Return of the Mummy Page 9
“Gross!” I shouted. “What’s that big green glob indent out of your nose?”
Mindy ignored me this time. She tapped the ball over the net.
I dove forward and whacked it with the tip of my paddle. It spun high over the net and landed in the corner of the basement. Between the washing machine and the dryer.
Mindy jogged after the ball on her long, thin legs. “Hey, where’s Buster?” she called out. “Wasn’t he sleeping next to the dryer?”
Buster is our dog. A giant black Rottweiler with a head the size of a basketball. He loves snoozing on the old sleeping bag we keep in the corner of the basement. Especially when we’re down here playing Ping-Pong.
Everyone is afraid of Buster. For about three seconds. Then he starts licking them with his long, wet tongue. Or rolls onto his back and begs to have his belly scratched.
“Where is he, Joe?” Mindy bit her lip.
“He’s around here somewhere,” I replied. “Why are you always worrying about Buster? He weighs over a hundred pounds. He can take care of himself.”
Mindy frowned. “Not if Mr. McCall catches him. Remember what he said the last time Buster chomped on his tomato plants?”
Mr. McCall is our next-door neighbor. Buster loves the McCalls’ yard. He likes to nap under their huge, shady elm tree.
And dig little holes all over their lawn. And sometimes big holes.
And snack in their vegetable garden.
Last year, Buster dug up every head of Mr. McCall’s lettuce. And ate his biggest zucchini plant for dessert.
I guess that’s why Mr. McCall hates Buster. He said the next time he catches him in his garden, he’s going to turn him into fertilizer.
My dad and Mr. McCall are the two best gardeners in town. They’re nuts about gardening. Totally nuts.
I think working in a garden is kind of fun, too. But I don’t let that get around. My friends think gardening is for nerds.
Dad and Mr. McCall are always battling it out at the annual garden show. Mr. McCall usually takes first place. But last year, Dad and I won the blue ribbon for our tomatoes.
That drove Mr. McCall crazy. When Dad’s name was announced, Mr. McCall’s face turned as red as our tomatoes.
So Mr. McCall is desperate to win this year. He started stocking up on plant food and bug spray months ago.
And he planted something that nobody else in North Bay grows. Strange orange-green melons called casabas.
Dad says that Mr. McCall has made a big mistake. He says that casabas will never grow any bigger than tennis balls. The growing season in Minnesota is too short.
“McCall’s garden loses,” I declared. “Our tomatoes are definitely going to win again this year. And thanks to my special soil, they’ll grow as big as beach balls!”
“So will your head,” Mindy shot back.
I stuck out my tongue and crossed my eyes. It seemed like a good reply.
“Whose serve is it?” I asked. Mindy was taking so long, I lost track.
“It’s still my serve,” she replied, carefully placing her feet.
We were interrupted by footsteps. Heavy, booming footsteps on the stairs behind Mindy.
“Who is that?” Mindy cried.
And then he appeared behind her. And my eyes nearly bulged right out of my head.
“Oh, no!” I screamed. “It’s … McCall!”
GOOSEBUMPS HORRORLAND™
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#1 REVENGE OF THE LIVING DUMMY
#2 CREEP FROM THE DEEP
#3 MONSTER BLOOD FOR BREAKFAST!
#4 THE SCREAM OF THE HAUNTED MASK
#5 DR. MANIAC VS. ROBBY SCHWARTZ
#6 WHO’S YOUR MUMMY?
#7 MY FRIENDS CALL ME MONSTER
#8 SAY CHEESE — AND DIE SCREAMING!
#9 WELCOME TO CAMP SLITHER
#10 HELP! WE HAVE STRANGE POWERS!
#11 ESCAPE FROM HORRORLAND
#12 THE STREETS OF PANIC PARK
GOOSEBUMPS HORRORLAND BOXED SET #1-4
WELCOME TO HORRORLAND: A SURVIVAL GUIDE
#13 WHEN THE GHOST DOG HOWLS
#14 LITTLE SHOP OF HAMSTERS
#15 HEADS, YOU LOSE!
#16 SPECIAL EDITION: WEIRDO HALLOWEEN
#17 THE WIZARD OF OOZE
#18 SLAPPY NEW YEAR!
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ONE DAY AT HORRORLAND
THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB
BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
SAY CHEESE AND DIE!
THE HORROR AT CAMP JELLYJAM
HOW I GOT MY SHRUNKEN HEAD
THE WEREWOLF OF FEVER SWAMP
A NIGHT IN TERROR TOWER
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GHOST BEACH
THE SCARECROW WALKS AT MIDNIGHT
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RETURN OF THE MUMMY
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Goosebumps book series created by Parachute Press, Inc.
Copyright © 1994 by Scholastic Inc.
Cover design by Steve Scott
Cover art by Brandon Dorman
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First printing, December 2010
“Behind the Screams” bonus material by Gabrielle S. Balkan
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e-ISBN: 978-0-545-30071-1