The Make-Believe Mystery by Carolyn Keene Page A

first page. It was fresh and new and white—just waiting for a story to be written on it, Nancy thought eagerly.
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    â€œHow about a story where all the third graders get kidnapped by aliens?” Phoebe suggested. She, Nancy, George, and Bess were in the lunchroom, eating lunch. They were trying to come up with ideas for their mystery.
    â€œAliens? Hmm. That might be too scary,” Bess said. She picked up her fork and poked at the food on her plate. It was mushy and brown and gooey. “Speaking of scary . . . what is this, anyway? Yuck!”
    â€œI think they took yesterday’s mystery meat and put it in the blender or something,” Nancy said, making a face.
    Bess’s eyes lit up. “That’s it! ‘The Mystery of the Mystery Meat.’ That could be our story.”
    The other girls giggled. Bess started giggling, too. Pretty soon all four of them were laughing really hard.
    â€œOkay, okay,” George said, trying to sound serious. “We have to come up with more ideas. I know—what about a soccer mystery?”
    â€œWhat kind of soccer mystery?” Nancy asked her.
    George peeled a banana and took a big bite. “Maybe someone tries to keep our team from winning the big tournament,” she said after a moment. “Or maybe someone steals all our balls and equipment and stuff.”
    â€œComputer viruses,” Phoebe said suddenly. “What if there’s a computer virus that takes over all the computers at the school? And then all the computers in River Heights. And then all the computers in the whole world!”
    â€œThat’s a cool idea,” Bess said. “I don’t know anything about computer viruses, though. Do you?”
    â€œNot really,” Phoebe admitted, shaking her head. Nancy and George shook their heads, too.
    Nancy took a forkful of mashed potatoes. She glanced around the lunchroom, searching for ideas. She saw the lunchroom lady taking money at the cash register. Kids were standing in line or walking around with trays. Others were eating, talking, and trading sandwiches.
    Nancy saw Brenda, Alison, Jenny, and Emily sitting together. Jason Hutchings was sitting with Mike, Kyle, and Peter. They had their heads bent together. They’re all working on their story ideas, she thought.
    Nancy’s gaze moved to the walls. On display were a bunch of collages made by the fifth graders. They had used objects like ice-cream sticks and bottle caps. Near them, over the doorway, was a banner that said Carl Sandburg Elementary School.
    Carl Sandburg! Nancy thought. She turned to her friends. Her voice was high and excited as she spoke. “What if we do a mystery about Carl Sandburg?”
    â€œYou mean make up some guy named Carl Sandburg?” Phoebe said, looking puzzled.
    â€œCarl Sandburg was a real person,” Nancy explained. “He lived in Chicago, and he was a writer. My dad has a book of his poems and short stories at home.” Chicago was close to River Heights, where Nancy and her friends lived.
    â€œIs Carl Sandburg still alive?” George asked her.
    â€œI don’t think so,” Nancy replied.
    â€œI know, I know,” Bess said, waving her hand in the air. “Oh, this is so cool. We could have the ghost of Carl Sandburg haunting the school.”
    â€œYeah!” Phoebe said, grinning. “A ghost. I like that.”
    Nancy got a piece of paper out of her backpack, and the four of them began jotting down notes. Pretty soon they had a couple of ideas for how the story could go.
    They also worked out a plan. Nancy would write the first part of the story. Bess would write the second part. George would write the third part, and Phoebe would write the ending.
    â€œThis is a totally cool idea for a story,” Bess said. It was almost time to head outto the playground, for recess. “We’ll definitely win the contest.”
    â€œYeah, right. Dream