Week 5 Writing Homework
Writing Prompt: Create a compelling narrative with this ending line, crafting a sophisticated twist that surprises your reader.
Your Starting Point : “And when the lights came back on , the trophy was gone”
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- Due Date : August 30, 2025
- Feedback will be shared in 3-5 days
11 thoughts on “Week 5 Writing Homework”
And when the lights came back on, the trophy was gone.
A hush fell over the grand ballroom. The mayor’s Century Trophy, the city’s most prized artifact, had vanished in an instant. Guests froze, staring at the empty pedestal as if their eyes could summon it back.
Detective Lilly scanned the crowd. Twelve seconds of darkness—not enough time for anyone to run out unnoticed. No smashed glass, no broken locks. Whoever had taken it hadn’t just acted quickly—they had planned this down to the last detail.
She crouched near the pedestal. A faint shimmer of dust trailed toward the ceiling. Not ordinary dust, but glitter. She remembered the performer earlier, tossing confetti for the opening act. Too deliberate, too precise.
Her gaze drifted upward to the chandeliers. Tiny hooks and ropes glinted where no one had noticed. The thief hadn’t left through the doors—they’d lifted the trophy into the rigging hours ago. The blackout had been nothing more than a curtain, a distraction to make the audience look elsewhere.
Now the question wasn’t who had done it, but who among them was still standing in plain sight, smiling, waiting for the applause.
The hall was alive with panic, but Lilly’s mind was already unraveling the elegant design of the heist. Somewhere in the crowd, the thief was watching. Somewhere in the glittering lights, the trophy waited.
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5-Nanqiao YU
The Robbery of the Trophy
The Robbery of the Trophy
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5-Jeff
And when the lights came back on, the trophy was gone.
For a moment the hall was as quiet as a library. Everyone stared at the empty table. Just seconds ago the gold trophy had been sitting there, shiny and bright. Now there was nothing, only a dusty circle left behind. My heart thumped so hard I thought people could hear it.. I scanned the crowd. Then everyone started talking at once. Chairs screeched, kids whispered, and I even heard someone gasp, “It’s stolen!” I felt my face grow hot. I looked around quickly, hoping to spot something the others didn’t.
I scanned the room. Liam was standing closest to the stage. His fists were jammed tightly into his pockets, and his face was turned down to the floor. He wouldn’t meet anyone’s eyes. My chest tightened. Could it be him? Then I noticed Mia. She had swung her schoolbag onto her lap and was holding it firmly, like it was a precious treasure. Her eyes darted to the side whenever anyone looked her way. Ruby also seemed jittery. She twisted her braid so hard I thought it might snap, her foot tapping against the wooden floor in a nervous rhythm. Everywhere I looked, someone seemed guilty. A cold shiver ran down my back. My chest felt heavy, and my hands were getting sweaty. One of them has to have it, I thought.
I stepped closer to the stage, my ears straining. That’s when I heard a faint scrape, scrape. My heart jumped. The sound was coming from the curtains. The red fabric shivered a little, like someone was hiding behind it.Then, clang! A sharp sound echoed from the corner. We all spun around. The curtain rippled. My pulse hammered in my ears.The curtain swayed again. I slowly pulled the curtains apart.
My jaw dropped.There was Sam, crouched low, the trophy clutched tightly in his arms. His face was bright red.“I wasn’t trying to steal it!” he burst out before anyone could speak. His voice shook. “I just wanted to hold it. I wanted to know what it feels like to win something… for once.”The whole hall went quiet. No more whispers, no more giggles. Everyone just stared at him.I stood there frozen, the truth sinking in. I’d been so sure it was Liam, or Mia, or even Ruby. But it wasn’t them. It was Sam, quiet Sam, the one nobody noticed, hiding in the shadows with the trophy he wished was his.
Writing Y4T3WK5
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5-chasenew
“And when the lights came back on, the trophy was gone.”
The prized pure gold trophy was gone. There was an open hatch in the ceiling, possibly meaning burglars from the hatch in the roof. Faint footsteps from outside the community hall got slightly louder as President Bob stepped in. A faint squark was distinguishable from the deafening silence, as 2 bald eagles swooped in to carry a spider out for dinner. There were microscopic fragments of gold on the floor, presumably from the trophy. President Bob called out loud “If you have the trophy, please return it now. If you’ve seen any suspicious activity, please report to the council immediately.” as he walks towards where the podium used to be. It was 7:04PM. President Bob gasped. “What did you see?” a voice called out from the group of shocked and paralysed people. President Bob replied with “Come see it yourself.” A group of people swarmed down like a swarm of bees until they had reached the place where President Bob was standing. “A SPIDER WEB?!?!?!” a bewildered person cried. Many bugs, presumably from the spider web, scuttled into the darkness. “Any of you people in here reached a conclusion yet?” President Bob called demandingly. A detective in the hall shouts out a conclusion: spider webs from the spider were holding up the prized trophy, but when the blackout happened, all the creatures from the web went crazy and broke the web. The trophy came crashing down, shattering into pieces. President Bob nodded his head. “Presumably. All those creatures must’ve thought the spider was going to eat them and wriggled, breaking the web. I was always saying to Council Leader Joe how the pedestal wasn’t stable, and something was holding it up. But he always laughed and said “If it isn’t stable, how is it standing right now?””
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5-Caspar Luk
At the horrible storm came it flashed down onto school’s roof, striking into half, suddenly the eletrcity ran off, something took the trophy away! Then the dusty wind flew thorugh the windows, waters splashing in the roof, thunders roar to the earth. When principles ran in an emptiness dusty desk with an small foot print and a chalky writing saying “I don’t know.” ANd nothing else was said, withing a bloody ink.
Suddenly a piece of gold like an ant dropped on the principle’s head, principle was confused his head was shaking 360 degrees all around. Suddeny,he saw his name on it this was the trophy that they lost! The principle stared at Ryan. Ryan said”I saw Mrs Cohen stoled it and she ran across, after the horrible storm came thorugh last night the sun shined on the shiny trophy again.
Mrs Cohen said she was going to present a library day for students’s parents, so she need it to show how great the school is.
After the problem is solved, the principle still didn’t understood the bloody letters but they guess it’s fine but it’s not…
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5-Yiming Kong
Homework week 5
“And when the lights came back on, the trophy was gone.” She clarified. “Yes.” The head of the museum fidgeted with his immaculate three-piece suit, his gold-framed glasses askew with the look of a man who had not slept in a few days. There were dark purple circles under his eyes and silver stubble dotted his chin. The detective nodded. “And were there any people in the hall when the blackout happened?” Her voice cut through the man’s tiredness and frustration like a knife. He suddenly remembered. “ Yes. A visiting school, me and my assistant. We were about to show them our most prized possession. It was from the Stone Age.” He shook his head, remembering the moment when the lights flickered back on to reveal the glass case smashed and the trophy gone. Detective Mei leaned in closer, her hazel eyes burning bright as flame. She tapped her fingers on the desk, thinking for a moment. “Ask the school.” She said. “They might be able to help you find the thief.” She sighed. “That’s all I can do.”
He sat in his black leather chair, staring at the buildings below, Detective Mei’s words ringing through his head. He would arrange a meeting with the principal of the school, but he had a hunch that the students were innocent. He had never heard of Detective Mei either, even though she claimed to be a world-famous detective. But this was the only clue he had. Yet something in his gut told him he was doing this all wrong. I have to do what’s best for the museum. He chided himself. He sighed deeply, taking anther sip of his coffee. As he drove home, rain splattering across his black Lexus, he reminded himself, This is the most likely situation. But something still told him he was doing this all wrong.
The head of the museum watched his assistant, Mary Anne, saunter across the carpark, wearing a designer dress covered in sequins. A flash of light caught his eye. Mary Anne was wearing several necklaces, all embedded with glittering specks of emerald and ruby. Looking at his wrists alone on a bright day would probably blind you for life. She was drowning in jewelry- a living, breathing treasure chest. She cat-walked inside, and a strong smell of expensive perfume immediately engulfed his office. She glared at him, disgust seeping into her face as she looked at her boss. “Mary, would you kindly fill this paperwork? Sort it into files, then you can have a break.” He smiled. Mary snatched up o the paperwork and huffed off, her dress billowing in the wind. He frowned after her. Mary doesn’t have that much money. Where did she get it? He wondered.
The click-clack of polished boots echoed on the pristine marble floor. “Hello, Bobby” He smiled. “Lo, Mr Smith.” Bobby replied. “Did you see any suspicious activity?” He asked. “Aye.” Bobby replied. They talked for a while, then Mr Smith thanked him. He whipped out his phone and dialed the police.
Mary had watched the two men talk. Panic shot through her as she realized that Mr Smith knew. She raced across the museum, but she tripped on her red sequined dress and went sprawling across the flagstones. Before she knew it, officers clad in navy uniforms had hoisted her into the back seat. Mr Smith watched them drive away, the red and blue light flashing. He smiled. As it turned out, Mary was a false name. Detective Mei was false, too. Just a clever disguise to throw him off her scent. Mary had actually moved a lot, changing names and stealing from museums. Who could trace the link between Tara Albright, Stephanie Lee, and Dakota Merle? Well, time to find a new secretary. He smiled to himself.