by RL Stine
As you’re leaving your room, you hear a sound behind you. You glance back. Your model train is chugging toward you.
And it’s off the tracks!
You feel a sudden chill. How did that happen? You were sure you turned the train off before. Quickly, you aim the remote at the train and click. The cars stop moving.
Maybe there’s something wrong with the remote. Maybe its insides got scrambled when it fell on the floor of Professor Shock’s garage. Maybe there’s a short circuit somewhere.
Whatever it is, Professor Shock can probably fix it. You’re suddenly in a hurry to get the remote back to him. There’s something about it that gives you the creeps.
You rush downstairs. There’s a lot of noise coming from the kitchen. It sounds as if your mom is running all her appliances at once. But you don’t have time to pop in and find out what’s for dinner.
You race out the front door. And then you screech to a halt.
What in the world is going on?
Turn to PAGE 77.
You decide to give Professor Shock five minutes to nap.
But then the monster robot stirs into life. VROOM! VROOM! Its engines roar. It starts rolling toward you on its huge, steamroller feet.
“Yikes!” Jason shrieks. “We’re doomed!”
You shake Professor Shock’s arm. “Wake up!” you yell. “Tell us what to do! Time is running out!”
The old man’s eyes pop open. “Eh? What’s that?”
You point a trembling finger at the monster robot.
“Oh, that.” Professor Shock frowns. “All right, here’s the plan: You kids run to the fire substation in the mall. Turn on the water and bring the fire hose back here.”
Water? A fire hose? Does he really think that’s going to help against this giant metal menace?
But it’s the only plan you have. So you, Stacey, and Jason take off.
Hurry! Look for a hose on PAGE 21.
You gaze down, terrified. Water rushes by below you. It’s the lake!
There was a giant sling inside the closet, and it shot you right out of the building! Screaming, you and the twins plunge toward the water. The shark-infested water.
SPLOOSH! SPLOOSH! SPLOOSH! You land in a white froth.
You close your eyes, waiting to feel shark teeth ripping into your body.
Nothing happens.
You open your eyes. You’re bobbing next to a small blue rowboat. The policeman’s boat! It’s empty. It must have come loose and drifted away. What a break!
“Get in!” you order Stacey and Jason. You hold the boat steady while they scramble in. Then they grab your arms and haul you up to join them.
Not a second too soon! As you’re crawling over the side of the rowboat, Stacey yells, “Shark!”
“Make that ‘sharks’!” Jason adds.
You turn around and peer over the side. Sharp black fins circle the boat. These sharks look big. And hungry.
“Too bad, sharks,” you call. “We’re out of here!”
Go to PAGE 55.
Your eyes widen in horror. The robot is trying to strangle Jason! “Duck!” you shout.
But when Jason ducks out of the way, the robot doesn’t seem to notice. Instead it lurches wildly across the room. Bangs into the wall. Spins around. Walks into a chair. Next, it starts knocking things off the tables. Its arms whirl like windmills, smashing into everything that’s near them.
The robot is out of control! You wonder if Jason knocked its circuits loose when he whacked it on the back.
“Turn it off!” Stacey screeches.
Snapping out of your horrified daze, you start for the back of the shop. You’ve got to reach the red switch!
Oh, no! The robot is moving toward Professor Shock’s desk. It’s stacked with books and complicated charts. A flat, black box with rows of buttons balances atop a pile of papers.
“No!” you shout. Professor Shock will boil you in oil if you let the robot mess up his work. You leap toward the desk. If you can only move the papers out of the way …
But the robot is faster. SMASH! CRASH! Its metal arm sweeps across the desktop, knocking everything to the floor.
At that moment Professor Shock rushes through the door.
Go to PAGE 40.
You spin around, following Professor Shock’s gaze.
The employee parking lot is full of wrecking equipment. Bulldozers. Steamrollers. Cranes. Wrecking balls.
Standing in the middle of all these machines is a familiar, eight-foot-tall figure. Red. His fingers fly over the remote.
CLANK! CLANK! The wrecking machines roar into sudden life. Two huge steamrollers position themselves side by side.
“Feet,” Professor Shock mutters.
You, Stacey, and Jason exchange worried glances. Feet?
A big crane lifts up two bulldozers and sets them on top of the steamrollers. The bulldozers’ shovels wave in the air.
“Hands,” Professor Shock says, nodding.
TINKLE-LINKLE-LINK! Glass shatters overhead. Glancing up, you spot two big-screen TVs sailing through the air.
“Eyes,” Professor Shock says grimly.
“Eyes?” you echo. You’re almost afraid to ask. “Feet? Hands? Wh-what are you talking about, Professor?”
Professor Shock points at the pile of machinery. “Can’t you see?” he asks. “Red is using my remote to build a monster robot!”
Oh, no! Do you really want to turn to PAGE 120?
You decide to give the teacher the real answer. But just in case, you whisper a backup plan to the twins.
“What is seven and eight?” Ms. Silver demands.
“Fifteen,” you reply.
“Wrong!” she shouts. “To the closet!”
“No thanks!” you declare. You give the twins a thumbs-up signal. Then the three of you split up and zoom toward the door.
“Come back!” Ms. Silver shouts. “You’ll never escape! There are sharks!”
You ignore her and run outside. The Palace gleams on the other side of the lake. A blue rowboat bobs at anchor just a few feet from the shore.
“Come on,” you tell your friends. “We’ll wade to the boat and then row to the Palace.”
“Wh-what about the sharks?” Jason stammers.
“I don’t see any,” Stacey says. The three of you gaze into the clear water. There’s no sign of sharks.
“Sharks don’t live in lakes. Ms. Silver was trying to scare us,” you declare and wade into the lake.
Go on to PAGE 53.
“We’re stuck!” Stacey cries. “The elevator was a trap!”
“Help!” Jason yells.
“Stay calm,” you say, even though you’re starting to panic. You grope in the darkness and press the elevator buttons.
Nothing happens.
“Can we climb out?” Stacey suggests.
“Too dangerous. Try the remote!” Jason tells you.
Hey! It might work. After all, the elevator is a machine. You pull the remote out of your pocket.
You hold it in both hands. So many buttons. You can’t tell which ones are which in the dark. Should you press the button under your right thumb? Or the one under your left?
CRRREAKKK!
The elevator sways. Then drops three feet!
You all scream.
“Come on!” Stacey urges. “Choose a button now!”
You’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of getting it right. The odds are even. What about you? Are you even or odd? Count up the letters in your first name.
If you have an odd number of letters, go to PAGE 135.
If you have an even number, turn to PAGE 70.
You turn to Professor Shock in — well, in shock.
“What happened?” you demand.
“Was it the water?” Jason adds. “Did we short out the robot after all?
“No, I don’t think so.” Professor Shock strokes his beard thoughtfully. “It was the remote. It stopped working.”
“But why? How?” Stacey asks
.
“The batteries must have run down,” Professor Shock answers.
“The batteries?” you sputter. You just escaped being crushed by a bulldozer, and the human race just escaped becoming slaves to a cyborg, because the batteries ran down?
Professor Shock shrugs. “That’s right.”
Then he smiles.
“What’s so funny?” you want to know.
Professor Shock’s smile grows wider. “I was just thinking…. Good thing I didn’t use Supergizers!”
THE END
Taking a deep breath, you punch your finger down on the red button.
The remote lets out a short, high-pitched buzzing sound. But your Walkman doesn’t turn on. In fact, as far as you can tell, nothing happens.
“What a rip-off,” you grumble and press another of the black buttons.
All the lights in the room blink on!
You hit the button again. The lights go off.
A third button controls your TV. A fourth turns your model train on and off. Even though it’s made of wood!
Cool, you think. Professor Shock’s box is some kind of Super-remote!
That reminds you. The remote does belong to Professor Shock. You know you should return it.
But maybe you don’t have to return it right this minute. You’d really like to show it to Jason and Stacey….
What do you think? If you choose to return the remote to the professor right away, go to PAGE 83.
If you’d rather show it to the twins first, turn to PAGE 11.
You’ll never make it through the gap fast enough to escape the Loreo. “All together!” you shout. “We’ll go through the fun house mirror.”
“What if it’s not that kind of mirror?” Jason asks.
“Then we’re monster-meat,” Stacey tells him.
The Loreo’s hot breath sears the back of your neck. In the fun house mirror, it appears even bigger, more terrifying. Its teeth are the size of shovels. It opens its mouth wide, wider.
It’s about to bite your head off!
“One. Two. Three. Geronimo!” you shout and dive straight into the mirror. Jason and Stacey are on either side of you.
To your relief, its surface is soft and rubbery. Your arms and legs tingle as your body passes through.
You hit the ground on the other side.
THUD! THUD! Jason and Stacey land beside you.
You’re lying on some kind of wooden platform. “Whew. We’re safe!” you exclaim, picking yourself up.
Then you get a good look at Stacey. And you realize you spoke too soon.
Go on to PAGE 24.
Get the hint? Turn back to PAGE 79.
“What’s going on?” Jason cries in panic.
“Where’s the door?” Stacey yells.
“Who’s there?” you demand.
A deep voice speaks from the darkness. It asks, “Contestants, are you ready?”
“What? We need help!” you exclaim. Your eyes are adjusting. But you can’t tell where the voice comes from.
“The judges are ready,” the voice says, as if you hadn’t spoken. “You’re the most beautiful entrants we’ve ever had.”
What’s with this guy? you wonder. Is he nuts? Is this some kind of sick joke? You and the twins are the weirdest-looking freaks you’ve ever laid eyes on.
“This is a mistake!” you cry. “We didn’t enter any contest!”
“Be quiet and look beautiful!” the voice orders. “The beauty contest is about to begin!”
Step up to PAGE 103.
Ahead of you, Jason stops so fast that you plow right into him. Then Stacey plows into you. The three of you sprawl on the ground in a pile.
When you untangle yourselves, you see what made Jason stop. There’s a fork in the path! On the right branch, a sign says PALACE OF MIRRORS. A sign on the left says LOREO.
“The Palace!” Stacey cries. “Let’s go!”
You start to follow her. But then you remember something. “Wait!” you call. “Lots of things in this world are backward. What if the signs are backward too?”
“I see what you mean,” Jason exclaims. “The path to the Palace might really be the path to the Loreo.”
“What’s a Loreo, anyway?” asks Stacey.
Jason shudders. “I hope we don’t find out.”
“AROOOO!”
“Hurry,” Stacey urges. “Pick one of the paths!”
It’s up to you. If you think the path labeled PALACE OF MIRRORS will lead to the Palace, turn to PAGE 109.
But if you think the path labeled LOREO will take you to the Palace, go to PAGE 102.
At the very last second, Red pushes another button. Your bumper cars jerk to a halt.
“Get out,” Red snarls. “And turn to face me.”
You do as he says. Your heart is thundering. What’s he up to?
Behind you, the elevator doors swish open.
“Step back,” Red commands.
You, Stacey, and Jason back into the elevator.
Hey! There’s nothing under your feet. What happened to the floor? Too late, you guess the truth.
The elevator car is missing!
“Help!” you scream.
A moment later, you’re falling through blackness.
Plummet to PAGE 27.
Stacey peeks over her shoulder. “Don’t look now,” she whispers, “but there’s a bull behind us. And he’s grouchy.”
Of course, you spin around at once.
Stacey wasn’t joking. The red-and-yellow bull is the biggest you’ve ever seen. His gleaming horns must be two feet long. They look even bigger, because he’s only ten feet away. Pawing the ground. With a nasty glare in his little red eyes.
“Run!” Jason screams.
The three of you pelt across the field. Back the way you just came.
“It’s after us,” Jason reports, glancing back. “We’ve got to move faster!”
You pour on even more speed. But when you risk a look over your shoulder, you see that the furious bull is gaining on you.
“The faster we run, the closer it gets!” Stacey gasps.
That doesn’t make any sense, you think.
Or does it?
Quick! Run to PAGE 64.
Nervously, you step into the workshop.
Then you breathe a sigh of relief. Standing at the workbench is Professor Shock. He’s using a power drill to tighten some screws in his robot’s head. That explains the whirring noise.
“Am I glad to see you!” you cry. You pull the remote out of your pocket. “I didn’t mean to take this,” you explain. “I just didn’t want you to know I broke it. But when I put it back together, I think something went wrong. See, I pressed the red button and —”
“Wrong?” Professor Shock interrupts. “What do you mean?”
Boy, he really is an absent-minded professor! “Uh — haven’t you noticed anything strange?” you ask. “Like the fact that all the machines around here are operating themselves?”
“Oh, that.” Professor Shock smiles. “What’s wrong with that? That’s what my Universal Remote is supposed to do. It’s working perfectly! Stage One is complete.”
Your mouth falls open. Stage One? You stare at the professor in horror. Is he completely crazy?
“You mean … you meant all this to happen?” you squeak.
“Of course. Now on to Stage Two,” Professor Shock says. He tightens one last screw. Then he turns the robot toward you.
“Robot!” he barks. “Bring me that remote!”
Yikes! Hurry up and turn to PAGE 43!
You decide to ram Jason with your bumper car. He needs to lighten up a little. Maybe this will help.
You place the remote control on the dashboard. Now both your hands are free for the steering wheel.
“Here I come!” you shout and zoom toward Jason’s car.
Jason glances up. He frowns. “Cut it out, will you?” he demands. And yanks his steering wheel to the right.
You shoot past, inches
from the rear of his car. Missed!
He just doesn’t know how to have fun. You turn around in your seat. “Come on, Jason, be a sport,” you call.
You wonder why Jason and Stacey are both staring at you. And why are their eyes so wide?
You turn around.
Oh, no! A huge, angry figure is standing right in front of your bumper car.
Red! He caught up with you!
Turn to PAGE 76.
You take a deep breath and press the REWIND button.
“Nnn … ON!” Professor Shock screams.
On? What does he mean? you wonder.
But you don’t have time to puzzle it out. The robot is still after you! Its copper fingers reach for the Universal Remote.
And then it steps back. Its hand falls to its side.
It keeps walking. Backward. Back the way it came.
“Etomer eht pu evig!” Professor Shock commands.
Etomer eht pu evig?
Sounds like nonsense. But there’s something familiar about it….
That’s when you finally get it.
“Etomer eht pu evig” is the backward version of “Give up the remote.” That’s what Professor Shock ordered you to do a minute ago.
The scene is rewinding!
A moment later, you start to rewind, too.
All the way back to the beginning!
Turn back to PAGE 1.
You’re scared. But you decide it’s best to tell the truth. “We — we came for your mirror,” you stammer.
“My mirror?” the Queen screeches. “Never! No one may have my mirror! I need it. It tells me everything!”
“We only wanted to borrow it,” you tell her. “We wanted to look at something through it.”
The Queen stares at you in silence for a moment.
This is it, you think. I’m about to become a carving!