by RL Stine
Ben races one way, you go another. Four of the clones chase you as you rip through the jungle. You hurtle over roots and small plants. You dodge low vines and tree branches.
You reach the banks of a river. Water rushes by in a muddy torrent. Several thick, strong vines hang down from a giant tree.
The medicine men spring out onto the bank of the river. They chuckle an evil laugh in unison. All at once, they raise their hands to grab you.
You grab one of the vines to swing over the river. You hope they’re as sturdy as they look!
Swoosh over to PAGE 85.
You race toward the waterfall. Maybe you can lose the giant gargoyle that way. The stone beast chasing you kind of looks like a cat, you think. And cats hate water, right?
Down the path, a small pool of water is surrounded by lush tropical plants and flowers. From fifty feet above, a river cascades down into the pool, sending up a thick mist.
“Jump into the water!” Zoe shouts. She does a perfect cannonball from the mossy bank.
You glance around. The stone beast appears on the path behind you. Its hideous jaws snap wildly at the air. Its thick stone leg muscles are bunched up, ready to pounce.
Turn to PAGE 51.
You decide you don’t want to slow everyone down by asking them for something to eat. You’ll just snatch an orange real quick.
You step into the shade of the orange tree to pluck a fruit. And find the ground under your feet has disappeared!
With a lunge you grab for the ledge.
Your knuckles scrape on small rocks buried in the soft ground. You plummet downward!
Your arms wheel through the air. You take a nosedive, landing with a PLOP!
You’re in some kind of a pit.
Steep, square walls go up about fifteen feet. Beyond the pit you can see the deep green leaves of the jungle and the blue sky beyond them.
“Hello!” you call to Ben and the Warrior Women. “Can you hear me? I fell into a pit! Help me!”
But there’s no sound from above. They’re too far away to hear you. If only they didn’t walk so fast!
Now you’re trapped!
Turn to PAGE 80.
The king stoops down, bringing his face right up to yours. He places a rocky hand on your shoulder and gazes into your eyes.
“Did you go into my treasured jewel cave?” he asks you gravely.
“What is he talking about?” Zoe asks you.
Tell the truth. Did you go into the jeweled chamber or not?
If you did go into the jeweled cave, turn to PAGE 123.
If you don’t even know what the king is talking about, turn to PAGE 106.
In Cronby’s tiny fist are two little nuggets of shimmering gold! Wow! If you could get them from the troll you’d be more than halfway home.
“I’ll play you for the gold,” Cronby bargains.
“Play what?”
“Well, since you’re not scared of anything, I’ll ask you a question about something really scary. If you get the question right, you get the gold and I’ll show you where your friend is.” So he does know about Zoe!
“What if I get the question wrong?” you ask.
“Well, then I get to keep the gold and your friend.” The troll has an evil glint in his eye. “You see, I like to eat human beings. They’re so chewy! If you lose, you have to help me carry Zoe to my kitchen. She’s too heavy for me to carry by myself.” He giggles in anticipation.
“No way!” you shout. You’d never bet on your best friend’s life.
“But I’m afraid you have no choice!” the troll whispers. “How will you save her? You don’t even know where she is!” Cronby throws his head back and laughs.
The troll is right. You must play.
Go to PAGE 15 to decide your fate … and Zoe’s!
It’s an alligator! This jungle river is swarming with them. The alligator tugs you down to the river bottom. Its teeth are clamped down around your leg. As hard as you kick and wrestle, you can’t shake it loose.
Strangely, it doesn’t really hurt, but you are starting to get angry. You flip the gator over and bite it on the neck. After all, you have a full set of sharp monster teeth!
Immediately, the alligator lets go of you and swims away.
Yes! You just fought off an alligator!
The kids at school will never believe that one! Now all you’ve got to do is get back to school so you can tell them!
It’s time to go and straighten all of this out. You are sure that once Mrs. Wheedle and the others realize who you are they will help you figure out how to turn back into a human. The answer must lie on that table with the fruit!
In a couple of deft strokes, you reach the shore of the river. You pull yourself out of the water and stand on the shore.
Gasp! Your gills huff and puff uselessly. Your eyes sting! You can’t breathe!
You’re suffocating!
Quick! Flip to PAGE 35.
“Oh, no!” you and Zoe scream together as you slide down the smooth stone slide.
BUMP! You land on the tunnel floor. Back where you started.
“Great!” Zoe says rolling her eyes. “We were almost out!”
“Sorry,” you say. “At least the hourglass is still okay!”
You hold it up for her to see.
“Come on,” she moans. “We’ve got to find the gold for the king — and fast!”
“Zoe,” you say, “I am really sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it!” she replies. And you know that she’s such a good friend she won’t mention it again. “Time is running out,” Zoe says. “Which way should we go?”
Turn to PAGE 14.
“The little sister is named ‘Tara the Terrible’!” you declare with pride.
“ARRRRGH!” The troll jumps up and down. “I can’t believe it! You got it right again!”
You jump into the air! You did it!
“Hand over my gold!” you command Cronby.
With tears in his eyes, Cronby withdraws three fat nuggets of gold from the pocket of his little pants and hands them over to you.
“Now show me where Zoe is!” you direct. You check the timepiece — you still have about a fifth of a Palooka left. You follow him to the mouth of the tunnel, where Zoe is sitting, all tied up. Cronby unties her and scurries away.
“I got our gold!” you exclaim.
“All right!” She gives you a high five. “How did you do it?” You tell her the whole story on your way to the pyramid.
You and Zoe reach the grand chamber as the last few grains of sand are about to fall through the hourglass.
“We’ve got the gold!” you shout triumphantly.
The king himself shows you out into the jungle. You safely meet up with the Junior Explorer Adventure Club.
And what an adventure it was!
THE END
The bubbling tar pit isn’t that wide. Maybe you can make it if you hurdle toward the other bank.
“Jump for it!” you shout to Ben.
You take a flying leap for the other side.
You almost make it. Your feet slip on the far bank of the pit. Your feet slide into the steaming tar. You fall backward, arching through the air.
SPLAT! The sticky tar covers you from head to toe.
SPLAT! Ben lands right on top of you.
The more you struggle, the deeper you sink.
Looks like you’re stuck … for good.
THE END
“What is it? Why do you have to go back?” Zoe asks. She stops climbing and glances down at you over her shoulder. “We’re almost free!”
“I still have the king’s timepiece!” you moan. “I can’t steal it. That wouldn’t be right!”
“Listen,” Zoe says impatiently. “Just set it down over there. He’ll find it sooner or later.” She points at a big rock sticking out of the side of the tunnel. The rock is flat on top, just like a shelf. It looks as if the timepiece would fit right on the rock.
“Anyway,” Zoe conti
nues, checking her big watch, “the rest of our group will be hiking out of here at three o’clock. It’s two-twenty-five! We’ve only got about half an hour left before they leave!”
“I feel bad,” you moan. “He said it meant a lot to him. I should go set it down in the tunnel or something.”
“That king was so mean to us. I can’t believe you feel sorry for him! If it were me,” Zoe says, “I’d keep the hourglass and sell it for a lot of money!”
Time’s a-wasting. What are you going to do?
If you rest it on the shelf, go to PAGE 128.
If you keep it, go to PAGE 9.
You are surrounded by the strange medicine men.
“I’m sorry,” you apologize. “It’s not that we don’t think it would be really cool to join you all. It’s just that we have families waiting for us.”
“Yeah,” Ben joins in. “They would really miss us if we became medicine men.”
“We understand,” the tall Muglani says. “But you also have to understand that we can’t have you blabbing about all of our secrets.” He rubs his scepter between his palms slowly.
“We promise we won’t tell anyone!” you declare.
“Well, we really should go,” Ben adds. “Bye!”
You turn your backs on the Muglani to leave.
“Oom oom oom Klak-kwe-vod-rup!” you hear behind you.
You feel your body changing again. This time brown hair pushes out through your skin — all over your body. You start shrinking, too! And grow a tail!
You’re a monkey! And next to you is another monkey wearing tiny glasses. It’s Ben!
When the Muglani said he didn’t want you telling their secrets, he really meant it! Well, at least you have a friend to monkey around with. You two can really go bananas!
THE END
Just as the gargoyle pounces at you, you do a clumsy backward dive off the bank into the water.
You plunge down into the deep pool, gripping the heavy stick with both hands. It seems as if you’re underwater for too long, but then …
Your face and arms break the surface and you can breathe again. The stick floats! Thank goodness!
“You made it!” Zoe cheers.
“Yeah!” you cry in triumph, gasping for air. The water is icy cold. It’s like taking a bath in an ice cube tray!
“Look!” Zoe says breathlessly. She points to the shore. The stone beast is prowling back and forth on the bank. It looks angry. “It won’t come near the water,” Zoe declares.
“Excellent!” you say, shivering. “But what do we do now? If we stay in here much longer, I think I’ll freeze to death. I’m already starting to lose feeling in my toes!”
Zoe doesn’t say anything. Her teeth are chattering too hard. You feel your feet beginning to grow numb from the freezing water. Are you destined to become two human ice cubes? Or will you be torn apart by a big walking rock?
Dog-paddle over to PAGE 6 to find out if you have any hope.
“Don’t eat it!” you shout to Ben as he lifts the banana to his mouth. He has an odd, dreamy expression on his face. You step up to him and knock the banana from his hand.
At first, Ben looks furious that you smashed the banana away from him. His face turns red.
Then he looks puzzled and shakes his head. As if he were waking from a dream.
“Thank you!” Ben says. “You broke the spell!”
“What spell?” you manage to croak. “What are you talking about?”
“This fruit is enchanted! It was left here by a tribe of medicine men. It is all explained in this pamphlet I got at the hotel! It’s called ‘The Myth of the Muglani.’ ”
Go to PAGE 46 to find out more about the “Muglani.”
You stand with your hands on your hips and check out the pit. Now how am I going to get out of this pit? you think. And why would someone dig a big hole in the middle of the jungle, anyway?
You take two steps back. Maybe you can jump up and get a handhold on the bank of the pit.
As your foot lands, you hear a loud CRUNCH!
And the CRUNCH extends into a ghostly RATTLE.
The sound makes the hairs on the back of your neck prickle. A spooky breeze sweeps over you.
There is something moving behind you!
It sounds as if it might be a bunch of old bones.
You turn around very slowly and very carefully.
Turn to PAGE 126.
“Nice to meet you, Cronby,” you say to the troll, burying your hands in your pockets. “Have you seen my friend Zoe?”
The troll wrinkles up his brow, as if he’s thinking very hard. “Is she about this tall?” he says, holding a hand up to exactly Zoe’s height. “With freckles and hair in her face and not very good manners?”
“Yeah.” You nod. “That sounds like her.”
“Yeah,” Cronby says, sticking his hands in his pockets and imitating you. “I saw which way she went.”
“Where is she?” you demand.
The troll sits down on top of a small rock and crosses his legs. “I’ll tell you where she went if you tell me what you’re doing down here! It’s not often we see human kids down here,” he says with curiosity.
“To make a long story short,” you explain, “we were chased inside the waterfall and we’ve got to find three pieces of gold for the king or we’ll be turned into slaves.”
“Ooooh! You must be scared!” he whispers.
“No, I’m not scared at all,” you say with confidence.
“Not scared at all, eh?” Cronby says, his red eyes glimmering. “Well, you’re in luck! Look what I have here.”
Flip to PAGE 71 to see what he’s got.
You reach to pluck one of the Fireheart fruits. The dragon still doesn’t see you. You’re moving too slowly for the dragon to see!
The heat from the lava makes your eyes water. You take one of the Fireheart fruits in your gray, clawed hand.
It’s warm! Just like a real heart. And the soft, fleshy red fruit is pulsing with the heat of the lava, like a real heart would pulse. It feels as if you’re holding someone’s heart. Gross!
With a flick of your wrist, you break the fruit from the tree. You hold it carefully in your hand. You don’t want to break it open with one of your sharp claws!
You turn to Ben and flash him a toothy smile.
Then you hear a violent HISS!
The dragon lunges at you from behind the tree!
Dash to PAGE 49!
“I’m not afraid to go first, Zoe!” you declare as you scramble up onto the slimy rocks.
“Oh, yeah? Prove it!” she says to you.
“There’s nothing in here that can scare me!” you say bravely.
You glance back as Zoe pulls herself out of the cold water. She takes off her windbreaker to wring it dry. She turns to you and flashes you a grin.
You start to make your way deeper into the cave. The walls are wet and slimy. You don’t want to touch them but you have to or you’ll fall. The cave air feels hot and humid. And there’s the strangest warm breeze. It’s almost as if someone were breathing on you!
“Weird!” you remark to Zoe. “The cave floor is pink!”
She doesn’t answer you.
“Zoe?” you call. “Where are you?”
Again there’s no answer. You peer into the darkness behind you. But you’re all alone.
Or maybe you’re not so all alone after all. You have a funny feeling something is watching you … from inside the cave.
Follow your hunch to PAGE 23.
You and Ben scramble over the rocks and into the cave. The rocks are covered by a strange white moss. The moss glows a little, helping you to see better in the dark cave. You use your club as a walking stick. It helps you balance as you climb over the craggy stones.
“I wonder why it’s so hot in here,” Ben murmurs. “Usually caves are cooler than the air outside!”
“It’s really boiling in here!” you agree.
As you stumble along, the tunn
el begins to glow with a faint gold light. The cave grows brighter and brighter.
“I can see the tree!” you exclaim as you reach the chamber that Unger told you about.
“Wow!” Ben shouts.
There in the center of the cave is a pool of lava. From the center of the pool grows a beautiful little tree. Its low sweeping branches are filled with ripe red fruits. They hang like drops of blood from every branch.
“How cool is that?” you exclaim. Ben puts down his stick and gives you a high five. “We found the Fireheart tree!”
But as you step toward the tree, you hear a low, menacing HISS!
Scramble to PAGE 10.
You have a good grip on the vine. You expect to go sailing over the river, away from all the medicine men.
But as you grasp the vine, you notice it has a strange texture. It doesn’t feel like a plant. Plants don’t have scales! Plants don’t slither in your hand! And plants don’t hiss!
Gasp! You’re holding on to a giant boa constrictor!
The snake quickly loops itself around you and drops out of the tree. You drop with it!
The medicine men stand around shaking their heads sadly as the tremendous boa constrictor wraps itself around you. They wanted to shrink your head.
Too bad for them!
If they try to take you away from the boa it will have a real HISSY FIT!
THE END
“We’ve got to find our way out of these tunnels!” you exclaim, checking your watch.
You and Zoe have the same kind of big, clunky, waterproof watches. They are indestructible. And they come with little watch-face lights — just perfect for when you’re stuck in a cave — like right now.
