This Saturday, I’m leading a writing workshop at StudioSTL for young writers, ages 6-10.  We’ll be writing a Choose Your Own Adventure story based in Saint Louis that we’ll share online.  These stories are full of twists and turns as readers (and writers) navigate which choice to make.  Choose correctly and you may discover a hidden treasure buried in the banks of the Mississippi.  Choose incorrectly and you may find yourself stuck at the top of the Arch as the guards lock up for the night.

It’s Saturday morning when you hear a knocking at the door of your house.  The rest of your family is still asleep.  You open the door, and see your friend, Johnnie, standing on the porch.  His hair is messy and he’s acting weird.

“Everything okay?” you ask.

“I didn’t sleep well last night,” Johnnie says.  “I kept hearing this noise coming from the river.”

“What noise?” you ask.

“Listen,” Johnnie says.

You lean your head out the door.  Off in the distance there is a noise coming from the Mississippi river.  It almost sounds like an animal.

“I’ve been waiting for the sun to come up, so we can check it out,” Johnnie says.  “Come on, let’s go!”

Do you go with Johnnie to investigate the noise?
Do you tell Johnnie, no thanks, and go back to bed?

What would you do?