by R. L. Stine
“It’s two-forty-five!” you declare. “We’ve got to make it back to the Junior Explorers by three.”
“Let’s take this big tunnel over here.” Zoe gestures toward a wide, round tunnel.
“I think we should head this way,” you insist, pointing to a small burrow in a patch of soft earth near the floor of the tunnel. The hole is just big enough for you to fit through. “It looks as if some kind of animal created this hole. It could lead to the surface!”
“I know,” Zoe says. “Why don’t we each go and explore a little? We can cover twice as much ground that way. We’ll meet up in a few minutes and report what we found.”
“Great idea! We’ll meet back here in five minutes.” You check your indestructible watch one last time. “I have a very good feeling about this tunnel!”
You couldn’t be more wrong.
Squeeze on through to PAGE 22.
“Guard dragon?” you say. “What do you mean, ‘guard dragon’?”
But Unger is gone! She and the rest of the Warrior Women have disappeared into the rich foliage of the jungle.
“Well, thanks again!” Ben calls after them.
“Do you think she was serious about the guard dragon?” you ask Ben nervously.
“I don’t know,” Ben answers.
“Maybe we should bring in some kind of weapon, to protect ourselves from the dragon,” you wonder aloud.
“What about these sticks?” Ben asks, pointing to two heavy branches lying on the ground.
“Those look perfect,” you exclaim. You pick up the branches and hand one to Ben. “Well, we’d better hurry. We’ve only got about ten minutes before the Junior Explorers leave without us! Let’s go into the cave!”
Race to PAGE 84!
Zoe speeds over the rocks toward the bright light. You hurry to keep up. You can’t wait to get out of this cave and meet up with your group. Even Mrs. Wheedle is sounding pretty good to you right about now.
But when you glance up, you see you have stumbled into some sort of large underground chamber. The light you saw was not from the sun. It was torchlight! Cast by hundreds of blazing torches that decorate the room you now stand in.
“Cool!” Zoe murmurs. “What is this place?”
The cavern is so tall you can’t even see the ceiling. But the floor is covered in soft carpets! At the end of the room, a small pyramid rises.
“It looks just like the ones we studied in ancient history class!” you whisper, pointing to the pyramid.
“Yeah! But this isn’t history. This is NOW. Check out that throne!” Zoe says in amazement.
At the top of the pyramid is a golden throne draped with what appear to be tiger skins. Zoe walks over to it, gaping at the splendid throne. But you’re starting to feel nervous. Somebody lit all these torches and you’re not so sure you want to be around when they get back.
Too late.
“Uh-oh!” Zoe whispers. “Somebody’s coming!”
Who is it? Clue in on PAGE 63.
The ants are frantically trying to get back in their anthill. They crawl all over your leg. And begin to bite!
“Quick, pour the water over my leg!” you cry to Ben.
A large green plastic canteen is slung over Ben’s shoulder. He opens the canteen and drenches the anthill with the water.
The water doesn’t kill the ants. It just makes them REALLY mad! They swarm over your leg. The bites make your leg feel as if it’s on fire!
The anthill is all muddy now, and your leg is stuck even deeper than it was before.
“Ow! Ben! Help me!” you call. “Pull me out!”
Ben takes one step toward you but stops.
“I can’t!” he exclaims. “I’m allergic to insect bites! I’ll go try to find help!” Ben takes off, running at full speed.
If only you’d turned into a gopher instead of a clumsy, bug-eyed fish monster! Then you could have dug your way out.
Because by the time Ben gets back, it will be too late.
The ants will have moved your whole body out of their anthill. Bit by bit. Bite by bite.
THE END
“It was a bat,” you say with confidence.
“WRONG!” the troll screams. He’s delighted. “It was a dog. I win! Now I’m going to have kid stew! And roast child! And girl casserole!”
“But I was sure it was a bat!” you insist.
“It was not a bat!” Cronby yells. “Not a bat!”
“It was a big bat!” you insist. “A big bat!”
Cronby makes it into a little song. “Not a bat! Not a bat! Not a bat!” His voice gets louder and louder, rising in pitch until it’s a screech.
As he sings his awful song, another sound fills the tunnel as well. It’s a fluttering sound, a whoosh!
Cronby’s screeches fade away as the flapping gets louder and louder. A giant, hairy bat lands on top of the boulder!
Quick, flip to PAGE 17.
What do these bizarre cave people want from you? you wonder as they come closer and closer.
“Look up there!” Zoe yells. She points to the pyramid.
All the creatures fall to their knees suddenly.
A huge figure appears on the throne at the top of the pyramid. He must be ten feet tall. His face is covered with strange slimy moss, like the others, but it is gold-colored, not white, and huge horns stick out of each side of his big spongy head. He wears a robe of animal skins.
“Greetings,” he booms.
He speaks English!
The cave creatures draw toward you. Maybe they just want to say hello, like their king. Then again, why are they surrounding you if they are friendly? In a flash, you scan the cavern for an escape route. They are all around you….
But off to your left there seems to be a gap!
If you make a break for it now, you just might get away from them.
Or you could stay and hear what the big king has to say. Who knows, he could be nice … possibly.
It’s your choice.
To make a run for it, race to PAGE 131.
To hear the king out, turn to PAGE 107.
You strain to see what is in the room with you. Slowly your eyes adjust to the dimness.
BANG! The cave creatures are still trying to get in!
You see a face ahead of you! It’s … Zoe. Or at least Zoe’s reflection. And it’s broken up into a thousand little pieces. Like you’re gazing into one of those mirrored balls.
BANG! CRACK! The creatures are breaking down the door!
You see your own reflection, too. A thousand times over. Weird, you think. What is it? Then you freak out as you realize what it is you’re staring at … the eye of a spider! A giant burrowing tarantula to be exact!
The door bursts open and the creatures rush in.
“Look out!” they cry. “Be careful!”
You turn back to the giant spider. It’s covered with thick brown hairs. Its pincers snap open and closed. The spider looks hungry! You take three steps toward the door. But it’s too late. With one sweep of its long, hairy forearms, the spider gathers you and Zoe up. It wraps you in thick strands of silk.
“We tried to warn you!” the cave creatures say sadly.
You want to say “thanks anyway” but you’re kind of busy. In fact, you’re really tied up. Because this is the bitter
END.
You take the tunnel to the left and run like crazy.
Oh, no! Your sneaker is untied. You step on the lace and find yourself flying … flying … flying … through the air.
CRUNCH! You land in a heap on the floor.
The ant drops the boulder to the ground. It skitters up to you and gingerly places one of its six feet on your body.
With a press of its heel, it smushes you.
The last thing you hear is the ant saying, “Eww! I hate these pink bugs! I’ve got to call the exterminator!”
Yuck! You have come to a very messy
END.
“Can you hear me? Are you okay?” Zoe asks anx
iously, leaning over you. You’ve fallen to the ground. The pear rolled out of your hand and is sitting in the grass.
It feels as if a bomb went off inside your head. Your whole body feels sore and a little tingly.
“I think I’m okay,” you say to Zoe. But instead of words, what comes out is a blubbery howl!
“Oh, no!” Zoe cries in horror. “I can’t believe it!”
Her eyes look as if they might pop out of her head. She is pale and trembling.
You move toward her. You want to tell her everything is okay. But she backs away.
And then Zoe — your best friend in the whole world — turns away from you and runs, screaming, into the jungle!
“Zoe, wait!” you try to call out. But you just make more disgusting bleating sounds. Your throat is filled with some kind of goop that keeps you from speaking clearly.
Why would she run away like that? you wonder. She looked really scared, as if I were a monster or something!
That’s when you see your hands. And let out a scream of your own.
Your skin has changed!
Find out how on PAGE 136.
The Warrior Woman finishes looking you over and stands up.
“She’s got a shrunken head in her bag,” you whisper to Ben.
“Maybe they are the Muglani after all!” Ben whispers back.
“Listen, my friends!” the head Warrior Woman says in perfect English.
“The Muglani have struck again! We’ve got to help these kids reverse the spell of those terrible Muglani.
“My name is Unger,” the Warrior Woman announces to you and Ben. She puts out her hand and helps you both to your feet. “The Muglani are our enemies. We always try to help the unfortunate people that the Muglani turn into monsters. Will you accept our help?”
Unger extends her hand for you to shake. You see the shrunken head peeping out of her bag. Hmmmm …
Can you really trust these strange women or should you go on your own way? You see by your watch it’s already two-thirty. You’ve got no time to lose!
To accept their help, turn to PAGE 122.
To turn down the offer and go on your way, turn to PAGE 53.
Wow! The Fireheart fruit has a wonderful flavor. It’s like a strawberry cake.
As you chew, your skin begins to tingle. Your face twitches and jumps. The jungle spins. Everything blurs together and twirls faster and faster. BANG! It all stops!
You take your hands away from your face.
“It worked!” Ben exclaims. “You’re a kid again!”
You did it! Ben thumps you on the back and you burp.
You burp up a little fire!
You and Ben race back toward the path where the Junior Explorers were. It doesn’t take you long to find the group. Mrs. Wheedle is shouting for everyone to get in line for a head count. Whew! Just in time!
Zoe’s there. And she’s psyched to see you. She apologizes for running from you the way she did.
“No sweat,” you tell her. “Ben and I will tell you the whole story!”
When you get back home, you become famous for your fire burps. You’re booked on all the late-night talk shows. It’s also very handy for roasting marshmallows for your two best friends, Zoe and Ben.
THE END
The cave creatures pull you between them.
“This is not a tug-of-war!” you shout. “Let go of me!”
A flash of light bursts from nearby and the creatures instantly drop you! They moan in pain, covering their eyes.
The bright light seems to be hurting their eyes. What is it? you wonder. Then you see Zoe standing there, grinning from ear to ear. She’s holding a powerful mini-flashlight.
“I totally forgot I had this!” Zoe exclaims.
“Quick, let’s get out of here once and for all!”
You make your way back through the waterfall. The gargoyle has given up guarding the pool, so you are able to rejoin the Junior Explorers. They almost left without you!
Later that night, you and Zoe sit in your tent discussing your adventures. You suddenly remember that you still have the king’s timepiece. You reach into your shirt pocket to show Zoe.
To your surprise, you find the hourglass and a handful of gems! They must have landed in your pockets when the jewel chamber crunched down and sprayed you with rocks.
You split the sparkling emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and diamonds with Zoe fifty-fifty. Forget about being Junior Explorers. Now you’re Junior Millionaires!
THE END
“Zoe,” you call. “Let’s take this one that goes up! It might even lead to the surface!”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “Then we could just go back to the Junior Explorers and forget about this whole thing!”
“That would be great!” you say. “Here, I’ll boost you up.”
Once Zoe’s up on the ladder, you scramble up on some loose rocks. Up the ladder, you climb and climb and climb.
The tunnel gets brighter as you climb. You’re almost back in the jungle! Soon you can smell the flowers. You can even hear the tropical birds singing to each other.
“We’re almost out,” Zoe announces.
“Wow!” you add. “I can’t believe it was so easy!”
But then you remember … something awful!
“Zoe,” you whisper gravely, “I have to go back!”
Oh, no! Tell Zoe why on PAGE 76.
The head medicine man waves his scepter in the air majestically. “By finding the Fireheart tree together, you have passed the test!” He reaches into a pocket and withdraws a handful of some kind of powder. He sprinkles the powder over your head.
It tingles! You feel your skin change back to human skin! The claws disappear. Your sharp teeth return to normal. You’re a kid again!
“Since you passed the test, we will now make you both Muglani of the Amazon!” His voice booms through the jungle. He claps his hands slowly. Soon all the Muglani join in clapping. They begin to chant. “Oom oom oom mah-hek-nee-hay.”
“Do you want to be a medicine man?” you whisper to Ben.
“No, do you?” he asks. You shake your head. The Muglani aren’t paying attention to you. They’re all busy clapping and chanting.
“Excuse me, guys!” you interrupt. Silence fills the air as the Muglani stare at you. “But we don’t WANT to be Muglani!”
“We’ll just see about that!” the head Muglani says with an evil smile.
Jump to PAGE 77.
Right in the center of the pool is a nugget of gold as big your fist!
Not only that, but behind the pool you can see the main tunnel that leads right to the throne chamber. All you’ve got to do is grab the gold and race back to the king.
“Cool!” you exclaim. “Let’s grab it and get this over with!” You reach your hand out to snatch the gold from the pool.
SNAP! A fish jumps out of the water and nearly bites off your finger with its razor-sharp teeth.
“What was that?” you cry. You bend over the water for a look.
A hundred or more fish are swimming in the pool. They have blind white eyes and sharp teeth that stick out of their mouths like pincushions. Their skin is clear, too. You can see their insides as they thrash around.
“Get back!” Zoe screams as another fish flies out of the water right at your face!
Step back to PAGE 56!
You race through the jungle at an amazing speed. Your legs are suddenly stronger than ever before! You can also see much better than before. It’s probably because your eyes are so big!
The hunters are right on your trail. BANG! A bullet whizzes through the air. They’re shooting at you!
You’ve got to get away. To the left, you see a big flower hidden by heavy vines. You could hide in it. Or you could keep running. You’re not sure how you know it, but some weird new sense you have tells you that there’s water ahead!
To run to the water, turn to PAGE 108.
To hide inside the huge flower, turn to PAGE 16.
�
�Oh, no!” you cry. “It can’t be!”
The stone people are closing in fast and you’re stuck on a ledge in front of a pool of molten lava.
You’ve reached the center of a volcano!
“What are we going to do?” Zoe asks, grabbing your arm. Panic is in her eyes.
“We could try to fight them,” you suggest. “Maybe they’re not as tough as they look.”
The cave creatures are approaching slowly. They are watching to see what you’ll do. Sweat is washing down your face and neck. You glance around the hot cave, looking for options. You see that behind the lava pool the tunnel continues.
“Maybe we could try to get around the edge of the pool,” you offer.
“It seems pretty dangerous,” Zoe says. Bubbles of scalding air pop at the surface of the pool of fiery red-and-orange molten rock.
“Yeah, but so do they,” you answer, nodding toward the angry cave creatures.
If you fight the cave people, battle over to PAGE 19.
If you try to work your way around the edge of the lava pool instead, go around to PAGE 55.
“I think the tree was this way,” you say, turning to the right. “I hope we can find it in time!”
You lead Ben through the dense jungle. The air is hot and damp. Soon you’re soaked with sticky sweat. Your new monster skin is gross and goopy. It even starts to stick to the leaves as you part them with your webbed fingers.
You take a step to go around a huge rubber-tree plant when one of the broad, shiny leaves bounces right into your face. It sticks to your skin, blinding you.
You stumble forward.
“Look out!” Ben cries. “Watch your feet!”
It’s too late! You feel your foot sink down into some kind of hole.
