Intro

Long Way Down ends with William facing a dilemma: whether or not to follow rule #3 and pursue revenge against the person he thinks killed Shawn.

Shawn asks, “You coming?” and Will must decide whether to stay on the elevator and go home, or to go with the ghosts and potentially become one of them.

Will’s entire elevator descent with the ghosts, the long way down, brings him to this point.

Indeterminate Endings

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds provides an example of an indeterminate ending: and ending that is inconclusive, and leaves the reader having to predict the conclusion.

Indeterminate endings can be unsatisfying for some readers, as the reader is left without any certainty about how conflicts are resolved, but they can also be compelling in that they require the reader to use imagination to consider the various possible conclusions. And readers can even choose the one they like best.

Can you think of any other books or movies that have indeterminate endings?

Did you like that things were left unresolved, or would you have preferred a determined conclusion?

Task

Your job is to write an extended ending for Long Way Down. You are to imagine what would happen should William stay on, or get off the elevator.

Try to write your extended ending using the same style that Jason Reynolds establishes throughout Long Way Down. Use line breaks and space to create rhythm and influence meaning.

Try to tell the story using William’s voice.