The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island Read online

  Chests full of treasure line the aisle leading to the throne. Golden goblets, coins, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds spill onto the floor.

  You hear Gina gasp.

  “What is it?” you ask.

  “Isn’t he — isn’t he —?” Gina sputters.

  “Isn’t he WHO????” you demand.

  Turn to PAGE 26 to find out.

  “Why don’t you ask the scoundrel on the floor!” Dr. Oates suggests. You help him scramble out of the trunk. He shakes the ropes off his wrists. “He should have the answers for you!”

  Gina gets off the person you thought was Dr. Oates. The real Dr. Oates roughly turns the guy over.

  “Kala!” you cry in surprise. “You?”

  Kala ignores you. He just lies on the floor, gazing unblinkingly at the ceiling.

  “As soon as I set the eye into the mask,” Dr. Oates explains, “Kala jumped me and shoved me into the trunk. He must have dressed in clothes like mine and covered his face with the mask.”

  “But why?” you ask your former friend. “How could you have become so evil?”

  Go to PAGE 113.

  You have the pointy stone wrapped in your towel. Hooahtoo points to the bundle. “Show me what’s in there,” he orders.

  “How does he see it?” Gina whispers.

  You shrug, then kneel down. As you unroll the towel, Hooahtoo leans forward. Slowly, he waves his wrinkled hand over the towel. His hand stops directly over the stone piece. It’s as if he sees with his hand instead of his eyes.

  His bony fingers touch the broken stone piece lightly. When he feels the painted eye, he throws his arms up and shrieks. You’re so startled, you stumble backward.

  “The curse is on you!” he shouts. “The curse is on you!”

  “This guy’s been in the purple mist too long,” Gina mutters. “Let’s get out of here.”

  Maybe Gina’s right. Hooahtoo is really weird.

  Hooahtoo seems to read your mind. “If you go, the curse goes with you,” he warns. “If you stay, the curse shall be broken.”

  There’s no way you’re staying here one second longer. Curse or no curse, you’re getting out!

  If you grab the bit of stone and race for the door, run to PAGE 91.

  If you leave the stone behind, dash to PAGE 5.

  The ghost is getting way too close!

  “Try to remember how the legend says we can escape,” you beg Dr. Oates.

  “I’m trying,” Dr. Oates says. He seems frozen to his spot. “I think the legend says if you stare into the ghost’s eyes, you’ll defeat him.”

  “That’s easy!” you exclaim. What a relief! You can definitely survive this encounter!

  “Wait!” Dr. Oates cries. “Maybe the legend says if you gaze into his eyes, you’re lost for sure.”

  You and Gina stare at the terrified archaeologist.

  He’s no help! you think. And he’s supposed to be the expert!

  The ghost is only a few feet away. And it’s floating toward you! What are you going to do? How will you decide?

  If you have blue or green eyes, stare into the ghost’s eyes on PAGE 43.

  If you have any other color eyes, avoid the ghost’s eyes on PAGE 72.

  “Gina?” you yell. “Where are you?”

  No answer.

  You peer up and down the path. It’s empty.

  “Come on, Gina,” you holler. “Quit kidding around!”

  Now you’re getting annoyed. “Gina!” you shout. “Why won’t you answer me?”

  It would serve her right if you just left. Or played a trick on her!

  On the other hand, Kala did say people disappear. Maybe you should search for her.

  If you decide to teach Gina a lesson, turn to PAGE 129.

  If you do a thorough search, turn to PAGE 78.

  You take out the Tiki Eye and place it in Dr. Oates’s hand. “Here,” you whisper. “He needs this a whole lot more than I do.”

  “Look out!” Gina cries suddenly. “The ghost!”

  You jump as a ghostly arm reaches for the stone piece in Dr. Oates’s hand. You’re so freaked out, you fall over. The archaeologist keeps his head down, but sticks out his open palm.

  A strong wind whips around the three of you. Trees rustle. Birds squawk.

  And then there is silence.

  When Dr. Oates pulls his hand back, the Tiki Eye is gone.

  And so is the ghost warrior.

  Turn to PAGE 21.

  With the shark closing in, defending yourself seems like your best choice. You take a deep breath and dive below the surface. You race toward the gleaming object.

  You pick it up. Oh, no! It’s not a spearhead! It’s just a piece of brightly painted stone.

  But it is sharp. And it’s better than nothing!

  You surface and gulp air. Kala is pulling up the anchor, but he’ll never get to you in time. Gina is nowhere in sight. The shark’s fin cuts through the water, streaking toward you.

  Closer. Closer.

  Fear clutches your heart as tightly as you clutch the stone. Will it pierce the shark’s tough skin?

  The shark is so close, you can count its teeth! You paddle in place and hold the stone high, ready to slam it into the beast’s face.

  To your surprise, the shark freezes, its mouth wide open and its teeth gleaming. It rolls on its side. One black eye stares at the stone.

  Then the creature turns and flees!

  Go to PAGE 4.

  The two of you stare at the giant reptile.

  “Is it asleep?” Gina whispers.

  “I don’t think so. I think the eye has some kind of power over it,” you explain.

  “How can we make sure?” Gina asks.

  “I’m going to try something,” you tell her. “I just hope it works.” You reach a trembling hand out to the lizard. It doesn’t budge. Carefully, gently, you stroke the lizard’s scaly back.

  Maybe you’re crazy, but you could swear the big guy just smiled!

  “He seems to like you!” Gina exclaims.

  No doubt about it. You continue to pet the gigantic lizard. It rolls over like a big dog, wanting its tummy rubbed.

  Gina giggles. “I can’t believe I was so afraid of him,” she says. “He’s harmless.”

  “Don’t be so sure,” you caution her. “I think he’s only harmless because of the Tiki Eye. But,” you continue, “I also think he can help us get out of here!”

  Turn to PAGE 92.

  You and Gina walk toward the crowd.

  You spot your mom nearby. She waves you over. “Where have you been?” she asks. “You missed all the excitement. Someone found an ancient artifact! And it may be worth millions!”

  You gulp. “Millions?” you repeat. “Of dollars?”

  Your mom nods. “Some kind of eye that’s been missing from a ceremonial mask.”

  Eye? Did she say “eye”?

  Eye-yi-yi!

  “Apparently a man named Hooahtoo offered a substantial reward for its return,” your mom continues. “And some tourist stumbled over it walking through the jungle.” She sighs. “Too bad one of us didn’t find it!” She winks at you and Gina.

  “Yeah,” you mutter. “Too bad.”

  “What’s the matter, hon?” your mom asks. “You look funny. Are you feeling sick?”

  You bet you are! Imagine all that money — so near, and yet so far. You came so close to being a millionaire, you could almost taste it. And then it all vanished.

  In the blink of an eye.

  THE END

  No way are you shutting your eyes with a twelve-foot ghost warrior just a few feet away from you.

  You’ve heard that with certain animals, the best defense is to stay still and stare at them. Maybe it will work with the ghost.

  You gaze directly into the ghost’s eyes.

  “What are you looking at, shorty?” the ghost snaps at you. “Haven’t your parents told you it’s impolite to stare?”

  Huh?

  “You are
a very rude child,” the ghost scolds. “And you need to be taught a lesson.”

  Suddenly, everything around you vanishes. The jungle, Gina, Dr. Oates — all gone. Instead, you find yourself surrounded by thick books.

  You grab one. Dust flies from the cover, making you sneeze. You brush off the cover and read the title. Good Manners for Bad Children. Yikes!

  You glance at the other books. They are all etiquette books — books on being polite.

  Oh, well. You’re going to be the most polite kid in the world. Because you have all of eternity to learn every rule there is — thank you very much!

  THE END

  RUMBLE!

  You have to warn them, or you’ll all be buried alive in diamonds!

  “STOP!” you shout. “STOP!”

  They’re laughing so loud, they can’t hear you. Now Gina joins in. “STOP!” she yells. “STOP! STOP! STOP!”

  Together, you shout your very loudest. “STOP!”

  RUMBLE!

  RUMBLE!

  RUMBLE!

  RUMBLE!

  RUMBLE!

  Hurry! Go to PAGE 83!

  Now the skeleton beside you screams, too.

  It is Gina! You would recognize her yell anywhere!

  But why is she calling the pirate skeletons?

  Then the horrible answer hits you. Gina, your own cousin, has betrayed you. She’s turning you over to the enemy!

  You hear their bony feet clacking on the wooden deck as the skeleton pirates run to the closet. The door flies open. Now you see clearly. The tattered cloth is the remains of Gina’s bathing suit. And that smirking expression on the bony skull is definitely Gina’s.

  There’s no doubt about it. The screaming skeleton beside you is your cousin! She has become one of them.

  And soon you’ll be one of them, too.

  “The spell of the pink crystals always works that way,” the Captain cackles. “Anyone who stays too long in the glow of the crystal joins us. It’s your time now.”

  Gina lays a bony arm around you. “Cheer up,” she tells you. “We wanted this vacation to last forever. Now it will.”

  THE END

  You glance down from the rocky rim of the small pool at the top of the stairs. Most of the skeletons are too busy fighting to notice you’ve escaped.

  But not Captain Bones.

  “They’re gone!” he shouts. “The kids are gone!”

  Captain Bones clatters to the stairs, followed by his two remaining loyal crew members. They try to follow you up the stone staircase. But bones have no traction. Their bony feet slip on the steps. Like a row of toppling dominoes, they fall backward down the stairs.

  Screaming and bellowing, Captain Bones begs for help. “After them! Tiki Island belongs to us! The treasure is ours!”

  But it’s no use. The battling skeletons ignore him.

  You and Gina make your way along the narrow stone ledge along the side of the pool. This time the currents are on your side. The path is clear. Dragging the trunk between you, you surface.

  There’s no shark there now. But Kala, his father, and your parents are waiting for you in boats anchored by the reef.

  Go to PAGE 128.

  You search the tunnel for Gina. When you walk back a few feet, you discover another tunnel. Maybe Gina went that way.

  “Gina?” you cry. “Gina? Are you in here?”

  Gina doesn’t answer. But you hear sounds coming from farther down the tunnel.

  You run toward the sound. After a few yards, the tunnel curves left — then opens into a large cave. Sparkling lights blind you. You throw your arms over your face to shield your eyes from the blaze.

  You move your arms away and squint. It takes a minute to adjust to the brightness. But then your eyes widen in amazement!

  This cave is actually a lagoon. Strange plants loom overhead. The lights are not lights at all. They’re shimmering crystals — pink, yellow, blue. They cover the beach and the rock walls surrounding the lagoon. The colors dazzle you. Then you realize — the crystals are more than just colorful rocks.

  They’re diamonds!

  You gaze in awe at the sparkling surroundings. Then you remind yourself why you’re here.

  “Gina?” you call out in a loud whisper.

  A sudden whip-crack snaps in the air.

  Jump! Then jump over to PAGE 115.

  Tickle a crowd of giant octopuses under their arms?

  Are you serious?

  These octopuses are monsters! They’re dangerous! They want to wrap you up so tightly, you can’t even breathe!

  Did you really think you could get out of this octopus mess just by tickling them?

  You’ve got to be kidding!

  But go ahead and try it if you like.

  When you find yourself still wrapped in the arms of danger, turn to PAGE 121 for some serious escape tactics!

  Hooahtoo gives you and Gina detailed directions to the volcano. He warns you to trust no one. “Do not be deceived by face or form,” he advises. “Do not be fooled. Even by your own eyes.”

  “I don’t like this whole thing,” Gina whispers nervously to you. “Is he for real?”

  “What is real and what is not real is for me to know and you to find out,” Hooahtoo answers for you. “You must go now. There is no time to lose.”

  The tiny old blind man picks up the Tiki Eye and places it inside a box made of woven grass. “Here,” he says, handing you the box. “Take this and go. Now! And remember: As long as you have the eye, you are in danger.”

  Turn to PAGE 84.

  You press your left hand hard onto the handprint.

  But the wall doesn’t move. Instead, the floor beneath your feet drops away! You and Gina plummet down through the hole.

  “Oh, no-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!” you both shriek. You’re sliding down a shaft inside Kenalua Volcano Mountain!

  A blinding white-hot light blinds you. Waves of heat wash over you. A roaring furnace sound fills your ears. It’s deafening!

  You glance up. The two Tiki warriors bend over the hole far above you. They gaze down at you. They shout and point excitedly, but you don’t understand what they’re saying.

  You glance down.

  “No!” you gasp.

  A sea of molten lava bubbles and smokes below you.

  You’re whooshing straight toward the boiling core of Kenalua!

  Fall to PAGE 107.

  You decide to ask Dr. Oates about the stone piece. You step forward and clear your throat. “We came to get information about this,” you explain. You open the towel and reveal the strange painted eye. “I found it when we were snorkeling.”

  Dr. Oates’s eyes widen. He bends over and brings his face close to the stone.

  “The weird thing is,” you continue, “I held it up to a shark, and —”

  But Dr. Oates doesn’t allow you to finish your sentence. “Shhhh! Shhhh!” he hushes you. He examines the piece with great interest.

  “Wait here,” he orders you.

  He dashes to his tent and comes back carrying a thick book. He flips to a page showing a giant Tiki mask. He holds the picture next to the stone.

  Your piece matches the right eye of the mask!

  Turn to PAGE 134.

  Yes! You remember a shark swimming toward you.

  But you also remember how you scared away the shark before. You held up the broken piece of stone you found. It made the shark turn and swim away.

  That’s what you’ll do now, you think. You’ll scare him away with the broken stone piece.

  The shark comes closer and closer. His jaws are opening wide.

  The stone piece! Where is it?

  Sorry.

  But you wished and wished and wished you’d never found it. Guess what? Your wish came true.

  Bad luck for you, good luck for the shark!

  THE END

  The warriors still haven’t noticed you. Maybe you should follow them. They might lead you up the volcano to the special Tiki mask. Then you can
replace the eye and lift the curse.

  The stone piece grows so warm in your pocket, it begins to burn. It’s hurting your leg. You can’t stand it anymore!

  “Yeeeeeoooowwwwww!” you cry out.

  As soon as you scream, the Tiki warriors whirl in your direction. They aim their spears at you.

  “Run!” you scream.

  You and Gina spin around and take off. But the warriors are too fast. Too strong. They grab you and Gina. They drag you kicking and screaming into a cave in the side of the mountain.

  Once you are inside, the warriors speak. “Don’t waste your energy fighting a battle you cannot win,” one warrior grunts.

  “There is no escape from the Kalookie Cave,” the other warns. “And now we must get you ready to greet our great leader.”

  Go to PAGE 66.

  “Wow!” Gina gasps. “Look at that! What is it?”

  “A ship!” you cry. “An old shipwreck!”

  You and Gina tread water and wait to see what happens. Once the ship fully rises, the red glow diminishes. The black water fades to a dark blue. Silence surrounds you.

  “Come on,” you whisper. “Let’s get a closer look!”

  Swimming toward the battered ship, you notice it tips to one side. A tattered flag with a skull and crossbones hangs limply from a broken pole. You have a clear view of the damaged wooden deck.

  “Oh, my gosh!” Gina sputters. “A treasure chest! And it’s full of treasure!”

  A huge wooden chest lies open on deck. Gold pieces spill over its sides. More gold than you’ve ever seen, even in movies!

  “I can’t believe what we’ve found!” you murmur in amazement. “A real pirate ship, with a real treasure!”

  A movement on deck distracts you from your discovery. A shadowy figure approaches. Your eyes widen as you realize who — or what — is staring down at you.