Deep in the Jungle of Doom Page 2

“Okay, if you’re so brave,” the troll says, “then you must read lots of scary books. Have you ever heard of R.L. Stine?”

  “Of course!” you shout. Your voice echoes down the hallway. You’re a GOOSEBUMPS expert! You’re going to ace this question!

  “In the book, Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes, a vicious animal scares the lawn gnomes away. Is it a bat? Or a dog?”

  Easy, you think to yourself.

  Either say: “It was a bat!” and flip to PAGE 90.

  Or say: “It was a dog!” and flip to PAGE 30.

  You make a hard left and dive off the path. Out of sight of the hunters, you quickly slip into the giant flower.

  Immediately, the pink-and-white petals close in around you. You couldn’t have asked for a better hiding place. You’re totally hidden from view.

  The sweet smell inside the flower almost overpowers you. It makes you want to sneeze. So you hold your breath.

  “Where did it go?” James calls.

  “This way,” Gwen cries, leading the hunting party right past your hiding place.

  Whew! It worked! The hunters pass you by.

  You catch your breath and push at the flower petals with your hands and feet.

  It won’t open up!

  You push harder. You strain with all your might. You scratch at the petals with your strong monster claws.

  But nothing works. You’re trapped inside!

  The petals tighten around you and slowly begin chewing.

  That’s right, chewing. Not all flowers just drink water, you know.

  First you were a kid, then you were a monster.

  Now you’re just plant food.

  THE END

  You can’t believe your eyes! The bat is the most hideous thing you’ve ever seen. Its wings are folded around its hairy brown body. It has enormous ears that are so thin you can see the veins running through them. Two beady black eyes are watching you and Cronby carefully.

  The bat opens its mouth and talks! “What did you say about me?”

  “Oh, no!” Cronby shouts. “I wasn’t talking to you!”

  “I heard you,” the bat says. “You said ‘naughty bat’!”

  “I wasn’t talking to you, I swear!” Cronby stammers.

  “I’ll teach you to call people names!” the bat squeaks.

  “I guess I’ll just be going,” you mutter, trying to slip away.

  “Oh, no you don’t,” the bat squeaks turning to you. “I heard you call me a ‘bad bat.’ ”

  You try to argue with the bat, telling it that you just said “big bat.”

  But bats seem to think they have very good hearing!

  So much for that theory! But one thing this bat does have is very good teeth. Too bad for you and Cronby.

  THE END

  “I don’t want to scare them!” you tell Ben quietly. “I’ll just explain who I am. They’ll understand everything after I eat the Fireheart fruit and turn back into myself.”

  “Who’s there?” barks Mrs. Wheedle. “Is that one of my Explorers? Step out where I can see you!”

  “It’s just me,” you call. “Don’t be scared! I can explain!” You step out from behind the bush.

  Mrs. Wheedle takes one look at your sharp teeth, fishy gray skin, and huge globby eyes and faints. THUMP!

  And just like that, the whole rest of the group passes out, too. THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! THUMP, THUMP! THUMP, THUMP!

  You and Ben can’t help but laugh. “I tried not to scare them!” you say. Stepping over Mrs. Wheedle, you pluck one of the ripe, red Fireheart fruits. You sink your teeth into it.

  Immediately, you feel your skin tighten and your head start to shrink. It happens so quickly that you don’t bother finishing the fruit. You’re a kid again! More or less …

  Back at the hotel, you tell the whole story during dinner with your family. They all think you’re joking until a fly lands on the tablecloth. ZAP! Your long, sticky tongue shoots out and catches the fly.

  Guess you should have eaten the whole Fireheart fruit. But then, there’s a little monster inside everyone, in

  THE END.

  “Get BACK!” you shout, turning to face the cave creatures.

  “Yeah!” yells Zoe. “Get LOST!”

  You pick up a stone and hurl it at the creatures. It hits one of them right on the head.

  “WAAAHHH!” it wails.

  Zoe throws a rock.

  The cave creatures turn around and run like crazy!

  They’re bawling like babies!

  “Yes!” you exclaim.

  “We did it!” Zoe shouts. You turn to her and give her a high five.

  “Now let’s get out of here before we melt!” you say.

  “For real!” Zoe agrees. “I’m so sweaty, you could pour me into a bucket.”

  Race to PAGE 86.

  As fast as you can, you empty your pockets of the jewels. You’re just small enough to slip out into the tunnel before the ceiling meets the floor with a resounding crunch.

  A spray of crunched jewels showers your back as you race down the tunnel to meet Zoe.

  You carefully slide the timepiece out of your shirt pocket. The Palooka is nearly up — there’s only about a half an inch of sand in the glass! Not a second to lose.

  “Zoe! Are you there?” you call out.

  “I found the last piece of gold!” she answers. “But I don’t know how to get it out!”

  Zoe leads you down a tunnel to a small cave. A glassy pool of water is in the center of the cave. And right in the center of the pool, you see it.

  “I can’t believe it!” you exclaim.

  What do you see? Look closer on PAGE 100.

  “You’re one of the kids from my Junior Explorers Club, aren’t you?” Ben asks as he steps over to you. “You must have snuck away from the group just like I did.”

  You’re so glad he’s not scared of you!

  “Yes,” you manage to say. The goop in your throat is sliding away. Or maybe you’re just learning how to speak through it.

  “And I’ll bet that you came into this clearing, saw this table, and ate one of the magic fruits from this basket!

  “It turned you into a fish monster! You fell right into their trap!” he declares.

  Suddenly, Ben lifts his nose and sniffs the air. A dopey smile spreads over his face.

  As if in a trance, he stumbles to the table and grabs a banana from the basket. He holds it close to his nose and inhales the delicious odor. You know just what he’s feeling!

  “No! Ben!” you shout. “Don’t eat the fruit!” Your voice still comes out all froggy.

  Ben peels the banana!

  If he eats it he’ll probably turn into a monster, too!

  Try to stop him on PAGE 79.

  You get down on your hands and knees in front of the small dirt tunnel.

  “Good luck,” Zoe says. “I hope you find the way out!”

  “See you in five minutes. Here goes nothing!” you say as you start tunneling through the hole.

  You crawl on your belly through the dark passageway. Rich earth from the sides of the tunnel covers your whole body. It’s caked all over your face and jammed under your fingernails. Finally, you squeeze out of the tunnel with a plop! You’re outside in the jungle!

  The only problem is: You’re in some kind of a pit! Steep, square walls go up about fifteen feet.

  It’s great to be out of the cave and all those dark, winding tunnels, but am I really better off now than I was before? you wonder while staring at the smooth walls of the pit.

  You’ve got a tough decision to make: Should you go back for Zoe now? Your five minutes are almost up. Or should you try to get out of the pit first to make sure that you can get out?

  Turn to PAGE 113 to go back for Zoe first.

  Turn to PAGE 80 to try getting out of the pit.

  Where did Zoe go, anyway? Wasn’t she right behind you? Or was she too chicken?

  You turn to scramble back to the mouth of the cave. But you stop to listen
when you hear a voice.

  “There’s your supper,” someone says. It’s Zoe’s voice! It’s echoing through the cave. “Now you’ll let me go, right?”

  Supper? Let me go? Who’s she talking to? What’s going on?

  That’s when the sides of the cave turn smooth. And the floor starts to move, like a long pink escalator.

  Like a long pink tongue.

  With a horrified gasp, you realize why the air in this cave feels so humid … You’re not in a cave, you’re in the mouth of a giant stone beast, as big as a whole mountain!

  How is that possible? How did Zoe know? And why would your best friend betray you?

  Those are good questions, but unfortunately you don’t have time to worry about them.

  In fact, you only have about five seconds before you land in the beast’s acid-filled stomach. Four … three … two … one …

  THE END

  You carefully make your way toward the area you were exploring earlier with the Junior Explorers.

  That tree with the fruits that look just like little hearts must be around here somewhere, you think to yourself.

  You push away some thick vines and see before you a small clearing in the jungle. Right in the center is the tree you saw earlier. You really hope it’s the Fireheart tree!

  It is a small tree with dull, flat leaves and gray bark. The branches are loaded down with pretty red heart-shaped fruits.

  “Look!” you exclaim. “Ben, I found the tree I was telling you about!”

  “Shhhh!” Ben grabs you by the arm and pulls you back behind a fuzzy, flowering bush.

  “Quiet,” he whispers. “Someone’s coming!”

  Hurry to PAGE 57.

  You’re trapped in a pit with two tiger skeletons!

  They circle you slowly. The wind whistles through their bones. Their jaws snap open and closed. You can tell they’re dying to take a bite out of you.

  They don’t have stomachs, so you figure they can’t really eat you. But they still have all their teeth!

  You back into the corner, being careful not to step on any more bones.

  The tigers approach, their tails clicking softly as they lash from side to side.

  You remember an old jungle movie you once saw. The hero sang to a wild tiger and put it to sleep. Maybe that would work on a tiger skeleton, too!

  Or maybe you could leap up on one of the tiger’s heads and make a jump for the edge of the pit. You’re pretty athletic.

  Either way, you’ve got to act quickly!

  To sing a song for the tigers and try to calm them, turn to PAGE 117.

  To make a jump for it, turn to PAGE 59.

  You can’t see around the boulder to see who it is that’s wearing the weird little shoe, but you’re sure that whoever it is had something to do with the disappearance of your friend.

  “Who’s there?” you repeat.

  “Just me — your friendly neighborhood troll!” A tiny man steps out from behind the rock. He carries a bright lantern that casts a flood of light in the tiny chamber.

  The troll is wearing a cute little mountain climber’s outfit — complete with lederhosen and striped white-and-green stockings. A white beard covers his wrinkled face. He would look like a tiny clown, but he has an evil expression on his face. His mouth is set in a hard line and his eyes, you realize with shock, are RED.

  “Where’s my friend?” you ask the troll.

  “Well, that’s no way to greet someone!” the fellow snaps. He walks over to you. He comes up to your waist. “My name is Cronby. What’s yours?” He extends his hand up to you. He leans toward you with his hand out, scowling. There’s something wicked in those red eyes….

  Do you shake his hand? Go to PAGE 29.

  Or do you avoid his handshake? Turn to PAGE 81.

  You pull the gummy leaf off your face. Your leg is stuck fast in some kind of hole. Blinking to clear your eyes, you gaze down at your foot.

  That’s when you see that the hole you just stepped in is no ordinary hole.

  It’s a giant anthill of enormous red ants.

  “Pull your leg out before the ants get mad!” Ben advises. “And hurry up! We’ve got to find the Fireheart tree!”

  “I can’t pull my foot out! It’s stuck!” you exclaim. You pull with all your might. Bending down, you scrape at the anthill with your sharp new claws. You huff and wheeze with the effort. It’s no good!

  The red ants begin to swarm around your ankle!

  “Quick, Ben!” you shout. “Grab that stick and try to dig my leg out!” You nod your head toward a big stick on the ground.

  “I don’t know if that will work,” Ben says. “Maybe I should pour some water from my canteen onto the ants. That would drown them! What do you want me to do?”

  To have Ben dig your leg out with the stick, go to PAGE 60.

  To have him drown the ants, go to PAGE 89.

  The Warrior Woman’s spear is aimed right at your heart!

  You feel the sharp stone point of her spear graze your arm as the spear comes closer. You squeeze your eyes shut.

  At the last possible moment, the head Warrior Woman flicks the blade to the left. Instead of plunging the spear into you, she cuts one of the ropes of the net.

  You and Ben tumble down to the ground!

  “Hee-hee-hee!” The Warrior Women guffaw as if it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever seen.

  “I’m glad they think it’s funny,” Ben mumbles. He polishes his glasses on his shirt. You both are lying on the ground, covered in dirt. The head Warrior Woman holds up her hand for silence. The other women stop laughing abruptly.

  The Warrior Woman drops to all fours right next to you. She peers into your face, examining you closely. You can see your own reflection in her large black pupils. Your gooey gray skin, your big glassy black eyes, your rows of sharp teeth.

  The Warrior Woman reaches up to scratch her back. A tiger-skin bag hanging from her side falls open. Inside you see a shrunken head!

  You draw back in shock.

  Go to PAGE 95.

  You don’t want to be rude so you lean down to shake his hand. As you’re shaking his hand, the troll gazes into your eyes and smiles a slow, menacing smile.

  Why, those eyes aren’t so bad after all! you think to yourself. I can see my reflection in them! And there’s something else.

  You gaze deeper into the troll’s twirling red eyes.

  There’s your mom! And your dad! There’s your house! What are they doing in there?

  The eyes twist you around. You feel dizzy. The rocks of the cave are spinning. Yet you search deeper into his eyes.

  Your mom and dad are crying! They’re crying over someone….

  You look deeper. Deeper. Deeper into the red eyes.

  THEY’RE CRYING OVER YOU! Because they’ll never see you again.

  While you’ve been gazing deeper and deeper into the tiny man’s eyes, he’s been hypnotizing you. He has made you his slave for the rest of your life.

  Too bad you couldn’t resist that handshake, ’cause now you’ll never be able to resist anything the troll tells you to do.

  THE END

  “It was a dog. Joe and Mindy’s dog, Buster,” you say with confidence.

  You watch as the troll’s face turns scarlet. His skin almost matches the fiery color of his eyes.

  “NO! NO! NO!” he screams.

  “You mean I got it wrong?” you gasp.

  “No! You got it right! I made the question too easy!”

  Excellent! You did it!

  “NO! NO! NO!” Cronby screeches, throwing his body on the ground and hammering it with his tiny fists. “I haven’t had a meal in twenty years,” the troll moans.

  “That’s your problem! I won fair and square!” you declare. “Now show me where Zoe is and give me my gold!”

  “Why don’t you give me one last chance? We could bet for another piece of gold …” he wheedles. “That way you would have all three and you could go free.”

&n
bsp; You hesitate. “I don’t know.”

  “Come on, it’ll be fun!” he pleads. “I’ll ask you another R.L. Stine question. After all, time is running out.”

  It’s a hard call, but you’ve got to make a decision:

  Do you bet for the third piece of gold? Turn to PAGE 114.

  Or do you grab Zoe and the two pieces of gold and get away from the troll? Turn to PAGE 38.

  No. It’s not another stone beast you see behind the waterfall. It’s the mouth of a cave!

  “We might not be able to go up the waterfall,” you say to Zoe. “But maybe we can go through it! Come here and look!” Clutching your floating stick, you paddle over toward the pounding falls and mist. Zoe follows you.

  “Cool!” Zoe shouts. “There’s a cave behind the falls! Maybe we can crawl through and find a way out of this mess!”

  You take a deep breath and dive down — stick and all — under the tremendous spray created by the waterfall. The water pushes you down. For a moment, your eyes and ears fill with the pounding foam.

  When you come up again, you are behind the sheet of water in the mouth of the cave. The sunlight shines through the mist, creating tiny rainbows in the air. It’s pretty to look at the pool through the waterfall. The cave behind you isn’t nearly so pretty.

  Dark jagged rocks cut out from its black mouth. A warm, moist wind blows against your face.

  Then you feel something slimy brush against your leg underwater. What was that? you think. But before you can think again, IT GRABS YOUR FOOT AND PULLS YOU UNDER!

  Quick! Splash over to PAGE 125.

  “It’s ‘Tanya the Terror’!” you declare with pride.

  “WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” Cronby shouts with glee. “I win! I win!”

  Oh, no! You got the answer wrong!

  You get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach.