The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock Read online

  You peer at the remote. That green ray that came out of it. Did it really make your player go crazy?

  You cross to the other side of the room and point the remote at the player. Cautiously, you press the button that seemed to turn the player off.

  No green ray. But the player blares on instantly. The music is so loud that you can hear it clear over on the other side of the room. Even though it’s coming through the headphones!

  Quickly, you press the button again. The music shuts off.

  You examine the remote more closely. What are all those buttons for? Especially that red one …

  Do you dare to find out?

  Sure you do. Press the red button on PAGE 91.

  “Find the what?” you shout. But it’s too late. The professor is gone.

  The roaring wind stops. You land sprawling on a slick, hard floor. The twins plop down beside you.

  “What happened?” Jason cries. “Where are we?”

  You gaze around. The room you’re in has no doors or windows. The only decorations on the gray walls are two built-in mirrors.

  “We came through the mirror,” you say slowly. You’re trying to stay calm.

  “That’s impossible,” Stacey objects.

  “Look around,” you order. “There’s no other way in.”

  “And no way out!” Jason wails.

  The three of you stare at each other. Impossible as it seems, you’re inside the mirror.

  And you’re trapped.

  Flip to PAGE 59.

  You and Jason hurry to the back of the garage. You glance toward the front. No sign of Professor Shock.

  “Come on,” you say. “Let’s find the ring.”

  But when you step through the green door, you forget all about Stacey’s ring. The room is packed with electronic gadgets and toys! Every shelf and table holds a cool-looking machine. Lights flash. Circuits buzz. A blackboard is covered with mathematical formulas. The walls are plastered with diagrams of machines.

  “I bet Professor Shock is an inventor!” Stacey exclaims. “This must be his workshop!”

  “What do all these things do?” Jason wonders.

  You’re studying two huge switches on the back wall. One’s red. One’s white. From the red switch, a red wire leads to the back of an eight-foot-tall copper robot. A white cable from the white switch leads to a high-tech pinball machine. It looks like the coolest game you’ve ever seen.

  You already know you’re going to pull one of the switches. The only question is — which switch?

  Pull the red switch to the robot on PAGE 35.

  Try the white switch to the pinball machine on PAGE 15.

  Then you slap your forehead. Of course! The answer is so simple you’re embarrassed it took you this long to think of it. You know how to escape the vines and find the sign to the Palace!

  “Walk backward!” you tell the twins.

  As fast as you can, you shuffle backward. The orange vine immediately starts unwinding. You breathe a sigh of relief.

  It’s hard to move through the thick vines and trees. Shoots and stems grab at your legs and arms. But you keep going. And, as you suspected, the path quickly clears.

  In a few moments you arrive at a familiar fork. Ahead of you are two signs. One says LOREO. The other says PALACE OF MIRRORS.

  “Let’s take the path to the Palace this time,” Jason says.

  You nod. It’s got to be better than the path you just tried!

  Turn to PAGE 109.

  You decide to try the red switch. You reach up behind the giant robot and flip the switch to ON.

  At first nothing happens. But then the robot’s eyes blink open. Red pinpoints of light shine out of them. It swivels its head. Left. Right. Left. Right.

  “Whoa. Excellent!” Stacey exclaims.

  “It looks dangerous,” Jason complains.

  You think the robot is the coolest thing you’ve seen in a long time. “Maybe we can make it clean up the garage!” you suggest.

  You aren’t sure how to control the robot. You try pushing it toward the green door. The metal man’s arms wave clumsily in the air. Then it takes a jerky step forward.

  “This is great!” Stacey says.

  Even Jason agrees, for once. “We won’t have to do any work at all now!” He whacks the robot enthusiastically on its copper back as it lumbers by him. “Go to it, pal.”

  The robot blinks. Gears whir.

  Then it spins around and grabs for Jason’s throat.

  “Help! It’s gone crazy!” Jason shouts. “Stop it!”

  Hurry to PAGE 86.

  “Wh-who’s there?” you stammer.

  “Never mind that. Just give me the professor’s remote control,” the deep voice growls.

  The remote?

  How does Deep Voice know about Professor Shock’s gadget? Did he follow you to the mall? Your mind races. You don’t know!

  But you do know you can’t give up the remote. If Deep Voice wants it so badly, it must be even more powerful than you thought. You’ve got to get it back to Professor Shock!

  “Yaaah!” you shout and shove your bike backward.

  CRASH! CLANG! BANG!

  “OWWW!” Deep Voice bellows.

  “Grab hands and run!” you order the twins.

  Holding hands, the three of you stumble forward. You can tell by his heavy footsteps that Deep Voice is close behind you.

  Then, dead ahead, doors suddenly swish open to reveal a small, lighted, wood-paneled room.

  An elevator!

  No time to wonder how it knew you were coming. You dash in. The doors close. The elevator starts to rise.

  A moment later, an alarm bell rings. The lights go out. And the elevator lurches to a stop.

  Turn to PAGE 89.

  The remote tumbles down. Hits the floor. Bounces once. And then —

  CRUNCCCCCHHHHH!

  Stacey’s blue car rolls over it. And flattens it.

  “Oh, no …” you groan.

  “NO!” someone else screams. Someone with a deep, hollow voice.

  You glance up. Red and Deep Voice are both standing by the edge of the bumper car ring, staring in horror.

  “You rotten kids!” Red bellows. “You broke the remote. You ruined all our plans!”

  That’s a plus. You still don’t know what Red and Deep Voice were up to, but you’re sure it was no good. So you’re glad that you stopped them.

  But on the minus side, now that the remote is broken, you have no way to turn off the bumper cars.

  In fact, you’re stuck. As the little cars zoom around and around the ring, you realize that they’re going way too fast for you to risk jumping out.

  Good thing you like bumper cars. Because you’re going to be bumping around in this one for a long, long time!

  THE END

  “What’s all the fuss?” a metallic voice grumbles.

  It’s Professor Shock’s robot! And it can talk! Professor Shock is the most brilliant inventor ever, you think.

  Uncle Jack pushes past you. “Where’s Professor Shock?” he demands. “We need to see him right away. We must join forces.”

  “No need,” the robot answers. “The battle is already over.”

  “The battle?” you gasp. “What battle?”

  The robot turns its red eyes on you. “The battle between the humans and the cyborgs,” it answers. “We won.”

  “We won!” Stacey cries, clapping her hands. “Did you hear? We won! That’s great news!”

  You’re not so sure. “Uh, by the way … which side are you on?” you ask the robot, trying to sound casual.

  “The side of the machines, of course,” the robot replies. “Our age is just beginning. Now, follow me … slaves!”

  The Machine Age may be just beginning. But for you humans, this is definitely

  THE END.

  You, Jason, and Stacey ride out to the old mall on the edge of town. As you draw near, you begin to wonder if this was such a good idea. The mall looks ev
en worse than you remembered! Weeds sprout from cracks in the pavement. Several of the windows are boarded up.

  “Why is your uncle’s store here?” you ask the twins.

  “He’s trying to sell it and retire,” Jason tells you. “But no one wants to buy it. So he’s kind of stuck.”

  “Uncle Jack’s store is on the third level,” Stacey calls over her shoulder. “Let’s cut through the garage.” She veers down the driveway into the lower level of the parking garage.

  You and Jason follow. Privately, you wish she’d gone around the garage. Sometimes you wish Stacey wasn’t so fearless.

  Like now. It’s pitch-dark in the garage. So dark that you have to climb off your bike. You can’t ride if you can’t see where you’re going!

  Are Stacey and Jason still with you? “Guys?” you call.

  “Here!” Stacey calls. Her voice comes from your left.

  “Over here.” That’s Jason. On your right.

  “Behind you,” a deep voice says in your ear.

  Yikes! Who’s that?

  Shh! Tiptoe to PAGE 36.

  “What are you kids doing?” Professor Shock demands. Dashing to the red switch, he turns it to OFF. A grinding sound, like a dying car engine, comes from the robot. Slowly its arms stop swinging. Its legs stop churning. Its head falls forward and clangs against its copper chest.

  An awful silence falls over the room.

  You gaze around at the horrible mess. The flat, black box from the desk is lying in two pieces at your feet. Trying not to draw attention to yourself, you pick them up and stuff them in your pocket. Maybe you can fix the box later.

  Professor Shock steps toward you. His face is red with anger. “I thought I told you not to come in here!” he growls.

  “Let’s go!” Stacey cries. She and Jason bolt out the door.

  You really want to follow them. But maybe you ought to apologize instead and offer to help clean things up.

  What will it be?

  Follow your friends out the door on PAGE 54.

  Apologize and offer to help on PAGE 26.

  “D-did you hear that?” Jason asks, his voice shaking.

  The moan swells again. Louder.

  “There’s someone else here!” Stacey cries.

  Who? Where? You glance around the shadowy basement.

  “It came from over there,” Stacey whispers, pointing toward the corner nearest the door. “Come on — we have to investigate!”

  You and the twins cautiously approach the corner.

  Then you spot two legs. Sticking out from under a bed.

  You and the twins stare at one another. Who’s under there? Nervously, you bend down and tug on the legs.

  A man slides out from under the bed. His hands are bound behind him. A gag is tied tightly over his mouth.

  Stacey gasps.

  “Uncle Jack!” she cries.

  Flip to PAGE 51.

  “I agree with Jason,” you announce. “Let’s wait here for our reflections. They have to come back.”

  You hope!

  Your words were brave enough. But the empty mirror is giving you major creeps. Shivering, you turn your back to it. “I mean, who ever heard of a reflection that could exist on its own?” you go on. “Right, guys?”

  There’s no answer.

  “Guys?” you repeat.

  “Uh …” Stacey’s voice is very faint. When you glance at her, her eyes are like two saucers. She’s staring at the mirror.

  You spin around.

  Yikes!

  Turn to PAGE 58.

  The copper robot lurches toward you. It’s going to take the Universal Remote and give it to Professor Shock. Who is definitely, completely, unquestionably … crazy!

  You can’t let him have the gadget. “No way!” you shout, and dodge behind the desk. The robot clanks after you.

  “Why make a fuss?” Professor Shock wants to know. “It’ll be nice when the world is mechanical. Machines are clean. They work hard. They never ask for days off. They’re much better than humans! Don’t fight me. Give up the remote.”

  The robot backs you into a corner. There’s no way out. Desperately, you aim the remote at the robot and punch some of the black buttons. A few of the shop machines whir on.

  But the robot pays no attention. It keeps coming after you.

  You clutch the remote. You won’t give it up without a fight!

  Then you have an idea.

  There are two buttons on the remote that you haven’t pushed yet. REWIND and FAST FORWARD. They might not do anything useful.

  On the other hand, what do you have to lose?

  Go ahead. Press one!

  If you press REWIND, turn to PAGE 100.

  If you press FAST FORWARD, go to PAGE 8.

  You decide to try to talk to the policeman. “Officer, it’s like this. We aren’t really from this world —” you begin.

  The policeman snorts. “Button it, kid. I don’t want to hear your tall tales.” He hustles you and the twins toward the lake.

  You don’t argue. The lake is where you want to go anyway.

  The policeman shoves you into a rowboat and then rows to a small island just offshore. On the island is a red schoolhouse with a bell on the roof. “Last stop,” he tells you. “Go on in. And don’t let me catch you playing hooky again!”

  “But —” Jason tries to say.

  The policeman raises his hand. “Get going!”

  You and the twins walk through the door into a classroom. Several students sit at desks. In front of a blackboard stands a scowling woman in an old-fashioned long dress.

  “Welcome, new students. I’m Ms. Silver,” she says.

  “Actually, we don’t belong here,” you say. “We’re —”

  “Of course you belong here,” Ms. Silver interrupts. “All children belong in school.”

  “But —”

  “Silence!” she orders. “Take seats in the back row and prepare for a quiz.”

  Go on to PAGE 56.

  “I’ll stay on the bike,” you decide. The thing is traveling along a definite route, almost as if it’s been preprogrammed. Which is pretty creepy. You figure you should stick around and find out where it’s going. And why.

  The bike zooms down a hill. Faster. Faster! Before long, it’s moving so fast the wheels start to give off a high-pitched noise. Almost like a scream.

  You clutch the handlebars and hunch down. Wind drags at your hair. Your clothes. It’s all you can do to stay on the seat.

  You’re really scared now. But it’s too late to jump off. At this speed, you’d splat on the pavement like a broken egg!

  The bike turns left at a white signboard and then races toward a high, barbed-wire fence. There’s a gate dead ahead. It’s open.

  As you whiz past the white sign, you manage to glimpse what it says.

  Uh-oh!

  What does the sign say? Read it on PAGE 22.

  “You’re right!” you call to Stacey. “Split up!”

  Stacey veers off to the right. Jason turns to the left. You keep racing straight ahead.

  You glance back. The bull is after you! He’s so close that you can feel his hot breath on the backs of your legs. His hoofs thunder louder…. And louder …

  It looks like the end for you. At least Stacey and Jason are safe, you think. Until Jason streaks past on your left.

  A bull just like the one behind you is hot on his heels!

  Hearing a scream, you glance to the right.

  A third identical bull is chasing Stacey.

  Somehow, the bull has split into three! And all three mad bulls are after you and your friends.

  Too bad! Splitting up seemed like a good idea. But now you’re going to be split for real — by the bull!

  THE END

  You’re fascinated by the mirror showing the country scene. “Let’s try this one,” you say. “If we don’t like what we find, we can always come back.”

  The twins agree. Trying not to feel silly, you poke your
left foot at the glass.

  Hey! It goes right through! The glass feels rubbery. It’s like walking through a bowl of Jell-O. Your arms and legs tingle.

  And then you’re on the other side.

  You glance around. You’re in a flower-dotted field. Jason and Stacey are beside you. Warm sun pours down. Birds are singing. In the distance, cows munch on grass.

  But there’s something wrong with the whole scene….

  “The grass! It’s blue!” Jason cries. “And the sky’s green!”

  He’s right! And now that you know what to look for, you notice that the cows are red and yellow, while the flowers are spotted black and white. The colors are reversed. Backward!

  “Where are we?” Stacey cries.

  “Who cares?” Jason says. “I want to go back.” He turns around. Then he gasps.

  “The mirror!” he shouts. “Where’s the mirror?”

  Go to PAGE 60.

  “Heads up!” you yell as the bike carries you away.

  It races down your walk and into the street. Straight for a speeding bus!

  You jam on the brakes. Nothing happens.

  You try to swerve to the left. But you can’t control the handlebars. They turn themselves to the right. The bus’s radiator looms in front of you. You stare, frozen in terror.

  Then you scrape past the bus. With only inches to spare.

  Whew!

  The bike darts in and out of traffic. It’s nerve-wracking, but there’s nothing you can do to control it. So you hang on and try to ignore the danger while you figure out what’s going on.

  Could this mechanical madness have anything to do with Professor Shock’s remote control? When you pressed that red button, did something happen after all?

  You suddenly notice that the bicycle is picking up speed. You’re already going so fast that the wind is making your eyes water. If you hit anything, you’ll be a goner for sure!