"I don't know, Loompa," he says, gently "There are a lot of different endings, depending on who's telling it, and I don't know which one is true. A story oughtta have an ending, I guess, and I could pick one, but I'm more worried about telling you the truth than a pretty story. You're old enough, I guess."

"Maybe you're old enough figure one out for yourself."

"Mine has a place to stop, anyway. Sort of a half-assed ending. Do you still want to hear it?"