How I Got My Shrunken Head Read online

  “If the Jungle Magic ever falls into Hawlings’s hands,” my aunt continued, “the jungle will be destroyed. The island of Baladora will be destroyed. And so will I.”

  I gasped and turned the page. I struggled to keep the flashlight steady so that I could read more.

  “If Hawlings gets the Jungle Magic,” Aunt Benna wrote, “he will shrink my head until there is no trace of me. I must keep my nephew four thousand miles away from Hawlings. Because he will shrink Mark’s head, too, to get at the magic I have hidden there.”

  “Ohhhh.” A terrified moan escaped my throat.

  Shrink my head?

  Dr. Hawlings will shrink my head?

  I read the last words again: “I must keep my nephew four thousand miles away …”

  But I’m not four thousand miles away! I told myself.

  I’m here. I’m right here!

  Carolyn brought me here to steal the magic. To take it from me. She and Dr. Hawlings planned to shrink my head!

  I slammed the notebook shut. I took a deep breath and held it. But it didn’t help to slow the thudding of my heart.

  What have they done to Aunt Benna? I wondered.

  Did they try to get the secret from her? Did they do something terrible to her?

  Or did she run away from them? Did she escape?

  Did they bring me here to track her down so that they could capture her again? Then when I find her, do they plan to shrink both of our heads?

  “Nooooo,” I murmured, trying to stop my body from trembling.

  I thought they were my friends. My friends …

  But I’m not safe here, I told myself. I’m in terrible danger.

  I have to get away. Get dressed and get away from these evil people. As fast as I can.

  I dropped off the stool, turned, and started toward the door.

  Got to get out. Got to get away.

  The words repeated in rhythm with my pounding heart.

  I reached for the screen door. Started to push it open.

  But someone was standing there. Standing there in the deep shadows, blocking my escape.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” a voice called.

  13

  Kareen pulled open the door and stepped into the room. She wore an oversized T-shirt, down past her knees. Her blond hair was wild about her face. “What are you doing in here?” she demanded.

  “Let me go!” I cried. I raised the flashlight like a weapon.

  She took a step back. “Hey!” She let out a startled cry.

  “I have to go,” I insisted, pushing past her.

  “Mark — what’s your problem?” she asked. “Why are you acting so crazy?”

  I stopped with the screen door half open, my shoulder against the frame. “I saw Aunt Benna’s notebook,” I told Kareen, shining the flashlight beam on her face. “I read what Aunt Benna said. About your father. And about Carolyn.”

  “Oh.” Kareen let out a long sigh.

  I kept the harsh light on her face. She squinted at me, then covered her eyes with her arm. “Where is my aunt?” I demanded sharply. “Do you know where she is?”

  “No,” Kareen replied. “Lower the light — okay? You don’t have to blind me.”

  I lowered the light. “Did your father do something terrible to my aunt? Did he hurt Aunt Benna?”

  “No!” Kareen screamed. “How can you ask that, Mark? My father isn’t evil. He and Benna just don’t agree about some things.”

  “You’re sure you don’t know where my aunt is? Is she hiding somewhere? Hiding from your father? Is she still on the island?” The questions leaped out of me. I wanted to grab Kareen and force her to tell me the truth.

  She tugged at both sides of her blond hair. “We don’t know where your aunt is. We really don’t,” she insisted. “That’s why Carolyn brought you here. To help us find her. We’re worried about Benna. We really are.”

  “That’s a lie!” I cried angrily. “I read my aunt’s notebook. Your father isn’t worried about my aunt.”

  “Well, I am,” Kareen insisted. “I like your aunt a lot. She’s been really nice to me. I don’t care about Daddy and Aunt Carolyn and their arguments with Benna. I’m worried about Benna. I really am.”

  I raised the flashlight again. I wanted to check out Kareen’s expression. I wanted to see if she was telling the truth.

  Her blue eyes flashed in the light. I saw a teardrop running down one cheek. I decided she was being honest with me.

  “Well, if you’re worried about my aunt, help me get away from here,” I said, lowering the light again.

  “Okay, I’ll help you,” she answered quickly, without having to think about it.

  I pushed open the screen door and crept outside. Kareen followed. She closed the door silently behind her. “Turn off the light,” she whispered. “We don’t want Daddy or Carolyn to see.”

  I clicked off the light and started through the wet grass toward my cabin, walking fast. Kareen hurried to keep at my side.

  “I’ll get dressed,” I whispered. “Then I’m going to try to find Aunt Benna.” A shudder swept down my back. “But how? Where should I go?”

  “Use the Jungle Magic,” Kareen whispered. “It’ll tell you where Benna is. It’ll tell you where to go.”

  “But I can’t!” I cried shrilly. “Up until today, I didn’t even know I had any kind of magic. I’m still not sure I believe it.”

  “Use the magic —” Kareen whispered, narrowing her eyes at me.

  “But I don’t know how!” I insisted.

  “The magic will guide you,” she replied. “I’m sure it will. I’m sure it will show you the way.”

  I wasn’t so sure. But I didn’t say anything.

  My mind was spinning. Aunt Benna’s written words kept weaving through my thoughts.

  I should be four thousand miles away, I told myself. I’m only safe if I’m four thousand miles away.

  Now, how will I escape from Carolyn and Dr. Hawlings?

  How?

  We were striding down the row of cabins. The air still felt hot and wet, heavy. The sky had darkened to black. There were still no stars, no moon.

  I’ll get dressed, and I’ll get away, I told myself.

  Get dressed. Get away.

  “Hurry, Mark,” Kareen whispered at my side. “Hurry. And don’t make a sound. Daddy is a very light sleeper.”

  My cabin came into view at the end of the row.

  But before I could reach it, I heard the soft thud of footsteps in the grass. Rapid footsteps.

  Kareen gasped and grabbed my arm. “Oh, no! It’s him!”

  14

  I think I jumped a foot in the air.

  Should I run? Try to hide?

  If this was a game of Jungle King, I’d know the right moves. I’d know how to escape from the Evil Scientist. I’d grab a vine and swing myself to safety. And pick up a few extra lives along the way.

  But, of course, this was no game.

  I pressed my back against the cabin wall and froze there, waiting to be caught.

  The rapid footsteps thudded closer.

  I held my breath, but my heart still pounded. I held my breath — and watched a funny-looking animal hop into view.

  Not Dr. Hawlings. But a weird-looking rabbit, with huge ears and big paws that thudded the ground as it hopped.

  I watched the weird creature dart away, disappearing between two of the low cabins. “Is it a rabbit?”

  Kareen raised a finger to her lips, reminding me to be quiet. “It’s a new species of giant rabbit your aunt discovered.”

  “Very educational,” I murmured. “But do I need a nature lesson now?”

  Kareen pushed me by the shoulders toward my cabin door. “Hurry, Mark. If my dad wakes up …” She didn’t finish her sentence.

  If he wakes up, he’ll shrink my head. I finished the sentence for her in my mind.

  My legs suddenly felt as if they were about to collapse. But I forced myself into my dark cabin.
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  My hands were shaking so hard, I could barely get dressed. I pulled on the jeans I’d been wearing that day. And a long-sleeved T-shirt. And changed into my sneakers.

  “Hurry!” Kareen whispered from the door. “Hurry up!”

  I wished she’d stop saying that. I jumped every time.

  “Hurry, Mark!”

  I pulled open my suitcase and grabbed the flashlight I’d brought. Then I started to the door.

  “Hurry, Mark. Get going!” Kareen whispered.

  I stopped halfway across the cabin. Grabbed the shrunken head. Stuffed it into my T-shirt pocket. Then I pushed open the door and stepped back outside.

  Where should I go? What should I do? How could I find my aunt?

  A million questions rushed through my mind. My throat felt so dry, it ached. I thought about getting one of those cold Cokes in the lab. But I knew I couldn’t risk waking Kareen’s father.

  We started walking across the wet grass. “Don’t turn on the flashlight until you’re hidden by the trees,” Kareen instructed.

  “But where do I go? How do I find Aunt Benna?” I whispered, swallowing hard.

  “There’s only one path,” Kareen told me, pointing to the tangled dark trees at the edge of the clearing. “It will lead you part of the way.”

  “Then what?” I demanded, my voice shaking.

  Her eyes locked on mine. “The Jungle Magic will take you the rest of the way.”

  Yeah. Sure.

  And next week, I’ll flap my arms and fly to the moon.

  I had the sudden urge to turn around. Go back to my little shack. Go to bed and pretend I never read my aunt’s notebook.

  But then Kareen and I passed the big pile of shrunken heads. The dark eyes all seemed to stare out at me. Such sad, sad eyes.

  I don’t want my head to end up on that pile, I decided. No way!

  I started to jog toward the trees.

  Kareen hurried to keep up with me. “Good luck, Mark!” she called softly.

  “Th-thanks,” I stammered. Then I stopped and turned to her. “What are you going to tell your dad in the morning?”

  Kareen shrugged. The wind blew her blond hair around her face. “I won’t tell him anything,” she said. “I’ll tell him I slept all night. That I didn’t hear a thing.”

  “Thanks,” I repeated. Then gripping the flashlight tightly, I turned and ran into the trees.

  The path was soft and sandy. The sand felt wet through my sneakers. Vines and big, flat leaves reached over the path. They slapped against my jeans legs as I trotted along.

  Tall weeds grew over the path. After a minute or so, it became too dark to see. Had I wandered off the path?

  I clicked on the flashlight and shone the light along the ground.

  The light swept over the tall weeds, strange ferns, tendrils of vines. The black-trunked trees appeared to lean toward me, reaching for me with their smooth limbs.

  No path.

  Here I am, I thought, squinting into the pale beam of light. Here I am, all alone in the jungle.

  Now what do I do?

  15

  “Ow!”

  I swatted a mosquito on my neck. Too late. I could feel the throb of its bite.

  Rubbing my neck, I took a few steps through the tall weeds. I kept the circle of light in front of my feet.

  Aa-OO-tah. Aa-OO-tah.

  A shrill cry — very close by — made me stop.

  Night in the jungle belongs to the creatures, I remembered with a shiver.

  Aa-OO-tah. Aa-OO-tah.

  What was it?

  Not a giant rabbit. It sounded really BIG.

  I spun the light in a circle, keeping it low over the grass and vines. The smooth tree trunks shone purple in the pale light.

  I didn’t see any animals.

  I lowered the light.

  My whole body was shaking. Despite the damp heat of the night, I couldn’t stop shivering.

  A wind made the leaves all flap, the trees bend and whisper.

  The jungle was alive, I realized.

  Insects chittered all around. Fat leaves scraped and cracked. I heard the soft crackle of animal footsteps running over the ground.

  Aa-OO-tah. Aa-OO-tah.

  What was that?

  Without realizing it, I had pressed myself against a low tree. I took a deep breath and held it, listening hard.

  Was the animal moving closer?

  Thick clumps of leaves hung down from the low branches, forming a kind of cave. I’m protected under here, I thought, gazing all around. I suddenly felt a little safer, hidden under the thick leaves, under the low branches.

  Through my leafy roof, I glimpsed a sliver of white moonlight. It made the leaves gleam like silver.

  I clicked off the flashlight and lowered myself to a sitting position on the ground. Leaning back against the smooth trunk, I gazed up at the moon, taking slow, steady breaths.

  As soon as I felt calmer, I realized how tired I was. The sleepiness swept over me like a heavy blanket. I yawned loudly. My eyelids seemed to weigh a hundred pounds.

  I tried to stay alert. But I couldn’t fight the drowsiness.

  With the chittering of insects for a lullaby, I leaned my head against the tree trunk and drifted into a deep sleep.

  I dreamed about shrunken heads.

  Dozens of shrunken heads, the leathery skin purple and green, the black eyes glowing like dark coals, the dry black lips pulled back in angry snarls.

  The heads floated and danced through my dream. They darted back and forth like tennis balls. They flew into me, bounced against my chest, bounced off my head. But I didn’t feel them.

  They bounced and floated. And then the dry lips opened, and they all began to sing. “Hurry, Mark. Hurry.” That was their song.

  The words came out hoarse and raspy. The sound of air rattling through dead leaves.

  “Hurry, Mark. Hurry.” An ugly, frightening chant.

  “Hurry, Mark. Hurry.”

  The black lips twisted into a sneer as they sang. The coal eyes glowed. The heads — dozens of shriveled, wrinkled heads — bobbed and bounced.

  I woke up with the whispered words in my ear.

  I blinked. Gray morning light shimmered down through the tree leaves. My back ached. My clothes felt damp.

  It took me a few seconds to remember where I was.

  The frightening dream stayed in my mind. My hand slid up to my T-shirt pocket. I felt the shrunken head tucked tightly inside.

  My face itched.

  I reached up to scratch my cheek — and pulled something off it. A leaf?

  No.

  I squinted at the insect in my hand. A large red ant. Nearly the size of a grasshopper.

  “Yuck!” I tossed it away.

  My skin tingled. My back itched. Something moved up and down my legs.

  I jerked myself up straight. Alert. Wide-awake now.

  Itching like crazy. My whole body tingling.

  I stared down at myself. Stared down at my jeans and T-shirt.

  And started to scream.

  16

  I jumped to my feet. I thrashed my arms in the air. I kicked my legs.

  My body was covered with giant red ants.

  Hundreds and hundreds of them. Crawling over my arms, my legs, my chest.

  Their prickly legs scratched over my throat and the back of my neck. I pulled a fat one off my forehead. Then another off my cheek.

  I reached up and felt them crawling in my hair.

  “Ohhhh.” A low moan escaped my throat as I slapped at my hair. Swept my hands through it. Watched the big red ants fall to the ground.

  I felt them crawl over the backs of my hands. Hot and prickly. So big. And so many of them.

  I dropped to my knees, slapping at my chest, pulling the insects off my neck. I began rolling frantically in the tall grass, dripping wet from the heavy morning dew.

  I rolled and slapped at myself. Rolled over and over, trying to flatten the insects, trying to kick them
off me. I grabbed another handful out of my hair and heaved them into a leafy bush.

  I struggled back to my feet, twisting and squirming. Pulling at the big red ants.

  But there were too many of them. My skin itched and tingled. Their tiny feet prickled my arms, my legs, my chest.

  It itched so badly, I felt I couldn’t breathe.

  I’m suffocating, I realized. The ants — they’re going to smother me!

  “Kah-lee-ah!” I screamed, squirming and slapping. “Kah-lee-ah!”

  To my surprise, ants started to drop off my body.

  “Kah-lee-ah!” I screamed again.

  Ants showered down to the ground. They leaped out of my hair, dropped off my forehead, off the front of my shirt.

  I stared in amazement as they fell to the ground. Then they scurried away, climbing over each other, stampeding over and under the tall grass.

  I rubbed my neck. I scratched my legs. My whole body still tingled. I still itched all over.

  But the big ants were gone. They had all jumped off when I shouted my special word.

  Special word.

  I glanced down over my shirt, trying to rub away the horrible tingling. Inside my pocket, the shrunken head’s eyes glowed. A bright, yellow glow.

  “Whoa!” I grabbed the head and tugged it from my pocket. I held it up in front of me.

  “Kah-lee-ah!” I shouted.

  The eyes glowed brighter.

  My special word.

  Where did the word come from? I didn’t know. I thought I made it up.

  But I suddenly knew that the word was the secret behind the Jungle Magic.

  The word — and the shrunken head.

  Somehow the word brought the Jungle Magic to life. When I shouted it out, the ants jumped off me and hurried away.

  I gazed at the glowing little head with new excitement. My heart pounded in my chest. I concentrated on the head, thinking hard.

  I did have Jungle Magic.

  Dr. Hawlings and Carolyn were right.

  I had Jungle Magic and didn’t know it. And the word Kah-lee-ah was the key that unlocked it.

  It had helped me get rid of the gross red ants. Would it help lead me to Aunt Benna?