Under the Magician's Spell

by R. L. Stine

  Sid’s voice sounds a little shaky.

  Joanie takes a tiny flashlight out of her pack and flicks it on. Its faint yellow beam shines dimly on Sid’s face.

  “Uh-oh,” you whisper.

  What’s wrong with Sid?

  Find out on PAGE 31.

  “I want to use the Terrifying Spell,” you say. “If I can give Larry and his buddies a good scare, maybe they won’t pick on me anymore.”

  Joanie flips to page 71 in the Magic Book. She clears her throat. You can feel a little trickle of sweat run down your cheek as she begins to read the spell. “Spmub. Esoog. Dooold.” Joanie can’t keep from giggling while she pronounces the strange words.

  Nothing happens.

  “You didn’t read it right,” you tell Joanie. “Stop giggling and do it again.”

  “I read it right,” she insists. “How do you want me to read it? Like this?”

  Joanie re-reads the spell. Only this time, she makes her voice sound evil and raspy.

  Not bad, you think. In fact, it must have been very good because something starts to happen to you.

  Turn to PAGE 58.

  “Hey, Sid,” you say. “Do you think Granny has a pet wolf?”

  “Let’s just hurry up and get out of here,” Sid replies. He reaches for a sack. “These weigh a ton,” he says, staggering under the weight. “Tell Joanie to give us a hand.”

  But Joanie is nowhere in sight.

  “I’ll look for her,” Sid offers. He makes his way through the junk in the cellar. But after a few minutes, you don’t hear him poking around anymore.

  “Si-id,” you call. No answer. Where is everyone? “If this is a joke,” you yell, “it’s not funny!”

  You look at the stack of bags in front of you. The big black letters on the side of the bag stare up at you.

  It can’t be, you tell yourself. It can’t be!

  The bag doesn’t say Wild Wolf Chow. It says Werewolf Chow.

  Werewolf! A chill runs down your spine. “Sid! Joanie!” you shriek.

  Then you see Granny Kapusta climbing in through the open window. Her face and arms and legs are covered with dark hair. Two fanglike teeth hang out of her mouth. She snarls at you.

  You have a terrible feeling you know why Sid and Joanie disappeared. And what’s about to happen to you!

  THE END

  You pick the cup on the left.

  The three of you hold your breath, waiting to see if you’re correct. So much is riding on your choice. It’s your only hope of escape.

  Mr. Knowledge lifts up the cup on the right. No red ball. So far so good.

  “I will give you a chance to change your mind,” Mr. Knowledge offers.

  He places his hand on the left cup. You stare at it.

  Is the red ball under there?

  If you want to change your mind for the middle cup, turn to PAGE 85.

  If you think you should stay with the left cup, turn to PAGE 62.

  Butterflies dance in your stomach as everyone at the table turns over their cards.

  Ms. Cardsharp turns over the ten of clubs.

  Ms. Nine Lives turns over the jack of hearts.

  Mr. Rambler Gambler turns over the king of spades.

  Mr. Lucky Luck turns over the five of clubs.

  Your card is still facedown on the table. You are afraid to turn it over. Only an ace can beat the king. If you win, Ms. Cardsharp will have to tell you the way out. If you lose, you’ll have to do whatever the winner says.

  Turn over your card. Is it an ace? Did you beat the king of spades?

  If you won, turn to PAGE 104.

  If you lost, turn to PAGE 63.

  Forget it! There is no way you are going to pay Larry $50 for a book he stole from you. No, you’re going to find Larry and take the book back from him.

  “Larry and his friends hang out at the old chemical factory,” you tell Sid and Joanie. “We’ll go over there, sneak in, and steal the book back.”

  “Great plan!” Sid cheers. You can tell he’s trying to make Joanie feel better. “What are we waiting for? Let’s move!”

  The three of you bike to the edge of town. When you reach the old brick building, you see that most of the windows are boarded up. A battered sign is nailed to the front door. It reads DO NOT ENTER.

  “How are we going to get in?” Sid whispers.

  “Let’s circle around back,” you say.

  You follow Sid and Joanie around the battered building. The brick walls are cracked and crumbling in places. An old metal fire escape covers one side of the factory. And a murky canal runs behind it.

  The whole building gives you the creeps. Your parents always told you to stay away from this place. You’ve even heard it was haunted.

  Turn to PAGE 54.

  “Go ahead,” you tell Joanie. “Use a magic spell on the dog. But it better work,” you add. “This dog is about to attack!”

  Joanie slips forward. The dog’s eyes switch from you to her. His muscles tense. He shows Joanie his sharp, yellow teeth.

  Joanie holds one of the pages torn from the Magic Book in front of her. She reads the words in a soothing tone of voice.

  You watch in amazement. The dog’s growls turn into little whimpers. His whole body relaxes. He lies down and rolls over. Then he sits up and holds out a paw for Joanie to shake.

  Joanie starts to cross over toward the dog. You stop her. “It’s a trick,” you say.

  “Of course it’s a trick,” Sid says. Sid is climbing into the room. “She’s reading a magic spell.”

  “I mean,” you explain, “I don’t believe that a few stupid words can turn a vicious dog into a pussycat.”

  Turn to PAGE 117.

  You give it everything you’ve got. You stretch your arm out so far it starts to cramp. Then, using every ounce of strength you have left, you lunge for the hourglass.

  You’ve got it! Every muscle strains as you lift the cord and place it around the Magician’s neck. The hourglass dangles under his chin.

  You’re not too late. You watch the last piece of sand drop into the bottom of the hourglass.

  The Magician’s face begins to change in front of your eyes. His eyes turn up in his skull. The skin on his face bubbles like oatmeal.

  You realize that the hand at your throat has relaxed its grip. It hasn’t let go yet, but you can take deeper and deeper breaths. Air fills your lungs, and you begin to feel stronger.

  You reach back and swing your fist at the Magician’s face. The Magician’s head topples off his shoulders, and bounces around on the floor! Joanie screams behind you.

  But the Magician’s body still has your neck in a powerful grip!

  Turn to PAGE 4.

  “I think we’d better give the Magician what he wants,” you tell them.

  Joanie and Sid nod. You sigh and walk over to the coffin.

  But when you lift the lid, you discover the book has disappeared!

  “It’s gone!” you shout. Joanie and Sid rush over to the coffin. They peer inside.

  “Maybe there’s a secret compartment,” Sid suggests.

  You hear footsteps. They sound as if they are coming closer. And closer.

  “Do you think it’s the Magician?” Joanie whispers.

  “I don’t know, but I sure don’t want to find out,” you tell her. “Let’s hide in the coffin.”

  Turn to PAGE 103.

  Did you scream?

  Oh, no! You did scream. That was the warning signal for Joanie and Sid. If they heard you, they are now walking down the other path — the real Path to Doom.

  It’s not too late, you tell yourself. I can save them.

  “I’ve got to save my sister and my friend,” you explain to the scorpion. “I’ve got to go back.”

  “You can’t do that,” the scorpion warns. “Look behind you.”

  You don’t want to look but you must. Slowly you turn your head around. You gasp. There is no path behind you anymore.

  The road has vanished. You ar
e staring at misty empty space.

  There’s no way back, you think. There’s no way to warn Sid and Joanie. It’s all the fault of that stupid Magic Book.

  You pull the book from your pocket. You rip off the covers and yank out the pages. You tear each page to shreds and throw it on the ground.

  Then something weird happens. Even weirder than everything else that has happened today.

  Green smoke rises up from the torn pages. You watch with fascination. Thin wisps of smoke spiral upward as each piece of paper bursts into flames.

  The green smoke forms itself into a shape. What is it? What is happening?

  Hurry to PAGE 133 — if you dare!

  You stare at the glistening blade of the guillotine. You can’t tear your eyes away. Then you notice Sid. He is taking strange stiff steps toward the terrible machine.

  “Sid!” you cry. “What are you doing?” You rush over and grab his arm, but he doesn’t stop.

  “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

  You whirl around and glare at the Magician. “Stop laughing!” you scream. “What did you do to him?” You see Joanie trembling in the corner.

  “He is in my power,” the Magician boasts. “There is nothing you can do.”

  You shake Sid, hard. He looks like a zombie. His eyes are glassy and he has the same blank expression on his face as those gruesome heads staring at you from the cabinet.

  The trance must have made Sid stronger. He easily shakes you off. He lies down and places his head under the terrible blade.

  “NO! Sid, no!” You glance at the hourglass dangling from the Magician’s hand. Only five grains left. Time is running out.

  You’ve got to do something. You can’t stand here and watch your best friend get his head chopped off! But what?

  Turn to PAGE 95, before it’s too late!

  Chills run down your spine. That scream sounded as if someone were being tortured.

  The three of you stand perfectly still. Another loud, horrible howl screeches from somewhere above you. Then silence.

  You don’t like what you hear next.

  Footsteps. And they are headed your way.

  “Should we go back?” Joanie squeaks.

  But you have no time to decide. A door opens at the other end of the steps. A face appears in the doorway.

  A terrifying face. A face with slits where eyes, nose, and mouth should be. Long black stringy hair sticks out around the face and hangs down onto the creature’s shoulders.

  You back up into Joanie, who stumbles into Sid.

  “Ouch!”

  “Get off!” you hear behind you. No chance of escape that way.

  A large hand reaches out and grabs the front of your shirt.

  “Help!” you cry.

  Hurry! Turn to PAGE 44.

  “We choose Ms. Cardsharp,” you say enthusiastically. “I love playing cards. I’m a champion.”

  “At what?” Joanie says. “Go Fish?”

  You ignore that remark.

  “Good choice,” the Masked Man tells you. “If you win, Ms. Cardsharp will tell you anything you want to know.”

  Something occurs to you. “What if I lose?” you ask.

  “Then you must do whatever the winner wants,” is his response.

  I’ll just have to make sure I win, you tell yourself.

  The Masked Man knocks twice on the front of the sword cabinet. The door swings open. The Masked Man gestures for you to step inside. Joanie and Sid climb in behind you.

  The door creaks shut. The cabinet begins to spin round and round. You’re getting very dizzy. Sid is looking pretty green. If the twirling doesn’t stop soon, you’re going to throw up!

  Turn to PAGE 39.

  If those handcuffs have a spell on them, you’d better pry them off quickly. Who knows what could happen!

  You gather up some tools and get to work. You insert needlenose pliers into the links of the handcuffs. You squeeze the handle as hard as you can. They don’t budge.

  “How about if we smash the lock?” Joanie says. She hands you a hammer. Sid eyes it nervously.

  “Careful with that,” he cautions you.

  “Just don’t move,” you instruct. “Pull your hands as far apart as you can.”

  Sid does what you tell him. You see a bead of sweat trickle down Sid’s forehead. Then he closes his eyes. You take aim and bring the hammer down as hard as you can.

  SMASH!

  Did it work?

  Find out on PAGE 115.

  You cannot move a muscle. You are frozen stiff. Granny Kapusta pries the glass of milk from your hand. You watch her but you can’t do anything. You can’t even blink your eyes.

  The milk. There must have been something in the milk!

  Granny Kapusta hurries to the cabinet and takes out a big pot. The pot matches the one already boiling on the stove. Next, she puts water, salt, and pepper in the pot. She hums as she cooks.

  “I was all out of kidneys,” she explains, “when the three of you showed up at my door. Now I have six fresh ones.”

  You listen in horror. This time when she said kidneys — you realized she was saying “kids’ knees.”

  THE END

  You are totally confused.

  “It’s up to you, Sid,” you say. “I have no idea.”

  “The red ball is under the right cup,” Sid insists.

  You look at Mr. Knowledge’s face, hoping his expression will give something away. But his face remains a blank.

  “All right,” you say. “We’ll go with the cup on the right.”

  Mr. Knowledge rests his fingers lightly on the right-hand cup. He is about to lift it up when he turns to you. “Are you sure?” he asks quietly.

  This is torture. Of course you’re not sure, but you don’t feel any more sure about any of the other cups. You can’t wait any longer.

  “The right cup!” you shout. Let’s just get this over with, you think.

  The cup on the right is slowly lifted.

  Did you pick the correct cup?

  Find out on PAGE 10.

  You peer over your shoulder at the cowboy.

  “Stand aside, kid,” the cowboy says, flashing the knife blade at you. “You’re in my light.”

  You don’t need to be told twice. “Sorry,” you mumble. You take a few steps back.

  The cowboy strides toward center stage and positions himself in front of the wheel. He tosses the knife into the air and catches it behind his back. Then he tosses it up and catches it with his eyes shut. Joanie applauds.

  “My, what a cute little girl,” the cowboy says to Joanie. “Would you like to see another trick?”

  “Sure,” Joanie says. Sid nods. You don’t think you ever want to see another trick in your life.

  “Take your seats, take your seats,” the cowboy commands, waving Sid and Joanie toward folding chairs at the side of the stage. Then he turns to you.

  You have a terrible feeling that you’ve been chosen to be part of the cowboy’s act. Right you are! The next thing you know, the cowboy is strapping you to the wooden wheel.

  “You be real still,” the cowboy instructs. “No wiggling.”

  Now what? you wonder.

  Find out on PAGE 128.

  Mr. Knowledge begins to move the cups around the table. He starts slowly at first, then his hands move faster and faster. He switches the middle cup with the right one. Then he moves the left cup into the middle of the other two. The cup now on the left and the cup now on the right are swapped.

  You’re getting dizzy watching his hands move.

  “Where is the red ball?” Mr. Knowledge asks. “If you answer correctly, I will tell you what you want to know.”

  If you think the ball is under the cup on the right, turn to PAGE 85.

  If you think the ball is still under the middle cup, turn to PAGE 15.

  If you think the ball is under the cup on the left, turn to PAGE 73.

  You give it all you’ve got, but your grasp falls just short of the hourglass.
/>
  “Joanie,” you manage to gasp. “Help me. Use another spell.”

  As you slip in and out of consciousness, you hear Joanie reading something. But you don’t understand the words.

  Your eyes close. You are about to pass out when you become aware that the room is full of people. You feel the Magician yanked away from you. Your eyes flutter open.

  You can’t believe what you see!

  The Magician is being stuffed into the cabinet by dozens of attackers — attackers who look exactly like you!

  “Joanie!” you shout. “What did you do?”

  She bites her lip. “I thought it would be a good spell.” She holds out the page for you to read.

  Multiply Your Strength.

  It looks as if the Magician has been defeated. As soon as the cabinet door clicks into place, it disappears in a puff of smoke. The other “yous” turn and gaze at you expectantly.

  It is a very weird feeling — to be stared at by dozens of faces identical to your own. What are you going to do with them?

  “Great,” Joanie grumbles. “As if one of you wasn’t too many.”

  THE END

  You are being ridiculous. Her eyes couldn’t have changed color. It must have been some trick of the light. You head into the kitchen.

  The weird smell is strongest in here. Granny Kapusta shuffles over to the stove and takes the cover off a big pot. She picks up a large wooden spoon and stirs the boiling mixture. Then she glances over her shoulder and winks at you.

  “How about a glass of milk before you leave?” she asks. “Maybe a few cookies.”

  “Sure,” Sid answers quickly. That figures! Sid is always hungry.

  While Granny Kapusta gets the milk and cookies, you look around the kitchen for Pat the Rat. You hear the metal bars of a cage being rattled. The sound is coming from under the kitchen table.