Return to the Carnival of Horrors

by RL Stine

  You gaze at the man who is speaking. With his odd hat and overcoat, he looks like he stepped out of an old black-and-white gangster movie.

  “My name’s Ernie,” the man introduces himself. “I’ve been trapped here fifty years. But this carnival has been catching people for centuries.”

  Ernie glances around. “We all took Big Al’s Challenge,” he tells you. “And we all lost. But there’s a legend among us carnival prisoners.” Ernie lowers his voice. “If someone escapes the carnival twice, we will all go free!”

  He stares at you and Patty, a fierce light shining in his dark eyes. “You escaped from Big Al once. Can you do it again?”

  “We’re sure trying,” Patty replies.

  Ernie nods. “Good. We’ll do what we can to help you. I’ll spread the word.”

  This is great news — isn’t it?

  If you trust Ernie and his carnival pals, turn to PAGE 70.

  If you don’t, turn to PAGE 118.

  As soon as you’re all strapped in, the mechanical Tyrannosaurus rex shuts its mouth and stands up. It starts walking. You can see where it’s going because there are portholes where the dinosaur’s eyes should be.

  “Cool!” you exclaim. You’re riding eighteen feet up in the air while giant legs stomp on the earth below you.

  “Do you think we’re going back in time?” Patty asks.

  You glance out the dinosaur’s windows. Everything looks exactly the same. “I don’t think so,” you admit.

  “How about an exit? Can you see one?” Floyd asks.

  “No.” You start feeling discouraged. “Maybe we should check out this mechanical beast. Find the way to make it take us back in time.”

  Patty twists around in her seat. She nods toward a metal panel. “Maybe that’s something useful,” she suggests.

  You stretch against your safety strap and peer at the sign on the panel: DO NOT OPEN.

  “It seems like a good place to start,” you say.

  Turn to PAGE 64.

  You glare at the crowd. Then you hear the rumble of thunder. You glance up. Clouds are gathering over the Carnival of Horrors.

  Maybe this is the break you’ve been waiting for! “Looks like this carnival is about to close on account of rain,” you tell the woman with the fangs.

  The carnival people leave a big circle around you and your friends. You clutch the daggers tightly and work your way through the crowd. You hear another crash of thunder.

  That’s when the bolt of lightning hits you.

  About a jillion volts of electricity strike the knife in your left hand and go right through you. You stagger around, smelling smoke. But you’re still standing.

  You slap out a burning spot on your T-shirt. “Come on,” you urge Floyd and Patty. “Lightning never strikes twice —”

  Another lightning bolt lands — this time on the knife in your right hand. Bolt after bolt of lightning hits, until bright blue sparks fly between your two knives.

  You can’t tear your eyes off the dancing sparks. They seem to form six letters….

  THE END

  “I-THOUGHT-YOU-WANTED-TO-KNOW-THE-AMOUNT-OF-TIME-YOU-HAD-REMAINING,” the robot responds.

  You stare at the display of numbers.

  “Less than an hour to midnight!” Patty gulps.

  Floyd checks his watch. “That’s right.”

  “And if we haven’t escaped by then …” You trail off.

  Two ideas come to you. One is to figure out a way to use the robot to help you escape.

  The other is to forget about playing these creepy games, go straight to Big Al, and challenge him to the grand finale. Why keep wasting time?

  But you can’t decide. You tell Floyd and Patty your ideas.

  “Go for it! Straight for Big Al!” Patty cries.

  Figures, you think. Patty never seems to be afraid of anything.

  Your cousin the computer whiz smiles. “I bet I could tap into the robot’s memory banks and find a way out!” Floyd declares.

  So, which plan will you go with?

  Will you reroute the robot’s circuits? Turn to PAGE 18.

  Will you battle Big Al? Turn to PAGE 60.

  “So are you going to bring us to Big Al?” you demand.

  The kid seems lost in thought. Finally, he nods. “Okay, I’ll help you find Big Al. But I’d like a favor, first. Can we take a picture of all of us together?”

  “Will you show up in a photo?” Cousin Floyd inquires.

  “I’m not a vampire,” the boy snaps. “I’m a ghoul.”

  Floyd shrugs. “Sorry,” he mumbles.

  “What do you want with a picture?” you ask.

  “For good luck,” the kid replies. “And this way, if things don’t work out, I’ll have something to remember you by.”

  Great, you think. A ghoul with a scrapbook. “So where can we have our picture taken?”

  “Don’t you have a camera?” the boy demands.

  If you won a camera along the way, turn to PAGE 11.

  If you need a camera, turn to PAGE 15.

  You give up trying to reason with the man in the boat. He’s obviously convinced you three are squid wrestlers!

  Well, you might as well make the best of a bad situation. “We’ll go for the small squid!” you shout after the man in the boat.

  “The smaller, the better!” Patty yells.

  “Teeny-tiny, itty-bitty, eensie-weensie,” Floyd adds. “Please!”

  “Let’s try to get to shore before the squid show up,” you whisper to your friends as the boatman rows away.

  The three of you wade quickly along the sunken dock until the water is only up to your knees. Then you step onto concrete.

  “We must be close now!” you cry.

  Suddenly four things happen.

  First, blinding spotlights pop on, glaring down on you. You seem to be standing in the bottom of a concrete bowl, with row after row of spectators sitting above you.

  Second, a glass wall rises behind you and your friends.

  Third, water is pumped in until it’s up to your chest again!

  And fourth, an announcement blares over your head. “Lay-deez and gentle-things! Introducing the contenders!”

  Go to PAGE 104.

  The ghostly head dives at your left hand with its teeth bared.

  “Aaaagh!” you yell. It’s going to bite you!

  You jerk your hand down, out of the way.

  And the wheel spins left.

  Oh, no! That wasn’t what you planned to do!

  The hideous head roars with laughter. “Got you!” it howls.

  The Roller Ghoster hurtles on. Then it starts to slow down. Then it stops completely!

  A recorded announcement blares over the loudspeakers. “Due to mechanical difficulties, the Roller Ghoster will be out of service for a few minutes. Please remain seated. Keep your hands inside the ride at all times.”

  “Now’s our chance,” you whisper. You and your friends fling back the safety bar and begin climbing down. The ghostly riders shout and hiss at you. But no heads come flying your way!

  You all have scrapes and splinters by the time you reach the ground. But you made it.

  “Well?” Floyd says. “Now can we go on the Log Zoom?”

  Turn to PAGE 92.

  “Out! Quick! Or we’re sliced and diced!” you scream.

  Patty and Cousin Floyd unsnap their seat belts and leap to their feet. The log-boat begins to rock wildly.

  Just before you jump out of the boat, you remember something.

  The life preservers!

  You reach under the seat. You grab a couple of life preservers. Then you scramble over the side.

  You hold the life preservers and push one in Floyd’s direction. “Here,” you gasp as you tread water. You’re having trouble keeping your head above the water.

  Quick! Dog-paddle over to PAGE 6!

  “SQUID! SQUID! SQUID!” the crowd screams.

  Fine, you think. If they love the squid so much
, why not give them some?

  Four of the cold-blooded babies crawl all over you. When a fifth comes along, you grab it by the tentacles, swing it over your head, and hurl it into the stands.

  Patty and Floyd follow your example. Soon, the chanting turns into yells and screams as the spectators begin fighting with the hungry squidlets.

  “You’re breaking the rules!” the invisible announcer scolds.

  “What do you mean? They asked for squid, so I gave them squid,” you yell. “It’s the polite thing to do!”

  Peeling the last squid baby off your leg, you hurl it into the stands.

  Then you jump up and hook an arm over the railing in front of the first row of seats.

  You’re out of there! Go to PAGE 110.

  “Incorrect, wrong, error, mistake, blunder, flawed answer, miscalculation!” the tinny computer voice squawks.

  “Okay, okay,” you mumble.

  “So that you will always remember the effect of gravity, Earthling, we will show you the difference,” the voice announces.

  WHOOSH! Thick mist spurts out of the floor. You glance down. The shining disk you stand on isn’t silver anymore. It glows a gross yellowish-brown — like the pictures of Jupiter you’ve seen. Suddenly, it feels as if someone is sitting on your shoulders.

  Actually, it feels as if more than one person is sitting on you.

  More like two people. Giants, you figure. And one is holding a baby.

  If you can lift your finger, turn to PAGE 52.

  You feel a little annoyed at Floyd’s warning.

  “I can handle this game!” you declare. You’ll show Floyd he’s not the only one who’s good at video and computer games!

  You take your place in front of the steering wheel built into the counter. “Let’s go!” you cry.

  The screen fills with cars. VROOOOM! They all take off.

  Except yours.

  “The gas!” Floyd yells. “There’s a pedal on the ground!”

  But there are two pedals. You stomp on the left one.

  Oh, no! It’s the brake! By the time you get your car going, you’re trailing far behind the others.

  You’ve got to catch up! You send your car screaming through turns. You pass a red car. Yes! Your car skids out as you careen around a blue car. But you regain control. Yes!

  The finish line appears on the screen. You fix your eyes on it. You press hard on the gas. Can you win?

  But you can’t make up for your slow start. A yellow car plows across the finish line.

  It’s over. Letters appear on the screen: YOU LOSE!

  You hear wind beginning to howl overhead.

  Uh-oh! Hurry over to PAGE 126!

  Following the tracks, you reach the ticket booth for the Roller Ghoster. There’s no line.

  You’re not all that surprised.

  A man steps out of the booth. “What luck! You get a free ride!” He has a big belly, and a cigar sticks out the side of his mouth. He almost looks like a typical carnival worker — except for the single horn growing out of his forehead.

  He smiles, showing pointed teeth, as he leads you to a silver car waiting on the tracks. It’s tiny. There are only three seats across. It looks pretty flimsy to you.

  “Is that thing safe?” you ask.

  The roller-coaster man shrugs. “I’ve never had anybody come back to complain.”

  Why doesn’t that make you feel better?

  “Listen, guys,” you mutter to Patty and Floyd. “Maybe this is a bad idea. Maybe we should go on — um, um” — you look around for another sign — “the Slug Subway!”

  “Yeah, that sounds really great,” Patty mocks. “Just get into the roller-coaster car. You can’t wimp out now!”

  Do you board the Roller Ghoster? Turn to PAGE 86.

  Do you decide it’s too dangerous? Turn to PAGE 19.

  You shouldn’t have grinned.

  “I know what you’re up to!” one of the ghostly passengers bellows. “You will not turn right. I’ll make sure of it!”

  Glancing back, you see the ghost pluck his head right off his neck. You try not to gag.

  Then he throws it at you!

  You manage to duck, but the head hovers right in front of your face. “Drive and die!” it whispers.

  Your hands shake so hard, you can barely grip the wheel. But you have to make that right turn!

  It won’t be easy. Not with that ghostly face scowling at you. In fact, it comes down to luck. So, think back to when you put on your shoes this morning. Which went on first? The left shoe or the right?

  If you put on your right shoe first, veer right to PAGE 95.

  If it was the left shoe, turn left to PAGE 40.

  As you watch the crumpled photo fall, the picture appears upside down to you.

  Upside down!

  “Floyd! Help me!” You run to Igor, the signboard robot, and grab its ankles. With Floyd’s help, you haul the robot up so its feet are in the air. Its sign — the score — is now upside down.

  Instead of reading:

  It reads:

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Big Al roars.

  “You said if there was any way we could turn this score into a win, you’d let everyone go,” you shout. “You played Patty — a girl. Look at the sign! It says ‘he loses.’ It must mean you!’

  Picking up the photograph, you hold it under Big Al’s nose — upside down. “Here you are, standing on your head. The sign says ‘he loses.’ Big Al loses!”

  The muscles in Big Al’s jaws knot, and you can hear his teeth grinding.

  Then he opens his mouth — and lets out a huge, bellowing scream! The world starts to turn, to spin, to whirl….

  Turn, spin, whirl to PAGE 78.

  You head for the top floor of the tower. You find Big Al’s office and dash through the door.

  Luckily, Big Al isn’t inside. His desk is covered with screens, buttons, and dials. You read the labels aloud. “‘Ride Controls. Game Controls. Space/Time Door Controls.’”

  Wow! You turn to Floyd. “Can you figure this out? Those Space and Time controls might help us!”

  “I can try,” Floyd says. He sits at the desk and begins pressing buttons. A humming sound fills the room. Then a glowing dot appears in the air. It grows into a large rectangle.

  A doorknob appears on the right side of the rectangle.

  Patty stares, astonished. “It’s a door!”

  Uh-oh. You hear footsteps! “Can you hurry?” you gulp. “I don’t think we have much time!”

  Floyd plays with the Space and Time dials. “I’m not sure I’ve got the numbers right for the door thingy,” he murmurs.

  The heavy footsteps get closer. It has to be Big Al!

  “Come on!” you beg.

  “Ten more seconds,” Floyd mutters.

  “We don’t have ten seconds!” you screech.

  To leap through the Space/Time Door now, turn to PAGE 94.

  To wait as your cousin asks, turn to PAGE 91.

  You dash through the tin spaceship into the Guess Your Weight on Jupiter booth. The booth’s walls and roof are made of old-time computers with buttons and dials. A hairless alien with orange skin smiles at you from behind a control panel. “Welcome, Earthlings,” it says.

  “Look at that awesome makeup,” Floyd says to you and Patty. “Or do you think it’s a mask?”

  “I-I don’t know,” you stutter. Here at the Carnival of Horrors, it could easily be a real alien.

  You peer around Patty toward the entrance to the booth. At least none of the carnival people are following you.

  The alien recites what sounds like a memorized speech. “Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system. It has many moons.”

  The computer screens lining the walls flash pictures of the planet Jupiter.

  “Jupiter is much, much larger than the planet Earth,” the alien continues. “That means there is more than twice as much gravity.”

  Turn to PAGE 75.

  You fl
ing your arm around, trying to throw off the baby squid. It hangs on with its toothed tongue.

  “MMMFF!” Floyd grunts. A little squid has landed on his head. Its tentacles wrap around Floyd’s jaw, clamping his mouth shut. It’s using another set of tentacles to choke him!

  You wade over to try to help your cousin. But you stagger in midstep. Three more squid have grabbed your legs!

  “What gives?” you yell at the invisible referee. “We asked for a small opponent!”

  “And that’s what we gave you!” the announcer answers. “You wrestle your combined weight in squid. So we gave you two hundred fifty pounds’ worth. Of the small size.”

  “Hey, look!” Patty cries. She holds up a squirming pair of squid. “I tied two of them together!”

  Maybe that’s the solution! Tie all the tentacles together.

  “SQUID! SQUID! SQUID! SQUID!” the crowd cries.

  No one seems to be cheering for you humans anymore. You flush with anger. You feel like throwing the squid at the audience.

  Hey — maybe that would work!

  Should you tie the squid together? Turn to PAGE 124.

  Or should you throw the squid at the crowd? Turn to PAGE 42.

  You feel the boat bump up against an underwater dock. “Here we are!” the man announces cheerfully.

  You, Floyd, and Patty scramble out of the boat — and splash down in water up to your armpits!

  “Hey! Couldn’t you take us closer to shore?” you ask.

  “Oh, no! I might scratch the bottom of the boat. Besides, this is the best place for the next wrestling match!”

  “Who’d be crazy enough to wrestle a squid?” Patty wonders.

  “Why, you three!” replies the rapidly retreating man. “Which kind do you want, small or jumbo?”

  “Hey! Wait! Don’t leave us here!” Floyd begs.