Okay, here comes a totally different challenge prompted by John Grisham's birthday on 8th of February. He's famous for his legal thrillers and we fancied having some of our own!

So, here's your task: Write a short story with a legal theme. It could be the setting, it could be a character, but the most important thing we want you to do is - RESEARCH.

Now, if you're studying or even practicing law - or if your parents do - then you'll find this easier. Unfair? No! We don't ask you to throw tons of legalese at us. We just would like to see some authenticity. So, put your thinking caps on - and get surfing.

Research can often make or break your story. It doesn't take much, but the facts need to be correct.

So, anything goes - as long as it has legal aspects. And don't forget the three-act-structure! This will be a permanent requirement as of now. You did REALLY well the last time we introduced this concept, so let's stick with it, right?

Word limit for this exercise : 2000 words

Deadline: Friday, 24 February

Please tag your story #MysteryFriday and leave the link below in the comment section or your entry won't count. As usual, this cannot be an existing work, but has to be a newly written entry, either posted separately on your profile or as part of a competition collection. Please don't split up the entry into several parts (just one chapter).

Be creative and have fun with this - we are already excited to read what you come up with!!