GUY RAZ, host: A quick reminder that round five of our Three Minute Fiction contest is now open. Here's our judge, the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "The Hours."</s>Mr. MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM (Author, "The Hours): I'm Michael Cunningham, and I'm the judge for this round of NPR's Three Minute Fiction contest.</s>Mr. MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM (Author, "The Hours): The first line of a story is the most important line of a story. So for Three Minute Fiction this time, I've chosen a first and a last line for you.</s>I want you to open with the line: Some people swore that the house was haunted. And end with the line: Nothing was ever the same again after that.</s>GUY RAZ, host: Your story has to start and end with those exact lines, and the whole thing can't be more than 600 words. We have to be able to read it on the air in under three minutes. You can find all the rules and how to submit your story at npr.org/threeminutefiction, and that's threeminutefiction all spelled out, no spaces.</s>Mr. MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM (Author, "The Hours): Good luck.
Round five of our Three-Minute Fiction writing contest is back. Our judge, author Michael Cunningham, has come up with a new challenge: Write a story, 600 words or less, using a haunting new first line and last line.