The Twisted Tale of Tiki Island Read online

  The hatch in the floor of the deck opens. You and Gina are forced down the rickety stairs. You wade through waist-high water.

  SLAM! The hatch bangs shut above you. One small torch on the wall casts a yellow glow over the dungeon. “Aaahhhhh!” you scream when you see skeletons hanging in chains from the walls.

  “They never got out — and we won’t, either!” Gina wails.

  Something swims through your legs and back again. “Yikes!” you squeal as the slimy thing brushes against your bare leg.

  “What is it?” Gina cries. “I feel it, too!”

  Whatever it is, it’s nibbling at your ankles. You peer down into the water and see schools of vicious-looking fish. Their round, spiked heads have huge mouths filled with three rows of razor-sharp teeth.

  They surround you!

  Go to PAGE 17

  There are too many skeletons to fight alone. You have to go for help.

  You swim toward the waterfall that dumped you here. The current is against you. Your arms can hardly pull you forward. But you force yourself to continue swimming. I have to get help, you tell yourself over and over. You reach and kick. Reach and kick.

  A long, snakelike arm suddenly wraps around you! It pulls you underwater.

  You struggle to free yourself, but another arm wraps around you. Then another! And another!

  Those aren’t arms! They’re tentacles! Eight thick tentacles!

  Oh, no! You’re trapped in the grip of a giant octopus!

  Turn to PAGE 133.

  “What is that?” Gina asks, staring at the painted stone.

  “I don’t know,” you admit. “But I think Kala does.”

  “It — it’s nothing,” Kala stammers. “Just some ocean junk.” From his nervous tone, you get the feeling he’s lying.

  On the ride back to the resort, you notice Kala stealing glances at the stone piece. It seems to make him nervous.

  As the boat pulls up to the dock, Kala speaks very softly. “I believe you have found something very important,” he tells you. “But you must make sure.”

  You’re glad he’s talking to you again. Even if he is acting strange. “But how do I find out what it is?” you ask.

  “Go to the village,” he tells you, “and find Hooahtoo.”

  “Who what who?” you repeat.

  “Hooahtoo. He will tell you what you have found,” Kala explains. “But tell no one about it. And trust no one!”

  Gina grabs the snorkeling equipment while you wrap the stone in a towel. Then you and Gina scramble onto the dock. You watch Kala start up the boat and drive away.

  “That Kala is one weird dude,” Gina comments.

  “Maybe … ,” you reply thoughtfully.

  Turn to PAGE 29.

  “Okay, okay,” you say to Gina. “We’ll listen to the guide. But then we have to hurry!”

  “Sshhh!” Gina hushes you. “She’s talking about the volcano.”

  “I know you all want to climb to the walkway around the mouth of the volcano,” the dark-haired tour guide says.

  “Yeah!” a loudmouthed guy calls out from the crowd. “That’s why we came all this way!”

  “I’m sorry to tell you the tour stops right here,” the guide continues. “Kenalua last erupted in nineteen sixty. Before that she erupted in nineteen twenty. Scientists predict her pattern of eruption to be about every forty years. But the growling in Kenalua’s belly has been felt recently. Scientists are watching her very closely.”

  As if on cue, a sudden rumbling sound fills the air.

  Turn to PAGE 14.

  Too many weird things have happened since you found the Tiki Eye. You have to take Gina’s disappearance seriously.

  You spend the next few hours searching behind every rock and shrub. You start feeling more and more scared. Kala said people were disappearing. Is Gina one of them now?

  You feel the Tiki Eye heating up in your pocket. You take it out for real this time. You throw it as far as you can.

  Like a boomerang, the stone piece turns in midair and flies back to you. You catch it and toss it again.

  The same thing happens.

  No matter how many times you hurl it, the Tiki Eye comes back. But when you try to hold it, the heat burns you.

  “Gina!” you cry one last time. “Why can’t Gina come back instead of this Tiki Eye? I wish, I wish, I wish I’d never found this dumb thing!”

  Turn to PAGE 95.

  You realize the stalagmite you banged into was actually a beam holding up the cave’s roof. You’ve loosened it, and now the roof is collapsing. The walls of the cave crack and crumble around you.

  You’re going to be buried alive. You’re all going to be prisoners of the Kalookie Cave.

  “I’m sorry!” you cry to Gina.

  But Gina can’t hear you. Neither can the warriors. They’re all smothered under a pile of crumbling rubble. And soon you will be, too.

  Too bad. But sometimes that’s just the way the Kalookie crumbles.

  THE END

  Your right foot can barely keep up with your left! The Tiki Eye drags you quickly back to the resort.

  Along the way, you try to get rid of the eye. You scrape it on a root. You bang your foot against a tree trunk until it hurts.

  Nothing works.

  The eye sticks to your sneaker as if it were super-glued!

  On the dock up ahead you spot Kala’s dad, the resort owner. Thank goodness! you think. Maybe he can help. He might know about island curses!

  You rush up to the dock. Kala’s dad bends down, reaching into a boat tied to the dock.

  Oh, no! Before you can call out his name, the eye on your shoe takes control again! You boot Kala’s dad right in the behind! He flies off the dock into the water.

  “You!” he sputters when his head pops out above the water. “I’m speaking to your mother! You will be banned from all resort activities!”

  Your heart sinks. There goes your vacation.

  But can you blame him?

  No one likes to be kicked in

  THE END.

  The decision is made. “Okay, let’s go see this Hooahtoo guy,” you declare.

  You and Gina find your way to Hooahtoo’s shack in the village.

  “Enter,” a booming voice calls from inside.

  Hey. How did he know you were there? You didn’t have time to ring the wind chimes in the doorway yet!

  Gina pushes you forward. You nervously pull aside the palm leaves covering the opening. A purple mist hangs in the dark, round room. The sweet smell of mango incense fills the air. Tiki masks cover the walls.

  “Show Hooahtoo what you have brought him,” the deep voice orders. The speaker is still hidden inside the mist.

  This place really gives you the creeps. The smells. The sounds. Everything.

  Gina jabs her elbow into your side.

  “I … my name is … ,” you stammer.

  “Hooahtoo knows who you are,” the voice interrupts you. “Hooahtoo knows everything.” An arm waves the mist aside.

  Gina gasps.

  You gulp.

  That’s Hooahtoo?

  Turn to PAGE 19.

  A deafening roar bursts from the volcano. A violent tremor knocks you and Gina to the ground.

  “Look!” Gina cries. She points to the sky.

  Hundreds of ghostly figures rise out of the volcano. And vanish! Wails and cries fill the air. You and Gina lie on the ground, covering your heads with your arms.

  Then, as suddenly as it began, all is silent.

  You and Gina stare at each other. Slowly, you get to your feet. The ground is steady again. The volcano is quiet.

  “The lizard!” Gina cries. “It’s gone!”

  You dash off the walkway and race to the spot where the lizard had dropped you. You notice a tiny little reptile sunning itself on a rock. “No, Gina,” you call. “It’s not gone. It’s just gone back to its normal size.”

  So that’s it. The curse of Tiki Island has been lifted!
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  Of course, now that the lizard is only six inches long, it’s much harder to ride it home. In fact, when you try to climb on its back, you flatten the poor thing.

  Oh, well. It’s a happy ending for you and Gina, but for the lizard it’s simply

  THE END.

  Diamonds shower down on you. The walls of the lagoon are caving in. Your shouts were the final blow. Your warning is the very thing that caused these walls to tumble. You watch in horror as the men in skeleton suits are pelted by falling chunks of colored diamonds.

  You and Gina try to run for the tunnel, but stumble over the shaking ground. Diamonds, diamonds, and more diamonds rain down. You and Gina are up to your ears in the sparkling jagged-edged jewels. The others are already buried.

  You and Gina exchange final glances as the diamond walls continue falling on you. It’s over now.

  But one thing is for sure, this vacation turned out to be a real gem!

  THE END

  You square your shoulders and tuck the small box into your pocket. Then you and Gina hurry to the path up the volcano.

  As you approach, you see a group of tourists. A tour guide is lecturing about the Kenalua volcano.

  “Let’s listen in,” Gina suggests, pulling you to a stop.

  “We can’t,” you protest. “Hooahtoo said we have to go now.”

  “Well, I’d kind of like to know what we’re getting into,” Gina argues.

  Gina’s got a point. Maybe you should stop and learn more about this volcano.

  Then you feel the heat of the stone seeping through the straw box in your pocket.

  Do you have time to stop?

  If you stop and listen to the guide, turn to PAGE 77.

  If you keep going, turn to PAGE 130.

  “Gina! Look! This place is full of treasure!” You gaze through the dirty window at pots, spears, and vases lining the walls. “And look at all those masks! I think they’re real Tiki masks!”

  “What are Tiki masks?” Gina asks.

  Kala told you all about Tiki masks last year. “They’re masks that island warriors used to wear for celebrations and dances,” you explain.

  You sneak inside the shack to get a closer look. Pieces of clay pottery and even whole pots are set out and labeled. On a large table, beads, necklaces, rings, and gold pieces covered with dirt wait for sorting.

  You notice a stack of cartons piled in a corner. As you examine them, you realize these boxes are the real find.

  Each carton is packed and sealed. And they’re all addressed to The Ancient Artifacts Emporium in New York City!

  “Check this out,” you call to Gina.

  “Hey!” Gina exclaims, staring at the cartons. “I thought you said nothing could leave the island.”

  “They can’t,” you reply. “But I guess Dr. Oates doesn’t —”

  A booming voice interrupts you. “Did someone mention my name?” A scruffy-faced man leans through the open window.

  It’s Dr. Oates!

  Go to PAGE 125.

  With a shout, Kala leads the charge of prisoners. As they storm down the aisles, Hooahtoo stands on his throne.

  “You will obey the great Hooahtoo!” he shrieks. “I am the supreme leader! I will rule Tiki Island! Obey! Obey! Obey!”

  The freed islanders herd the Tiki warriors into the prison. The steel bars crash down.

  Next, Kala’s army surrounds Hooahtoo. They hoist him high into the air. Kala grabs a Tiki spear and pins him to the cave wall.

  Hanging by his purple robe, the tiny madman can do no more harm.

  When it’s all over, Kala glances up to the ledge where you and Gina perch. He waves and smiles just the way he used to. You grin and wave back. You’re glad he’s back to his normal self.

  You glance down and see the Tiki Eye lying near your feet. It must have slipped out of your pocket.

  You hold it for the last time. It’s warm in your hand.

  “Here, Kala!” you call. “Catch!”

  Go to PAGE 61.

  You’re standing face-to-face with an army of Tiki warriors!

  Not just Tiki warriors — Tiki warrior spirits!

  Each one of the masks from the mask room is now worn by a ghostly warrior. There are hundreds of spirits. And they’re angry!

  “We’ve been held prisoner long enough!” one wails.

  “The door!” moans another. “It’s open! It’s finally open!”

  The warrior spirits rush through the door, nearly trampling you and Gina. There are so many of them, they fill the cave.

  What will they do to you and Gina?

  You don’t have to wait long for your answer. They crowd around you. You feel yourself being lifted high into the air. Gina is held aloft also.

  “They have rescued us!” a warrior shouts.

  “Our new leaders!” another adds.

  The warriors carry you on their shoulders. You’re scared at first. But then you decide it’s kind of nice to be a leader.

  The only problem: What is your mom going to say when you get back to the hotel? Because the room is sure going to be crowded now!

  THE END

  “The eye!” you whisper. “It’s our only hope!”

  Gina nods. “Do it!” she urges.

  You reach into your pocket and pull out … a quarter!

  You grope around in your pocket.

  All you come up with is lint.

  “It’s gone!” you gasp. “I must have dropped it!”

  “Now what will we do?” Gina cries. “Hooahtoo says two must die! I have a feeling I know which two he means!”

  Maybe you want to rethink that last choice.

  Throwing a rock might be a very good idea right about now!

  Go to PAGE 15.

  You decide you don’t trust this guy. There’s no way you’re going to tell him about your mysterious piece of stone.

  For all you know, he’ll pack it up and sell it to a collector in New York!

  “We didn’t mean to trespass,” you declare. “We saw your sign in the village and we came to hear your lecture. Education is really, really important. I mean, I think everybody should go to school. Otherwise there would be kids running all over the place. In the mall. On the street. Know what I mean?”

  You know you’re babbling, but you can’t seem to stop.

  “Yes?” Dr. Oates snaps. “And what is the point of all this nonsense?”

  “Well, and, so we were just looking for the um … ah …”

  “Lecture hall!” Gina fills in for you.

  Go to PAGE 67.

  You and Gina take advantage of the darkness and crowd into the dark hollow under the rock.

  Whoops! It’s not a hollow.

  It’s a hole.

  Instantly, you feel a suction pulling you down. Sour-smelling juices well up around you. The juices wash back and forth against your skin until it feels raw.

  How could you possibly know the hole was really the open mouth of a hungry Lava Lizard? You’re in the giant lizard’s stomach — and his digestive juices are already at work digesting you!

  Ever since the Kenalua Volcano erupted years ago, the mountain has been alive with these lizards. They’re the color of the lava rock and blend in with the rocky lava cliffs. No one ever sees them. Until it’s too late. This is a tough way to end your vacation, but look at the bright side….

  Oh, never mind. There is no bright side. Everything is dark inside a Lava Lizard’s gut.

  THE END

  You grab the broken stone piece and head for the door. Before you can shove aside the wide palm leaf, something burns your hand.

  “Ouch!” you shout. Your flesh sizzles! The stone piece is frying your skin!

  You drop it to the ground.

  You halt at the doorway, clutching your burned hand.

  Gina stops behind you. “What’s wrong?” she asks.

  You hold out your hand to show her. You’re in too much pain to speak.

  “Whoa!” Gina gasps. She gazes at you
r palm. “It’s the eye!”

  Smoke rises from the center of your palm. As it wafts away, the outline of an eye is revealed.

  It’s burned like a tattoo into your hand.

  Hooahtoo laughs. “You cannot take it. You cannot leave it. The curse is upon you now.”

  Go to PAGE 65.

  You hold your hand out again toward the lizard. “Take us where we need to go!” you instruct the creature.

  Gina stares at you. “Do you honestly believe that’s going to work?” she demands.

  You shrug. “Do you have a better idea?” you challenge her.

  “Well, no,” she admits. “I guess it’s worth a shot.”

  Strangely, the lizard seems to understand. It rolls back over to allow you and Gina to climb onto its back. Then, with a huge grunt, the reptile lifts itself off the ground. It stomps out of the mask room and back into the dark tunnel.

  “Where do you think it will take us?” Gina asks.

  “I don’t know,” you say. “But I’m hoping it will at least get us away from the Tiki warriors.”

  It’s hard to stay on the slippery, scaly skin. You and Gina cling as well as you can to the beast’s back. After a while you realize the lizard has been steadily going uphill. You begin to tremble.

  You know where you’re headed.

  Go to PAGE 22.

  The whip-cracking skeleton man throws his head back and laughs. Big, deep belly laughs. All of the fake skeltons laugh now, louder and louder. Their evil laughter echoes through the diamond lagoon, bouncing from one sparkling wall to another. The noise is so loud, it could cause an avalanche!