And here comes our next contest, the last one in 2016! The prompt is very simple: Write a mystery based on a major celebration in your home country - be it Chinese New Year, Hanukkah or Christmas. Anything goes, all bets are off.

Oh - hang on. There are we want you to feature in your story.

AND here is a t:

Hammock? Yes, exactly that.

And do us a favor - don't put the gherkins under the Christmas tree... That would be way too obvious and writing is all about NOT doing the obvious. So, give it your best shot and, most important, HAVE FUN.

We expect you are all very busy before the end of the year, so we've lowered the word count

1000 words.

December 23, 2016

and the entry has to be a new story or a new part of a collection.

As usual, tag your story with and ! Drop the link and the title to your story in the comments below. (Please, do not PM the link!) Make sure both the and are in there. Lastly, proof read to make sure your grammar/spelling/punctuation is as good as you can make it!

We are looking forward to receiving your submission!

We aim to announce the winners (latest) in the week starting 9 January - even the Mystery Profile needs to take a break . . .