Diary of a Mad Mummy Read online

You stare at the surgical tools in terror. You want to scream. You want to yell for help. But when you open your mouth, no sound comes out.

  You can’t talk!

  You’ll never be able to explain that you’re really a kid! What will you do?

  You’re desperate to escape. You scan the room, searching for something — anything — that will help you. You spot a chemical beaker full of some kind of clear liquid. You pick up the beaker and toss the liquid in Dr. Lacey’s face!

  “Hey!” she sputters. “He just threw water at me!”

  Water? Your heart sinks. That was the only plan you had. And it didn’t work.

  These doctors are going to open you up for sure!

  Turn to PAGE 31.

  You enter the cool, dark tomb with Mohammed right behind you. He carries a torch to light the way.

  The passageway, a narrow corridor made of large stone blocks, is creepy. You feel as if someone — or something — might jump out at you at any minute.

  You walk a few more steps forward and come to a place where the passageway splits into a fork, or a Y.

  “Which way?” you ask.

  “Follow your heart,” Mohammed answers mysteriously.

  My heart? you think. Is that some kind of clue?

  Let’s see.

  Your heart is on the left. Is that what he means? Should you take the passage to the left?

  You peer down the left passageway and see nothing but darkness. A horrible, empty darkness — as if no one has ever returned from that path.

  Then you peer down the passageway to the right. It looks wider than the other one and brighter. It isn’t nearly so dark.

  If you take the passageway to the left, turn to PAGE 123.

  If you take the passageway to the right, turn to PAGE 79.

  Your bandages, the ones the mummy-kid is unwrapping, have trailed across his arms.

  All at once, they start to wrap themselves around him just as they had mysteriously clung to you. They bind him quickly. Tightly. They seem to have a life of their own, as if they want to choke him to death.

  The mummy-kid’s eyes flash with fear.

  “No!” he cries, trying to pull away.

  Yes! you think. This is it! This is how I can trade places with him again!

  If you can just get all the bandages off in time …

  Then they’ll wrap around him, just as they wrapped around you in the lobby of the Pyramid Building.

  As fast as you can, you start to unwrap the rest of your bandages.

  Quickly, you unwrap the horrible gauze so that it will be free to encircle the mummy. The bandages wind themselves around his face, his neck, his body. They pin his arms to his sides so he can’t move!

  Turn to PAGE 111.

  The guard flips a coin and it comes up tails.

  “Good,” George says. “I win. Now, listen to me.”

  You listen, too, from inside your mummy case in the trunk.

  But you can’t hear a thing. And a moment later, George slams the trunk shut and the car takes off.

  Whoa! you want to cry as you feel the car zooming up and down the famous San Francisco hills. Your stomach would be turning over right now — if you had one — the hills are so steep. It feels as if you’re on a roller coaster.

  George drives like a maniac. You can hear the tires squeal around the corners as he makes sharp turns.

  Finally, the car slows down and eases to a stop.

  Where are we? you wonder.

  You hear a foghorn. And the sound of water lapping at the sides of a pier. You figure you must be near a dock. You can almost smell the salty air from inside the wooden case.

  Why would they bring me to a pier? you wonder. Then you get a sinking feeling.

  Turn to PAGE 55.

  The guard could be making the noise. Or it could be the mummy.

  Either way, you don’t want to be found.

  Hide — fast!

  You dash across the lobby and dart behind a pillar.

  SCRAPE … SCRAPE …

  It sounds as if someone is dragging his feet across the floor. And whoever it is, is still headed your way.

  Who could it be?

  You are halfway to the exit. Your knees tremble with fear, but you can’t help being curious.

  You have to make a decision.

  If you stay to find out who it is, turn to PAGE 45.

  If you leave now and go back to the hotel, turn to PAGE 88.

  Before you can protest, Web Woobly climbs onto another camel. As soon as his camel starts walking, yours follows.

  “Where are we going?” you ask nervously. Suddenly, this doesn’t seem like a great idea. Especially since the camel isn’t very comfortable to sit on. And, boy, does it stink!

  “To Cairo,” Web replies.

  Slowly, the two of you make the bumpy nine-mile camel ride to the capital city of Egypt. When you arrive, Web takes you to a small café on a busy street and orders you the promised glass of lemonade.

  “Now, my young friend,” Web says. “Let’s talk about the diary. How does two thousand dollars sound?”

  Well — how does it sound?

  If you like Web’s offer, take it on PAGE 63.

  If you think you can get more, bargain with him on PAGE 114.

  A dead mummy coming alive again? You want to see that!

  You hold the diary hidden inside your shirt and look around for Susie. “Coming, Mother!” you say. You’ll come back tonight and find out if what the diary says is really true.

  “See you later,” you whisper to the mummy. He looks completely dead to you. But … you know you saw his arm move.

  You keep the diary hidden in your shirt during dinner in Chinatown. You never get a chance to read it. Back at the hotel, Susie is hungry again. She insists on ordering from room service, but they never show up. She wants to stay up waiting, but eventually your parents make you all go to bed.

  Finally, when everyone else is asleep, you sneak out of the hotel. The cool, foggy night air makes you shiver as you walk two blocks to the Pyramid Building. The streets are empty at this time of night.

  When you reach the building, you slip in through the open front door — and find the lobby guard asleep. He’s sitting on a stool, slumped over a tall reception desk. A small light on his desk gives the cavernous lobby an eerie glow.

  You step past the guard, toward the displays in the center of the lobby. After a minute, your eyes adjust to the dim light.

  Then you spot it — and gasp!

  The glass case holding the mummy is broken. The mummy is gone!

  Turn to PAGE 36.

  Get in a sarcophagus? No possible way, you decide.

  With a desperate pull, you yank your arm away from the mummy.

  Ooooh … bad idea.

  Remember how the mummy had your wrist in an iron grip, like a vise? Remember how strong he was?

  Well … close your eyes.

  What happens next is too gross to go into. You really don’t want the gory details.

  Let’s just say that your arm — the one the mummy was holding? — well, he’s still holding it.

  And you aren’t.

  Which means that even if there were another page to turn to right now, you wouldn’t be able to turn to it. Not while still holding this book with your one remaining hand!

  Face it. You’ve come up short-handed in this story.

  THE END

  You decide to trust the young Egyptian guard. He seems genuinely concerned. You hand him the diary.

  The American looks disappointed, but he turns and wanders away.

  The Egyptian man tells you his name is Mohammed. Then he examines the diary, his eyes widening. “This diary must be returned to the royal tomb of Buthramaman,” he cries. “Only then will the mummy rest. Come with me!”

  “But where are we going?” you ask him.

  “To the tomb,” he whispers. His eyes narrow and his eyebrows curl in, making him look as if he has a deep, dark secret.r />
  Mohammed leads you by donkey to the Nile River. There, you board a boat and travel south all day and all night. Finally, you reach a strange, uninhabited part of Egypt. In the steamy heat, he leads you through a lush jungle, and then to another desert area, and finally to the sandy, stone entrance to the tomb.

  “You go in first,” he says, pointing the way.

  Me? you think. Why me?

  Turn to PAGE 73.

  You slam the door shut. “It’s him!” you whisper to Derek. “It’s got to be!” You lean all your weight against the door. No way is the mummy getting in!

  KNOCK. KNOCK-KNOCK.

  “It can’t be the mummy, dummy,” Derek says, hopping off his cot. He stomps over to the door and shoves you aside. “I mean, is a mummy going to knock politely on the door?”

  KNOCK. KNOCK.

  “Don’t open it!” you beg. You reach for the doorknob to try to stop him.

  Too late. Derek swings open the door.

  Standing there in the dimly lit hallway is a small figure wrapped in ancient bandages.

  The mummy!

  Before you or Derek can stop him, the mummy pushes through the doorway. There’s a mummy standing in your hotel room! You can hardly believe it.

  “You … stole … my … life …” the mummy whispers slowly. “Now … I … will … take … my … revenge.”

  You are too stunned to move. All you can do is turn to PAGE 38.

  If you don’t find water soon, you know you are a goner, for sure. So you stagger forward, sucking on the Fruity Bites. Then you see it!

  Another smiley face!

  Maybe you really are going mad.

  It’s on that sand dune not far from you. A row of Egyptian statues. Bird-faced pillars carved in stone, like ones you’ve seen in books on ancient Egypt.

  Two statues make the eyes and seven more make the mouth. Exactly like the drawing in the diary! You pull out the diary. Turn to PAGE 7 and check it again.

  The face in the diary has a nose. There’s no nose with the statues. But you figure that could just be a picture of the sun. To show how HOT it is in the desert. That would make sense.

  What doesn’t make sense is why the ancient Egyptians put a smiley face design in the middle of the desert! And why the mummy’s diary has a picture of it!

  Run over to the statues on PAGE 133 and get some answers!

  For an instant, you consider not completing the spell. But you can’t. Not after you gave your word.

  And besides, the mummy seems so lonely.

  “Teki Kahru Teki Kahra Teki Khari!” you chant quickly, before you lose your nerve again.

  You hold your breath, waiting for the mummy to come back to life.

  Silence. Nothing happens.

  The lobby of the Pyramid Building is even quieter than before. A strange stillness hangs in the air. It’s as if the whole world suddenly came to a grinding halt.

  A horrible thought creeps into your head. Is everyone dead?

  You glance over at the guard. He looks like he’s asleep, but he’s not snoring anymore. If he’s asleep, it’s a deep, dreamless sleep.

  Sweat trickles down your neck while you wait for the mummy case to open.

  Nothing. Nothing but silence and the sound of your own heartbeat.

  Finally, you can’t stand it any longer. You reach over and open the lid.

  What will you find inside? Turn to PAGE 8.

  The hallway turns a few more times. But there aren’t any more choices. No more forks.

  Finally, you see a glimmer of light.

  Light? Where’s it coming from?

  You turn the corner and spot the answer.

  The elevator!

  At last — you’re in the basement of the Pyramid Building!

  Aren’t you?

  You run to the elevator and push the UP button over and over. You hope that if you press it harder, it’ll come faster.

  Yeah. Sure. Like that’s ever worked.

  Press it again on PAGE 56.

  They flip a coin. “Tails,” George declares.

  Uh-oh. Big trouble. Major bummer.

  “Toss him overboard,” the man with the deep voice orders. “And get it over with!”

  Those are the last words you ever hear.

  A second later, George and the other guard fling you over the side of the boat. The chilly water soaks into you. You start to sink.

  You never could swim, even as a kid.

  But that’s not the worst part.

  The worst part is that these coastal waters are shark-infested.

  And as it turns out, mummies make great fish food!

  THE END

  You decide to trust Web Woobly.

  He seems friendly. And with a name like that, how bad could he be? Besides, you like the sound of his offer. Lemonade — and possibly big bucks for the diary!

  You’ll worry about getting home later. Your new American pal may be able to help you.

  “A cool drink would be very refreshing,” Web Woobly says, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Let’s go.”

  He puts one hand up in the air, as if he’s hailing a taxicab in New York City. Then he sticks two fingers in his mouth and whistles.

  Almost at once, a guy on a camel rides up.

  “Need a lift, buddy?” the camel driver asks.

  “Yes,” Web Woobly says. Then he speaks a few words in Arabic to the camel driver. Pretty soon, the camel kneels down.

  “Climb up,” Web instructs you.

  You do. But as soon as you’re seated on the camel, you start to feel guilty. You know you’re not supposed to get in cars with strangers! Is getting on a camel so different?

  “Uh, I think I’ll get down,” you start to say.

  “Too late,” Web Woobly announces with a small laugh.

  Turn to PAGE 19.

  You have to hide! You duck into the alcove of a nearby building and huddle in the shadows. The long, black limousine cruises by.

  Phew. Close one.

  Except an instant later the two glass doors behind you swing open and two doctors walk out. One man, one woman.

  That’s when you notice the sign over the entrance: EMERGENCY MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.

  “Hey,” the male doctor says to you. “What are you doing out here? You should be in bed. You are very sick!”

  Then the female doctor steps closer. She peers into your face. At your shrunken, dried, brown-leather face.

  She grabs your wrist.

  “Hey, look!” she whispers to the other doctor. “This isn’t a patient. It’s a mummy!”

  Turn to PAGE 86.

  Before you can jump away, the mummy’s hand darts out and he grabs your wrist. He picks up the tail end of one of his bandages, a long one that has come partly unwrapped. Quickly, he uses it to tie your wrists behind your back — like a prisoner! Then he does the same thing to Derek!

  For an old dead guy, he sure moves fast!

  The instant the bandage touches you, you feel your skin begin to wither and harden and shrivel. Your arms and legs grow stiff — so stiff you can barely move.

  He yanks the bandages, and you and Derek both stumble toward the mummy. He wraps more of the ancient strips around and around your bodies.

  “What’s happening?” you start to ask Derek.

  But when you glance at Derek’s face, you let out a horrible scream.

  Derek’s face is brown and leather-hard — just like the mummy’s! And what’s more, his eyes are gone!

  Only two deep, empty eye sockets remain! You stare into them, deeper and deeper, feeling yourself getting dizzy. It almost makes you pass out in disgust.

  Hurry to PAGE 76!

  “Hold him down,” Stuart yells. “I’ll set up the X-ray machine.”

  X rays? Is that all they’re going to do?

  Oh.

  That won’t be so bad. Maybe it will even be interesting.

  You stop struggling and cooperate as the two doctors X-ray each and every part of your
body. Even your head!

  A short while later, Stuart strolls out of the darkroom, holding the X rays up to the light.

  “I don’t believe it,” he mutters.

  “What did you find?” Dr. Lacey asks Stuart. She stands next to him and peers at the X rays.

  “He has no organs. No heart. No stomach. No brain,” Stuart answers. “Of course, I didn’t expect him to since he’s a mummy.”

  “Then what’s so unusual?” Dr. Lacey demands.

  “This,” Stuart says. “Look what I found inside his head!”

  Dr. Lacey takes an X ray from Stuart and holds it up to the light. She gasps.

  “Astonishing!” Dr. Lacey exclaims. “Amazing!”

  “Extraordinary!” Stuart adds.

  What’s going on? Aren’t they going to tell you? After all, it’s your head!

  Find out what’s in there on PAGE 125.

  “Yes,” you tell the mummy. “I know a secret chant that will bring you back to life.”

  “What … is … it?” the mummy asks, wheezing between each word. He sounds eager.

  “Klatu Barrada Nicto,” you recite. You close your eyes and say it again, like a chant. “Klatu Barrada Nicto.”

  “Ha!” the mummy exclaims, almost laughing. “Klatu … Barrada … Nicto? That … is … from … an … old … movie! You … know … nothing. You … are … doomed!”

  Uh-oh. He’s right. Those are the words the alien speaks in the old 1950s sci-fi movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still.

  You’re in big trouble now.

  Turn to PAGE 48.

  George holds you down while the other guard closes the sarcophagus lid. Tight.

  Help! you want to scream as the darkness closes in on you.

  Then you’re thrown against the side of the sarcophagus.