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1. At the start of "Once Upon a Time," what does the narrator say someone wrote and asked her to do, and how does she feel about this request?

The narrator says that someone had asked her to write a children's story for an anthology. The narrator replies that she does not write children's stories. She receives a response quoting another author who had said all writers ought to write at least one children's story. The narrator wants to reply that she does not feel she "ought to write anything" (23).

2. Why is the narrator unable to sleep at the start of the story?

The narrator is unable to sleep because she hears a creaking sound that makes her worry there may be an intruder in the house?

3. Despite having the same fears of intruders as other people, what precautions does the narrator say she does not take in her home?

The narrator does not have a gun or burglar bars. Her windows are thin and "could shatter like a wineglass" (24).

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