Earlier in this unit, you had some fun with a fairy tale or nursery rhyme. Now you will have more fun, but in a different way. First of all, do a web search for a very short story by James Thurber titled "The Little Girl and the Wolf." It is a spoof on the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Then do a web search for Fractured Fairy Tales, which are taken from an old cartoon show called Rocky and Bullwinkle. Now that you have gotten the idea, take a familiar story and write your own version on it. You can take away the fairy tale ending and replace it with a more realistic one, as Thurber did, or you can simply play with the story a little, as is done in the fractured fairy tales. You can choose to have a moral, as Thurber did, but it is not necessary. As you do this, keep two things especially in mind. These will be the most important factors in your grade. Use the techniques you have learned in this section to make the best possible word choices. Use conversation in your story. Go back to the Conventions unit to make sure you can use quotation marks correctly. Here is a sample story for you. The Ant and the Grasshopper An ant and a grasshopper once lived near each other during a beautiful summer. Every day the grasshopper relaxed and enjoyed the warm sun, singing a song throughout the day. Meanwhile, the ant worked hard, gathering food and fuel and storing it in his home. One day, the grasshopper watched him for a while and said, "Hey! Take a break for a while! All your work is making me tired." "I can't take a break," said the ant, pausing to wipe perspiration from his brow. "I have to make sure I have stored up enough food and fuel to last the winter. I can relax then." "But it won't be warm and sunny," said the grasshopper with a smile, "as it is now. You have to enjoy the sun while it is warm." "No," said the ant. "I can't. And I'm warning you, when winter comes, you will be sorry!" He walked back toward his home, struggling beneath the weight of the huge breadcrumb on his back. When winter came, the g