2. You are lost in the woods at night. As you are trying to find your way out, your flashlight catches a glistening gold color in the hills to the north. You take two steps in the general direction of the hills. Suddenly, a burst of freezing cold air smacks you in the face. The air feels almost tangible.

3. Write about what happens next. Start with: Under normal circumstances, I … Pick a number between 1 and 6. Go to the next page to find the last sentence of your story.

4. 1. And that’s how I ended up inventing compass- glasses. 2. Now you know why the smell of burning wood always evokes such mixed feelings in me. 3. It’s a bit creepy to know that what sounds like fiction is really true. 4. Thank goodness the realtor was a good sport. 5. Next time, I will take the high road. 6. The next time somebody tells you there’s money in the hills, listen.

5. Congratulations on your new job writing for an upstart supermarket tabloid! Unfortunately, your budget is limited. You only have a pen and a notebook. When you ask your boss how you are supposed to do research, he says, “Everything you need is already in your head. Just write.” Before he leaves you in the office, he gives you the headline for today’s feature story. Pick a number between 1 and 6.

6. 1. Woman Born with Wings Takes Flight 2. Flute-Playing Mermaid Spotted in Downtown Tucson Practicing Scales 3. Mummified Man with Ten Thousand Bee Stings Found in the Desert 4. Boy with Static Electricity Disease Sparks Major Fire 5. Talking Horse Hoarse from Cheering at Ft. Myers Racetrack 6. Policeman Arrested for Posing as Person Posing as Policeman

7. Choose three numbers from 1 to 10.

8. 1. a forest gnome 2. a photographer 3. a high school student 4. a restaurant owner or manager 5. an alien from outer space 6. a space scientist 7. a wizard 8. a middle school teacher 9. a kid 10. a jazz musician

9. 1. the Grand Canyon 2. a beach with high cliffs 3. a costume party 4. school playground 5. an antiques store 6. a city park 7. old farmhouse 8. a polluted stream 9. a library 10. a concert hall

10. 1. during a snowball fight 2. after a strange spacecraft landed nearby 3. on the night of the full moon in October 4. during school vacation 5. just before the Solar eclipse 6. late at night 7. after a big thunderstorm has passed 8. in early spring 9. first week of the school year 10. during a concert

11. 1. an important decision needs to be made 2. a secret needs to be confessed to someone else 3. someone's pride has been injured 4. someone needs to make a choice 5. someone has found or lost something 6. someone has accused someone else of doing something wrong 7. reminiscing on how things have changed 8. someone feels like giving up 9. something embarrassing has just happened 10. someone has just reached an important goal

12. You are on a long-distance bus ride. A few hours into your trip, a new person gets on and sits next to you. You are sure you’ll never see this person again, so you decide to confess something to this person. Start with: A while back… Pick a number between 1 and 6.

13. 1. counterfeit, chamber, Chinatown, cheated, chain 2. pirate, papers, permission, pickle, prohibited 3. accident, arson, arrest, afterthought, anxious 4. misunderstood, money, murder, memory, master plan 5. lawyer, lost, loot, lifted, love 6. fog, forge, filth, fraud, forgotten