The Curse of the Creeping Coffin Page 3

  Suddenly, one of the other two coffins — one of the other Esteps! — starts to move!

  Oh, no! You chose the wrong Estep!

  It’s all over, all right. All over for YOU!

  Before your astonished eyes, the headstone creeps across the graveyard. Within seconds, it reaches the third row. When the headstone stops creeping, the word DIE is complete.

  And so is your adventure in this book. Complete. Finished. Done. As in …

  THE END

  P.S. Here’s a hint. Next time you try to defeat the creeping coffins, ask Elvira for help. Don’t leave so much to chance!

  “Help!” Robin screams as the knife drifts toward him.

  Oh, no! Right beside the floating knife is the ghost-boy.

  You grab the baseball bat and take a swing.

  The bat goes right through the ghost’s see-through body. He laughs as if you tickled him.

  Unfortunately, the bat comes out the other side of him and smashes right into Robin’s desk lamp.

  Oooops.

  The lamp flies off the desk and smashes onto the floor.

  “What was that?” a woman’s voice calls from the hallway.

  Uh-oh. Robin’s mom is on the way.

  Turn to PAGE 75.

  You hear a booming CRACK! In the next instant, the ghost of Brandon Estep rises up out of his grave.

  Is he the MPG? Have you chosen the right Estep?

  You peer at Brandon as he floats toward you. He’s a young guy wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket. With heavy metal spikes and chains. And a metal hand.

  A metal hand?

  A chill of terror runs through you. This must be him. The Most Powerful Ghost. The ghost with the iron hand.

  You raise the foil again. But the ghost lunges at you — and grabs your arm with his iron hand.

  Your arm freezes. You can’t move!

  For a moment, you panic. Then you remember what MacFarling told you. The date of Sarah’s death. It’s magic, somehow.

  Did you write down the date like MacFarling told you? Good. Then find the date and add up all four digits in the year. What’s the new number? Well, that’s your next page number. Turn to that page.

  You don’t remember the date? Turn to PAGE 96 and choose one of the Sarahs. Add up the digits in the year of her death and turn to that page.

  Suddenly, MacFarling swings into gear. He picks up a strange electronic box and heads for the door. “Come on,” he says. “We’ve got to hurry. Let’s go!”

  Finally — someone who can help you! You feel better already.

  MacFarling jumps into his car — an old VW Bug. You hop on your bike. As you ride to your grandmother’s house, he drives along beside you. He rolls down the window and talks to you the whole time.

  “Have the gravestones been moving around?” he asks.

  “Yes!” you exclaim. So, you’re not crazy! “Why are they doing that?”

  “I’m not sure,” he says. “I’ve only seen it once before. But I think they’re moving into position to spell out some kind of message — or curse.”

  Graves can spell? That doesn’t sound possible. But you’re ready to believe anything now. “How can we stop them?” you ask Mac.

  “It won’t be easy,” he tells you.

  You were afraid of that.

  Turn to PAGE 45.

  Forget this, you decide. Digger is too much of a jerk. You’d rather face the ghost alone.

  You climb down the ladder and start to head back home. Pretty soon, you realize that someone is walking beside you. You can hear his footsteps. You can feel the air moving, where he’s swinging his arm. You just can’t see him.

  It must be the ghost!

  “Leave me alone!” you shout at him, although you can’t see a thing.

  “Heh, heh,” he laughs under his breath. “You’ll never get away from me.”

  Oh, yeah? you think. We’ll see about that.

  Try to lose this guy on PAGE 79.

  OUCH.

  You land facedown at the bottom of the steps.

  Good thing it wasn’t a long flight of stairs. You’re only bruised and scratched. You scraped your chin, but nothing’s broken.

  “Ha, ha, ha!” you hear a boy’s voice say.

  You turn toward the voice. You want to see the jerk who made you trip.

  Hey — wait a minute.

  There is no jerk behind you. You blink to be sure.

  Yup. You’re sure.

  There’s absolutely no one standing at the top of the stairs! Or anywhere else!

  Turn to PAGE 44.

  You start to panic. The coffin feels — crowded. You try to sit up, but you bump your head. Ouch.

  Uh-oh. Was that … something moving?

  What is it? you wonder. Your heart races. Snakes? Worms? Rats?

  Something bumps your knee. You start banging on the coffin lid, trying to get out.

  “Hey — hold still,” a voice says.

  Slowly, the ghost-boy begins to materialize. He is squeezed in beside you. The coffin is so crowded now, you can hardly move.

  “Take my hand,” the ghost-boy says. “Time to continue the journey.”

  You stare at the ghost’s outstretched hand.

  If you take the ghost-boy’s hand, go to PAGE 82.

  If you don’t, turn to PAGE 98.

  Your stomach turns at the sight of her bloody neck. Then you notice the ghost’s body is still hovering below you. It floats up the steps and somehow attaches to her head.

  “Thank you,” she says once she’s in one piece. She hands you her foil. “I am the Keeper of the Sword. Take this — and use it as you will. Now I must return to my grave.”

  You remember Mac MacFarling’s instructions. “Wait!” you call. “What’s your name?”

  “Sarah,” she whispers as her form fades away.

  Then she’s gone.

  You run to the phone and dial MacFarling’s number. When he answers, you tell him you’ve got the sword.

  “Good,” MacFarling says. “Listen carefully. Find her grave in the graveyard. Write down the year of her death. It’s a special number. You’ll need it. Then plunge her sword into the grave of the MPG. That’s the only way to keep the graves from spelling out the curse.”

  “But how do I find the MPG?” you ask.

  “Oops,” MacFarling says. “Call waiting. Got to go!”

  He hangs up. Call waiting? you think. What a liar! He just doesn’t know how to help you find the MPG. Now what?

  If you go to the graveyard, turn to PAGE 96.

  If you think the MPG will come to you, turn to PAGE 125.

  A ghost fills the doorway. But this ghost isn’t just a filmy version of a live human being. This ghost isn’t like Elvira Martin.

  This ghost is hideous! His whole face is grayish-blue. His tongue and eyes bulge out. He looks as if he died while being choked. Then his blueish hands reach out for you.

  That does it. No way are you staying in this creepy haunted house for another minute!

  You run back downstairs to your grandmother. You beg. You plead. You cry. Then you pull out every trick in the book. Even the one where you fake a high fever by putting the thermometer on a light bulb.

  Eventually, your grandmother gives in. She calls your parents. They cut short their vacation, come pick you up, and take you home. They’re pretty steamed at you. But you don’t care. At least you’ve gotten away from that haunted house!

  You flop down on the bed in your room. That’s when you feel something poking you. Something in your bed!

  You sit up and stare at your blanket.

  It’s sliding around on the bed — all by itself!

  Slide over to PAGE 61.

  You turn and run out of the room, leaving Elvira snoring peacefully in your bed.

  You head back to the graveyard. You’re going to have to take a chance on one of the Estep boys. And fast! Before the graves move again.

  Only one letter left before the curse is comple
te. That’s what keeps going through your head.

  When you reach the graveyard you are almost out of breath from running up and down the stairs so many times. But the sight that greets you nearly takes your breath away completely. You think you might faint.

  The graveyard is filled with ghosts! Horrible ghosts. One of them — an old man with long, stringy hair — carries an ax. A woman sobs. A head without a body passes, then a body without a head. Each ghost is worse than the last!

  Then you remember the fencing foil in your hands. You raise the sword to fend them off. It works. They float all around the graveyard, but they don’t come near you.

  You run straight for the Estep graves.

  But which one? Melvin II or Brandon?

  You’ve got to choose.

  If you pick Melvin Estep II, turn to PAGE 27.

  If you pick Brandon Estep, turn to PAGE 47.

  “Ha, ha,” the boy’s voice taunts again.

  “Gotcha!” a girl’s voice joins in.

  Right in front of your amazed eyes, a boy and a girl slowly begin to materialize.

  When they finally take shape, you can see that they’re teenagers. But teenagers from a long time ago. The boy is dressed in a funny-looking black suit with a frilly white shirt and shiny black shoes. The girl is wearing a long, old-fashioned white linen dress. Her hair is braided and the braids are wrapped around her head three times.

  The boy and girl look almost solid — but not quite. You can see right through them.

  “Boo!” they shout at the same time. Then they double over with hysterical laughter.

  Your heart is still pounding wildly.

  Is this really happening? Or are you dreaming?

  There’s one way to find out. Pinch yourself.

  If it hurts, turn to PAGE 53.

  If it doesn’t, turn to PAGE 60.

  “First,” MacFarling explains, “you’ll have to fight the Keeper of the Sword. That’s one of the ghosts. You need to get the special sword — and use it to stop the MPG.”

  “What’s the MPG?” you ask.

  “The Most Powerful Ghost,” MacFarling says. “It’s a term for the spirit who has control over a graveyard.”

  “Once you have the sword,” Mac continues, “you must plunge it into the grave of the MPG. But you’ve got to hurry! Because when all the graves have moved into position and spell out the message — it’ll be too late! The curse will be complete. And after that, you’ll never be able to get the ghosts back into their graves.”

  Your head is spinning from what Mac just told you. But you nod as if you understand.

  You’ve arrived at your grandmother’s house. MacFarling stops his car and hops out. You get off your bike and park it. MacFarling faces your grandmother’s house and switches on the funky electronic box he’s carrying. Red dials light up. Then you hear a loud beeping sound.

  “Uh-oh,” MacFarling says. “Major trouble. Give me a dollar.”

  If you give MacFarling a dollar, turn to PAGE 57.

  If you refuse to give him money, turn to PAGE 74.

  The knife floats toward you and Robin. Quickly, you grab the needlepoint pillow. You hold it in front of you like a shield.

  Are you crazy? You’re going to use that pillow? The one Robin’s mother lovingly needlepointed for him? The one that took her seventy-four hours of finger-aching work to complete? You’re using it to block an attack from a flying knife?

  Oh, dear. We’re talking serious bad judgment here.

  The pillow, of course, is ripped to shreds. But that’s just the beginning. Just the first of many bad decisions you make in your life. For instance:

  A few weeks later, you’re at a picnic. You drop a blueberry muffin onto a big red anthill. The fire ants swarm all over the muffin. You decide to pick it up and eat it anyway.

  Your mother gives you a hundred dollars for your birthday. A beggar asks you for a quarter, but you don’t have any change. You tear off a piece of the hundred-dollar bill and give it to him instead.

  When you grow up, you win a TV game show. The prize is a new car! But the car is blue, and you hate the color. So you say “No thanks,” and give it back.

  See the problem? Of course none of this will happen — if you can learn how to choose more carefully.

  Go to PAGE 100 and choose again.

  You cross your fingers and decide to take a chance on Brandon Estep. You run over to his tombstone and stand in front of it.

  You hold the sword in both hands like a dagger, with the point down. Your hands tremble so much you’re afraid you’ll drop the sword. You tighten your grip and take a deep breath.

  Then you raise the sword above Brandon’s grave and prepare to plunge it into the ground.

  But something stops you.

  What happened? Find out on PAGE 36.

  Time is running out. That last coffin could creep into place before you even cross over to a grave! Then it will be all over. For you and your grandmother.

  You are too terrified to think.

  So you decide to guess.

  Well … what are you waiting for? Go ahead and guess.

  Which one is the Most Powerful Ghost?

  Melvin Estep? Melvin Estep II? Or Brandon Estep?

  If you pick Melvin Estep, turn to PAGE 34.

  If you pick Melvin Estep II, turn to PAGE 27.

  If you pick Brandon Estep, turn to PAGE 47.

  You follow Elvira to your room on the second floor. The moment you step into the bedroom, she slams the door.

  Then she whirls around to face you. Her eyes turn green and begin to glow.

  You back up, stumbling, and fall onto the bed.

  “You little wretch,” she says. “I don’t want any trouble from you!” Sparks seem to fly from her flashing green eyes. You shrink back into the pillows.

  Then Elvira gazes around the room. “Yes, yes,” she says. “This will do nicely.”

  “Wh-what do you mean?” you stammer.

  Elvira floats toward the bed. She hovers over you. “I’m taking over this room, now,” she tells you. “Get out!”

  You would love to leave, but you are shaking too hard to get up. Besides, you have to find out what’s going on! Elvira is the only one who can explain it to you.

  “Please,” you beg, “just tell me why you are here. And why are the graves moving?”

  “Shut up!” she screeches. “And get off that bed. I want to lie down! I haven’t slept in a bed in fifty-one years!”

  Uh-oh, you realize. You aren’t just dealing with a ghost here. You’re dealing with a ghost in a very bad mood!

  You’d better do what she says on PAGE 72.

  The next day, you and Robin meet right after breakfast. The ghost shows up an hour later. Right on time.

  “Okay,” the ghost says. “Here’s the deal. I want you to eat a plateful of worms.”

  “Are you kidding?” Robin blurts out.

  “Nope,” the ghost says. “You’ve got to eat worms. Stay here. I’ll get them.”

  The ghost’s body suddenly forms into a funnel shape and disappears into the ground in Robin’s front yard. He looks like a human tornado vanishing into the earth.

  When he zooms back up, the ghost has a handful of worms.

  He walks over to Robin’s front porch. Sitting on the steps is a small plate.

  “Eat these,” the ghost says, dumping the worms on the plate.

  “Yuck!” Robin says. “No way!”

  “If you don’t,” the ghost says, “I’ll haunt you for the rest of your life. Like this.” The ghost makes himself into an airy tornado again. But this time, the funnel flows into Robin’s head. It goes in one ear — and out the other!

  “Yeow!” Robin screams. “Okay! Okay! I’ll eat them!”

  Turn to PAGE 109.

  You stare at the glowing ghostly face. Your mouth drops open as the face rises out of the moose head. The woman’s face floats up and hangs in midair, right in front of you.

  “Thank
you,” the head says. “You have released me from my trap.”

  Her eyes are large and bright blue. Her ruby lips shimmer in the darkness. Her long black hair hangs down, falling below her neck.

  Her neck? You glance at it — and try not to scream.

  Torn flesh dangles from the bottom of her neck. Blood drips from the ragged edges.

  Suddenly you realize what you’re seeing. It looks as if her head has been chopped off!

  Try not to faint. Turn to PAGE 41.

  “Okay,” you say to the ghost. “I’ll do anything. Just help us!”

  “Good,” the ghost-boy answers.

  An instant later, you hear Lark go flying to the floor.

  “Yeow!” Lark yells as he hits the rug hard.

  You and Robin stop running. You turn and laugh.

  “Quit snickering, you little twerps,” Lark snarls as he clambers to his feet. “You’re dead meat.”

  He comes toward you and Robin, one hand clenched in a fist. The ghost-boy winks, and the rug flies out from under Lark. He sprawls on the floor again.

  You and Robin laugh so hard you double over.

  For the rest of the night, every time Lark or one of his buddies tries to come after you, the ghost pulls a prank. Nothing big. Nothing that would make Lark suspect anything. Just enough to keep the guys from bothering you.

  You and Robin sleep very peacefully that night.

  The next morning, when you get home, the ghost is in your room, waiting for you. “Okay,” the ghost says. “Time to keep your promise. Let’s go.”

  Go? Go where?

  Find out on PAGE 84.

  No doubt about it. You are definitely awake. This is really happening. Which means you are face-to-face with two teenage ghosts.