The Knight in Screaming Armor

by R. L. Stine

  Scaly-skinned dragons breathe fire at your face when you look in their direction. Hissing vipers hang down from the ceiling and brush against your ears. One wriggling snake drops onto your shoulder.

  Quick, turn to PAGE 10.

  The clock. You’ve got to use the clock. But how? No use trying to reverse time while you’re under the spell of the Keeper of All Times. Then you notice something strange. Your eyes are getting watery but you can still see it. The old woman is aging, too! She’s hideously old. Older than you.

  You get an idea. Maybe — if you push the clock hands forward — maybe she’ll die off first! It’s risky. But right now it seems to be your only shot.

  Your shaking old hand moves slowly against the hands of the clock. They move forward minute by minute by minute. You are all aging, but the old woman is aging faster. One more minute to go and she will fall to nothingness.

  “No!” the woman cries. “No! I’m cracking …”

  10 … 9 … 8 … 7 … 6 … 5 seconds left. You, Abbey, and Kip lean on one another’s tired old bones and watch the wafer-thin-skinned woman withering away. You don’t have the strength to look away. 4 … 3 … 2 … 1 second to go. GONE! It’s over! The woman is nothing more than a paper-thin piece of parchment on the floor! You have destroyed one more evil force. For the old woman it’s

  THE END.

  But for you, there’s more to come on PAGE 6.

  You know you should run. But for some reason your legs won’t move. “We’re stuck!” you yell. “Stuck!” You try to move your feet, but they are rooted to the ground. In fact, they are in the ground!

  Kip and Abbey can’t move either. Their feet are just as rooted as yours. And both of their bodies have started to turn green. They’re getting thinner, too. Very, very thin. So are you! Old Mr. Triple-decker is casting his favorite spell. He’s mumbling some gibberish over there in the corner.

  You have become the latest addition to his garden. You look out from your petal-framed face and see the petunias and snapdragons you passed on your way in. Funny. Now you notice they have faces.

  “He got you, too, I see,” a purple petunia rooted next to you says. “No one knows the evil he sows!”

  “Curses, soiled again!” a zinnia teases.

  “He got all of us,” Abbey sighs from beneath her rose-petaled bonnet. “But at least I’m a rose!”

  Looks like you’re grounded this time. But life in a wizard’s garden can’t be all bad. Who knows? It might even grow on you.

  THE END

  You turn the hands on the hot-pink clock forward — a little bit too far, by accident. Immediately you feel your joints stiffening. “Hmm, that’s strange,” you say. And then you hack a big cough.

  “What’s that you say, Sonny?” a squeaky voice says. It’s Kip! But he looks grotesque! He’s hunched over and leans closer as he cups his right ear with one hand. “Speak up there, youngster!” he squeaks. He’s getting older and older before your very eyes.

  “Who are you calling a youngster there, Grandpa?” Abbey cackles. Her face is a mess of wrinkles. You see them forming on her face like worms, doubling and tripling themselves. She looks older than your grandmother. Whoops! Make that your great-grandmother!

  “Stop the clock before it’s too late!” Kip screeches in an ancient-sounding voice. Your hands are wrinkled and gnarled now. Your fingers can hardly move over the clock face. You sneeze and when you do, an old woman appears before you. It’s like she came out of your nose!

  “Who summons me with a sneeze?” demands the raggedy old woman. “Was it you, old man?” she asks, whirling around and pointing a crooked, bony finger at you.

  Turn to PAGE 18.

  You pull down on the rotten rope. It breaks off in your hands!

  “No bell tolls for us! No bell tolls for us! No bell tolls for us!” The ghostly, hooded robed monks chant solemnly. They’ve made it to the bell tower where you are!

  Abbey and Kip reach their hands out to you. “Join us,” they drone. “Be one with us. No bell tolls for us. No bell tolls for us.”

  “Abbey! Kip!” you plead with them. “Don’t fade! Don’t fade!”

  It’s no use. Your cousins’ faces are getting fainter and fainter. The chanting of the monks echoes in your ears. “No bell tolls for us. No bell tolls for us. No bell tolls for us.”

  You know you have to escape from here before it’s too late.

  Race to PAGE 88.

  The Knight in Screaming Armor lies silent at your feet! You can’t believe it. It’s almost too good to be true. But it is!

  You turn to the Sorceress and lift your battle-ax in a salute to her.

  Then, THWACK! to your armored back. A powerful blow crushes you to your knees. It sends vibrations ringing through your armor and every one of your bones.

  The Evil Knight is not finished with you yet.

  The armor you wear is very heavy. But you manage to lift yourself back to your feet. You raise your battle-ax again and wait for the chance to move in.

  “WELCOME TO YOUR KNIGHT-MARE!” the Evil Knight bellows at you.

  But you’ve heard that before. If he thinks he’s going to scare you away, he’s got another thing coming. And, in fact, he does have another thing coming: the sharpened blade of your battle-ax!

  It’s now or never. While he’s still laughing his wicked laugh, you set your feet, swing around in a full circle, and release the battle-ax like a Frisbee. Almost in slow motion, it travels toward his face. It smashes into him in a burst of smoke.

  See through the vapors on PAGE 136.

  When you glance around you are shocked to see that you are back in your own garage! Everything is familiar. Two giant crates stand in front of you. One is labeled: EVIL KNIGHT. The other one says: GOOD KNIGHT.

  The garage isn’t the only thing that’s familiar. Everything you’re saying and hearing is familiar, too! At least for a moment. Then it all starts to seem normal again….

  “Which one should we open?” you say nervously.

  “Neither!” Kip replies. He seems terrified.

  Maybe a little too terrified. You’re not sure you buy all this curse stuff. Maybe it’s all a big trick. Kip and Abbey could have gotten someone to shout and shake the crate around. Who’s really in that Evil Knight crate, anyway? you wonder.

  Then again. Those screams do sound pretty spooky!

  Maybe you should play it safe and open the crate marked GOOD KNIGHT. A suit of armor could come in handy if there is some crazy curse.

  If you open the crate marked GOOD KNIGHT, turn to PAGE 33.

  If you open the crate marked EVIL KNIGHT, turn to PAGE 49.

  The garage door swings up and out of your way.

  Dark was never as dark as this. Monsters seem to lurk in every corner. Familiar forms look strange. The beam of your flashlight cuts past the frightful shadowy figures to the two crates. They stand like tombstones in the middle of the garage. Except that one of them is vibrating. Shaking back and forth.

  The light reflects off a label on one of the crates. The one with the curse on it. Then you notice another handwritten label near the top of each crate. One says: EVIL KNIGHT. The other reads: GOOD KNIGHT.

  “Which one should we open?” you say nervously.

  “Neither!” Kip replies. He seems terrified.

  Maybe a little too terrified. You’re not sure you buy all this curse stuff. Maybe it’s all a big trick. Kip and Abbey could have gotten someone to shout and shake the crate around. Who’s really in that “Evil Knight” crate, anyway? you wonder.

  Then again. Those screams do sound pretty spooky!

  Maybe you should play it safe and open the crate marked GOOD KNIGHT. A suit of armor could come in handy if there is some crazy curse.

  If you open the crate marked GOOD KNIGHT, turn to PAGE 33.

  If you open the crate marked EVIL KNIGHT, turn to PAGE 49.

  You look at Abbey and are amazed to see her boldly batting at some hanging snakes. She’s pretty brave, you
think.

  “Get away from my hair!” she yells as she knocks another snake to the ground. Then she misses one. It drops onto her shoulder and starts to wrap itself around her head!

  “Aaahh!” Abbey cries. “Help me!” She falls to the floor, pulling at the snake. “Help!” she screams again. “Save me!”

  Kip tries to be brave. He runs to help his sister. In his rush, he trips into an open-mouthed steel trap. His left leg is grabbed by the jagged metal teeth of the trap. “Help!” Kip cries. He can’t get free to help Abbey. He can’t even help himself.

  It’s all up to you now. Only you have a chance of earning the right to wear the armor of the Good Knight.

  Turn to PAGE 126.

  The huge, black bird takes a sudden turn to the left. “Help!” you yell. You tumble off the bird’s back.

  “Help!” Kip cries as he, too, is thrown from the feathered back of the bird.

  Luckily, the bird is flying low to the ground. Unluckily, the ground isn’t ground at all. It’s water!

  SPLASH! You plunge into freezing cold water.

  The bird screeches as it flies away.

  “Sink or swim! Sink or swim! Sink or swim!” chant the voices of three withered old women standing on a nearby shore. And then a crashing wave sends you down into the deep.

  If you can swim, turn to PAGE 45.

  If you don’t know how to swim, turn to PAGE 122.

  It’s no use trying to find your way out of the mess of hedges surrounding you.

  “We’ll have to break through,” you decide. “It’s our only choice.”

  “Okay, but I better not get a scratch!” Abbey warns. “I’ve worked too hard for this beautiful complexion.”

  The three of you turn your backs to the high, thick hedge. “On the count of three we ram it!” you say. You link arms. “One, two, three!” you count. All together you throw yourselves backward against the towering green wall. You fall through, landing flat on your backs on the other side.

  “Hooray!” Kip cheers. “We did it!”

  Before you and Abbey can add your own cheers, thousands of little animals tumble out of the hedge and cover you! Their fur is thick and coarse like spines.

  “Oooooooooh! I hate dirty critters!” Abbey exclaims. “Get out of my hair!”

  “Hedgehogs!” you cry. “They’re holding us down.”

  Quick, turn to PAGE 94.

  You’re alone and still falling. It began as a fast fall. But now it’s more like you’re floating gently. You look up and barely see the black nighthawk. Kip managed to stay on the bird. Will you ever see Kip and Abbey again?

  Below, you see emerald-green grass. It’s getting closer and closer. You can tell your landing isn’t going to be deadly, though. The grass will make a soft cushion for your fall.

  You float down, settling at last on a moss-covered knoll — right in front of a familiar cottage!

  The front door opens. A voice whispers, “Come in. You are so good to visit me.”

  You have no choice, turn to PAGE 77.

  “Show your face, Evil Knight!” You nervously challenge the master of this evil museum again.

  “Choose your weapon. Choose your weapon,” chants the scraggliest of all the caged old women. She points a bony finger to a platform where a battle-ax, a gleaming sword, a jousting lance, and a dagger are on display.

  “Hmmm,” you say. “I wonder why I didn’t see that there before?” You step closer to the platform to get a better look.

  As you reach across to take hold of the battle-ax, all the weapons vanish! Shining like a hundred mirrors, a gleaming silver suit of armor appears in their place.

  Could it be? you think. Could it be the armor of the Good Knight at last?

  As you step forward to touch the armor, it disappears into thin air.

  Then, WHAM! An iron cage crashes down around you!

  Sorry — it’s not the armor of the Good Knight at last. But it is your last good night.

  THE END

  Kip and Abbey follow you through the hole in the back of the crate. When all three of you are through, something slams shut behind you. You turn to look, and the crate has disappeared! All you see around you are hills. Soft, green, rolling hills.

  “It’s so beautiful,” you say. “It’s a whole new world.” You rub your eyes, but it doesn’t go away.

  “It’s OUR world!” Abbey exclaims. “We’re back in England!”

  “It’s exactly where the Evil Knight wants us to be,” Kip says softly. “England. The land of the Saxtons. England.”

  “Who cares?” Abbey says. “We’re home!”

  “Don’t look so happy,” Kip warns. “The Evil Knight wants to destroy us. We may be home for good! Or should I say, for evil?”

  You gaze around you stunned. There’s no way to explain what just happened to you. Hundreds of sheep are grazing on a nearby hill. One wild-looking ram glances up at you. Your heart jumps.

  “His eyes are glowing!” you cry out.

  Your pulse starts to race. The horned head of the ram morphs into the armored head of the Evil Knight! He lowers his head and paws the ground. Steam pours through the grill on his helmet.

  “He’s going to ram us!” you cry. “Run for your lives!”

  Run to PAGE 97.

  “You really had us going there,” Kip says as he and Abbey follow you into the house.

  “I told you not to tell those stupid stories about the Knight in Screaming Armor,” Abbey scolds her brother. “You gave our cousin nightmares!”

  After a good group laugh, the three of you head back to bed. When you hang your robe over your desk chair you notice little prickly leaves stuck to it.

  “Huh?” you say. Where did those leaves come from? you wonder. There aren’t any prickly bushes like that around here. Maybe it wasn’t a dream at all!

  You climb in bed and pull your covers up to your chin. Your eyes are getting tired. You listen for a few seconds to hear if any noises are coming from the garage. Nothing.

  Not this time. But before? Hmmmmm, you think as your eyes finally close. Maybe. Oh well. “Good night,” you say to no one in particular.

  “Evil Knight,” replies a deep voice next to you on your pillow. You feel a gust of hot air on your face.

  THE END

  When the rumbling of the avalanche is done, you brush the dust off your face and glance around.

  In the light of the full moon you see a trench in the middle of the hill. “It worked!” you shout. “The avalanche has cleared a path!”

  “And look what I found,” Kip says. He holds up a shiny metal key. “It was right here under this rock.”

  “Kip, you’re a genius!” you say again happily.

  Turn to PAGE 134.

  You sink into the deep, cold water. Deeper and deeper. Your lungs are about to burst from holding your breath so long. At last you sink to the bottom of this lake and land at the mouth of an underwater cave.

  You motion to Kip and swim for the opening. He’s right behind you.

  You swim into the cave, through a tunnel, and up a channel to air!

  “Pfwah!” you exhale. “Huuup!” you gulp in the fresh air. Kip does the same until both of you are breathing normally again.

  “Come in,” a familiar voice welcomes you. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

  You can’t quite place it. Where do you know that voice from? Hmmmmmmm. “We’ve been waiting for you….”

  Turn to PAGE 56.

  You see stone steps in the corner of the basement.

  “We’d better see what’s up there,” you whisper. You lead the way up the stone steps. Medieval paintings line the walls. Carved angels hover near the arched ceiling. “It’s like a castle,” you say.

  “It’s a monastery!” Abbey corrects you. “Monks probably used to live here centuries ago.”

  “Then who’s that chanting in the next room?” Kip gulps. The chanting grows louder and louder as you enter a large dining room. Long benches are filled wi
th robed figures bent over a narrow wooden table. The figures keep their hooded heads bowed. They chant over their meal.

  “There’s no food on the table!” Kip whispers loudly.

  All the figures turn around at once.

  “Oh!” Abbey lets out a startled cry.

  The robes are empty! Where their faces should be, there’s empty space! They’re ghosts!

  You make a break for the stairs. But you’re all alone when you get there.

  Find out why on PAGE 135.

  You may be climbing on pieces of people, but as rocks, they’re not going to hurt you — or you, them, for that matter.

  Kip and Abbey are probably fine. Maybe they just can’t hear you.

  If they are turning to stone, they’re not going anywhere, are they? And you’re not sure what you could do to help them, anyway.

  You decide to keep climbing the last little bit up the slope. You’ll grab that shining object — whatever it is — while you’ve got the chance. You’re almost there.

  The rock you’re standing on is totally unstable. You have to do a real balancing act to keep from crashing down on the rocks below. Slowly, carefully, you reach for the silver object. It’s long and shiny.

  When you’ve got a hold of it, you try to lift it up. But it lifts you up! Up into the air. The shiny thing is a metal finger that’s attached to a metal hand that’s attached to … THE KNIGHT IN SCREAMING ARMOR!

  Meet your doom on PAGE 66.

  The speeding black nighthawk doesn’t hear you. It just keeps flying. The mountainside approaches. CRASH!