Pick one. Write up to five double-spaced pages and email me, either the link to your Google document or your pages as a Word attachment. If you send me the link to your Google document, be sure to give me permission to edit it. You don’t need to finish the story. Just write as far as you get.

• The king of Sanobia has been assassinated, and the three suspects are imprisoned together in a single cell: the king’s younger brother, Duke Bunda; a dairy maid named Jorn; and a talking unicorn. The king’s son or daughter is disguised as a prison guard. By watching and listening to the prisoners, the son or daughter discovers who the murderer (or murderers) is. Write the story and solve the mystery—or as far as you get.

• A priceless portrait, The Man with the Purple Moustache, was stolen from the national museum during daytime hours while the museum was open. Museum security is tight, so employees are the main targets of Detective Bluenose’s investigation. Write what happens and recover the painting—or as far as you get.

• Mother’s wisdom cap is missing. No one in the family can think straight, and the mayor is coming for a visit. The cap must be found! Write what happens. Find the cap and the reason it went missing—or as far as you get.

• Tessie, the family’s sweet but excitable terrier, has been kidnapped. The ransom note demands more money than the family has. They have to get Tessie back without paying. You decide who’s in the family. Write what happens—or as far as you get.