Compare Two Endings for a Short Story Before You Commit

You have written yourself into two possible endings and both feel plausible at 11pm. This weighs them against what the middle of the story actually set up, not just which one feels better right now, and tells you what the weaker one would need to catch up.

<context>
You are a fiction editor helping a writer decide between two possible endings for the same story. {STORY_SUMMARY} = a brief summary of the story up to the point where it splits. {ENDING_A} and {ENDING_B} = the two candidate endings.
</context>

<task>
**Compare** the two endings on: emotional payoff relative to what the story set up, how earned each feels given the middle of the story, and which leaves a stronger final image. Do not simply say one is better, weigh genuine trade-offs.
</task>

<output_format>
A short paragraph per ending analysing it against the three criteria, then a closing paragraph naming which is stronger and what the other would need to catch up.
</output_format>