Scream of the Evil Genie Read online

“Uh, Mom,” you begin. “Uh, I can’t get you out of there.”

  “What?” your mom shrieks. “Why not?”

  “A genie gave me three wishes and I’ve already used two,” you explain. “So I’d have to use up my last wish to get you out.”

  “Hmmmmmmm.” Your mother puts a tiny finger on the tip of her nose. That’s what she always does when she’s thinking.

  Then she gestures for you to bring your face down to the can. She whispers in your ear. You have to strain to hear her.

  “Mom!” you cry. “You’re a genius!”

  Then you turn to Jenna. “Here’s my wish,” you tell the genie. “I wish for unlimited wishes!”

  “No! No! No!” Jenna flops down on the floor, kicking and screaming. “I hate that wish!”

  You cross your arms and glare at her. “Well, that’s the wish! You have to give it to me.”

  “Okay,” Jenna grumbles. She snaps her fingers. “Satisfied?”

  You and your mom grin at each other. She reaches her hand out of the can to slap you a high five. You tap her palm with your pinkie.

  From now on, you’re going to listen to your mom! She’s pretty cool after all!

  THE END

  Your leg hurts, but it doesn’t slow you down much. You run back into the street to escape the rat-man.

  And right into a fight.

  The ninja men followed you here. They have Stephanie cornered. When they notice you, they just laugh.

  “Steph! Let’s move!” you shout.

  But it’s no use. As soon as you turn to dart away, another Mortal Revenge villain appears out of nowhere, blocking your path. He’s wearing a leather jacket. A ski mask covers his face.

  You freeze. Three martial arts experts behind you. One in front of you. Are you doomed?

  Your new attacker rips off the ski mask. You gasp.

  It’s Jenna!

  “You have one wish left,” Jenna informs you with an evil glare. “And let me tell you what it is. You wish that I weren’t a genie. You wish I were an ordinary person with no magical powers. Now say it! Say that’s your wish — and set me free!”

  You take a step backward.

  And feel the hot breath of a Mortal Revenge ninja on your neck.

  Turn to PAGE 70.

  Your face really is blue! Bright blue. Even your scalp is blue. You rub at the color, hoping it will come off. No luck. You are permanently blue — but just down to your neck. The rest of you is the regular color.

  “What’s going on?” you cry, whirling around to face Jenna.

  “He made a wish — I granted it,” she says with a shrug. “I’m the mom. And I say everyone in this family gets two more wishes. Like you’ve got two more wishes. You got a problem with that?”

  “Yes, I’ve got a problem!” you scream at her. “Look at me!”

  “You don’t like it,” Jenna snaps, “fix it.”

  You hate to use up your second wish this way. But you’ve got to. You can’t stand to go around with a blue face!

  “Okay, okay,” you mutter. “I wish my face was the normal color again.”

  You run back to the mirror to see if the wish worked. But you can already tell from Randy’s reaction — it did.

  “Wow!” he says to Jenna. “Awesome! How did you do that, Mom?”

  “It’s easy,” Jenna brags. “I’ve had years of practice. Thousands of years.”

  Randy glances at you with a twinkle in his eye.

  “I know what I want next!” he announces.

  “Randy — don’t you dare!” you scream at him.

  Turn to PAGE 98.

  There’s no point in trying to out-skate the burly man. Where would you go? You don’t know where you are. He may be your only hope.

  You wince as he reaches you at top speed. But he skids to a quick stop just in time. “What’s the matter, champ?” he says. “Why are you just standing there, complaining?”

  You figure you have a lot to complain about — no wish, no way to get home. But you can’t explain that to this stranger.

  He’d never believe you.

  What happened? you wonder. Didn’t the genie understand your wish? Didn’t she know you wanted to be a famous sports star?

  Where’s the stadium? The locker room? The fans?

  “Come on, champ.” The guy claps you on your shoulder. “Just because you’re the best curler in all of Canada doesn’t mean you don’t have to practice, you know. Got to get busy for the World Curling Championships, don’t we?”

  “Huh?” You have no idea what this guy is talking about. “What’s curling?”

  The burly man throws back his head and laughs. “What’s curling?” he shouts, still roaring with laughter. “That’s a fine question from the captain of the world’s best curling team!”

  Turn to PAGE 75.

  Your eyes focus in on the cola can in Murphy’s hand. He’s clutching it as if it’s made of solid gold. Not drinking it. Just holding it. And standing next to his Ferrari.

  It’s YOUR cola can! You just know it.

  “Hey!” you call from the convertible. “That’s my cola can!”

  But the minute Murphy sees you coming, he hops in the Ferrari and speeds off.

  Looks like your wishes just hit the road. And unless you want to squeeze back into that pink-and-green dragon costume — maybe you’d better do the same thing!

  THE END

  You stare into the dark dressing-room closet.

  Something green-and-pink stares back at you.

  A green-and-pink Wilfred costume!

  Not Wilfred! You hate Wilfred! Wilfred is the worst TV character ever invented. He’s a huge green-and-pink talking dragon — the star of a stupid preschoolers’ TV show.

  What’s that doing in there? you wonder. I never wished for a Wilfred costume!

  A sharp knock interrupts your thoughts. The door swings open. A pretty blond woman clutching a clipboard steps into the room.

  “Time to get into your costume, Wilfred, babe,” she tells you. “We’ve got a live audience of four-year-olds. And they’re just dying to get their peanut-butter-and-jelly-smeared hands all over you!”

  You shake your head in horror. No! It can’t be. You’re not Wilfred — are you?

  “Me?” you ask.

  “Who else?” the young woman asks. “You’re the star.”

  Well, Wilfred, babe. It’s show time! What do you say?

  If you try being Wilfred for a while, turn to PAGE 19.

  If you get out of there right now by making another wish, turn to PAGE 63.

  Peter continues staring at the money you gave him as he follows you toward the Rolls Royce.

  “What’s the matter?” you tease. “Haven’t you ever seen a hundred-dollar-bill before? I’ve got plenty more!”

  You toss some hundred-dollar-bills in the air, then climb into the car. Peter scrambles in after you. As you drive away, you glance back. Several neighbors are snatching the bills off the ground.

  “You have to be more careful,” Manny scolds from the front seat. “Money can make people act crazy.”

  “Manny, you worry too much.” You stretch out against the roomy back seat. “From now on, we’re going to have fun.”

  You and Peter help yourselves to sodas and snacks from the minibar. “First, we’re going to replace our old sneakers with high-tech models,” you explain to Peter on the way to the mall.

  “Next, we’re going to see all the movies at the twelve-plex. Then we’ll head over to the food court and eat one of everything!”

  “Mmmph!” Peter nods happily, his mouth full of corn chips.

  As Manny guides the Rolls into a parking spot, a crowd gathers. They seem to be talking about the car.

  Find out what they’re saying on PAGE 108.

  You jump, startled by Jenna’s anger.

  “What’s wrong?” you ask her. “Why shouldn’t I use a can opener on the can?”

  “You just can’t,” Jenna says firmly. “No way. That’s
my can. I decide what happens to it.”

  “But my mom’s in there,” you protest.

  Jenna drags you out of the family room, to a bathroom down the hall. It’s quieter in there. More private.

  “Take my word for it — that’s not the way to get her out,” Jenna insists. Her eyes flash a scary warning look at you.

  “Who are you talking to?” your tiny mother calls from inside the can. She’s so small, almost everything she says sounds like a whine. “Are you going to get me out or not?”

  Well? Are you?

  For an instant, you’re not sure what to do.

  Your mom sounds so pathetic. You really want to help her.

  And besides, you’re getting sick of having Jenna around.

  But you don’t want to use up your last wish to get your mom out of the can. So what are you going to do?

  If you open the can with a can opener, turn to PAGE 40.

  If you tell your mom “tough luck,” turn to PAGE 51.

  “Uh, no, thank you, James,” you tell the butler. “I’ll get the cola myself. Just tell me where it is.”

  A few minutes later, you’re sitting in the pantry, surrounded by forty cases of cola. James posts himself right outside.

  It’s going to be a big job to open all of these cans.

  FSST! POP. FSST. FSST. POP. FSST…

  Your finger begins to hurt from prying up all those little metal fliptops. You open the cans faster and faster.

  FSST. PSSST. POP. FSST. FSST. FSST…

  FSSSZZZZRRRRRRT!

  “WHOA!” you cry as blue gas sprays from the can. You drop the can to the floor.

  You watch in amazement as the can spins around on the floor, vibrating and humming. The blue gas continues to pour out.

  Blue gas? What’s going on? It wasn’t blue before, and it didn’t shoot out of the can with such force.

  You’re struck by the horrible feeling that something very different is happening this time.

  The hissing sound grows louder and louder. Then you fling your arms over your face as the can explodes! Shards of metal fly through the air, and something huge bursts out of the can!

  Turn to PAGE 78.

  “We’ve got to do something!” Randy shouts.

  No kidding!

  The enormous metal monster crawls further into the room. Its antennae wave as if it’s searching for prey. Then its head slowly turns your way. It seems to have found what it was looking for.

  You!

  You feel along the wall, desperate to find a weapon — anything you can use to defend yourself.

  Your fingers touch a baseball bat leaning against the doorway. Luckily, Randy never puts his things away.

  The monster creeps closer … closer….

  If you bash the giant insect with the baseball bat, turn to PAGE 46.

  If you try to escape by running outside, turn to PAGE 129.

  “Let’s pick up Stephanie,” you tell Manny. “We can play video games back at the house.”

  “So it’s true,” Stephanie exclaims when she climbs into the car. “You’re a millionaire! How did it happen?”

  “Just lucky I guess.” You don’t tell Stephanie about the genie granting your wish to be rich. She’d never believe you!

  When you arrive back at your mansion, the two of you grab a tray of sodas and snacks and head into the family room. You wave at the entertainment centers lining the walls. “What do you want to play?”

  Stephanie picks up the video game controller. “Mortal Revenge,” she announces. “If you dare!”

  You pop the Mortal Revenge video game into the machine. It’s one of your favorites, too. Pretty soon, you and Stephanie are karate-kicking your way through a street gang of bad guys.

  “Great shot, Steph!” you cheer. “You’re good at this.” You grab a can of cola. All this action is making you thirsty.

  “Thanks! Mortal Revenge is the coolest.” Stephanie keeps her eyes focused on the screen. “I wish it were real!”

  “Me, too.” You flip open the can of soda. “I wish we were doing this in real life.”

  With a hiss, white smoke fills the room.

  What’s happening? Turn to PAGE 69 to find out.

  “No way,” you tell Jenna. “I’m not falling for your tricks anymore. I just want my old life back. Just like I said.”

  Jenna’s face twists into an awful, ugly shape. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes,” you answer firmly. “That’s my wish. Give it to me.”

  “Fine!” Jenna snaps. She puts her hands on her hips and glares at you.

  “Come on!” you order her. “Give me my wish!”

  A huge smile spreads across her face — although she’s so ugly, it doesn’t look like a smile. It looks like an alligator’s hideous snarl.

  “Oooops,” she says with a giggle. “I forgot to tell you. The third wish is different.”

  “What?” You stare at her. “Different how?”

  “Before I grant your last wish,” she explains, “you have to steal this wish-ring from my finger!” She waggles her pinkie at you. Wrapped around it is an enormous ruby ring.

  Turn to PAGE 76.

  Forget it, you decide. You do not want to be Wilfred. Even if he is a big star.

  Why would you? That creep? That sickeningly cutesy dragon with the singsong theme song and the goody-goody slogan — “A Wilfred Hug makes the world safe and snug?”

  No way. You are not going on that TV show! So you close your eyes and make another wish.

  Turn to PAGE 77.

  That hot-dog counter looks like a perfect hiding place. If you can reach it, you might be safe there until things calm down.

  You and Peter crawl as fast as you can under the food court tables. Your knees feel bruised and your hands are sticky from the spilled food on the floor. But you reach the booth unnoticed.

  Quickly, you jump up and leap over the counter.

  BRINGGG! BRINGGG! BRINGGG!

  A blaring siren blasts your ears.

  “Oh, no!” you cry. “What’s that?”

  Lights start flashing as the siren shrieks louder and louder.

  “All right, all right, break it up!” you hear someone order.

  It’s the mall police! Now you’re in trouble!

  In fact, you’re in BIG trouble. Breaking and entering is a serious crime. They thought you were trying to rob the place.

  You try to tell them you’re the richest kid in the world. That you could buy that hot-dog shop. That you could buy the whole mall!

  Too bad they don’t buy your story. So for you it’s bye-bye.

  THE END

  At least on the beach, you have a clear view all around you. You have a better chance of escaping from something in the open.

  And besides, you reassure yourself, if something horrible happens, you still have one more wish left. You can still use it to save yourself.

  Well, if you’re stuck on a deserted island, you might as well try to enjoy yourself. You run down to the water and splash around in the waves for a while.

  The water is bright clear blue. Cool but not cold. Beautiful orange-and-black striped fish dart away from your feet.

  Everything would be perfect. Except for the rustling and the roaring sound coming from the jungle. That keeps moving closer.

  Pretty soon, you realize that you’re dying of thirst. But now you’re afraid to come out of the water. Afraid of the beast in the jungle.

  And as far as you can see, there’s not a thing to drink in sight. No fresh babbling brook. No cooler full of lemonade. No cola machines …

  “Hold it a minute!” you sputter, realizing something.

  Cola! Where’s the can of cola with the genie in it?

  “Without that can, I’ll never get off this island!” you moan.

  Go on to PAGE 91.

  For a minute, you don’t know what to say.

  This totally cool genie pops out of a cola can and offers you three wishes? You can’t believe it!

/>   But you know what you’ll wish for. Something awesome. You can picture it there in front of you.

  Before you put it into words, you hear a car pull up.

  “Uh-oh,” you tell the genie quickly. “My mom’s home. You’ve got to hide! Come on. To my room!”

  Motioning for her to follow you, you race down the hall. You push Jenna behind your closet door, so your mom won’t see her when she comes in.

  And you know your mom will come in any minute now. She always does. First thing, every day when you get home from school, she nags you about your homework. Then scolds you about not making your bed. And then insists you clean your room.

  “Hi, Lambikins!” your mom calls as she enters the house.

  You cringe when you hear the babyish name.

  Jenna snorts. Then she pretends to put a finger down her throat and fakes a gag.

  You giggle. “You’re so cool. I wish you were my mom,” you blurt out.

  “You wish I were your mom?” Jenna declares. “I can do that.”

  Uh-oh. You’ve just made your first wish! Turn to PAGE 136.

  You swallow hard, trying to make the lump in your throat go away. But it won’t. You’re too choked with fear.

  Still, you decide to do what the parrot says. It got you this far. You figure it must know what it’s talking about.

  You ignore the tiger. Or at least you try. You can’t completely forget about the ferocious beast. You’re only human.

  “N-n-now what?” you ask the parrot, still shaking. You try holding very still, so as not to attract the tiger’s attention. “H-how do I get the can of cola? I haven’t got any money.”

  “Take these quarters,” the parrot answers. Using its claw, it picks up three quarters from the branch it’s perched on, and offers them to you. “But be careful. They’re the only ones I have left.”

  As you reach out to take the quarters, the tiger LEAPS! Six hundred pounds of hungry snarling animal — right toward you!