Story Project - Please help!

I'm in need of a little help so I thought the best way of getting that was to throw it out to all you and see what I get back. I'm working on a new mini-project and it's all about stories. So all you need to do is answer a few select questions which are temptingly located below. My eternal gratefulness will be yours forever (or at least a couple of weeks).

1) If you had to describe what a story is to a baby/ alien/ child raised by wolves, how would you describe it?
2) What is your favorite story?
3) What does a story have to do to make you cry?
4) What does a story have to do to make you laugh?
5) What story do you tell all the time? Please tell it to us. Pleeeease. Pretty please.
6) What was the last item of news that you remember/ was moved by? Why did it have staying power?
7) When is a lie OK?

Please send in via comment, e-mail, post card or carrier pigeon - whatever works best for you. Thanks in advance for your help - you're all brilliant!