by R. L. Stine
No way can the Roller Ghoster jump over that gap. And you can’t stop the cars from careening into space. You’ve got a steering wheel, but no brakes!
You’re doomed! Unless …
Okay, you tell yourself. You may not be able to keep the coaster from crashing. But you might be able to get yourself and your friends out alive!
You wait till the Roller Ghoster is level with the top of the castle walls. Then you jam the wheel to the right, against the curve. With a loud squealing of wheels, the cars almost come to a stop. Your heart pounds.
“Everybody out!” you yell to Patty and Floyd. “Everybody alive, that is!”
And then you leap!
Turn to PAGE 31.
You step in front of the screen.
“Is the kid a winner?” the game operator shouts. “Watch and see!”
People gather behind you to watch you play. Colored lights appear on the screen and spin around.
Whoa! They’re making you dizzy! You clutch the counter.
The screen goes foggy. It clears into a maze of letters:
“The shortest message is the quickest way out. Find it, starting … now!” the man cries.
Is Route 1 the shortest? Turn to PAGE 100.
Or is it Route 2? Turn to PAGE 22.
“M-maybe it’s the mechanical Tyrannosaurus rex from the carnival,” Patty suggests. Her voice shakes.
“R-right. It probably broke through the fence,” Floyd agrees. You notice beads of sweat on his face.
You strain your ears. The footsteps seem to come faster than the speed of the Dino-Ride. And it sounds like they’re coming from another direction….
“I have a feeling we did go back in time,” you say. “But not just a night or two.”
A head bursts out of the fog, and you scream.
It’s a Tyrannosaurus rex — but it’s not the one from the carnival. The colors are all different — and this creature’s eyes aren’t portholes. They peer down at you with a greedy, hungry expression.
“RUN!” you yell.
But before you can move, the Tyrannosaurus rex bends down, gripping you in its teeth.
Wow! You really did go back in time — millions and millions of years back!
This sure does beat watching a dinosaur movie — except for one small problem….
You’re the snack!
THE END
Dripping wet, you haul yourself back onto dry land. Then you help your friends out of the water.
“This is my favorite white T-shirt,” Patty complains. “Now it’s got squid ink all over it!”
“Patty! I think we have bigger things to worry about,” you scold. “We don’t have much time left before we’re trapped here forever!”
“Hey!” Floyd calls. “I found the exit.”
You race through the door and bump into a pale woman with shadowy eyes. She wears a red sequined dress. A feather boa is wrapped around her neck. Her lipstick and eyeshadow are the only colors on her face.
You shudder. If you don’t get moving, you’ll become a prisoner of the carnival, just like this woman!
You notice she carries an armful of towels. Maybe she’ll let you use them. And maybe she can give you advice on how to escape from the Carnival of Horrors!
Turn to PAGE 115.
You duck your head down. “Come on,” you whisper. “Just try to blend in.” You take a few steps — but the others aren’t following.
You turn back to Floyd. His eyes are wide, and his mouth hangs open.
“Snap out of it!” you whisper. “We’ve got to move fast if we’re going to keep Big Al from finding us!”
“Look!” Your cousin’s voice trembles as he nods toward the midway.
You glance in the direction he is staring. You freeze too. Now you know why Floyd was so freaked out.
Big Al has disappeared from the screens. Now every single monitor shows you, Patty, and Floyd.
The people in old-fashioned clothing begin to mutter and murmur around you. Some stare at you. Some point. Others step away, as if they don’t want to be anywhere near you, just in case …
Just in case what? you wonder. You shake your head.
Don’t even think about it, you tell yourself. Just get out of here — fast!
Hurry to PAGE 73.
“The game is easy,” the huge, hairy creature behind the counter promises. “You don’t have to do a thing — I’ll take care of it all. Now you see, certain days are lucky, and certain days are unlucky. It all has to do with birthdays. I’ve made a special study of them over the years —”
“He should have studied hair care instead,” Patty whispers to you.
Horrible Hairy Harry keeps talking. “You tell me your birthday, and I’ll tell you if today is your lucky day. It depends on whether your birth date is an odd or an even number.”
Horrible Hairy Harry leans right over to you. “So, which is it?”
Your heart beats faster as you tell Horrible Hairy Harry your birthday.
If your birth date is even, like February 18, April 6, or November 30, turn to PAGE 119.
If your birth date is odd, like January 9, June 13, or October 31, turn to PAGE 90.
“Wait! We’re not wrestlers!” you yell. “Really! We never signed up or anything!”
“Yeah,” Patty joins in. “I don’t even like calamari!”
“Good luck!” the boatman calls over his shoulder.
A barred gate rises out of the water to pen you in. You’re trapped in what seems to be an underwater boxing ring.
“You have to wrestle your weight in squid to get out of here,” the boatman yells back at you. “Luckily, we have a squid that weighs as much as all three of you put together!”
He rows out of sight around a bend in the river.
Brilliant lights come on, spotlighting you and your friends. The water is up to your armpits. You peer down into the murky water and notice something moving.
“What’s that?” you mutter.
THWAP!
You get your answer. A thick, slimy tentacle lashes through the water. It coils around your chest. And squeezes!
Turn to PAGE 69.
“I think we need help,” you say. You search the midway for a friendly face. But all you see are blank eyes in pale, waxy skin.
A man wearing cowboy clothes bumps into you. His wide-brimmed hat falls to the ground.
“E-excuse me,” you stammer as you pick up his hat and hand it to him. “Could you tell —”
“Mighty chilly for this time of year,” the man cuts in. His eyes seem to stare right through you.
“For October?” you ask, surprised.
“It’s August,” the man insists.
What’s with this cowboy? you wonder. He seems to be a few acres short of a ranch! You clear your throat. “I’m sorry, mister, but it really is October.”
“I know what day it is!” the man snaps. “I’ve been looking forward to today for weeks. I circled it on my calendar. The day the carnival comes to town. August 3, 1872.”
You hear Patty and Floyd gasp behind you. “W-what year did you say?” you sputter.
“It’s 1872, young ’un. Don’t you know anything?”
You stare at the cowboy. Has he really been a prisoner of the Carnival of Horrors for more than a hundred years?
Go to PAGE 34.
“Can we use some of those towels, ma’am?” you ask.
“Call me Pia,” she answers in a hollow voice.
She gives you some towels. She doesn’t seem too weird. For a carnival creature, that is. Maybe she’ll help you.
“Uh, Pia,” you say. “What we really need is a way out of here.”
“Who doesn’t?” she replies. “I tried to beat Big Al at the games on the midway.” She nods toward the brightly lit booths. “They’ll let you go if you win — but I lost. I’ve been here ever since. Who knows?” she adds. “Maybe you’ll have better luck.”
Then the woman turns her haunted eyes toward the rides.
“I’ve heard stories that there’s a way out somewhere over there.”
You follow the woman’s gaze to a sign that reads DINO-SAUR BACK IN TIME ON OUR DINO-RIDE!
“Back in time!” Patty cries. “That sounds like just the ride we need. It’ll make up for some of the time we lost!”
“Let’s get on it,” you say. “It’s almost midnight!”
Should you try the midway games? Turn to PAGE 54
Should you give the Dino-Ride a try? Turn to PAGE 117.
You slap a hand to your forehead. How could you have forgotten the elves? They were part of the ride to the Hall of the Mountain King.
The terrifying part!
Last summer, you thought the ride would be fun. Everyone climbed into cute little wooden donkey-carts to ride up to the castle.
But the elves spoiled the fun by using their axes to chop up the carts.
And then they chopped off people’s heads!
Now the elves are marching toward you, swinging their sharp, shiny axes.
“Run!” you scream to Patty and Floyd. You dash back up the trail to the castle.
The elves follow. “Heads!” they cry. “Chop off their heads!”
“Hurry!” you pant. “Hurry!” You dart around the bend. You race toward the castle.
Oh, no! The castle gate! It’s closed! And enormous chains are padlocked across the front. There’s no way in!
You turn to face the elves.
Bad idea. They may be little guys …
But they’re also a big pain in the neck!
THE END
The Right Away Railroad sent time spinning forward. Maybe the Dino-Ride will move time backwards!
You hand Pia the wet towels. Your shoes squelch, but you’re a lot drier now. You head for the Dino-Ride.
“Cool!” Floyd exclaims.
“Awesome!” Patty agrees.
You gaze up, up, up at the Dino-Ride. Passengers ride on giant mechanical dinosaurs — or rather, inside them. A Tyrannosaurus rex stands bent over, its head to the ground. Its mouth full of big, sharp teeth hangs wide open. Where a tongue ought to be, there are four padded seats with safety belts.
“This will be fun to ride even if it doesn’t help us escape!” Floyd declares.
You climb over the fangs and settle into a seat.
“We need to win back some of our time,” you worry. “It’s getting closer and closer to midnight. If we don’t find a way out soon, we’ll be trapped here forever!”
Stop wasting time and turn to PAGE 35.
“Hold on,” you burst out. “Do you think we’re stupid? I remember the last time we were here. You and your creepy pals chased us all over the place! Why should I trust you now?”
“Big Al ordered us to chase you,” Ernie argues. “We had no choice.”
“Then he could make you trick us again,” you reply.
“Yeah,” Patty chimes in. “For all we know, he could have told you to come and talk to us right now.”
For a second, Ernie looks sad. Then he becomes furious. “You should have trusted me,” he growls. “Now you’ll never get out of this place alive!”
Turn to PAGE 134.
Horrible Hairy Harry shakes his head. “Oh, how sad!” he mourns. “Today is a very unlucky day for you.” He’s so upset, he starts crying.
“Oh, please!” Patty exclaims. “Just get it over with! What’s going to happen to us?”
“Your terrible luck means” — Harry takes a deep breath — “that you have to leave this wonderful carnival!”
“What?” you gasp.
“I know, it’s terrible,” he wails. “Poor you.”
Horrible Hairy Harry blows his nose on his fur. Gross.
“Um, yeah, it’s sad, really sad,” you babble.
“I’m so sorry I have to do this.” Harry pulls aside a curtain behind his booth. It opens onto the carnival parking lot.
“Forgive me, kids,” he sobs, and pushes you through.
“We’ll forgive you eventually,” you say, trying not to grin with happiness. “We just need time to get over it.”
“I’ll tell you what,” Harry says. “Take these.” He hands you three cardboard strips, then closes the curtain.
“Thanks,” you call after him. Then you glance at the cardboard strips in your hand.
Oh, no! Guess what Harry gave you?
Free passes to the Carnival of Horrors!
THE END
You close your eyes as you tumble through the air. Then you hit the ground with enough force to knock the air out of you.
If you weren’t in such a hurry, now would be a good time to collapse.
But it’s almost midnight. And you still have to find the ride that will help you escape the Carnival of Horrors!
“We’re closest to the Log Zoom and the Roller Ghoster.” You turn to Floyd. “Do either of those sound like time-travel rides?”
Floyd shrugs. “I don’t know,” he admits. “What do you think, Patty?”
“We’ll be able to see the whole carnival from the Roller Ghoster,” she declares. “I vote we take that!”
“No, let’s go for the Log Zoom,” Floyd argues. “It might zoom us out of here!”
You wonder if Floyd really means that. Or is he just sick of being bossed around by Patty?
Anyway, it looks as if the final decision is up to you.
If you want to try the Roller Ghoster, turn to PAGE 14.
If you decide on the Log Zoom, turn to PAGE 92.
It’s dark and shadowy inside the sawmill. “Ow!” you mutter after you bang your shins on a large piece of metal.
The sawmill seems to be a junk warehouse for the Carnival of Horrors.
“Hey!” Patty’s excited voice echoes across the room.
You trip and stumble over to where she’s standing.
“I found a door,” she reports.
Groping in the dark, you feel the doorknob.
“There’s some kind of sign attached to the door,” Patty explains. “You can feel it.”
Floyd trips his way to you. “Too bad we can’t read it.”
“Wait!” Patty cries, digging into her pocket. “I have one of those key chains with a built-in flashlight. I hope the battery isn’t dead.” She pulls out her key chain and gives the tiny flashlight a pinch. A dim beam of light shoots out.
The sign on the door reads WAY OUT.
“All right!” you cheer. “We’re history!”
Take the WAY OUT on PAGE 103.
“Let’s head for the rides,” you decide. “I think it might be easier to escape from one of those than from the midway!”
You can feel Floyd trembling as he clings to you. He walks so close, you trip over his big feet. Patty takes the lead. As usual.
The people around you wear old-fashioned clothes. A nearby girl holds up her long skirts with gloved hands. A man with a handlebar mustache tips his straw hat as you pass.
They are Big Al’s prisoners — and assistants. Stuck in the clothing they wore the day the carnival came to their town.
“Attention! Attention!” a voice booms.
You recognize that voice. That’s Big Al, the horrible manager of this vile carnival.
You glance back at the midway. And gasp!
The Wheel of Fortune has stopped spinning. The rifle games have stopped popping. And all of the computer games are projecting something horrible on their screens — Big Al’s face!
And he’s staring straight at you!
“No use trying to get away.” His voice echoes out of every speaker in the carnival. “We are going to get you!”
Yikes! Turn to PAGE 111.
You grab Floyd and Patty by the arms. “Come on!” you yell. “Behind the booths!”
You notice that there’s a narrow open space — an alleyway — behind the booths. You figure it’s a path for the carnival workers.
The three of you stumble along the shadowy passageway. Old candy wrappers and paper cups litter the ground. The only l
ight comes from a strange green beam that shoots down from a weird-looking machine behind one of the booths.
As you hurry through the green light, a roar goes up from the crowd behind you.
“There they go!” someone shrieks.
“Perfect. Big Al will be pleased with us!” another shouts.
That doesn’t sound good!
“Come on!” you gasp, tugging at your friends.
Then Floyd lets out a horrified yell.
“L-l-look!” he shrieks, pointing upward.
Take a peek on PAGE 17.
“Do what Patty did!” you yell to Floyd. “Tie their tentacles together!”
Your cousin’s face is blue, and his eyes bulge, but he tries to follow your advice.
You grab a tentacle from one of the squid on your legs and try to tie it to a tentacle from the one on your arm. The stringy, boneless tentacles squirm, trying to break loose as you knot them together. You yank hard, and — POP! the creature on your arm comes off.
Turn to PAGE 9.
“Let’s search the castle!” you decide.
“Okay. But where should we start?” Patty asks.
You gaze up at the castle towering above you.
“Let’s go to that tower and then climb to the top,” you decide. “We can work our way down.”
You take a twisting outside staircase of stone to the base of the tower. You walk around it until you find the door.
Locked.
“Look!” Patty cries.
You rush over. She’s pointing at the gargoyles and other strange carvings that decorate the outside of the tower. If a person was careful — or desperate enough — they could climb the carvings to a window in the tower!
Before you can protest, Patty starts climbing.
You and Floyd scramble after her.
