Writing Prompt: Your fantasy world is a group of connected planets. The story involves lucid dreaming. There's an impending disaster. The story includes a changeling. The story also includes a book of wisdom. What do you think?

Elara's eyes widened. "A cat! Oh, the plight of the feline! Fear not, brave traveler. You have stumbled upon Elara Vance, purveyor of unconventional solutions and occasional guardian of the lost. Consider your journey home… an adventure." She paused, then added, "Do you happen to have a spare feather? For good luck, you understand."

Writing Prompt: Your character is old, principled and dependable. The story begins in a desert. A house fire and a burglary seem unconnected. The theme is: learning from mistakes.

Writing Prompt... Your character is old, trusting and forgiving. The story begins in a virtual reality arcade. Someone thought dead is discovered alive. The theme is: a life or death decision.

Today, however, her focus was pulled towards the hushed tones emanating from the consultation room down the hall. Mrs. Albright, a sweet, if somewhat anxious, woman in her early sixties, had just received a difficult diagnosis: early-onset bipolar disorder. Ellie had always had a soft spot for Mrs. Albright, who often brought in homemade cookies for the staff.

"Sister?" Harding asked, looking at the photos from the locket again. The little girl. "What happened to her?" "Car accident, five years ago. Hit and run. Never found the driver. The girl's name was Lily. Mr. Vance said Eleanor was devastated. Never quite got over it. Especially since Lily was the one who drew the little hummingbird on Eleanor's arm, a childish doodle that Eleanor later had tattooed."

One evening, as the twin moons, Lumina and Umbra, cast their silver and shadow over the Sapphire Isle, Elias found himself moored near a secluded cove. He'd intended to rest, but a strange light, pulsing with an inner luminescence, drew his gaze to a cluster of ancient sea-willows. As he approached, a faint, rhythmic thrumming vibrated through the air, growing stronger with each step.

He looked at her, truly saw the worry etched on her young face. The announcement of new life, a moment of pure, unadulterated joy, was already casting a long shadow of anxiety and fear. The innocence of anticipation was being lost to the weight of responsibility and the harsh realities of their world.

One evening, after a particularly grueling raid, Seraphina’s voice was softer than usual. "Nexus," she began, "there's something I… I feel like I know you, you know?" Ethan's heart did a strange little flutter. He’d felt it too, this growing intimacy with a voice he’d never seen a face to. "Yeah," he managed, his voice a little rougher than he intended. "Me too, Seraphina."

Soon, the Great Red Menace was no longer confined to its basket. It snaked across the Persian rug, a vibrant crimson river flowing through the living room. Pipkin, the intrepid explorer, followed its course, batting, biting, and generally wreaking havoc. He tangled himself in a particularly long stretch, rolling across the floor in a furry, red-tinged tumbleweed.