The Creepy Creations of Professor Shock Read online

  Should you jump off now? Or would you rather stay on and see where the bike takes you?

  If you want to get off, jump off the bike on PAGE 69.

  If you’d rather not jump, stay on until you reach PAGE 45.

  “Jason’s right. We should look for the Queen’s mirror in this hall before we go on,” you say.

  You examine the mirrors near you. Some are round. Some are square. Some are shaped like hearts. You peer into each of them. They all seem ordinary to you.

  But then, you don’t know what a queen’s mirror looks like.

  “Maybe the Queen’s mirror has her name on it,” Stacey suggests.

  It’s an idea. You begin checking the mirrors for names. But the only writing you find says MADE IN TAIWAN.

  Then you spot something green glittering in a corner. You step over the mirrors for a closer look. But all you find is a green mirrored door, set back into a nook in the wall.

  Hmm. Should you investigate what’s behind the green door? Or should you forget it and rejoin your friends?

  If you try the door, turn to PAGE 7.

  If you rejoin your friends, turn to PAGE 128.

  Sitting up, you pull the two halves of the box out of your pocket and examine them. One has a single red button on it. The other half has eleven buttons. Nine are black, with mysterious symbols printed on them. The last two are white. They’re labeled REWIND and FAST FORWARD.

  You twist the pieces in your hands. How do they fit together?

  SNAP! The two halves click into place. Wow! There isn’t even a crack where the break was. The box looks as good as new. It’s clearly some fancy kind of remote control.

  Should you return it to Professor Shock? you wonder.

  Before you can decide, a green laser beam shoots out from the end of the remote. The end that’s pointing toward you.

  What’s going on? Turn to PAGE 57 to find out.

  Quickly, the twins rip the gag off Uncle Jack’s mouth.

  “Stacey! Jason!” he cries. “How did you get here?”

  “It’s a long story,” Stacey replies. As she and Jason untie him, she tells Uncle Jack about finding Red in his store.

  “He told us he bought the store,” Jason adds.

  “He’s lying,” Uncle Jack declares. “He came into the store last night, asking questions about my friend, Professor Shock. But I knew better than to trust him. When I tried to call the police, he tied me up and locked me in here. I’ve got to get out! I have to stop him before he gets his hands on Shock’s new invention, the Universal Remote!”

  You wish he hadn’t said that. “He — well, he might already have it,” you admit. You explain about the remote you took from the professor’s workshop and how Red grabbed it from you. “I didn’t know it was an important invention,” you finish lamely.

  “Oh, no!” Uncle Jack cries. “This is a disaster!”

  “What’s the big deal?” Jason asks. “It does neat tricks. But it’s still only a remote control.”

  “It’s much more than that!” Uncle Jack declares. “In the wrong hands, it’s a deadly weapon. And Red’s hands are the wrong hands, believe me. You see, Red is a cyborg!”

  Turn to PAGE 68.

  Better think up a lie! “We came here by accident,” you say. “We were just about to leave —”

  “LIAR!” the Queen thunders. “I know why you’re here! My mirror tells me everything!”

  “Then you know we’re trying to get back home!” you exclaim. “Please, won’t you turn my friends back —”

  “Your friends will remain carvings,” the Queen says coldly. “But you won’t join them. Not yet, anyway. Not as long as you do what I want.” She smiles.

  It’s not a nice smile. “Wh-what do you want?” you ask.

  “I told you, my mirror tells me everything,” the Queen answers. “Except how beautiful I am. For that, I need you.”

  “You want me to lie to you?” you blurt out.

  The Queen scowls. “Are you saying I’m not beautiful?”

  “Of-of course not, Your Highness,” you stammer. You gaze at her hideous, blotchy face. “You’re actually, uh, very pretty.”

  “That’s better,” the Queen murmurs. She smiles. “Tell me, what do you think of my nose?”

  Uh-oh. The Queen wants lies. If you don’t keep telling them to her, you’ll be turned to stone. This could go on for a long time. A very long time.

  To tell the truth, this looks suspiciously like

  THE END.

  The water of the lake only comes to your knees. You start for the boat.

  “This is easy!” Jason marvels.

  Too easy? you wonder. You glance nervously around, scanning the water for dark fins. But it’s all clear. No sharks.

  You’ve almost reached the boat when Stacey screams.

  You whirl around. Something big and black has swooped down from the sky and grabbed her.

  Something with fins! And lots of sharp teeth!

  “What was that?” Jason shrieks.

  You can’t believe it! It’s a shark. A flying shark!

  When you glance at the sky, your eyes widen in horror. Heading for you are more flying sharks. Hundreds of them!

  Then one of the things zooms at you. You duck. But it’s no good. Daggerlike teeth close on your body. You’re whisked up, up and away. Jason is next to you, screaming horribly.

  Too bad! It looks as if this adventure has come to a very fishy

  END!

  “Wait for me!” you call, dashing after Stacey and Jason. You race past the piles of boxes and old furniture in the garage. You don’t even glance at the rusted car and machinery.

  Speeding outside, you jump on your bike. The twins are already way down the street. You pedal as fast as you can for your own neighborhood.

  After a few blocks, you glance back. Whew! No sign of Professor Shock. You’re home free.

  When you reach your house, you grab some cookies from the kitchen and head upstairs. You feel like relaxing for a while. You slip on your headphones and lie down on your bed to listen to some music.

  That’s when you remember the broken black box in your pocket.

  Turn to PAGE 50.

  You did it! You escaped!

  You and the twins bob in the middle of the lake. On the far side, the Palace gleams in the sun. Colored light reflects off its shiny sides. It seems to be made entirely of mirrors.

  “It’s beautiful!” Stacey exclaims.

  “So what?” Jason grumbles. “It’s probably as crazy as everything else in this backward place.”

  You’ve learned your lesson, so you row as hard as you can in the wrong direction. The boat moves swiftly toward the Palace. Soon, with a gentle bump, you land on the shore.

  You and the twins climb out of the boat and gaze upward. The Palace of Mirrors is enormous! The gleaming walls reflect the lake, the trees, and the sky.

  You made it! Now all you have to do is find the Queen’s mirror.

  Begin your search on PAGE 12.

  A quiz? You and the twins exchange glances. Then, shrugging, you head for the back row. You’ll wait and see what happens.

  “Arnie!” Ms. Silver shouts. A blond, freckled boy stands up. “What is seven times seven?” she asks him.

  “Forty-nine,” the boy replies.

  Ms. Silver frowns. “I can’t accept that answer! Go stand in the closet.”

  Arnie turns pale. “No!” he cries. “Not that!”

  “You know the rules!” Ms. Silver insists. Grabbing Arnie by the ear, she marches him to a door at the back of the room.

  “Please —” he begs. His voice is shaking.

  Ms. Silver throws open the door. “Enter!” she snaps. She shoves him inside and slams the door behind him.

  A moment later there’s a long, horrible scream.

  Your heart races. What’s in that closet? But before you can figure it out, Ms. Silver points at you.

  “Let’s see what our new pupils know,” she exclaims
. “For your sake, I hope you can do better than Arnie!”

  Go on to PAGE 73.

  ZZZT! The laser beam bounces off your mp3 player.

  The music suddenly grows louder.

  Quickly, you turn the volume down. But the sound keeps swelling. It’s hurting your ears!

  You switch the device off.

  The music plays on! It blares in your ears, so loud you think your brain will fry!

  Dropping the remote, you try to yank the headphones off your head. But they won’t budge. It’s as if they’re glued in place.

  “Help!” you cry. But you can’t even hear your own voice.

  The music is so loud your whole head is vibrating. Your eyes feel as if they’re about to pop out. You’ve got to do something. This is dangerous!

  Think! you urge yourself. Your device went crazy right after you put the remote together. Maybe if you break it apart again, the player will leave you alone.

  Or maybe you should try pressing one of the remote buttons.

  Better decide quickly — before your brain explodes!

  Try to break the remote apart on PAGE 80.

  Press one of the buttons on PAGE 31.

  A giant, bloodred eye is staring back at you.

  It’s so big it fills the entire mirror. Its pupil is just a slit, like a cat’s eye. And its expression is pure evil.

  Jason screams. And screams!

  “Don’t worry,” you manage, though your throat is dry with fear. “It can’t get us. It’s on the wrong side of the mirror, remember? It’s just a reflection. A trick of some kind.”

  You really hope you’re right about that!

  “It’s getting smaller,” Stacey whispers. “I think maybe it’s backing away.”

  You force yourself to study the eye. Stacey’s right — it is getting smaller. What a relief! Everything’s going to be all right, you think.

  Until you notice the giant hand. With clutching, groping fingers and long, talonlike nails.

  The hand that’s reaching right through the mirror.

  Reaching for you!

  “I thought you said it couldn’t get us!” Jason yells.

  The giant hand closes around you. Then it starts to squeeze.

  Okay. You were wrong. But don’t feel too crushed about it!

  THE END

  Jason jumps up. “Help! I want out!”

  “Hold on!” you call. “Don’t panic!”

  “There’s got to be a way out,” Stacey declares.

  You stare at the mirrors. An idea is forming in your mind. “If we came in through the mirror, maybe that’s the way out, too. Maybe we can escape through one of these mirrors.”

  “But which one?” Jason demands.

  You study the two mirrors. The one on your right seems ordinary. It reflects you and the twins.

  The one on your left is a different story. In fact, you wonder if there’s a hidden movie projector in the room. Because the mirror shows a peaceful country meadow full of grazing cows.

  Which mirror will you try?

  If you choose the one with the country scene, turn to PAGE 47.

  If you pick the one that reflects you and the twins, go to PAGE 123.

  Jason’s right. The mirror has vanished!

  You can’t go back to the little room!

  “We’ll be fine,” Stacey declares. “Professor Shock said all we have to do to get out of here is find something.”

  “But he didn’t say what we need to find,” Jason retorts. “We’re trapped. Maybe forever.”

  You sure hope Jason’s wrong. You stare around. There must be some clue, something that will tell you what to do next.

  Then, across the field, you spot a green sign. It looks like a regular road sign — except that there’s no road nearby.

  “Maybe that sign will tell us something,” you suggest.

  Stacey immediately races toward the sign. You and Jason take off after her. Tall, blue grass tickles your ankles. It feels good to run. Until you realize that something is wrong.

  You’ve been running for several minutes. But — “The sign looks farther away than when we started!” you blurt out.

  You and your friends stop running and turn to gaze back the way you came. You’ve definitely covered some ground.

  “Weird,” Stacey pants.

  “Maybe it’s an optical illusion,” Jason suggests.

  Before you can reply, something grunts. Right behind you.

  Jump to PAGE 97.

  You think you’d better not take any chances.

  “Run! Again!” you scream at Stacey and Jason.

  The three of you tear out of the back room. Red pounds after you. “Not so fast,” he yells. “I want that remote!”

  He is after the remote! Is he working with Deep Voice? you wonder. But there’s no time to think about it now.

  You race to the front of the shop and grab the doorknob.

  ZAP! A fat blue spark leaps out from the metal.

  “Ow!” you yell. The doorknob is electrified!

  You face Red. “Let us out!” you demand.

  “First give me the remote,” he replies.

  “Why?” you cry. “What will you do with it?”

  “And what did you do with Uncle Jack?” Jason adds.

  “Enough questions,” Red snarls. He paces slowly toward you.

  You gulp. He’s huge. He’s mean. He looks strong.

  “There’s a back way out,” Jason whispers in your ear.

  “Use the remote,” Stacey suggests softly in your other ear.

  It’s up to you! But choose quickly.

  If you try to escape out the back, turn to PAGE 71.

  If you try to use the remote somehow, go to PAGE 134.

  “Welcome to the Hall of Ten Thousand Mirrors!” a hollow voice echoes.

  “Who are you?” you cry. You spin around to see who is speaking. But all you see is hundreds of your reflections, gazing at you from the small, square mirrors.

  “It doesn’t matter who I am,” the voice responds.

  “Could you tell me how to get out of here?” you ask.

  “I could,” the voice says. “But that would spoil all the fun. Find the way out for yourself.”

  “Let me go!” you demand. “I never did anything to you. I’m getting tired of being shoved around!”

  “Calm down,” the voice tells you. “I’ll give you a hint. To escape from this room, all you have to do is find the mirror with a tiny red dot in the corner. That mirror will lead you out.”

  Search out one tiny red dot in all those mirrors? It’s impossible! “What if I can’t find it?” you ask.

  “Then you’ll remain here forever,” the voice replies.

  “But —” you start to protest.

  “Better get started,” the voice interrupts. “There are ten thousand mirrors in here.”

  Quick! Go to PAGE 110.

  Wind roars past your ears. It’s as if you’re caught in a tornado! You can’t see your legs anymore. They’re inside the mirror! You grab the frame and hang on. Invisible forces rip at your fingers, trying to pry them loose.

  “Stacey! Jason!” you scream. “Help me!”

  But your friends are screaming, too. They’re being pulled into the mirror with you!

  You’re inside as far as your neck now. Then a wrinkled face appears, framed by the back legs of the pinball machine. It’s Professor Shock! He peers at you.

  “Help us!” you shout.

  “I can’t!” he screams. “I told you to stay away! There’s no way out of there unless you find the —”

  POP!

  Your hands lose their grip. And the professor vanishes.

  Let the wind blow you to PAGE 32.

  “Turn around!” you shout.

  “Huh?” Jason gasps. “Did you happen to notice we’re being chased by a raging bull?”

  “I think I know how to beat him!” you pant.

  “How?” Stacey demands.

  “Run toward him!
” you exclaim. “We’re in a mirror world. Things are backward here — like the colors. So maybe this chase is backward, too. Maybe if we run toward the bull, we’ll get away from him!”

  Stacey disagrees. “That’s crazy. Let’s split up and keep running away. The bull can’t chase all three of us!”

  Maybe Stacey’s plan is better than yours. If only you had a little time to think it over.

  But you don’t. Quick! Make a decision now!

  Run toward the bull on PAGE 105.

  Split up and keep running away to PAGE 46.

  You remember the warning Professor Shock gave you from the mirror. “Wait!” you cry. “Don’t touch it!”

  “Stacey!” Jason shouts. He grabs her and tries to pull her back.

  But it’s too late. Stacey touches the rose.

  POP! Both your friends vanish. Just like that.

  You gaze around in panic. But there’s no sign of them.

  They’re gone.

  Go on to PAGE 82.

  You gaze into the mirror, hoping to see the world you came from. The real world.

  Instead, you see — nothing.

  There is no reflection inside this mirror! Behind the glass, there’s just — nothing.

  “Creepy!” Stacey mutters. “What kind of mirror is this?”

  “A backward mirror,” you answer with a sigh. “But maybe we can step through it. Maybe it will take us back home.”

  “I doubt it,” Jason says glumly. “We still haven’t found whatever Professor Shock told us to find. But let’s try it.”

  “I don’t want to go yet! I want to see the Loreo,” Stacey objects. “Come on, let’s sit down.”

  “No! Let’s go!” Jason whines.

  You’re feeling cranky yourself. Should you just give up on the Loreo and try the mirror? Or would you rather wait for the Loreo after all?