Night In Werewolf Woods

by R. L. Stine

  The hairy beast is still sniffing at the cereal on the ground. It shouldn’t be too difficult to trap it.

  “Throw me your sweatshirt,” you call to Todd. Your super-smart mind has already figured out how to use the sweatshirt to blind the werewolf. “While the werewolf is sniffing the O’s, we’ll catch it,” you whisper.

  “But what about finding my box?” Todd complains.

  “Never mind that now,” you say. You stand behind the werewolf. It’s clearly interested in only one thing now — eating the red O’s.

  Todd stands next to you. He is ready to help in the capture. “I’ll count to three,” you explain. “Then we’ll grab the werewolf. One, two …”

  Go to PAGE 70.

  “I did it!” you shout. You’re amazed at your power. With no trouble at all you lift the surprised werewolf in the air — just by the strength of one finger!

  And just to teach the werewolf a lesson, you twirl it around in the air above your head. Then you fling the beast far, far into the woods. Your super strength did the job!

  “HOW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OW-OWL!” cries the airborne werewolf all the way into the dark woods.

  “You really do have super strength!” Todd cries. “You have all the power now!”

  Go to PAGE 31.

  You decide to turn back and face the werewolf. You could easily handle one or two of these horrible red fire ants. But thousands of them are running for your ankles!

  “Come on, let’s get out of here!” you shout to Lauren and Todd.

  With you in the lead, the three of you turn back on the path and run. This time you run right into a snarling, growling werewolf. The moon suddenly appears from behind a cloud. The face of the werewolf is captured by the moonlight. You see its filthy fur drenched in thick, slimy drool. Its long, red tongue licks its fangs. It stands on two hind legs. Its clawed front paws reach for you.

  “The werewolf!” Todd cries. “I knew we should have stayed where we were.”

  The werewolf turns to Todd. A disgusting-looking red foam dribbles from its mouth and drips down its ragged fur. You can smell Cherry-O’s on the werewolf’s breath. It moves closer to Todd. Closer.

  “Help!” Todd screams.

  Go to PAGE 14.

  “Forget this!” you cry. “I’m out of here!”

  You decide you’re going back to the cabin to get help. It’s one thing to try to get Todd’s stupid box back. It’s a whole other thing to be eaten alive by bats!

  You quickly turn to leave. But in the darkness and with the bats flapping around your eyes, you can’t see where you’re going. You try to retrace your steps out of the cave. But you are blocked by what seems to be a wall of ice.

  You feel the frozen wall with your hands. The surface is so cold it burns. You quickly pull back your hands. Then you hear a strange rumble.

  The ice wall starts to move!

  It slides open like a sliding glass door. You see a small room completely covered in ice. A blast of arctic air rushes out at you. The warmer air from the rest of the cave surges through the ice door. A perfectly round ice window in the roof of the room melts.

  Light from the full moon outside streams in through the newly formed skylight. The moon shines on the frozen forms of thirteen gruesome werewolves.

  Oh, no! The frozen werewolves are beginning to melt!

  Go to PAGE 109.

  You rub your eyes to make sure you’re not seeing things that aren’t really there. But you’re not. What you think you see really is there. And what a shock — all three Murphy brothers, right here, inside the cave!

  “Well, that explains the smell in here!” you whisper to Todd. “It isn’t the werewolves. It’s the Murphys who smell!”

  You see the Murphys, but they don’t see you. They’re too busy defending themselves from the werewolves. Jess is holding a rock and is ready to heave it if the werewolves come too close.

  Suddenly one wolf leaps forward. It pushes all three Murphy brothers into the center of the pack of werewolves.

  You’ve never seen the Murphys look so scared. They don’t look like bullies now. Now they look like regular kids. Regular terrified kids, that is.

  For a second you think, Well, it serves them right! They’re the ones who got us into this mess. But in the next second you feel kind of sorry for them.

  Decisions, decisions. What will you do? Try to help the Murphys, or let the werewolves have them?

  Lend a helping hand on PAGE 84.

  Throw the Murphys to the wolves on PAGE 87.

  Congratulations. You have chosen to STOP this story just when you were about to be turned into one of them. But what are they?

  Elevator operators in the Bottomless Pit Elevator!

  If you had not stopped the story at this point, you would have had nowhere to go but down. There’s only one thing worse than a bad ending, and that’s no ending. So consider your choice wise because it brings you to what is officially known here as

  THE END.

  Another low growl fills the cave.

  Todd looks as surprised and afraid as you are.

  “No,” Todd says in answer to your question. “That wasn’t me. Was it you?”

  The growling sound is louder now. Louder and closer.

  “No! It wasn’t me!” you reply.

  The full moon’s beam suddenly breaks through the crack in the cave’s ceiling. The cloud has passed by and the moonlight is as clear and bright as a Hollywood spotlight.

  This time it is not shining on Todd’s face.

  It shines on another face. And another.

  Two faces that are not quite human. Faces that are transforming before your very eyes into snarling, growling wolves. Werewolves, to be more exact. What should you do?

  Your knowledge of the GOOSEBUMPS book The Werewolf of Fever Swamp will help you decide what to do.

  What type of bird did the Werewolf of Fever Swamp rip apart?

  If you think it was a cardinal, go to PAGE 57.

  If you think it was a heron, turn to PAGE 68.

  You thought you were alone, floating in the darkness. And you thought your own breathing was the only sound around. But now, right next to your ear, you hear other breathing. Air is being sucked in and blown out. Air in. Air out.

  You strain your ears to listen better. You hold your own breath so you won’t confuse it with this new sound.

  Yes. It is breathing. Slow, even, steady, deep breathing.

  Air in. Air out. Air in. Air out.

  The rhythm is as regular as a sleeping giant’s breathing.

  But in the darkness you see nothing. Your eyes are no help to your ears now. All you can do is listen.

  Air in. Air out. Air in. Your own breathing begins to join in the rhythm.

  Air in. Air out. Keep breathing and go to PAGE 113.

  “It’s a werewolf!” Todd yells in horror.

  Lauren covers her eyes and screams, “I can’t look!”

  The darkness makes it impossible to see clearly. And you’re afraid to turn your flashlight on the beast. You can just barely make out the form of the werewolf. It’s standing on all four legs.

  Todd and Lauren are cornered by the beast. They are screaming for help. The werewolf hasn’t spotted you yet. You have no weapons. What can you do?

  But wait! You’ve got it! The boxes! Maybe one of the boxes will help you!

  If you open the SMARTS BOX, maybe you will be able to figure out a genius plan to defeat the werewolf. But, then again, if you are SUPER STRONG, you can fight the werewolf and win. Which box should you open first?

  If you choose the SMARTS BOX, hurry to PAGE 50.

  If you choose the SUPER-STRENGTH BOX, go to PAGE 95.

  Ask Todd and Lauren for advice? Forget it! They saw what the SUPER-STRENGTH cereal did for you. Now they’re both gobbling up a handful of it, too. In seconds Todd and Lauren have both turned into muscle-bound hulks. The three of you show off your giant muscles for each other.

  “This is so cool!” Laur
en exclaims. She lifts a huge boulder without even straining.

  “Power!” Todd declares, raising a fallen tree trunk above his head.

  “Hahahahahahahahahaha!” The evil laughter of the menacing troll fills the woods. You cover your ears to keep out the awful sound.

  The troll has had just about enough of you three now. He puckers up his thick, blubbery lips and whistles. Instantly, Lauren drops the boulder. Todd drops the tree trunk.

  “Roll over!” the troll orders.

  Todd and Lauren fall to the ground and roll over. Their super strength has been zapped. But how?

  Find out on PAGE 66.

  You are strong enough — and smart enough — to resist the trance! When you are out of the troll’s sight, you reach your fingers up to your ears — and pull out a SUPER-STRENGTH O from each ear!

  “That’s better,” you say. “Now I can hear again.” Plugging your ears with O’s so you wouldn’t hear the troll’s whistle worked! Without his whistle, the troll is powerless. After your muscles disappeared, you plugged up your ears with the O’s. Then you just pretended to obey his command.

  “Come back!” Todd cries out again.

  “That’s exactly what I plan to do,” you say softly to yourself. Quietly, you tiptoe back up the path to where the troll has just changed his size to minitroll. He is perched on a branch of a low shrub. He speaks right into Todd’s and Lauren’s ears. “You will be in my absolute power forever,” the troll says to his two captives. “With or without the O’s, I can control your every move with my voice!” He puckers up his lips and prepares to whistle.

  Lauren sees you sneaking up behind the troll. You put a finger to your lips and signal her to keep quiet.

  Go to PAGE 53.

  Then you see the thing that started this trouble — the red tin box. Buck was telling the truth. The werewolves do have the box.

  “Todd, look!” you cry out. You point to the box resting at the feet of the fiercest werewolf.

  “My pewter collection!” Todd exclaims when he sees the box. He forgets for the moment that danger is only inches away. The werewolves’ tongues hang out between pointed oversized teeth. The smell of their hot breath makes you feel sick.

  The pterodactyl from the Bottomless Pit swoops past you. The flapping of its wings sends dust and dirt flying up from the ground. The werewolves tuck their faces under their fur-covered arms, trying to keep the clouds of dirt out of their red eyes.

  While the werewolves’ heads are buried in their arms, you and Todd crawl between their hairy legs. You grab the red tin box. Then you sprint to a corner, out of the wolves’ immediate sight.

  “Got it!” you cry, clutching the box to your chest.

  Turn to PAGE 124.

  Sharky laughs an evil laugh as he finishes his story. The kids sitting around the campfire study each other’s faces — searching for hair or maybe fangs.

  As clouds cover the full moon, the campfire party breaks up. Everyone says good-night. Lauren Woods laughs as she calls to you, “Nighty-night, don’t let the werewolves bite!”

  “Did you ever see a werewolf, Sharky?” one of the younger kids asks before he leaves.

  “Ha!” laughs Sharky. “My brothers and I saw plenty of werewolf tracks in the woods just before we came to this campfire. Isn’t that right, Jess?”

  “Yeah,” the youngest Murphy brother says. “We saw the wolf tracks when we were burying that nerdy kid’s box.”

  So, you think to yourself, they buried Todd’s box. But where?

  You promised to get the box back for Todd. But should you go out alone tonight when the moon is full?

  If you decide to look for the box tonight, turn to PAGE 13.

  If you decide to go back to the cabin, turn to PAGE 71.

  Well, that sure took a lot of courage on your part! Nobody ever pushes GO! when a clawed hairy hand is reaching over to grab his or her neck. But, guess what? You pushed GO! And now you and Todd are both GOing to have the ride of your life on the Bottomless Pit Elevator.

  But wait! The elevator door slides open. The elevator is stuck! You have a second chance. Do something — fast!

  “One, two, three, jump!” you cry, as you pull Todd out the door. Holding on to each other, you and Todd begin to fall.

  Down, down deeper and deeper into the pit.

  You pick up speed. Your ears start to pop as your body plunges faster and faster. Your body flips upside down. Everything is spinning.

  And then a sharp ringing sound pierces your ears!

  Turn to PAGE 52.

  You decide to take the path through the woods that leads to the white lights.

  “Please hurry,” Todd begs you. “I need my box back. Those pewter figures are like my best friends.”

  “We’ll get them back or my name isn’t Phineas Z. Smeltzenseltzer!” you say.

  “But your name isn’t Phineas Z. Smeltzenseltzer,” Todd answers. He misses the joke completely.

  “Oh, brother!” you sigh. “Come on, Todd. Let’s follow this path.” You start to hike into the woods. The path is lined with a wall of thick, dark bushes.

  “Two lights probably mean double trouble,” Todd warns. He follows too closely behind you. He keeps stepping on your heels.

  “More like triple trouble when you’re dealing with the Murphy brothers,” you add. You don’t really care about Todd’s box. But you don’t think the bullies should wreck anyone’s vacation at WoodsWorld. Not even nerdy Todd’s vacation.

  A strange noise ahead on the path catches your and Todd’s attention. It sounds like twigs cracking.

  “What’s that?” Todd asks, clinging to your arm.

  Find out on PAGE 132.

  “Not so fast,” says a scratchy little voice from out of nowhere. “I am the one with all the power here!”

  You all gasp when you see who’s talking. A troll no more than one and a half feet high. He is standing on a rock with his tiny feet apart, fists curled, and a smirk on a wart-filled green face.

  “I am the Master of the Box! Whoever eats from the SUPER-STRENGTH BOX is my servant!” The troll stares right at you with his beady black eyes. Then he laughs in your face. “Ha! You think you have power, pipsqueak? That beast you just hurled was nothing but a small dog until I fed him my magic O’s. I have the power. Only I have it! Bow down to your master, slave!”

  “I’m not your slave!” you fire back at him. You flex the muscles on your arms. Your arms now look like a mountain range. “I could flatten you in a second!”

  You could. But will you?

  If you ask Todd and Lauren for advice, go to PAGE 25.

  If you choose to grab a nearby branch and swat the troll, go to PAGE 56.

  “YIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKES!” you scream.

  A huge pack of werewolves moving at top speed burst on the scene. They are half-man, half-wolf. Foam slides from their open mouths. Bits of leftovers from the most recent victims hang from their fangs and claws. There is no doubt in your mind. You will be their next victim.

  You quickly aim the flashlight beam directly at them. Maybe you can blind the wolves for a minute with your light. Now you can see the whole pack clearly. And all their red eyes are on one thing — you. You’re still holding on to the SMARTS BOX.

  “Of course!” you cry. You reach into the box and shove some cereal into your mouth. You swallow a few O’s and immediately feel like a genius.

  “Now that you’re so smart,” Lauren says, “what should we do?”

  Use your brain and go to PAGE 126.

  The werewolves are too close. You have to start howling. It’s your only hope.

  “HOW-OW-OW-OWL!”

  “HOW-OW-OW-OWL!”

  “HOW-OW-OW-OWL!”

  “HOW-OW-OW-OWL!”

  “HOW-OW-OW-OWL!”

  “HOW-OW-OW-OWL!”

  You and Todd take turns howling to keep the werewolves away. You have been standing here howling for hours. So far it’s working. There is not a werewolf in si
ght! Good job! Keep up the howling until …

  THE END.

  “Honey?” you hear your mom’s voice. “Honey, you’ve been sleeping for hours. Are you feeling all right?”

  You open your eyes and look around for Todd.

  “Where is he? Where is Todd?” you ask your mother.

  “Todd is asleep, too. I had to wake you finally to tell you that the Morrises and Dad and I are going to play tennis. Can you and Todd stay out of trouble while we’re gone?”

  “Oh, Mom,” you assure her, “don’t worry. What kind of trouble could we possibly get into at WoodsWorld?”

  “You’re right,” your mom says. “Okay, then. See you later.”

  She leaves and you lie in bed thinking of all the events of the night before. Was it all a weird dream? That’s it. It must have been a dream. You close your eyes for a few more minutes and hear a familiar voice.

  “Hey! Hey! What do you say!”

  It is Todd’s same goofy-sounding voice. But when you open one eye you see a hairy, scary werewolf standing in the doorway wearing Todd’s pajamas! Oh, no! If this is not a bad dream, you sure hope it is

  THE END.

  You decide to take on the army of red fire ants.

  “I’ve got an idea,” you announce. You swat a large ant off your arm and turn to Todd. “Here, hold this SMARTS BOX while I feed the ants some of these Cherry-O’s from it.”

  You grab a handful of O’s out of the box. Then you scatter most of them at the base of the antfilled tree trunk. You put the remaining cereal in your pocket.