Bit of writing of Nathaniel Hawthorne

TALE

["Think of a short, often moralistic story by the author of The Scarlet Letter—this one might involve a birthmark or a minister’s secret."]

Nathaniel Hawthorne is famous for short stories like The Scarlet Letter and Young Goodman Brown, which are often called "tales." The clue hints at one of his shorter works, so "tale" fits as a concise term for a piece of his writing. The answer plays on the double meaning of "tale"—both a short story and a general term for a written narrative—making it a neat match for Hawthorne’s style.