Return to the Carnival of Horrors Read online

  BEWARE!!

  DO NOT READ THIS

  BOOK FROM

  BEGINNING TO END!

  It’s back!

  And it wants you …

  Your aunt and uncle have a surprise. They’re taking you to a carnival. But once you get there, you realize it’s the Carnival of Horrors! Noooooooo!

  “Play or pay,” says Big Al, the evil carnival manager. You have till midnight to find the ride that will get you out. Or you can try to beat Big Al at his own games.

  So choose: fight squid and ride the Roller Ghoster, or test your game skills at the most sinister arcade ever. One thing is for sure — you’d better hurry….

  You are in control of this scary adventure. You decide what will happen.

  Start on PAGE 1. Then follow the instructions at the bottom of each page. You make the choices. Choose wisely.

  AND NOW, TAKE A LONG, DEEP BREATH. CROSS YOUR FINGERS. AND TURN TO PAGE 1 TO GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS!

  Contents

  Beware!!

  Title Page

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  38

  39

  40

  41

  42

  43

  44

  45

  46

  47

  48

  49

  50

  51

  52

  53

  54

  55

  56

  57

  58

  59

  60

  61

  62

  63

  64

  65

  66

  67

  68

  69

  70

  71

  72

  73

  74

  75

  76

  77

  78

  79

  80

  81

  82

  83

  84

  85

  86

  87

  88

  89

  90

  91

  92

  93

  94

  95

  96

  97

  98

  99

  100

  101

  102

  103

  104

  105

  106

  107

  108

  109

  110

  111

  112

  113

  114

  115

  116

  117

  118

  119

  120

  121

  122

  123

  124

  125

  126

  127

  128

  129

  130

  131

  132

  133

  134

  135

  136

  137

  Teaser

  About the Author

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “AAAAAAAAAGH!” you scream. You sit straight up in bed. The room is pitch-black. Your heart pounds in terror.

  You take a shaky breath. It was only a bad dream, you tell yourself. The same bad dream you always have. About the Carnival of Horrors.

  That terrifying carnival came to your town last summer. But instead of taking the usual rides and playing the same hokey games, you had to fight for your life! Somehow, you escaped.

  You sigh and lie back down. Your eyes begin to adjust to the darkness.

  Hey. Wait.

  This isn’t your room!

  Turn to PAGE 2.

  You open your mouth to scream again. Then you realize where you are. You’re in your bedroom on your aunt and uncle’s farm. They invited you and a friend for a visit.

  Your door opens, and your friend Patty steps into the room. “You woke me up,” she complains. “I don’t know which is worse, you or that dopey, noisy rooster.” She peers at your sweaty face and the rumpled sheets on your bed. “Dreaming about the Carnival of Horrors again?”

  You nod. Patty was trapped at the carnival with you.

  “You guys are awake?” Your cousin Floyd pokes his head into your room. “Amazing. You’re never up this early.”

  Floyd is a year younger than you and Patty. But he towers over you both. He’s really skinny and wears thick glasses. He’s a computer whiz but also a total klutz.

  “Want to help me milk the cows?” he asks.

  Poor cows. Floyd will probably trip and knock them over.

  “We have to get dressed,” you tell him. You sniff the air. Mmmmmm. Pancakes! “And eat!”

  “Good morning!” Aunt El greets you when you get downstairs. She brings a platter of pancakes to the table. “We have a big surprise for you kids!” she announces.

  Find out what it is on PAGE 3.

  “A surprise?” Patty says.

  “Is there a new movie?” you ask. The local theater has only one dinky screen. It’s been showing the same gooey love story for weeks.

  “Better than that!” Aunt El says. “A carnival has come to town!”

  A carnival? You choke on your pancake. “You guys go without me. I think I’m coming down with, um, whooping cough.” You cough a few times.

  They’re not buying it.

  “Nonsense!” Uncle Steve declares. “You don’t want to miss a treat like this!”

  But you do want to miss it! After the Carnival of Horrors, you never want to see another carnival again!

  You turn to Patty for help.

  No luck.

  “Great!” she cheers. “Can we go tonight?”

  You give her a stunned look. “Lighten up,” she whispers to you. “It won’t be that carnival. It will be fun!”

  You can’t argue your way out of it. By evening, you’re all in your uncle’s pickup truck, driving to the carnival.

  Turn to PAGE 4.

  “Hop out here, kids,” Uncle Steve says. He pulls up to the large colorful arches that mark the entrance to the carnival. “We’ll park and meet you at the cotton-candy stand.”

  You, Floyd, and Patty scramble out of the pickup. You gaze at the huge carnival in front of you. It’s bigger than some shopping malls you’ve seen.

  A roller coaster towers above the fairgrounds. Giant mechanical dinosaurs swing their heads back and forth over the high surrounding fence. “Cool,” you murmur in spite of your fear.

  “Come on!” Patty cries. She and Floyd charge through the entrance. You follow more slowly, still feeling nervous.

  Relax, you tell yourself. Carnivals are fun, remember?

  You step through the entrance. You hear whistles and bleeps coming from the midway. It must be at least three blocks long, lined by booths filled with flashing video games.

  At first, the blinking lights and blaring music dazzle you. Then you
realize the booths look familiar.

  So does the castle looming ahead of you. And the haunted house perched on the hill.

  Oh, no!

  “We’ve got to get out of here!” you gasp. “This is the Carnival of Horrors! It’s back!”

  Turn to PAGE 5.

  “Get out of here?” Floyd repeats. “We just walked in!”

  “You don’t understand!” you wail. “This is the Carnival of Horrors. It’s run by terrible creatures. They try to trap people here forever!”

  Patty glances around. You watch the color drain from her face. “This is the Carnival of Horrors,” she whispers. “Uh-oh. We’re in big trouble.”

  Floyd glares at you and then at Patty. “Quit trying to scare me,” he complains. “It’s not funny.”

  “Believe me, this is no joke,” you tell him. “And if we don’t find a way out of here fast, we may wind up as carnival prisoners ourselves.”

  Floyd gazes at you a moment. You can tell he doesn’t believe you. Then he shrugs. “Fine. Let’s say this is some kind of monster carnival. What do we do now?”

  “Maybe they haven’t noticed us yet,” you say. “We could mix in with the crowd on the midway and sneak back out.”

  “But last time, we used the rides to escape,” Patty argues.

  If you go to the midway, turn to PAGE 59.

  If you head for the rides, turn to PAGE 122.

  You kick hard, trying desperately to keep from going under. This is so weird, you think. I’m usually a good swimmer.

  And what’s with this life preserver? you wonder. It feels very heavy. Instead of helping you float, the life preserver seems to be dragging you down.

  You bring it up to your face. You peer closely at it. Why is the orange coating chipping away?

  Because it’s metal underneath! You’re using a life preserver made of lead.

  And you know what that means.

  You’re sunk!

  THE END

  In spite of your warning, Floyd reaches for the ticket. He grabs it and yelps in pain.

  You and Floyd stare at each other as you both realize the awful truth. You’ve both injured your video-game-playing hands!

  “What rotten luck,” Big Al purrs. “Well, there’s still one member of your team who can play. And as it says right there” — he points to the ticket on the ground — “I get to choose the game. And I choose Super-Fiend. I’m the carnival champ!”

  You have no choice. Patty starts playing. She tries her best at the unfamiliar game, but — well, you know the score.

  Big Al’s booming laughter sends shivers up your spine. “Hah!” he guffaws. “If you can turn this lousy score into a win, I’ll stand on my head and let everybody go!”

  The boy in the cap steps up. “Excuse me.” He plucks the photograph from your pocket. Furious, you snatch it back from him.

  You crumple the photo in your good hand. It curls around, showing Big Al standing on his head. You drop the picture to the ground as you desperately try to think of some way to save yourself and your friends!

  If you argue with Big Al, turn to PAGE 71.

  If something else occurs to you, turn to PAGE 47.

  Wind howls in your face as the Roller Ghoster goes through some hair-raising curves and down a steep hill. Patty and Floyd are screaming. But all the time, you peer ahead to the Hall of the Mountain King. You have to calculate the exact second to put your plan into action.

  The roller coaster climbs very high, then roars along a slope that seems to point straight down. You want to cover your eyes. But you can’t. You’ve got to keep looking for your chance.

  Now the tracks rise higher and higher, heading into a curve to the left.

  Oh, no! There’s a twenty-foot gap between one section of the curved track and the rest.

  “Dead Man’s Curve,” a ghostly voice croons behind you. “Our favorite part of the ride.”

  Turn to PAGE 107.

  Unfortunately, the squidlet you removed falls onto your other leg. It wraps its free tentacles around your ankles.

  It’s just as if someone tied your shoelaces together.

  SPLOSH! You fall facedown in the water.

  As you try to get back to your feet, more baby squid swarm over you.

  There are just too many of them. There’s no way to tie all those flailing tentacles together. You splash around in the water, sinking deeper. The yells of the crowd fade away.

  No doubt about it, the squid have definitely won this match. Hands down. Or tentacles down. And for that, you have to hand it to them. Or, tentacle it —

  Oh, never mind. Just face it. This is

  THE END.

  The three-eyed woman removes her blindfold. You hold your breath. Will she guess the symbol you landed on?

  Her finger reaches out and touches …

  That’s where you landed!

  Oh, no! Are you going to explode like the soldier?

  You squinch up your eyes and clench your fists, waiting for the big bang. But nothing happens. Except that suddenly, you feel lighter. And a little chilly. “Guess they missed,” you mutter.

  Patty opens her eyes — and screams!

  “What?” Floyd peeks between his fingers. And faints!

  “What’s wrong?” you demand. You glance down at yourself.

  Your arms and legs — they’re just bones! Your hands rush to your face. Bony fingertips click against your skull.

  You’re a skeleton!

  Now you understand. The symbols determine your fate. The soldier landed on a bomb, and he blew up.

  “No fair!” you cry. This wasn’t a game of skill, it was a game of skull — and crossbones!

  Don’t feel too bad. At least you’ll be a big hit on Halloween!

  THE END

  “As a matter-of-fact, I do have a camera,” you declare. You pull out the instant camera you won earlier. The one that reminded you of that GOOSEBUMPS story Say Cheese and Die! “But I don’t know if —”

  The boy doesn’t let you finish. “Great. Let’s line up here.” He beckons to a passing girl. “Would you mind snapping us?”

  The pale-faced young woman wears a long skirt and a bonnet. But she must have used instant cameras before. She points and clicks. A moment later, a picture is developing in your palm.

  You stare at the strange photo. You and Floyd aren’t in it! Instead, it shows the boy in the cap shaking hands with a grinning Big Al. Patty has a horrified look on her face. Letters gleam on the signboard robot with the words:

  FINAL SCORE:

  Beside Big Al, the score reads: 53507

  Beside Patty, it reads: 34

  Before you can figure out what the picture means, a loud, hearty voice calls you. “I understand you want to play a little game,” the voice booms.

  Yikes! It’s Big Al!

  Turn to PAGE 105.

  This is going to be tough, you think. “How will we know who to trust and who —”

  Before you can finish your sentence, Ernie stomps away from you. “Quit bothering me, you little brats!” he yells.

  “But — but —” you sputter. What’s with this guy? One second he’s offering to help you, and the next he’s treating you like an enemy. Talk about moody!

  Then you spot a big, hulking shape in the crowd. Big Al!

  “Quit wasting time!” the carnival manager roars at you. “You’re supposed to be playing our games, not annoying our other, um … guests!”

  You get the message. You glance at the two nearest booths. One has a sign blinking: LUCKY DAY! LUCKY DAY! LUCKY DAY!

  The other has a glowing hand that turns into a fist, and then an eye. Small lights spell out HAND–EYE CHALLENGE.

  Which game? you wonder. Then you remember Ernie. It’s time to put his offer to the test. Will he give you a hint?

  You gaze at Ernie. He stares toward the Hand–Eye Challenge. Then his right eye slowly closes.

  Was that your hint?

  If you take Ernie’s advice, turn to PAGE 13
3.

  If you don’t trust him, go to PAGE 27.

  As you open your mouth to answer, something pops into your brain. The message from the maze — “Any Year Is A Number.”

  “1902 and 1997,” you mutter. Hmmmmm. Both are years.

  But both are also numbers!

  Hey, there is a catch to this money test!

  “Come on, Kid, what’s your answer?” Big Buck demands.

  “1,997 dollar bills are worth more than 1,902,” you declare.

  “Um, eh, ah, er,” Big Buck stammers.

  “I just beat you, Big Buck!” You grin. “We won!”

  “Don’t forget your prize!” Patty pipes up.

  “Prize. Right.” Big Buck reaches under the counter and hands you a battered instant camera. “Here. Now beat it!”

  It’s not a great prize. But considering you’re at the Carnival of Horrors, it could be a lot worse.

  “Let me take your picture,” you say to Patty and Floyd.

  They pose in front of the booth. The camera flashes, and a moment later the picture slides out.

  But Patty and Floyd don’t smile up at you from the snapshot.

  Instead, it’s a picture of your friends screaming in terror as carnival creatures chase them!

  Turn to PAGE 77.

  “I’m with Patty,” you announce. “Let’s ride the Roller Ghoster.”

  This roller coaster seems a lot bigger than the one on your last adventure. It must take up a quarter of the fairgrounds, switching and branching. Some of its tracks wind around other attractions.

  Two tracks split off to either side of the castle in the middle of the carnival. That’s the Hall of the Mountain King. You squint at the section of rails that go behind the castle turrets.

  Is it your imagination, or is there a gap in the track over there?

  A roller coaster comes speeding along the nearer branch, distracting you. It sounds normal enough. The rattle and roar of the wheels mix with screams from the passengers.

  Well, maybe there’s a little too much screaming.

  Go to PAGE 45.

  “Sorry, but we don’t have a camera with us,” you explain.

  “Well, then, you need one,” the pale-faced boy insists. He points to some game booths nearby. “One of those games gives away cameras as a prize. You have to keep playing until you win a camera.”