by R. L. Stine
Dad still had the mummy around the waist. Now he swung his body into him—and they both toppled to the floor. My dad landed on top of Arragotus. He grabbed the mummy’s arms and tried to pin him to the floor.
My neck throbbed. I could still feel the mummy fingers tightening around me.
As I watched in horror, struggling to catch my breath, I realized someone was tugging on my sleeve.
I turned.
Aaron?
“Cathy—here.” He shoved the dummy into my hands.
I gasped. “Aaron—what are you thinking? You brought him downstairs? Why?”
“I saw him when I went upstairs to hide. The dummy has powers,” Aaron said. “Let’s bring him to life. He can control the mummy. I know it. Maybe Slappy can put the mummy back to sleep.”
Dad wrestled on the floor with the mummy. I knew there wasn’t much time.
My brain was spinning. My heart was still pounding. I could still feel the mummy’s hard fingers around my throat. I could still feel his rage, his anger.
I grabbed the dummy around the waist and raised him in front of me. Slappy weighed more than I’d imagined. His head and hands were made of some kind of heavy wood.
I held him tightly. Something about his wide grin … An evil grin, I thought. It sent a shiver to the back of my neck.
“The words,” Aaron said. “We need the words to bring him to life.”
“I don’t know where they are!” I cried.
Dad had Arragotus pinned to the floor. But I knew he couldn’t keep him down much longer.
“There they are!” Aaron exclaimed. He pulled a folded-up paper from the dummy’s suit jacket pocket. “This has to be them,” he said. He unfolded the paper. “Yes! The words. We have the words, Cathy. This is going to work. I know it will!”
“Okay. Okay. Let’s do it,” I said.
Aaron raised the sheet of paper. And shouted the words.
“KARRU MARRI ODONNA LOMA MOLONU KARRANO.”
I crossed my fingers and gritted my teeth. Please work. Please work.
I gasped as Slappy leaped out of my arms and landed on his feet beside me. Everyone screamed in shock.
Aaron uttered a startled cry. He grabbed my arm and stared down at Slappy.
Slappy blinked a few times, his glassy eyes gazed around the scene. His mouth clicked up and down as if he were testing it.
Then his grin appeared to grow wider. He tossed back his head and laughed, a long, shrill, ugly laugh that made everyone who hadn’t gone upstairs go silent.
“Well, well,” he rasped. “The world just got brighter. Slappy is here!”
A hard chill made my body shudder. My dizziness made the whole museum hall spin.
Dad and the mummy stopped their frantic wrestling. The mummy raised his head to watch Slappy.
“You’d all better wear sunglasses!” Slappy declared. “I’m so bright, your head might explode!”
Shannon gasped and pressed herself against the back wall.
“Don’t applaud. Just bow down to your master!” Slappy exclaimed. He raised both hands in the air, as if he was celebrating a triumph.
“I know you’re glad to see me,” Slappy shouted. “I heard your screams. But try to control your overwhelming love for me! Hahahaha!”
“Hey, Aaron,” Dad called out, entangled with the mummy. “Are you working that dummy? How are you doing that?”
“Who’s working your mouth?” Slappy shouted back. “And don’t call me dummy, Dummy!”
A hush fell over the long hall.
Dad rolled off the mummy. He climbed to his feet. He was drenched in sweat, his face bright red.
The mummy didn’t move from the floor.
“I’m not working the dummy,” Aaron told Dad. “We brought him alive. Slappy is alive now. He’s real, everyone.”
“It’s going to be an educational night!” Slappy cried. “You’re all going to learn how to obey me! Hahahaha!”
The mummy uttered a loud grunt. I sucked in my breath as he finally began to move. With great effort, he pushed himself to his feet.
I spun the dummy around. “Slappy, you have to help us,” I said, my voice cracking. “That mummy—he’s angry and out of control. We are all in danger. Can you help us? Please, Slappy. Do something. Help us.”
The dummy’s eyes locked on mine. He didn’t reply for a moment. And then he screamed: “Are you kidding me? Me help you?”
“Please, Slappy—” I lost it. I grabbed him by the shoulders of his suit jacket and began to shake him. “Please help us!”
“I help myself to whatever I want,” he replied. “That’s the only kind of helping I ever do! Hahaha.”
“Listen. I’m begging you—” I said.
I held on to his shoulders. I pleaded with him with my eyes.
I should have been watching the mummy. I didn’t realize Arragotus had moved toward me.
Shannon started yelling. I turned to see why. Not in time. The mummy reached for me.
I opened my mouth to shout, but no sound came out.
With a growl, the mummy grabbed me again. Grabbed me around the waist with his two steel-hard hands … grabbed me and lifted me off the floor.
A sigh escaped my throat. I knew I was too weary. I didn’t have the strength to fight him anymore.
What did he plan to do?
To my shock, the mummy opened his hands and let me drop back to the floor. He lurched past me and moved toward Slappy.
He wants the dummy—not me!
With a loud groan, Arragotus swung his right fist hard and fast at Slappy’s head.
The dummy’s legs folded like an accordion. Slappy ducked, and the mummy’s punch missed him by inches.
Slappy turned to us. “Hey,” he shouted, “who brought this toilet paper roll to life?”
Snarling, the mummy dove forward. He shoved his head into the dummy’s belly, knocking him down. Then Arragotus lifted Slappy high—and heaved him across the hall.
Slappy fell between Logan and me. We both reached down to help him to his feet.
Slappy ignored us and raised his eyes to the mummy. “I get it!” he shouted. “You don’t play well with others!”
Moving with surprising speed, the mummy leaped at Slappy and grabbed him with one hand. Arragotus wrapped his hands around the dummy’s ankles. Holding Slappy by the feet, he lifted him high.
“Careful of the shoes!” Slappy cried. “It’s hard to find an adult size two!”
A roar burst from deep inside the ancient mummy. Arragotus held Slappy upside down and batted his head with a big fist. The mummy used Slappy as a punching bag, batting him again and again.
“Sorry, pal!” Slappy cried. “I’m not into contact sports!”
Arragotus slammed his fist hard into Slappy’s wooden head. The punch made a clonnnnnk sound, and Slappy went flying.
Kids screamed and ducked out of the way. Slappy hit the far wall and collapsed to the floor. He didn’t move for a long moment.
I turned to Logan. “Did the mummy kill him?”
Logan squinted at me. “Can you kill a dummy?”
Slappy finally climbed to his feet. His eyes locked on the mummy. “Am I getting the feeling you don’t want to be friends?” he rasped.
Arragotus groaned and came staggering after Slappy. The mummy raised his fists, preparing to batter Slappy again.
But the dummy stood stiffly and narrowed his eyes at the attacking mummy. “Say nighty-night to everyone, Band-Aid Butt!” Slappy shouted. “Trust me. You need your beauty rest. I’m putting you back to sleep!”
The mummy took one more step, swinging his fists in front of him.
Slappy opened his eyes wide—and a red ray of light came shooting out of them. A powerful light beam that made the whole hallway glow with a pulsing red as if on fire.
Eyes wide, Slappy aimed the ray at the mummy’s head.
Arragotus froze. His arms fell to his sides.
The ray flamed from Slappy’s eyes. Brighter �
�� brighter … casting the mummy in a blinding circle of light.
“Nighty-night!” Slappy shrieked. “Unpleasant dreams!”
I had to look away. The red ray was hurting my eyes. Beside me, Logan covered his face with his hands. Even with my eyes shut, I could still see the red glow pulsing on my eyelids.
When the glow faded, I opened my eyes.
Slappy stood in place, shaking his head, blinking his eyes.
The mummy didn’t move. He stood frozen in place. Frozen by Slappy’s powerful ray.
“Yes!” I cried. I pumped my fist above my head. “You did it! Slappy—you did it!”
We started to cheer.
But then the mummy rolled his head on his shoulders. He raised his arms over his head, stretching. And then with a roaring groan, Arragotus lurched toward Slappy as if nothing had happened.
“I guess my ray didn’t work on you,” Slappy said calmly. “I did give you a nice tan! Hahahaha!”
“It’s not funny,” I murmured to Logan. “Slappy failed. Why is he making jokes?”
“M-maybe he has another plan,” Logan stammered.
I screamed as the mummy swooped down and wrapped his hands around Slappy’s legs again. He lifted the dummy off the floor, holding him upside down.
Arragotus raised him high, then brought the dummy down hard, smacking Slappy’s head on the floor. He lifted him, then banged the head onto the floor. Again. Again.
Dad came running up behind me. “The dummy isn’t going to be able to help,” he said. “We have to get everyone out of here.”
Slam slam slam.
The helpless dummy’s arms hung limply down as the mummy continued to hold Slappy upside down and bang his head on the stone floor.
Slam.
“Is this what they mean by a slam dunk?” Slappy shouted.
Slam.
“This is getting boring!” the dummy cried. “You’ve got to lighten up, Old Kleenex Face!”
Slam.
“Maybe my prehistoric friend will teach you a lesson!” Slappy shouted.
He raised a hand and motioned to the end of the hall. Then he cried out some strange words I couldn’t understand.
I heard a crash. A loud thud.
I turned in time to see a skull appear from the room at the end. The head of the dinosaur.
Bobbing on its three legs, the dinosaur skeleton came clattering down the hall. It tossed its giant head back. Its jaw moved up and down, stretching.
Shannon and Logan screamed. No one knew where to hide. We tried to crouch behind a display case. Aaron hid behind a statue. But no place was safe.
The mummy dropped Slappy to the floor and turned to see what the commotion was.
“My dinosaur friend is very hungry!” Slappy cried. “You’ll make a nice meal for him, Mummy Dearest. We’ve got to put some meat on his bones! Hahahaha.”
The foot bones hit the floor hard. The dinosaur head bounced. The jaws snapped. The enormous skeleton filled the hallway, scraping the walls.
Everyone turned as it lowered its head to attack and came rattling on its three skeletal legs, closing in rapidly on the mummy.
“Have a good meal!” Slappy shouted to the tall dinosaur skeleton. “I hope he isn’t too dry for you! Hahaha.”
The mummy staggered back, eyes on the dinosaur’s massive snapping jaws high above his head.
The dinosaur threw a deep shadow over the floor, over all of us, as it moved. Balancing on its three legs, it tossed its head high. Then opened its jaws wide and zoomed down to feed.
Arragotus raised a fist—and slammed it hard into the dinosaur’s open jaw. A powerful punch that sent a craaaaack that echoed off the walls.
The jawbone fell off and hit the floor, bouncing to the wall.
Arragotus landed another punch—and the head flew off. The rib bones clattered free. The leg bones collapsed.
In seconds, the dinosaur crumbled to pieces. The bones fell in a heap on the floor, rattling noisily.
With a roar, the mummy raised his fists in triumph.
“Oops!” Slappy cried. “I guess dinosaur dinnertime will have to be postponed!”
The mummy turned to Slappy. He reached out for him, but I moved fast. I dove forward and lifted the dummy off the floor. Then I turned and ran, carrying him in front of me to the far end of the room.
“Can’t you do something?” I pleaded. “You’re supposed to have powers. Can’t you defeat the mummy? Isn’t there something you can do?”
Slappy blinked his eyes. He tilted his head to one side. He gazed at the shelf behind us. “Well … I have one more idea.”
Slappy stared at the shelf, at the pile of amber stones that Shannon had stacked there. He raised both arms and began to chant. I couldn’t hear the words. His voice was a whisper.
Slappy continued to wave both hands at the stones, murmuring the same string of words over and over.
As I stared in confusion, the amber stones began to move. They popped open silently. The amber appeared to melt. Bubbles formed and the stones oozed onto the shelf.
And then I realized what Slappy was doing.
The insects … the ancient insects … thousands of years old. They’d been trapped so long, and now he was setting them free.
Their spindly legs quivered. Antennae waved above their sleek heads for the first time in two thousand years. Paper-thin wings fluttered. Round black eyes rolled.
The insects breathed and wriggled and then walked. I watched them climb out from their melting amber prisons.
Over a hundred of them! They walked unsteadily, moving in narrow circles. They bumped each other and buzzed and flapped their wings.
“Aroooo! Arooo!” Slappy suddenly shouted. He motioned with both hands. “Arooo! Arooo!” He waved toward the mummy.
And as he shouted, the ancient insects obeyed. They huddled together. Formed a dark cloud of buzzing, biting, breathing creatures.
“Arooo! Arooo!”
Hearing Slappy’s call, they raised themselves off the shelf. Swooped together. Swooped together and flew at the mummy. Flew onto his chest. Swarmed over his head. Covered his arms, his hands.
Buzzing and biting. Tearing at the bandages. Scratching at the thick, hard tar. Snapping and beating their ancient wings against him. Burying him. Swallowing him up in a deafening attack.
The mummy appeared helpless against the swarming insects. As they smothered him, the buzzing grew louder till it sounded like an angry alarm, till it drowned out all other sound.
Yes! I thought. Yes! The dummy has finally found the way to defeat Arragotus.
The mummy grunted and groaned. He slapped at his chest. Tried to brush the snapping insects off his head. He twisted and squirmed. He batted them off his arms, pounding himself hard with his covered fists. He scratched and swiped and tried to pry them from where his eyes had been.
I stared in shock as the tar began to ooze. The bandages frayed and came loose.
Slappy tossed back his head and laughed. “Yes! I’m starting to bug you—aren’t I?” he rasped. “You know what you should do? You should call for the exterminator! Because I’m going to exterminate you! Hahahaha!”
Arragotus swung his arm hard—and sent a swarm of insects flying. I watched them land on Shannon and Aaron. They cried out and started slapping at the bugs that clung to their skin.
Another hard swing of his body and more insects flew off into the hallway. The mummy brushed them off his head, flung them toward us.
And as I watched in horror, everyone was battling the ancient insects now, pulling them from their hair, brushing them from their eyes. Screaming and struggling to dodge them.
I saw a fat, furry bug buzz into Logan’s open mouth. His eyes bulged and he began gagging and choking. Kids battled the attacking insects. Arragotus brushed the last of them off the top of his head.
“Don’t worry, everyone!” Slappy screamed. “Don’t worry! I’m going to save you kids—save you for ME! Hahahaha!”
He was th
e only one laughing.
I saw Aaron pluck a big insect from his ear. Logan was still choking and spitting, unable to get the disgusting bug off his tongue. Dad was bent over, struggling to brush bugs off both legs.
“Somebody help!”
“It’s biting me! Owwww!”
“It stings!”
“Help me—they’re climbing up my back!”
Shouts and cries rang off the walls. Slappy tossed back his head and laughed again. “Wouldn’t you know it?” he cried. “It’s the one time I forgot to bring bug spray! Anybody got a flyswatter? Hahaha!”
I could see he had no intention of helping us. His sick grin appeared to grow wider. He was enjoying the whole thing!
“Slappy! Help us!” I started to move toward him when I felt a heavy hand on my shoulder. I tried to scream, but the hand slid roughly over my mouth, cutting off my cries.
The mummy acted quickly. With surprising strength, he lifted me off my feet. I had no time to struggle. He swung me over his shoulder as if I were weightless.
“Noooooooo!” I finally managed to yell as he held me there with both hands.
I bounced on his shoulder as he carried me away from my family.
“Put me down! Put me down! PLEASE!” I struggled and twisted and squirmed and tried to punch my fists at him.
But I knew he was too strong for me.
“Please! PLEASE! Put me down!”
The mummy was moving fast now. I knew where he was carrying me. To the mummy room. To his coffin.
I turned and saw Shannon running after me, her face twisted in alarm. She stretched a hand in front of her as if reaching for me.
“Stay back, Shannon!” I screamed. “Stay back! You can’t help me!”
But her shoes pounded the floor as she ran closer.
Swinging me on his shoulder, the mummy turned to face my sister. He lowered his head toward her and growled a warning.
“Shannon—get Dad!” I cried. “Go back!”
“Put Cathy down!” Shannon screamed. “You can’t do this! Put her down!”
The mummy appeared to stare at Shannon. For a long moment, he didn’t move. Then to my shock, Arragotus leaned forward and set me down on the floor.
