Trapped in Bat Wing Hall Read online

  Your friends better arrive before dark, you think. You know how tough it is to get anyone to listen to you while you’re a bat. You glance over at the cemetery and shudder. That’s where all your problems began. You breathe a sigh of relief once you’ve passed it by.

  But your relief doesn’t last long.

  “HALT!” a voice rumbles. You could swear you felt the ground shake. What do you do?

  If you halt, turn to PAGE 113.

  If you make a run for it, race to PAGE 109.

  “I think I know what it’s doing,” Martin repeats. “It must be practicing flying. It looks kind of cool. I wish I could be a bat.”

  This is ridiculous.

  You’re starting to get mad. You fly back across the street again. But this time you keep going. You head straight for the Krupnik Crypt.

  “It wants us to follow it!” Lara guesses. Finally! You knew you liked Lara best. She runs after you. The others follow close behind. Soon all four of you are gathered in front of the crypt.

  “I wonder why it led us here?” Marcie asks. They all stare at you expectantly.

  How can you make them understand that the door needs to be shut? You hover over the dreadful words: WHO TURNS THE STONE WILL GROW BAT BONES.

  Marcie watches you, then peers at the words. “Maybe the crypt has something to do with the transformation,” she says.

  “Yes!” you squeak. “That’s it!” But of course they can’t understand you. How can you get them to close the door?

  Land on the metal ring on the door? Or fly into the crypt?

  If you decide to fly into the crypt, soar to PAGE 112.

  If you decide to perch on the ring, turn to PAGE 98.

  “Okay,” you say. “Go ahead.”

  “You asked for it,” Nick says. He glances at Debbie and Connor. They nod with excitement.

  What’s going on? you wonder.

  Slowly Nick brings his hands up to his cheeks. He hooks his thumbs under his chin … and rips his face right off!

  You gasp. The head of a green-skinned reptilian monster stares out at you from the top of Nick’s body. Slimy scales cover his face and begin to spread down his arms and hands!

  “N-N-Nick?” you choke out.

  The monster grins at you — with six-inch-long fangs! Its beady yellow eyes gaze at you hungrily.

  You turn to Debbie and Connor. And scream.

  They are peeling off their kid faces, too!

  You gape in horror at Debbie. Her skin is now purple and covered with hideous, oozing warts. Her eyes have turned completely white and seem to bulge out of her head. And her hair — it’s wriggling with enormous black tarantulas!

  Now you know the truth. These kids are monsters!

  What next? Go to PAGE 114.

  “What game?” you ask Debbie, your voice trembling.

  “The scavenger hunt,” she declares.

  “If you can find all four items on the list before midnight,” Nick adds, “then we’ll let you go. If you fail, you will be trapped here with us forever and turned into a monster. Not much of a choice, huh?”

  Your knees shake as you review the scavenger hunt list in your mind. Where will you ever find werewolf hair and mummy bandages? Then again, you don’t have many options.

  But maybe, you think, you can use the time to search for an open window and escape.

  “You’ve only got two hours,” Connor growls, looking at the tiny watch on his huge wrist. “You’d better get started.”

  “You can begin here on the main floor, or go upstairs,” Nick tells you, his reptile tongue darting in and out of his mouth. “It’s your choice.”

  Stay on the main floor, turn to PAGE 11.

  Try your luck upstairs, go to PAGE 111.

  You’re hanging on to the elevator railing by one hand now.

  You start to say your prayers, when you hear a strange whooshing sound. A bright blue glow fills the dark airshaft. You glance down. It’s the witch’s broom, glowing blue, floating up through the air. You bellow with joy!

  The next thing you know the magic broom swoops underneath you. Without thinking, you throw your arms around the broom handle.

  And you’re off!

  With a loud WHOOSH! the broom flies you down to the basement. What a ride! You leap off the broom, onto solid ground.

  You’re safe, you think. And then you hear the snarling.

  You spin around and spot a furnace belching bright yellow flames. And next to it sits a huge cage — with a pacing, snarling werewolf inside!

  Go to PAGE 129.

  “I can’t believe it! A bat sending me a message!” Marcie exclaims. She beckons to you. “Here, bat. Here, bat. Let me get a better look at you.”

  Gratefully, you fly over to her. Quick as a cat, she grabs you and shoves you in a drawer.

  “Hey!” you squeak. “Let me out of here!”

  “This is so cool!” you hear Marcie saying. “A bat that can spell! We can go on TV! We’ll be famous!”

  “I’m not a bat!” you cry. “I’m a human! Let me finish my message!”

  But Marcie isn’t interested in your message. “I’ll find a box to put it in,” she says to herself. Your super bat ears hear her leave the room. A moment later the drawer opens. Darryl’s wide eyes stare straight at you.

  “DOGGIE!” he cries.

  Turn to PAGE 132.

  “Yes! Help!” you cry, still frozen in place.

  Then you hear Connor’s deep, rumbling laughter. “You fell for it! You fell for our trick!” he taunts.

  “What trick?” you ask.

  “The force field. You’re trapped in a force field!” Connor tells you. Debbie and Nick laugh along with him.

  “Force field!” you exclaim. “Turn it off! Let me out of here!”

  “Sssorry,” Nick says with a reptile-like hiss. “You can’t escape from Bat Wing Hall!”

  “That’s right,” Debbie sneers. “The force field doesn’t turn off until one minute after midnight.”

  “That’s one minute after you’ve turned into a monster!” Connor leers.

  Then the monsters lumber down the stairs, leaving you alone. Trapped in the force field. You glance at your watch. Time is ticking away.

  You struggle, trying to break through. But you can’t budge.

  You’re stuck.

  Stuck until midnight.

  Until it’s time. Time for a monster of a change!

  THE END

  Before the king can speak, one of the priests throws his arms around your throat. “Come with me!” he snarls.

  “Stop!” the king orders before the priest can drag you too far. “Who are you?”

  “I’m just a kid,” you try to explain. “I don’t know how I got here. But I really want to go home.”

  “Let the intruder go!” the king orders the priest. Then he turns to you. “I don’t know how to help you return,” he admits. “But I like you. And I would be honored if you would agree to stay here with me.”

  You don’t know what to do. Should you stay with the king or leave the palace?

  If you accept the king’s offer, turn to PAGE 24.

  If you decide to leave the palace, sprint to PAGE 89.

  You wake up the next morning in your own bed, feeling normal. You scrunch your eyes tight and raise your hands to your face. You’re almost afraid to look. You count to three and force your eyes open. Hooray! No more bat wings! Your hands are back! Everything that happened the night before must have been a dream!

  A terrible dream.

  You rush to the bathroom to examine your face in the mirror. There’s no trace of whiskers or fur or big bat’s ears. You’ve never been so happy to see your goofy grin! You brush your teeth, comb your hair, and get dressed — whistling the whole time. You skip down the stairs and into the kitchen. The aroma of pancakes cooking fills the room.

  “How many pancakes this morning?” your mom asks.

  “Three,” you tell her. You pour a ton of syrup on the stack an
d start to eat. But today, the pancakes don’t taste good. They’re too soft, and the syrup is too sweet. You can’t help thinking they’d be better with beetles on them.

  “I think I’ll eat later,” you tell your mom. You stand and slip on a jacket. You step outside into the bright sunshine.

  And discover you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life!

  Hurry to PAGE 40.

  You swoop over to the couple. You’re just about to ask them for help when the woman notices you.

  “A bat!” she shrieks. “A bat! Help!”

  Her scream is so loud it scares you! You try to fly away. But you still don’t have much control. You swoop in the wrong direction — right into her long hair!

  You’re completely trapped! Your mouth is full of wiry hairs. Hairs wrap themselves around your neck and pull at your claws. You struggle to free yourself, but this only makes it worse.

  “AAAAAAAACK!” the woman screams.

  “Get away!” the man shouts. He grabs for you.

  “I’m not really a bat!” you yell. But all that comes out is a squeak.

  The woman swats at you — hard! Suddenly you’re free. You flutter up, away from the couple. From the top of a streetlight you see a welcome sight — your own house!

  You’ve had enough flying for one night. Wearily, you flutter home. You swoop in through your open window and decide to try again in the morning.

  Flip back to PAGE 53.

  Once again you’re in total darkness.

  But at least the crypt door is closed. The stone has been turned. You hope you’ve been turned, too — turned back into a kid.

  You wait a few minutes and then stretch out your arms. Your heart sinks. Your fingers are still webbed and still attached to your bat wings. Closing the crypt didn’t do anything.

  Now you use your bat sonar to examine the inside of the crypt. You notice something you didn’t see the last time you were here. There’s a crack on the floor of the crypt. You swoop down to investigate. The crack is wide and deep. It seems to lead straight into the ground. You find these words chiseled along the crack:

  WHO ENTERS HERE WILL BE

  Will be what? you wonder. Unfortunately, the last part of the writing has crumbled away.

  Still, this looks like the same writing you saw on the door of the tomb. Are the missing words TRANSFORMED BACK?

  Fly into the crack on PAGE 4.

  “Uh, I think that’s Martin,” you tell Lara and Marcie. The three of you exchange a glance, then stare up at the clumsy bat. There’s no doubt about it. Martin turned the ring, so he has been transformed.

  “How can we turn him back into a kid?” Marcie asks.

  “Maybe if we open the door again,” Lara suggests. She reaches for the crypt door.

  “No!” you cry. “We don’t know what will happen —”

  But it’s too late. As soon as Lara opens the door she vanishes. But Martin is still a bat!

  “Where’s Lara?” Marcie cries.

  “RIBBIT!” You look down at your feet. A small frog is hopping up to you. “RIBBIT!”

  “I think she’s been turned into a frog,” you reply.

  “This is terrible,” Marcie cries. “What can we do?”

  Go to PAGE 23.

  “Member of the Horror Club, prepare to accept your punishment!” the ghost roars.

  “Wait!” you yell, leaping backward. “I’ve already been punished! When I was at the Horror Club Friday night I opened your tomb and was turned into a bat!”

  “So that was you!” the professor’s ghost exclaims. “Far worse could have happened. But I suppose that’s punishment enough.”

  “But I don’t want to be a bat!” you plead. “I want to be a human!”

  “Hmmm,” the ghost says after a moment. “Perhaps we can help each other. If you will assist me in getting rid of those pesky kids — I’ll help you turn back into your true form.”

  “How do I know you’ll do it?” you ask. “Change me back now, and then I’ll help you.”

  “No!” the ghost thunders. “That’s my offer. Take it or leave it!”

  Can you trust Professor Krupnik’s ghost? Should you help him get the Horror Club members out of his house? You don’t really have a choice. Besides, he’s probably the only one who can unbat you.

  To help the ghost and hope he helps you, turn to PAGE 81.

  Your heart pounds wildly as the chanting men surround you.

  “Halt!” a deep gravelly voice calls out. A tall, white-bearded man dressed in long blue robes has magically appeared behind you. He is holding a clay tray with pots and jars and some creepy instruments you’ve never seen before.

  “Who are you?” you cry. “What’s happening?”

  “I am the wizard,” the man says. “You are in the Palace of Ra-ma-la-ma, an unimportant Egyptian king.” He points to the chanting men. “These are the king’s priests. And legend decrees that anyone who enters these chambers must be turned into a mummy!”

  “A m-mummy?” you cry. “But I came here by accident!”

  “No matter,” scoffs the wizard. “Prepare to be mummified!”

  “Wait!” you plead. You give the wizard your most pathetic look. He takes pity on you.

  “I will give you one chance to escape,” he declares.

  The wizard sets the tray down. He reaches into his robe and pulls out two stones. In his right hand is a glowing red stone. In his left hand is a dull gray rock. “One stone is an enchanted stone,” he explains. “It will return you to where you came from. The other stone is an ordinary rock. Pick one.”

  If you choose the red stone, turn to PAGE 84.

  If you prefer the gray rock, turn to PAGE 34.

  You decide to cross the river. Just beyond the sign, you notice a rowboat, almost hidden in the mist.

  “Want a ride?” asks a deep voice.

  You can just make out a figure in a dark cloak sitting at the oars of the boat.

  Your skin crawls at the sight of him. His face is skull-like, the bones jutting out like a skeleton’s. The last thing you want to do is get any closer to this evil-looking creature, but you have no choice. You have to return to the crypt. You step into the rowboat. Without another word, the oarsman begins to row. You shiver as the boat makes its silent way across the murky river. Finally, the boat docks on the other side and you climb out.

  You want to ask directions but the oarsman is already turning the boat around. “Hey,” you call out, and wave to get his attention. To your horror, you can see right through your hand.

  You turn back around and are relieved to spot the Krupnik Crypt just ahead. You make your way to the entrance and notice the list of the dead people buried there.

  The last name on the list looks as if it has just been carved. You lean in to read it and gasp! There on the stone, in undeniable lettering, is your own name … and just two more words …

  THE END.

  You flap your wings frantically, trying to escape the paper bag. It’s no use — you’re trapped!

  You feel the bag being lifted and carried through the house, down the stairs, and outside into the cool night air. You hear the slam of a door, then the rumble of an engine. You’re in a car! But where are you going?

  About ten minutes later, the car screeches to a stop. You are picked up and carried across a winding footpath.

  “Here we are!” Martin’s dad announces.

  “Thank you so much,” a strange, deep voice replies. “It is always wise to bring lost wild animals to the zoo. We can protect them here. This bat will be much happier with all the other bats in the Bat House.”

  Bat House? Zoo? Is this guy serious? you wonder.

  Suddenly, the bag opens wide and you are nudged out. You flap your wings, confused and disoriented. Then you hear a cage door click shut.

  And the flutter of hundreds of bat wings!

  There are bats — everywhere! Swarming around you, swooping down on you. You head for a corner, terrified. A large bat zooms o
ver and brushes up against you. You try to blend into the wall, but the bat moves closer and closer.

  Too bad. It looks as if this bat is batty over you!

  THE END

  “Get away,” you cry out to the monsters. “I don’t need your help.”

  The three monsters laugh and laugh.

  You try to ignore them. And concentrate on moving.

  “He doesn’t get it,” you hear Nick whisper to Debbie. “He doesn’t know he’s trapped in a force field.”

  A force field? Oh, no!

  You’ve got to find a way out. Somehow. But how?

  You can’t move forward. You can’t move backward.

  You squeeze your eyes shut and struggle against the invisible field. But it seems to be getting stronger the harder you fight. Frustrated, you let your body go limp.

  And then you notice something. The areas where your muscles are totally relaxed aren’t tingling quite so much! Maybe that’s the key! Maybe the force field is activated by your fear!

  You flop onto the stairs. You close your eyes. You concentrate on fun, happy things. Cake with ice cream. Swimming in the ocean. Playing baseball with your friends.

  You start to fall down the stairs. You did it! You freed yourself! You breathe a long sigh of relief. Then you scramble down the stairs and return to the living room.

  Go to PAGE 11.

  You’ve decided to escape. Marcie’s aim is too good with that flyswatter. You swoop out of the living room as fast as you can.

  Marcie’s right behind you, chasing you down a narrow hallway. You come to a dead end.

  Desperately, you try to duck past her. The open window you used before was in the living room. No way you’ll get back to it now.