A/N Hm. Has anyone else noticed that most stories for Of Mice and Men are school related? ... possibly because the book was so uninspiring that school is the only reason we'd write anything for it.
The assignment here was to create a plausible alternate ending starting from the point where Lennie kills Curly's wife. Which is a lot harder said than done, because, realistically, all plausible endings involve Lennie dying tragically.
As much of a fanfic addict as I am, this was the most deviant from the original story that I could come up with and convince myself it might actually happen; and honestly, it's practically the exact same ending with a slight twist.
Disclaimer: In the first line, the italics are straight from Of Mice and Men by John Steinback. I own an mp3 player and a cruddy computer, nothing else (certainly not these characters), please don't take them from me.
The hand shook violently, but his face set and his hand steadied. George shut his eyes and then he pulled the trigger.
In retrospect, the mistake George made was that he assumed Lennie wouldn't attempt to lay down.
Lennie, being the sort of guy who would forever throw a wrench in George's plans, whether he intended to or not, had leaned over on one elbow as George closed his eyes in preparation to shoot.
The bullet, hurtling through space and time, missed.
Startled and confused, Lennie jumped to his feet and scurried away from the loud sound. George looked down at his trembling hand, staring in disbelief. The muzzle had been inches from its target; all he'd done was close his eyes to stop whatever images would haunt him.
Drawn by the sound of the gunshot, the rest of the ranchers could be heard approaching.
"Why've you got a gun, George?"
For the first time in their lives, George didn't know what to say to his friend – or maybe he just didn't want to say it. Resolve broken, he let his arms fall limply to his sides. Finally, "Run away Lennie. Run away and don't come back. Go live in your cave."
Scared, Lennie didn't budge. "Why?"
George was still coming up with an answer when the other ranchers reached the clearing.
Curly came first. Unlike George, he didn't hesitate. In one smooth motion Curley raised his shotgun with his crushed hand, pointed it at Lennie's stomach, and pulled the trigger.
To George, the sound was deafening. Stunned, he closed his eyes and sat down, resting his head in his hands. "It wasn't supposed to go like that."
Slim made his way from behind Curley to rest a hand on George's shoulder. "Come on, George."
Silently, George shook his head and stared blankly at Lennie.