diarios de la india (vi): the sea of stories

'Very well, then,' Haroun said boldly. 'You said it could be a big wish, and so it is. I come from a sad city, a city so sad that it has forgotten its name. I want you to provide a happy ending, not just for my adventure, but for the whole sad city as well.'
'Happy endings must come at the end of something, ' the Walrus pointed out. 'If they happen in the middle of a stroy, or an adventure, or the like, all they do is cheer things up for a while.'

'That'll do, ' said Haroun. 

Then it was time to go home. 

Salman Rushdie, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories"