by R. L. Stine
“What are you two waiting for?” a female voice commands over the microphone. “Come on down, you lucky kids. And make it fast!”
You squint into the darkness. The voice sounds familiar.
“Mistress Barbara?” you call. “Is that you?”
“The name’s not Barbara,” the voice snaps. “It’s Barbarous!”
* * *
Go on to PAGE 5.
Barbarous? You gulp. You and your mom met the ringmistress of the circus outside. She seemed sweet and friendly.
But she doesn’t sound so sweet now!
“Hurry up!” her voice booms over the microphone.
“Come on, Richie!” you exclaim. “We’d better get down there!”
You hustle down the dim aisle. Richie follows reluctantly behind you. You toss your backpack down on a chair in the front row and step onto the sawdust-covered floor of the main ring. Richie plops down in a chair.
Suddenly the lights snap on. Bright, glaring lights that almost blind you. In the next instant, a curtain swings back. Mistress Barbarous steps out holding a cordless microphone. She is wearing black leather pants, a red satin blouse, and a snug black vest. She smiles wickedly at you and claps her hands three times.
“Let the fun begin!” she bellows into the microphone.
From behind her, a man in a black cape rides into the ring, standing on a horse.
He’s carrying a huge silver knife!
And he’s pointing it at you!
* * *
Race to PAGE 6.
SWOOSH! The man on the horse gallops right by you — so fast and close, he nearly knocks you down.
“You!” Mistress Barbarous cries. She points at you as she strides into the middle of the ring. “Move it! Get over there so Morton the Knife Thrower can practice!”
She points at a huge white board. It’s a target with an outline of a person painted on it.
You know from circus camp what to do. You’re supposed to stand in front of the board with your arms out like the painted outline. Then the knife thrower will throw knives at you.
Missing you. You hope!
You glance at the man on the horse. And at his sharp, sparkling knife. This could be really dangerous, you realize.
Maybe you could still catch up with your mom outside. Then again, if you defy Mistress Barbarous’s orders, there’s no telling what might happen….
Well?
* * *
If you stand in front of the board, turn to PAGE 33.
If you run to catch up with your mom, turn to PAGE 9.
R.L. Stine’s books are read all over the world. So far, his books have sold more than 300 million copies, making him one of the most popular children’s authors in history. Besides Goosebumps, R.L. Stine has written the teen series Fear Street and the funny series Rotten School, as well as the Mostly Ghostly series, The Nightmare Room series, and the two-book thriller Dangerous Girls. R.L. Stine lives in New York with his wife, Jane, and Minnie, his King Charles spaniel. You can learn more about him at www.RLStine.com.
Goosebumps book series created by Parachute Press, Inc.
Copyright © 1997 by Scholastic Inc.
Cover art by Tim Jacobus
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
First edition, 1997
e-ISBN 978-0-545-82077-6
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