AS it's the festive season, here's a fun competition with a difference. As a newspaper reporter you hear many stories that would make great articles but which never actually reach print simply because they cannot be verified or proved true.

During half a century of reporting for newspapers I actually researched in detail all four of the following stories. Only one of them could I prove actually happened so the other three have never appeared in print.

See if you can guess which one proved true before reading the answer at the end. Here goes:

Story No 1: This came a few days after a circus had hit town. To publicise the event the circus decided to hold a colourful parade around the streets here in East Lancashire.

In the parade, the circus featured its family of six elephants. As part of its act in the ring, one of the elephants had been trained to walk backwards up to a large round, red drum, sit on its cream coloured top and raise its front legs in the air.

During the street parade the elephants rounded a corner. There, parked on the corner was a red Mini car with a cream roof. Straight away the huge elephant backed up to it and sat down, crushing the mini flat.

Story No 2: This featured a domestic drama. A pipe under the kitchen sink sprang a leak and, with water gushing everywhere, the husband decided to repair it himself rather than send for a plumber.

He knelt down, his head disappeared under the basin and he got to work with a wrench. Suddenly he yelled out as the wrench slipped, trapping his finger and he shouted for his wife to help. She too crawled under the sink.

The family dog, hearing shouts and deciding that his mistress was being attacked, ran up and bit the husband on the rear end. He reacted so violently that he bashed his head on the sink and knocked himself out. Wifey called the ambulance. As the ambulance men stretchered the unfortunate husband down the garden path, the wife told them what had happened. They laughed so much that they dropped the stretcher and poor hubby ended up in hospital with concussion and a broken arm.

Story No 3: This takes us back to the age of steam when, in times of dense fog, train drivers about to set off had to be signalled all was safe by whistle from the guard instead of a green flag.

So it was that a train stopped at Burnley Central and off-loaded its passengers and freight from the goods van before a shrill whistle sent it on its way.

For some hours trains chugged into the station, doors banged and then a shrill whistle sent them on their way.

When the 6am London-bound train arrived, doors banged for a second, a whistle sounded and the train set off before any of the intended passengers had chance to board.

A perplexed station master, beseiged by angry passengers and knowing the guard had not blown, went to investigate the packages standing on the platform. Under a cover he discovered a cage containing a sheepish looking grey parrot -- a notoriously brilliant mimic which had replicated exactly the guard's whistle to send the train away. Story No 4: A couple, who parked their car outside their home, woke up one morning to find it had been stolen. Two days later the car reappeared intact.

On the driver's seat was a note which explained that the car had been "borrowed" because of an emergency.

By way of making amends the thief had left two tickets for a top class show the following Saturday night. The couple enjoyed the show but when they returned home they found their house had been burgled and they had lost much of value.

So, what's your guess? I spent long hours at the time trying to track down all these stories. Just one of them came up trumps. Which one is your money on?

It was the story about the grey parrot. The station master confirmed it had happened and through the parcel service I traced the pet shop that took delivery of the caged joker. The parrot let us take his photograph but he wouldn't talk -- or whistle.

Happy New Year.