How I Got My Shrunken Head Read online

  The dirt kept crumbling out from under me. And the vine grew more and more slippery as my hands started to sweat. But with Kareen cheering me on, I scrambled to the top.

  I lay in the tall grass for a moment, breathing in the sweet fragrance. It felt so wonderful to be out of that deep hole.

  “How did you fall down there anyway?” Kareen asked, tossing her end of the vine to the ground.

  “It was easy,” I replied. I climbed to my feet and tried to brush the dirt off my clothes.

  “But didn’t you see that big pit there?” she demanded.

  “Not exactly,” I told her. I wanted to change the subject. “How did you find me? What are you doing here, Kareen?”

  Her blue eyes locked on mine. “I told you: I was worried about you. I — I didn’t think you should be all alone in the jungle. So I sneaked away. Daddy was working in his lab. I crept away from the headquarters, and I followed you.”

  I brushed clumps of dirt from my hair. “Well, I’m glad,” I confessed. “But aren’t you going to be in major trouble with your dad and Carolyn?”

  She bit her lower lip. “Probably. But it will be worth the risk — if we find your aunt.” Aunt Benna!

  Trying to survive the quicksand and the tiger, I had nearly forgotten about her.

  A shadow rolled over us. The air suddenly grew cooler. I glanced up at the sky. The sun was lowering itself behind the trees.

  “It’s almost night,” I said quietly. “I — I hope we can find Aunt Benna before it gets really dark.”

  I had already spent one night out in the jungle. I didn’t want to spend another.

  “Do you know which way to go?” Kareen asked. “Are you just wandering around, hoping to get lucky?”

  I pulled the head from my shirt pocket. “This little guy is showing me the way.”

  “Excuse me?” Kareen’s face filled with surprise.

  “The eyes light up when I go the right direction,” I explained. “At least, I think that’s why they light up.”

  Kareen gasped. “You mean, you really do have Jungle Magic?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. I have it. It’s so weird. There’s a word I’ve always said. ‘Kah-lee-ah.’ Just a crazy word. I thought I made it up when I was a little kid. But it’s the word that makes the Jungle Magic work.”

  “Wow!” Kareen exclaimed. A grin spread across her face. “That’s awesome, Mark! That means we really will find Benna. That’s so great!”

  The shadows over the ground grew longer as the sun dipped lower. I shivered as a cold gust of wind blew over us.

  My stomach growled. I couldn’t remember when my last meal was. I tried not to think about food. I had to keep moving.

  “Let’s get going,” I said softly. I raised the head in front of me. Then I turned slowly — one direction, then the next — until the eyes began to glow. “This way!” I cried, pointing across the clearing to the trees.

  We started walking side by side. The tall grass swished, brushing our legs as we stepped through it. Insects chittered in the trees.

  Kareen stared in amazement at the glowing eyes on the leathery head. “Do you really think it’s guiding us to Benna?”

  “We’ll soon find out,” I said solemnly.

  We stepped into the shifting darkness beneath the tangled trees.

  23

  As the sunlight faded, the jungle sounds changed. The birds in the trees stopped chirping. The shrill sawing of the insects grew louder. We heard strange animal howls and cries in the distance, the sound bouncing between the smooth trees.

  I hoped the howls and cries stayed in the distance!

  Dark creatures slithered through the tall weeds and low, fat ferns and shrubs. The shrubs appeared to tremble as night creatures scurried through them.

  I heard the warning hiss of snakes. The eerie hoot of an owl. The soft flap of bat wings.

  I moved closer to Kareen as we walked. The sounds were all so much more realistic than in my Jungle King game!

  I’ll probably never play that game again after this, I thought. It will seem way too tame.

  We pushed our way through a clump of tall, stiff reeds. The eyes on the shrunken head dimmed to black.

  “Wrong way!” I whispered.

  Kareen and I turned until the eyes glowed again. Then we moved forward, making our own path. We stepped over thick vines and pushed through tangles of weeds and low shrubs.

  “Ow!” Kareen slapped at her forehead. “Stupid mosquito.”

  The shrill scratching of insects grew louder, drowning out the crunch of our sneakers over the leaves and vines on the jungle floor.

  As the darkness deepened, the eyes on the shrunken head appeared to glow brighter. Like twin flashlights, guiding us through the trees.

  “I’m getting kind of tired,” Kareen complained. She ducked her head to avoid a low branch. “I hope your aunt is nearby. I don’t know how much longer I can walk.”

  “I hope she’s nearby, too,” I murmured in reply. I’d had a pretty exhausting day myself!

  As we walked, I couldn’t help thinking about Aunt Benna and her notebook. I didn’t want to make Kareen feel bad. But I had to say something.

  “My aunt didn’t write very nice things about your dad and Carolyn in her notebook,” I said, keeping my eyes at my feet. “I was kind of surprised.”

  Kareen was silent for a long moment. “That’s so horrible,” she said finally. “They worked together for so long. I knew they had an argument.”

  “About what?” I asked.

  Kareen let out a sigh. “Daddy has some plans to develop the jungle. He thinks there are valuable minerals here. Benna thinks the jungle should be preserved.”

  She sighed again. “I think that’s what they fought about. I’m not sure.”

  “The notebook made it seem like your dad is evil or something,” I muttered, avoiding her eyes.

  “Evil? Daddy?” she cried. “No. No way. He’s very strong-minded. That’s all. He isn’t evil. And I know that Daddy still cares about Benna. He still respects her and cares about her. He’s really worried about her. He —”

  “Whoa.” I grabbed Kareen’s arm, interrupting her. “Look.” I pointed through the trees.

  I spotted a clearing up ahead. And against the gray sky, I could see the black outline of a small shack.

  Kareen gasped. “That little house. Do you think —?”

  We both crept to the edge of the clearing. Something scurried quickly over my sneakers, but I ignored it.

  My eyes were on the tiny dark shack.

  As we moved closer, I could see that it was built of tree limbs and sticks. Clumps of fat leaves made the roof. It had no window. But there were narrow openings between the branches.

  “Hey!” I whispered. I saw a pale light flicker in one of the openings.

  A flashlight? A candle?

  “Someone is in there,” Kareen whispered, narrowing her eyes at the shack.

  I heard a cough.

  A woman’s cough? Aunt Benna’s cough? I couldn’t tell.

  “Do you think it’s my aunt?” I whispered, huddling close to Kareen.

  “Only one way to find out,” she whispered back.

  The shrunken head glowed brightly in my hand. The eerie yellow light splashed over the ground as Kareen and I crept closer.

  Closer.

  “Aunt Benna?” I called in a tiny voice. I cleared my throat. My heart pounded. “Aunt Benna? Is that you?”

  24

  I called again and stepped close to the open doorway of the small shack. I heard a thump inside. Saw a flash of light. And heard a startled cry.

  A lantern appeared in the doorway. My eyes went to the pale yellow light. And then moved up to see the woman holding the lantern.

  She was short — very short. Only about a foot taller than me, and a little chubby. Her straight black hair was tied back. In the glow of lantern light, I saw that she wore khaki slacks and a khaki safari jacket.

  “Who’s there?” She ra
ised the lantern in front of her.

  “Aunt Benna?” I cried, moving closer. “Is that you?”

  “Mark? I don’t believe it!” she exclaimed. She came running toward me, the lantern swinging at her side. The light bounced over the tall grass, making shadows dance.

  She wrapped me in a hug. “Mark — how did you find me? What are you doing here?” She had a high, chirpy voice, and she talked rapidly, without taking a breath.

  She pushed me away from her to study my face. “I don’t believe I even recognized you. I haven’t seen you since you were four!”

  “Aunt Benna — what are you doing out here?” I demanded breathlessly. “Everyone is so worried —”

  “How did you get to Baladora?” she asked, gripping my shoulder with her free hand, holding the lantern high with the other. “What are you doing in the jungle? How did you get here?” she cried again.

  “I — I used the Jungle Magic,” I stammered.

  Her eyes went wide. With surprise? With fear?

  I suddenly realized she wasn’t looking at me. “Hello. Who are you?” Aunt Benna asked quietly, stretching the lantern toward the trees.

  Kareen stepped out from the edge of the clearing. In all the excitement, I didn’t realize that she had lingered behind.

  “That’s Kareen,” I told my aunt. “Do you know Kareen? Dr. Hawlings’s daughter?”

  Aunt Benna gasped. She squeezed my shoulder. “Why did you bring her here? Don’t you realize —?”

  “It’s okay,” Kareen said quickly. “I was worried about you. That’s why I followed Mark.”

  “She helped me,” I explained to Aunt Benna. “Kareen helped me get away from them. From Dr. Hawlings and Carolyn. Kareen helped me get through the jungle.”

  “But — but —” Aunt Benna sputtered. “You told her about the Jungle Magic?”

  “I only came to help!” Kareen insisted. “My father is worried about you. He —”

  “Your father wants to kill me!” Aunt Benna cried angrily. “That’s why I had to run away. That’s why I had to leave everything behind and hide in the jungle.” She glared at Kareen, her eyes squinting, her face pinched and hard in the yellow lantern light.

  “Kareen is okay,” I assured her. “She only wants to help, Aunt Benna. Really.”

  My aunt turned to me. “Carolyn and Hawlings brought you here?”

  I nodded. “Yes. To find you. Carolyn brought me this.” I pulled the shrunken head from my shirt pocket. It had stopped glowing.

  “They told me I had Jungle Magic,” I continued. “I didn’t know what they meant. I thought they were crazy. Then when I went out to look for you in the jungle, I discovered that I did have it.”

  Aunt Benna nodded. “Yes. You have it, Mark. I gave it to you when I visited you. When you were four. I hypnotized you. And I transferred the Jungle Magic from me to you. To keep it safe.”

  “Yes. I read your notebook,” I told her. “I read about why you gave me the magic. But it didn’t say what Jungle Magic is. I only know —”

  “It’s a powerful force,” my aunt replied, lowering her voice. “It’s a powerful force that will do your will, carry out your wishes.”

  Her eyes filled with sadness. “But we cannot talk about it now,” she said in a whisper. “We are in danger here, Mark. Real danger.”

  I started to reply. But I heard rustling, cracking sounds from the trees. Footsteps?

  All three of us spun around toward the sound.

  To my surprise, Kareen started running across the grass. She cupped her hands around her mouth. “Over here, Daddy!” she shouted. “Over here! I found Benna, Daddy! Hurry!”

  25

  I gasped in shock.

  No time to run.

  A beam of light flickered out from the trees. Behind it came Dr. Hawlings, trotting over the tall grass. He carried a flashlight in one hand. The light swept into my eyes, then moved over Aunt Benna.

  Was Dr. Hawlings carrying a gun? Some kind of weapon? I couldn’t see. And I didn’t want to find out.

  I grabbed Aunt Benna’s arm and tugged. I wanted to run, to escape into the jungle.

  But my aunt refused to move. She seemed frozen in surprise. Or fear.

  Kareen’s father trotted up to us, breathing hard. Even in the dim light, I could see the pleased smile on his face.

  “Good work, Kareen.” He patted her shoulder. “I knew that if you helped Mark escape, he would lead us right to his aunt.”

  Still holding on to Aunt Benna’s arm, I stared at Kareen angrily. She had tricked me. She had pretended to be my friend. But the whole time, she was working to help her father.

  Kareen stared back at me for a moment. Then she lowered her eyes to the ground.

  “Why did you trick me?” I demanded. “Why did you do it, Kareen?”

  She raised her eyes to me. “Daddy needs the Jungle Magic,” she replied softly.

  “But you lied to me!” I cried.

  “I didn’t have a choice,” Kareen said. “If your father needed your help, what would you do?”

  “You did the right thing, Kareen,” Dr. Hawlings told her.

  He raised the light to Aunt Benna’s face. He forced her to cover her eyes. “Did you really think you could hide forever, Benna?” he demanded softly.

  “I — I’m sorry,” I told my aunt. “It’s my fault. I —”

  “No.” Aunt Benna put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Mark. It’s my fault. You didn’t know anything about any of this. And now I’m afraid I’ve gotten you into a lot of trouble.”

  Dr. Hawlings snickered. “A lot of trouble. That’s the truth.” He stepped up to Aunt Benna. “I want the secret of Jungle Magic. Tell me the secret, Benna. Let me know how it works. And I will allow you and your nephew to leave the island in one piece.”

  In one piece?

  I didn’t like the sound of that.

  As Dr. Hawlings stared at my aunt, I slipped the shrunken head from my pocket. I’ll use the Jungle Magic, I decided. I’ll use the magic to get us out of this jam.

  I raised the head slowly in front of me. I opened my mouth to call out the secret word.

  But I was stopped when I caught Aunt Benna’s glance.

  She was signaling me with her eyes. Telling me not to do it.

  “What’s going on?” Dr. Hawlings demanded, angrily turning to me. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t give it away, Mark,” Aunt Benna pleaded. “Don’t let them know the secret word.”

  I lowered the shrunken head. “I won’t,” I whispered.

  “It’s okay, Daddy,” Kareen said, her eyes on me. “I know the word. Mark told it to me. I can tell you what it is. It’s —”

  26

  I clamped my hand over Kareen’s mouth. “Run!” I cried to Aunt Benna. “Run — now!”

  With an angry cry of attack, Aunt Benna lowered her shoulder and barreled into Dr. Hawlings. She roared into him like a football player — and sent him sprawling against the little shack.

  He uttered a startled yelp. The flashlight flew out of his hand and rolled across the ground.

  I spun away from Kareen and followed my aunt. Our shoes thudded through the tall grass as we ran for the trees.

  We were nearly to the edge of the clearing when Carolyn stepped in front of us. “What’s your hurry?” she demanded, moving to block our way. “The party is just starting.”

  Aunt Benna and I whirled around. Dr. Hawlings had moved up behind us. We were trapped.

  Carolyn raised her flashlight. Her silvery eyes narrowed at Aunt Benna. Carolyn smiled. A cold, unpleasant smile. “How are you, Benna? We missed you.”

  “Enough chitchat,” Dr. Hawlings muttered, gesturing with his flashlight. “It’s too dark to go back to the headquarters. We’ll have to spend the night here.”

  “How cozy,” Carolyn said, still smiling that cold smile at Aunt Benna.

  Aunt Benna scowled and looked away. “Carolyn, I thought you were my friend.”

&nb
sp; “We’re all good friends here,” Dr. Hawlings said. “And good friends like to share. That’s why you’re going to share the secret of Jungle Magic with us, Benna.”

  “Never!” my aunt declared, crossing her arms in front of her.

  “Never isn’t a word for friends,” Dr. Hawlings scolded. “In the morning, we will go back to the headquarters. Then you will share everything, Benna. You will share all of your secrets. And you will give the Jungle Magic to Carolyn and me.”

  “Like a good friend,” Carolyn added.

  “Let’s go,” Dr. Hawlings said. He put a heavy hand on my back and shoved me toward the little shack. Kareen was sitting on the ground, her collar pulled up, her back leaning against one wall.

  “You and Benna — in the shack,” Dr. Hawlings ordered, giving me another rough shove. “That way, we can keep an eye on you.”

  “You’re wasting your time, Richard,” Aunt Benna told him. She was trying to sound tough, but her voice trembled as she said it.

  Dr. Hawlings forced us into the dark shack. Aunt Benna and I stretched out on the floor. Through the cracks in the wall, I could see the darting light of their flashlights.

  “Are they going to guard us all night?” I whispered.

  Aunt Benna nodded. “We’re their prisoners now,” she whispered back. She sighed. “But we can’t let them have the Jungle Magic. We can’t!”

  I slid closer to my aunt. “If we don’t give it to them,” I said softly, “what will they do to us?”

  Aunt Benna didn’t reply.

  “What will they do to us?” I repeated.

  She stared down at the floor and didn’t answer.

  27

  A red ball of a sun was rising in the early morning sky when Dr. Hawlings poked his head into the shack and woke us up.

  I had slept only a few minutes. The shack had no floor, and the ground was hard.

  Whenever I closed my eyes, I dreamed about the shrunken head in my pocket. I dreamed that I held it in my hand. It blinked its eyes and its lips began to move.

  “You are doomed!” it exclaimed in a horrifying, hoarse whisper. “You are doomed. Doomed. Doomed!”