by R. L. Stine
Go to PAGE 79.
“Todd!” you exclaim when you hear his voice right next to you. “What’s happening? How did I catch up to you so fast?”
“You didn’t.” Todd laughs. “We caught up to you!”
Before Todd can say more, you realize that you are no longer falling. You and Todd are both sitting on the back of some giant-winged thing.
“What the …?” you start to ask.
“It’s a pterodactyl!” Todd explains. “Probably preserved in this pit for centuries!”
The huge, prehistoric flying reptile is moving its head — first up, then down. It seems to be asking you to choose which way you want to go — up or down?
To fly up to the werewolves, soar to PAGE 116.
To go down to the unknown, zoom to PAGE 88.
Yes, you definitely need time to think of a way out of this mess you’re in now. You’re flat on your back in the land of the little people. You’re tied to the ground and covered from head to toe with disgusting, ugly trolls.
They take turns examining you. Slobbering, glop-dropping trolls peer down your throat, up your nose, and under your eyelids.
The trolls may be little, but their breath is big, bad, and ugly! You decide you’ve had enough.
It’s time for your secret plan.
For the secret plan, go to PAGE 104.
“Have no fear, super-strength is here!” you call out. Lauren and Todd are still screaming. The werewolf moves closer and closer to them.
Using your ordinary strength, you open the box. You expect to see some mega-vitamins. Instead the box is filled with very ordinary-looking oat O’s cereal.
The werewolf snarls. Then it lunges right for Todd’s throat.
“Save us!” Todd shouts.
“Here goes,” you say. You toss a fistful of O’s into your mouth. The effect is instant. Super-strength fills your body. Your shirt rips at the seams. Enormous muscles bulge and burst out of the torn material.
“Wow!” you gasp. “This could be fun!”
But you know that looks aren’t everything. Are these new muscles as strong as they appear to be?
The werewolf is ready to dig its fangs into Todd’s neck. You flex your muscles. Another seam tears open at the shoulder of your shirt. You place a finger under the werewolf’s arm and start to lift.
“Oh, no. I hope this works,” you pray.
Turn to PAGE 17.
You take aim at the troll behind you. You hurl the golf ball directly at the center of his forehead.
“Arrrrrgh!” the troll roars in agony. “You got me!”
Then the strange little creature begins to shrivel and shrink right before your eyes.
“Agony! Agony!” he cries, holding his head. He’s growing smaller and smaller. Slowly, the troll disappears.
All that is left of him is a small pile of SUPER-STRENGTH O’s cereal!
“He’s gone!” Lauren exclaims.
“And so are we,” you say to her. “Let’s get Todd and get out of here. Go on ahead. I want to get something.”
Reluctantly, Lauren runs down the tunnel alone. You bend down and pick up the pile of O’s that used to be the troll. As you put them in your pocket, you hear a familiar wicked laugh in your mind. It is the laugh of the troll.
Uh-oh, you think. The troll isn’t gone!
Then Lauren screams.
Go to PAGE 89.
“Well, look who’s here. Nerdo and his pals.” Sharky Murphy sneers. “Still looking for that box of yours?” Sharky and his brothers push their way through the bushes.
“Hey, what’s that other box over there?” Jess asks. He points to the rocking box, which is now bumping around even more.
“Nothing to worry about,” you say as you reach into your pockets and pull out some SUPER-STRENGTH O’s. “You boys hungry?”
Todd’s looking at you like you’re totally crazy!
“Care for a little midnight snack?” you offer nicely.
“Give me all of it!” Sharky snaps. He grabs the handout. “Here,” he says, passing some O’s to Buck and Jess. “It’s free!”
As the Murphys chomp on the O’s, the box jumps up and down. “No! No!” the troll shouts from inside the box.
Sharky leans down to pick up the jumping box. He puts his ear to it to listen. “What the …?” he starts to say, but a sudden growth spurt of gigantic muscles stops him.
Jump to PAGE 36.
The pterodactyl nose-dives down to the ledge with a great swooping motion. You and Todd are sure you’re going to be thrown over the creature’s head. But the pterodactyl evens out its flight and glides to a smooth landing. The two of you tumble off its back and onto the rocky ground.
“Thank —” you start to say. Before you can get the whole word out, its wings are flapping again. The pterodactyl is heading back into the darkness of the pit. You and Todd are left alone on the narrow ledge.
Behind you there’s a door! It slides open.
“Going down?” a man dressed in an elevator operator’s uniform asks.
“Do we have a choice?” Todd asks.
“Always,” the man says mysteriously.
Go to PAGE 117.
The noise you hear is Todd crying into his pillow. You are too tired to talk now. Instead, you kick off your sneakers and climb into your bed with your clothes on. Just as you start to drift off to sleep, you hear HOW-OW-OW-OW-OWL!
“Did you hear that?” Todd cries. He jumps out of bed and hurries over to your bedside. The light from the full moon casts an eerie glow over Todd’s terrified face.
“Don’t be afraid. It’s only the wind howling,” you mutter.
HOW-OW-OW-OWL!
Todd leaps onto your bed and screams, “It’s a wild animal!”
Before you can answer, a rock with a note attached flies through your open window and lands on the wooden floor. You push Todd aside and wriggle out of bed. You pick the rock up, tear the note off, and read aloud:
“The Werewolves of WoodsWorld
They love to see red,
So the box that was yours
Is now their box instead!
The Werewolves of WoodsWorld
Disappear at dawn,
So you must find the box
Before this night is gone!”
Turn to PAGE 8.
You crawl into the dark tunnel. Todd and Lauren follow close behind. You only have to crawl a short distance before the tunnel gets larger. You stand up straight and see a rose-colored glow ahead. It’s magically pulling you toward it.
“What is it?” Lauren asks. Her face looks pink in the glow of the light.
“The Cave of the Rose Crystals!” Todd exclaims. “Geologists have been searching for this cave for years. The crystals are supposed to have magic powers.”
“What kinds of powers?” you ask.
“No one really knows for sure,” Todd explains. “But I read in a book that the last explorers to go into the caves never came out.”
“Then why are we going in?” Lauren asks. “I’m not crazy. I’m turning back!”
Lauren turns and runs out of the cave. Seconds later you hear her scream.
QUICK! If you tell Todd to wait there while you investigate Lauren’s screams, turn to PAGE 55.
Or let the power of the Rose Crystals pull you to PAGE 89.
You pull your arm back over your head and let the golf ball fly at the troll in front of you. CRASH! Another mirror shatters.
“Hahahahahahahaha!” laughs the troll behind you. “Wrong choice, losers!”
You and Lauren spin around to face the real troll. Behind him there is a mirror in which you see your own reflections. The troll has won.
But something is strange. Really strange.
You stare into the mirror again. Lauren no longer looks like Lauren. And you no longer look like you!
“We look like Todd!” Lauren exclaims. “He turned us into Todds!”
Nerd Alert! Nerd Alert!
Your second worst n
erdmare has just come true. Now you’re not just spending your vacation with a nerd. You’ll be spending the rest of your life as a nerd.
You open your mouth to speak and can’t believe what comes out. In Todd’s voice you say, “Hey, hey! What do you say! This looks like a swell way to come to
THE END.”
“Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” you hear from the darkness below you. It’s Todd, and he sounds very far away. You have lost him now for sure.
Too bad, you think sadly. I was just starting to get used to having him around.
“Good-bye, Todd,” you call as loudly as you can. “I’m sorry I said you were a nerd. I really do like you, you know. Honest!” With tears in your eyes, you call out one last “Bye, Todd. I’ll miss you … really, I will!”
“You really will miss me?” a happy voice calls out unexpectedly, right next to your ear. “Wow! That’s swell!”
Huh? What’s going on here? Turn to PAGE 93.
Your mind is racing. In seconds, every math fact you ever learned pops into your head. Every spelling word you ever studied flashes before you. The theory of relativity, the Gettysburg Address, a map of Marco Polo’s entire journey — you know it all. Every fact and every piece of trivia you’ve ever heard is right there in your mind. You’ve never felt so smart in your life.
“The O’s!” you exclaim. “The cereal in the SMARTS BOX is smart food!”
“Let’s be smart, then,” Lauren cries, peeking out from behind her hands. “Let’s run while the werewolf is busy with the food!”
Immediately your brilliant brain has another idea.
“We’re going to capture this werewolf and show it to the world,” you announce.
“Don’t be stupid!” Lauren shouts. “We have to run — now!”
Think fast! What is it going to be?
If you try to capture the werewolf, turn to PAGE 16.
If you decide to run, race as fast as you can to PAGE 45.
You have a secret plan you think just may work. “Hey, trolls!” you call out sweetly. “You forgot to examine my ears. Why don’t you have a look?”
You can see they’re curious. They talk in whispers for a few seconds. Then they creep close to your ears and peer in. Their noses fit right into your ear canals. That’s just what you were hoping would happen. With the trolls’ noses in your ears, you can’t hear a thing.
Quickly, you use your tongue to remove a SUPER-STRENGTH O’s food particle that’s caught in between your teeth. You swallow the particle and feel the results immediately. Muscles!
The two trolls whose noses are plugging up your ears aren’t paying attention to the muscles growing. But all the other trolls see it and begin to whistle.
With your muscles bulging and your shirt seams splitting again, you work fast to break through the ropes that hold you. When your hands are free, you press the two trolls against your ears. You use them like earmuffs to keep out the sounds of the whistling.
Go to PAGE 39.
It’s no use. The werewolves cannot fight the sorceress’s crystal light. One by one, with a HOWL as empty and hopeless as the Bottomless Pit itself, each werewolf loses its balance. They all fall backwards into the endless nothing that is the Pit.
Falling, falling, falling forever. Their howls rise to the open mouth of the Pit, filling the cave and the deep, dark woods surrounding WoodsWorld.
The Murphys throw themselves at you with heartfelt thanks for saving their lives. “We’ll always remember you for this,” Sharky says. “You too, Ner … I mean … hey, what is your name anyway?”
“This is my good friend, Todd Morris,” you say. You put your arm around Todd’s shoulder. You and Todd take the red tin box and lead the way out of the cave.
Nothing can frighten you or Todd now. Not the Murphys. Not the werewolves. You have faced every possible fear and conquered them all. For you both this should be a very happy
END.
A candle burns in a jar next to a large boulder on the side of the path. As you hurry closer, a breeze makes the flame flicker. There’s a note taped to the large rock.
You bend down and grab the note. Did someone leave this for you? You draw the candle close, squinting in the darkness to read the writing.
Wax drips, then hardens on the side of the jar, as you read the note aloud:
“The Werewolves of WoodsWorld
They love to see red,
So the box that was Todd’s
Is now their box instead!
The Werewolves of WoodsWorld
Disappear at dawn,
So you must find the box
Before this night is gone!”
Werewolves? This must be a joke, you tell yourself. But you can’t help gazing into the darkness. Searching. You hold your breath and listen.
Then you hear the crackling of twigs. Footsteps! You’re not alone after all. Someone or something is out here with you!
Go to PAGE 133.
You creep quickly and quietly down the stairs. You notice your muscles getting smaller and smaller.
“We have to save WoodsWorld,” Todd tells Lauren again. “But I sure don’t know how.”
“Maybe I can help,” you say from the shadows. “Did you miss me?”
“You’re free!” Lauren cries out when she sees you. “And your muscles are gone.”
“It seems the farther underground I went, the smaller my muscles got. And as long as we can’t hear the troll’s whistle, we’re safe,” you explain.
“But how did you escape from him?” Lauren asks. “And how did you get down here? And how —”
“Hold on, hold on,” you interrupt. “It’s a long story. We don’t have time to talk now. Right now we’ve got to get out of here and stop the troll before he takes over WoodsWorld and maybe even the whole world!”
“But how do we get out of here?” Todd asks.
“Well,” you say, searching around the cellar for the best answer. “We can go up the stairs. Or we can go through that tunnel over there.” You point across the cellar to a dark tunnel.
Which way will you go?
Climb up the stairs on PAGE 77.
Go through the dark tunnel on PAGE 100.
“Grab them!” the lead troll orders frantically. “Tackle them!”
Hundreds of tiny trolls leap through the air. They land on your arms, in your hair, on the back of your neck. With your super-strength, you easily fling the creatures aside. Lauren and Todd are having the same luck with the ones who have landed on them.
The battle rages on and on. But the SUPER-STRENGTH O’s keep working. At last the trolls are defeated.
“Get up you lazy, toadstool mats!” the lead troll shouts to the other trolls. “I order you to fight for your troll leader. Me!” He scurries from place to place, kicking the other trolls, pulling their ears, yanking their fat, blubbery lips. “Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Then something changes. The trolls are no longer fighting you, Lauren, and Todd. Now they have turned against their leader. A crowd of angry trolls sweeps the leader off his feet. They lift him high above their ugly heads and carry him to the lake.
Follow them to PAGE 86.
The werewolves’ frozen faces begin to move grotesquely. As they start to thaw, the werewolves open their jaws. Their fangs gleam in the full moon’s light.
You watch the hairy, fanged beasts with fascination. They seem to communicate to one another in low growls and short howls. When all of them seem to be totally unfrozen, the leader of the pack leads the way out through the open ice door. The pack of wolves walk right past you. They don’t notice you pressed flat against the wall.
You watch as they lumber into the cave. When the last one has passed, you wait a few seconds. Then you follow the sound of their low growls through the dark cave.
Where are they going?
Follow the werewolves to PAGE 130.
All three of you pick a different mound of fresh dirt and start digging with your hands. In minutes you and Lauren stand up at t
he exact same time and shout, “I found it!”
You both are holding up identical-looking red tin boxes.
“My collection!” Todd shrieks.
You take a closer look at the two boxes. “Sorry, Todd,” you announce. “I don’t think either one of these boxes is the one we’re looking for.”
Lauren hands you the box she found. You show Todd that one box is labeled SMARTS BOX. The other is labeled SUPER-STRENGTH BOX. You are just about to open them, when you hear a chilling HOW-OW-OW-OW-OWL!
A thunderous crashing noise comes from the woods in front of you. Something is coming toward you! Fear grips you. You clutch the two boxes tightly.
HOW-OW-OW-OW-OWL!
You dash across the path and crouch behind a large rock.
The wall of bushes bursts apart. A snarling, red-eyed, sharp-fanged beast bounds through the leaves.
“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh!” Todd and Lauren scream.
Go to PAGE 24.
“We have to jump across the pit,” you insist. “It may be the only way out of this place.”
“I can’t do it,” Todd whines. “You’ll have to go first.”
As soon as you hear the howling again, all your nervousness disappears. “Come on, Todd!” you cry. “The werewolves are getting closer.”
Without another word, you back up a few steps and take a running leap. It is so dark you can’t be sure if you’re making it across the pit or not. All you know is you’re flying through the air.
In seconds your feet land on solid ground. Dirt crumbles under your heels. You are half on, half off the edge of the pit.