quote:

You decide to take the passageway to the right.

At the end of the hall, you come to a large, square burial chamber. Inside, by the light from Mohammed's torch, you see a stone platform where the mummy's coffin once rested. Now the mummy is in San Francisco, on display. But other special objects that once belonged to King Buthramaman are still there.

"So this is the mummy's tomb?" you ask quietly.

Mohammed nods.

"Hey - what's that?" you ask. You spot a hinged wooden box shaped like a serpent and painted gold.

"That is where the diary belongs," Mohammed says. "Place it there."

He's right. The diary fits the box perfectly.

"Now I must leave you," Mohammed says. "It is forbidden for me to stay in the king's tomb. But I give you this map and a small torch." He hands them to you. "The light should last long enough for you to study the map. If you make the right choices, you will find your way back through the mystical portal to your land. It was the mummy's magic that brought you here, and the same magic can take you back. Good luck."

"Wait!" you cry.

But you are too late. Mohammed has bolted from the chamber.

quote:

Mohammed runs away so fast that all you can hear is the fading sound of his sandals flip-flopping on the stone floor.

Then silence. A horrible, stone-cold silence.

You have no time to waste. The torch isn't going to last long. You hold it up and peer at the map. It's a handwritten sketch drawn on brown paper, the edges torn.

This is a map? This jumble of lines?

Where's the "YOU ARE HERE" sign? Your heart sinks. You need help!

But then you figure it out.

The steps are those close-together lines on the top left. The tomb is the box at the end of the angled hallway.

And that other box? The one with the X in it? That's the elevator! The elevator in the Pyramid Building! You know, because you've seen lots of maps that are marked the same way. The elevators are always marked with X's.

And that's where you need to go, if you're ever going to get back home.

You've got a pencil in your pocket. So you take it out and write in the words "steps," "tomb," and "elevator."

Then you study the map.

quote:

quote:

The light from your torch is dwindling. It's going to burn out soon.

Quick! Memorize the map and the path you need to take to reach the elevator. Remember - you're in the tomb right now. When you come out of the tomb, you'll need to make a choice at the first fork in the passageway.

Which way? Right or left?

Then you'll have to make three more choices at forks or crossroads.

Right or left?

Don't worry about the places where the hallway simply bends or turns. You'll just follow it then. Your only problem is choosing what to do when you reach a fork in the path.

You've got to memorize all three choices, because when the torch burns out, you'll be walking in the dark.

So do it now.

Which way to the elevator from the tomb?

Should you go left, then right, then right, then straight? If so, turn to PAGE 127.

Or should you go left, then right, then left, then right? If so, turn to PAGE 109.

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Empty

Goal Endings: 2/3

Bad Endings
Interrupted a ritual and dried up into dust.
Thrown into the ocean and eaten by sharks.
Forced to remain in the mummy's body as a museum exhibit.
Got the attention of a crocodile with a sweet tooth.
Devoured by a hungry crocodile.
Got the diary defaced by an inattentive actor.
Discovered our ancient Egyptian artifact was just a restaurant guide.
Flubbed an elaborate FBI recruitment test at the last minute.
Lost the diary after drinking drugged lemonade.
Swindled out of the diary and left stranded in the desert.

Achievements
Night at the Museum: Faced down a decidedly non-supernatural mummy.
Punk'd: Fell for the old "fake mummy with a psychic diary" routine.
A Pharaoh in Frisco: Let the mummy revive himself.
Sekhmet Switcharoo: Convinced your family of your identity while still in the mummy's body.
Only Skin Deep: Helped the mummy improve his complexion.
Paging Mr. Tsoukalos: Discovered proof of ancient Egyptian superscience.

AweStriker posted:

Left - right - left - right

quote:

You stare at the map hard and decide to turn left, then right, then left, then right.

A moment later, your torch sputters and goes out. You are stranded in the cold tomb of an ancient mummy. In the dark.

Silence.

You move a step forward, feeling your way along the wall.

Left, right, left, right, you keep telling yourself. You chant the words over and over. Left. Right. Left. Right.

Your hand brushes against something slimy.

Eeeeeeewwww. You jerk your hand away.

Do you dare touch the wall again? You don't have a choice. How will you find your way in the dark if you don't?

Slowly, you reach one hand to the wall. Yuck. The stones are slippery with slime. You try not to think about what it might be! You hold your other hand out in front of you. You don't want to smack into anything in the dark.

Finally you come to the first fork. You turn left. Walk a little farther. Turn right. A little farther. Go left.

Now, if you remember the map correctly, you have just one more turn. Then it should be pretty easy from now on. Keep going...

quote:

The hallway turns a few more times. But there aren't any more choices. No more forks.

Finally you see a glimmer of light.

Light? Where's it coming from?

You turn the corner and spot the answer.

The elevator!

At last - you're in the basement of the Pyramid Building!

Aren't you?

You run to the elevator and push the UP button over and over. You hope that if you press it harder, it'll come faster.

Yeah. Sure. Like that's ever worked.

quote:

You press the UP button five more times. Finally you hear the familiar DING - the sound that means the elevator has arrived. The doors open.

Oh, no!

A scream rises in your throat. But it never escapes.

And neither will you.

There, standing in the elevator is your old friend, the mummy.

Your very old friend.

The mummy was mad when you stole his diary. But that was nothing compared with how he feels now. He hates trespassers. And you dared to enter his sacred burial chamber. Uninvited.

Your visit to his tomb is about to come to a very unpleasant end. And so are you.

When the mummy is done with you, you're going to need all those mummy bandages!

THE END

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Empty

Goal Endings: 2/3

Bad Endings
Interrupted a ritual and dried up into dust.
Thrown into the ocean and eaten by sharks.
Forced to remain in the mummy's body as a museum exhibit.
Got the attention of a crocodile with a sweet tooth.
Devoured by a hungry crocodile.
Got the diary defaced by an inattentive actor.
Discovered our ancient Egyptian artifact was just a restaurant guide.
Flubbed an elaborate FBI recruitment test at the last minute.
Lost the diary after drinking drugged lemonade.
Swindled out of the diary and left stranded in the desert.
Ambushed by the mummy right before escaping his tomb.

Achievements
Night at the Museum: Faced down a decidedly non-supernatural mummy.
Punk'd: Fell for the old "fake mummy with a psychic diary" routine.
A Pharaoh in Frisco: Let the mummy revive himself.
Sekhmet Switcharoo: Convinced your family of your identity while still in the mummy's body.
Only Skin Deep: Helped the mummy improve his complexion.
Paging Mr. Tsoukalos: Discovered proof of ancient Egyptian superscience.

Our options posted:

• Take the tunnel.
  
• Let the mummy take Susie.
  
• Try to escape the mummy.
  
• Take the passageway to the left.
  
• Follow the wrong path through the maze.
  

quote:

Almost at once, the torch flickers out.

But you don't care. You've made your decision. You're going left, right, right, straight.

In the dark, you walk boldly forward, your arms outstretched at both sides. You run your fingertips along both walls as you go.

Pretty soon, you feel the passageway begin to turn. You've come to your first choice.

You turn left.

You walk a little farther and turn right. You keep walking.

Suddenly, in the pitch-darkness, you feel two hands on your face.

"Aargh!" you want to scream.

But no sound comes out. Your voice is choked with fear.

"Boo!" a voice says.

BOO?

Boo who?

quote:

The hand taps you again. "You're it!" the voice calls. Then laughs.

You recognize that laugh.

It's your brother, Derek!

You made it! You made it back to the Pyramid Building.

"Derek, what are you doing down here?" you ask.

"Boy, are you going to get it!" he declares. "Mom and Dad are really worried. And they're mad you left Susie all alone. They have people searching the whole building for you. They sent me down here to the basement.

You try to explain to Derek about the mummy, but he only laughs and shakes his head. Then he grabs you by the ear. He drags you through a door you hadn't seen before and up some stairs.

He's right about your parents. They're really steamed. As far as you're concerned, this book might as well be titled, Diary of a Mad Mommy.

You can forget about any more exploring. You're grounded for a month!

THE END

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Empty

Goal Endings: 3/3

Bad Endings
Interrupted a ritual and dried up into dust.
Thrown into the ocean and eaten by sharks.
Forced to remain in the mummy's body as a museum exhibit.
Got the attention of a crocodile with a sweet tooth.
Devoured by a hungry crocodile.
Got the diary defaced by an inattentive actor.
Discovered our ancient Egyptian artifact was just a restaurant guide.
Flubbed an elaborate FBI recruitment test at the last minute.
Lost the diary after drinking drugged lemonade.
Swindled out of the diary and left stranded in the desert.
Ambushed by the mummy right before escaping his tomb.

Achievements
Night at the Museum: Faced down a decidedly non-supernatural mummy.
Punk'd: Fell for the old "fake mummy with a psychic diary" routine.
A Pharaoh in Frisco: Let the mummy revive himself.
Sekhmet Switcharoo: Convinced your family of your identity while still in the mummy's body.
Only Skin Deep: Helped the mummy improve his complexion.
Paging Mr. Tsoukalos: Discovered proof of ancient Egyptian superscience.

quote:

"All right, Junior Explorers, I direct your attention to this magnificent specimen of Bromeliad aechmea..."

On and on the guide, Mrs. Wheedle, drones. You can't believe you're stuck on a nature study tour.

When you saw the brochure for the Junior Explorer Adventure Club at the front desk of your hotel, it looked great. Three days hiking in the jungle with ten other kids your age and an "experienced jungle guide." How cool!

"Come on," you begged your parents. "We're in South America and you want me to sit by the pool all day? I could do that at home. Why did you take me to a foreign country if you didn't want to expose me to new things?"

Now you wish your parents had said NO! At least your best friend Zoe is with you on the hike. And, even though the guide is as boring as possible, the jungle is pretty cool. Heavy vines hang crisscrossed over the trail. Strange and beautiful flowers in deep colors sprout from every side.

As you follow behind Zoe, you notice a strange spiky flower with bright blue petals off to the side of the trail. Absentmindedly, you reach out to touch it.

A sudden breeze makes the bright blue petals shiver.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" the flower screams!

You pull your hand back at the last second!

quote:

"NOOOOOOOOO!" the scream continues. "Don't touch that flower!"

It's only Mrs. Wheedle.

"What's wrong?" you ask. "Is it poisonous? Does it shoot venom or something cool?"

"Of course not!" Mrs. Wheedle huffs. "That flower is an endangered species. You could have killed it!"

She turns and marches back to the front of the group.

"Whew! That was a close one!" Zoe says, brushing the bangs away from her eyes. "For a second there, I thought something exciting was actually going to happen!"

Zoe's cool. Way cool. That's one of the reasons she's your best friend. She has a sarcastic remark for every situation. And she's not scared of anything.

That's why you know she's just as anxious as you are to break away from the group and do some real exploring.

Just a moment ago, through the tree, you saw something that was definitely worth checking out.

There it is again. Off to the right. About twenty yards away. Incredible! Your heart skips a beat at what you see.

quote:

About twenty yards off to the right, through the crisscrossing branches and leaves of the jungle, you see a bush.

A big bush of vines... with feet!

That's right, two clawed feet carved in stone are sticking out from under the clinging vines.

You figure it could be one of those tribal ruins in the jungle you've heard about.

You heard there used to be some pretty dangerous tribes of headhunters in the area! You're dying to find out if they still exist.

Headhunters shrink people's heads! And they make sacrifices to ancient statues carved in stone. At least that's what you've heard. Mrs. Wheedle would have everyone thinking the most dangerous thing in the jungle was a bee. Or maybe an aphid - they eat endangered plants!

"Zoe," you call up to her. "Look over there! There's something weird about that bush. I wish we could go check it out!"

"I've got an idea!" Zoe says with a gleam in her eye.

You've been friends with Zoe for almost your entire life. And you know that when you see that gleam in her eye, it means you're about to get into trouble - usually a fun kind of trouble - but always big trouble!

quote:

"Oh, Mrs. Wheedle," Zoe calls out. The group comes to a halt. "What was the name of that extremely rare flower you were describing this morning? The one that all the famous scientists are searching for?"

"Which one? You mean the Amaryllis kerritatlocus?"

"Is that the one with the weird twisting orange petals and the blue stems?" Zoe asks innocently.

"Yes, indeed," Mrs. Wheedle answers. She starts to wring her fingers excitedly. "What about the kerritatlocus?"

"I saw it!" Zoe nearly shouts. "I really did!"

"Where? WHERE?" Mrs. Wheedle does a happy little jump.

"I think it was over there," Zoe says, pointing back down the path. "Or maybe it was that way..." she says, pointing to the left of the group.

"We should split up and search for it!" you suggest.

All the kids start talking at once. Now's your chance to sneak away!

quote:

You and Zoe dash off the path into the jungle. You hear Mrs. Wheedle yelling behind you. "QUUUUUUIIIIIIET!" You can picture her, red-faced and out of breath.

All the noise settles down and Mrs. Wheedle starts talking again. You stay very still and listen from your hiding place behind a big tree.

"We've got two good hours of hiking left to get to our campground for tonight. That gives us until three o'clock to find that kerritatlocus! Now everyone, follow me!"

It worked. They're looking for that flower. And as long as you hook back up with them again before three o'clock, they may never know you're gone.

"Zoe, did you really see the kerritatloca-whatever?"

"No way!" she says, grinning from ear to ear. "But now we get to explore!"

You make your way through the dense leaves and vines toward the stone feet that caught your eye before.

"Here it is, Zoe!" you shout. "There must be a statue underneath these vines."

You both get a good grip on the creeping vines and yank them back. Your blood runs cold at what you see...

quote:

The creeping vines fall to either side of the statue. A hideous gargoyle carved out of gleaming white stone grins out at you. It has crazy, bulging eyes and long sharp teeth. It looks like some kind of mutant cat creature!

"That's really creepy," Zoe says. "It gives me the shivers just looking at it."

Then you hear something else.

It sounds like a low, deep growl.

It sounds like it's coming from the statue!

You feel a hot blast of stale-smelling air on your face. That's when you notice the bits and pieces of plaster falling away from the statue.

What's going on? you think. You shake your head and blink your eyes, but it doesn't help. The great stone beast lifts one of its clawed forepaws and slices at some vines still clumped around it. They fall in pieces to the ground!

"RUN!" Zoe screams, grabbing at you. But which way? There are two paths leading away from where you are.

Down the path on the left, you see a small pool and a waterfall. Maybe you could swim away from the beast! To the right, you see a clearing with heavy sticks and rocks.

To fight the beast with sticks and stones, run to PAGE 11.

To try your luck with the water, rush to PAGE 68.

Character Sheet posted:

Inventory
Empty

Goal Endings: 0/2

Bad Endings
None yet.

Achievements
None yet.

Rebonack7 posted:

When you saw the brochure for the Junior Explorer Adventure Club at the front desk of your hotel, it looked great. Three days hiking in the jungle with ten other kids your age and an "experienced jungle guide." How cool!

poisonpill posted:

So this book’s protagonist is bored with a vacation to south America? “Pools are boring, we can lounge around our pool at home?” Idly picking endangered species plants?

Let’s make like a dentist and hunt the rare animal to extinction

quote:

The stone beast is right behind you!

"This way, Zoe," you call as you race down the path that leads to the clearing. You know you can scare the gargoyle with the heavy sticks and stones you see on the ground.

ROAR! The beast's voice explodes through the jungle. Birds send out warning calls to each other. Your heart races even faster than your feet.

You stumble into the clearing. The ground is covered in fine, green grass. The sticks on the grass are the size of baseball bats.

"Quick," Zoe shouts to you. "Grab a stick." She has already armed herself with a heavy club from the ground.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see a high table off to the side. Some weird little balls are hanging off the tabletop. But you don't have time to check them out.

Instead, you reach down and pick out a stick and a nice, softball-sized stone. You spin around to face the beast.

Growling deeply, the gargoyle bares its teeth. It rips through the air with five razor-sharp claws.

Then it pounces into the clearing!

quote:

The beast takes two steps toward you and Zoe when suddenly it gives a yelp and starts to tremble! The gargoyle stops looking less like a fierce monster and more like a scared puppy dog. It looks terrified!

Whining, and with its tail between its legs, the gargoyle backs up and runs away! You're so shocked you drop your club.

"I can't believe it!" you shout to Zoe. "What happened?"

"It looked like it was afraid of something!" Zoe exclaims. "Maybe it can't go into direct sunlight. Or maybe it's afraid of grass!"

"Ha-ha, very funny!" you retort as you cast your eyes around the clearing. That's when you notice the funny wooden table you glanced at before. You get a funny feeling about it.

"Maybe the gargoyle was afraid of this table," you wonder aloud as you stroll over to the ancient table.

"What's so scary about a table?" Zoe asks sarcastically, pushing her heavy brown bangs out of her eyes.

"I don't know." You shrug. You bend down to examine the enormous wooden table. That's when you realize that the table is decorated with shrunken heads!

Shrunken human heads!

quote:

"Zoe!" you yell. "There are shrunken heads on this table!"

"Let me see!" Zoe bends down next to you.

The table is made out of old, cracked wood. A basket on the tabletop overflows with bananas, oranges, and pears.

The little heads hang off the tabletop by red strings. Their skin is wrinkled and yellow - almost like old, dried up apples. Each head has a surprised expression on its tiny face.

"Too creepy!" Zoe exclaims. "Let's not stick around."

"I agree," you say. "I wanted to have an adventure, but having my head shrunk wasn't exactly what I had in mind..." You start to stand up and walk away from the strange table when you smell something delicious. It smells fantastic!

"What's that smell?" you ask Zoe.

"It's the weird fruit in that basket," she replies.

You turn back to the table. The fruit smells so good, you can't believe it. It's the most wonderful scent you've ever smelled in your life. Your mouth starts to water. You can almost taste the sugary flavor of fruit on your tongue.

You have to have some of that fruit. You don't care what else you do, you have to taste that fruit.

You reach out with your hand and pick up a beautiful green pear. You sink your teeth into it.

quote:

You chew on the pear that you took from the basket on the table. It's delicious - cool and sweet. The pear juice dribbles down your chin.

"I can't believe you did that!" Zoe's a little crazed. "You don't know where the fruit came from. It could be poisoned or something! Maybe all these people ate the fruit!" She gestures to the shrunken heads.

"I couldn't help myself," you explain, taking another greedy mouthful. "It smells so good. I couldn't resist. I don't think it's poisoned," you assure her. "It tastes too good to be poisoned."

But only moments after you've swallowed the second pulpy mouthful of pear, you start to feel dizzy.

The ground begins to twist under your feet. The trees loom over you, casting whirling shadows down on you. The leaves on the trees are doing pirouettes.

Zoe's face is spinning, spinning, spinning...

"What's happening to you?" You hear her desperate cry.

quote:

"Can you hear me? Are you okay?" Zoe asks anxiously, 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!

quote:

You look down at your hands. What used to be soft, pink skin is now rubbery gray flesh. Thin, transparent webbing connects each of your fingers. And each finger ends in a sharp claw!

How could this have happened? You have turned into a monster!

You reach up to feel your face. It's different than it used to be. Instead of a nose, you feel two little airholes.

And your eyes have grown! They're huge! You blink and two clear flaps of skin skim over the surface of your gigantic eyes. A spiky ridge juts out from the top of your head, like a scaly mohawk!

Before you can even ponder what to do next, you hear the sound of someone walking through the jungle.

You don't think it's Zoe, either. She took off in the other direction. Who could it be?

Maybe it's someone who could help. SOMEBODY put that basket of fruit there and hung those shrunken heads. Maybe they would know how to get you back to normal again!

Then again, looking like you do, maybe you should hide.

They're coming closer. You can hear them humming. Quick! Make up your mind!

To get help from the person who is coming, turn to PAGE 7.

To hide, turn to PAGE 124.

Character Sheet posted:

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Goal Endings: 0/2

Bad Endings
None yet.

Achievements
None yet.

Rebonack7 posted:

Before you ask, yes, this is one of those Schroedinger's Quantum Bullshit choices where someone different shows up based on our decision.

quote:

You stand in the clearing, waiting for the person coming closer. The sound of leaves rustling grows louder. You cross your legs and smile, trying not to look scary. You hope that whoever it is will help you!

Ben, one of the kids from the Junior Explorer Adventure Club, bursts into the clearing. It looks as if he’s reading some kind of a comic book or a pamphlet. He keeps glancing down at his book then back up. As if he’s looking at a map.

At first Ben doesn’t even notice you. You remember talking with Zoe about him. He’s a real bookworm and kind of a geek. His red hair is tousled and his glasses are slightly crooked. Freckles cover his entire face.

Ben sees the table and rushes over to it in excitement. You clear your throat a bit to let him know you’re there.

Ben spins around from the table. His eyes grow big as he stares at you. He stares at your clothes. Your sneakers. Your terrifying face. Your gruesome claws.

Dropping the pamphlet, Ben points at you.

“You’re... you’re... I know who you are!” he stutters. “And I know how you got that way!”

quote:

“You’re one of the kids from my Junior Explorers Club, aren’t you?” Ben asks as he steps over to you. “You must have snuck away from the group just like I did.”

You’re so glad he’s not scared of you!

“Yes,” you manage to say. The goop in your throat is sliding away. Or maybe you’re just learning how to speak through it.

“And I’ll bet that you came into this clearing, saw this table, and ate one of the magic fruit from this basket!”

“It turned you into a fish monster! You fell right into their trap!” he declares.

Suddenly, Ben lifts his nose and sniffs the air. A dopey smile spreads over his face.

As if in a trance, he stumbles to the table and grabs a banana from the basket. He holds it close to his nose and inhales the delicious odor. You know just what he’s feeling!

“No! Ben!” you shout. “Don’t eat the fruit!” Your voice still comes out all froggy.

Ben peels the banana!

If he eats it he’ll probably turn into a monster, too!

quote:

“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.’”

quote:

Ben’s booklet explains why you have turned into a monster. Maybe with his help, you can become human again!

“The Muglani are a tribe of medicine men – you know, witch doctors,” Ben explains. “They leave this enchanted fruit out here so that people will come and be turned into strange creatures. They don’t like people. The Muglani want to turn all people into animals or monsters!”

“Does it say anything about how to undo the spell?” you ask Ben in a hoarse voice.

“It says in the pamphlet that there’s a legendary fruit that can undo the Muglani magic. It’s called the Fireheart fruit,” Ben reads from his booklet.

“I remember a tree that Mrs. Wheedle showed us that had fruits that looked like little red hearts. Maybe that’s the one!” you tell Ben excitedly. “Will you help me find it?”

“Of course,” Ben says good-naturedly. “After all, you saved me from eating that magic banana!”

“We’d better hurry,” you declare, glancing at your watch. “It’s already two-twenty! We’ve got to be back by three or Mrs. Wheedle will kill us!”

“Which direction was the tree you saw? To the left or to the right?” Ben asks.

Flip a coin! If it lands on heads, go left on PAGE 43.

If it comes up tails, go right on PAGE 103.

Character Sheet posted:

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quote:

“Let’s go back to where we were earlier,” you say to Ben as you leave the clearing. “After all, that’s where I thought I saw the Fireheart fruit.”

“Cool!” Ben bounds ahead of you, pushing the heavy foliage out of his way as you both climb up a steep slope.

“Now I see why they use those big knives in the movies,” he declares over his shoulder. “These leaves are really thick!”

A soft rain begins to fall. The water feels good on your gooey skin. You and Ben are making your way back to Mrs. Wheedle’s meeting spot when you come to a big gnarled tree.

You hear a rustling at your feet.

Suddenly you are snatched up into the air, along with Ben.

You are caught in a huge net!

quote:

You are hanging suspended from the giant tree in a big net. Tight, tough ropes crisscross every which way.

“Who put this net here?” you ask Ben worriedly. “Do you think it was the medicine men?”

“I don’t know. I hope not!” You and Ben are a jumble of arms and legs in the giant net. You can hardly tell which way is up!

A rustling sound draws your attention back to the ground. A group of incredibly tall women dressed in leather and animal skins step out of the trees.

They are very old, with tan, wrinkled faces and white hair hanging in braids. Across their chests are slung long, curving bows, and they carry sharp spears in their hands.

“Those aren’t the medicine men I was reading about!” Ben whispers to you.

“Check out their spears,” you say quietly. “They don’t look too friendly!”

“Warrior Women!” Ben gasps. “I read in a comic book once that the Amazon River was named after some ancient Warrior Women. They were called... Amazons!”

The leader of the Warrior Women steps forward. She raises a decorated spear, points it right at you, and jabs!

quote:

The Warrior Woman’s spear is aimed right at your heart!

You feel the sharp stone point of her spear graze your arm as the spear comes closer. You squeeze your eyes shut.

And last possible moment, the head Warrior Woman flicks the blade to the left. Instead of plunging the spear into you, she cuts one of the ropes of the net.

You and Ben tumble down to the ground!

“Hee-hee-hee!” The Warrior Women guffaw as if it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever seen.

“I’m glad they think it’s funny,” Ben mumbles. He polishes his glasses on his shirt. You both are lying on the ground, covered in dirt. The head Warrior Woman holds up her hand for silence. The other women stop laughing abruptly.

The Warrior Woman drops to all fours right next to you. She peers into your face, examining you closely. You can see your own reflection in her large, black pupils. Your gooey gray skin, your big glassy black eyes, your rows of sharp teeth.

The Warrior Woman reaches up to scratch her back. A tiger skin-bag hanging from her side falls open. Inside you see a shrunken head!

You draw back in shock.

quote:

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 the 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.

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