, etcetera etcetera." But at the same time, all knew she was guilty. Wasn't she? There was the gold, in plane sight, as testimony. The crowd watched in disbelief as the sobbing woman slowly walked towards the tall door, unlatched it, and screamed in terror and pain as she was eaten hastily by the especially ravenous tiger whom the king had prepared specifically for the young gentleman, whom if found guilty surely deserved a fate of that kind. It was agreed amongst everyone, that this had been the most unusual and entertaining event they had ever found themselves provided with. And they had enjoyed it quite so.

After the crowds had dispersed and the woman's remains were cleaned, and the tiger was locked away, and things had settled down with the king just a bit, the young lover was granted permission to speak with the princess.

He inquired, "How did you arrange for something this miraculous to happen?" The young princess's lips curled into a mischievous smile. " Well I do believe it was mentioned that I had to use some gold and a fair maiden to have the location of the tiger revealed to me. And you know, with either situation you would have been dead to me. And I did not approve of that woman at all, so now I have a weight lifted from my shoulder."

"And you chose to have someone killed in order to have your happy ending?" the lover chuckled.

"What could I say? I am my father's daughter" And the rest of the story is history. But it is fitting to say that the lover and princess both lived quite a happy life from that day on.

The End.