- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
The humans are protected. The humans have gone down the stairs slide.
quote:
“Make up your mind!” Jordan urges.
“We’ll slide,” you decide – just as the lizard bursts around the corner and tears down the hall.
Hissing, it leaps at you. Its claws catch on your shirt. The fabric rips as you jump onto the slide. But you’re safe!
You and your friends zoom down the slick surface. You glance down. A huge, cone-shaped heap of sand waits at the bottom. It looks like a giant anthill. It even has a hole at the top. Only this hole is big enough to swallow a car.
Faster you slide – and faster. There’s no way to stop.
You’re heading straight for the hole in the anthill.
And now you see things crawling in and out of the hole. Ugly, antlike things with red eyes and jagged-edged pincers.
Well, now you know why it’s called the Pit of Horrors.
quote:
You scream as you shoot into the Pit of Horrors.
WHAP! You slam into a wall of soft sand. It gets in your hair and your mouth. Then you’re rolling down a steep, sandy slope.
Katy’s sneakered foot whacks you in the head. Off to your left, you hear Jordan yelling.
When you finally hit bottom, you sit up, groaning. The light is dim. But you can see that you’re in an underground tunnel.
Holes dot the sides of the tunnel. Inside the holes are dozens of round, glistening packages the size of beach balls.
“Where are we?” Katy asks.
“What are those things?” Jordan demands. He reaches out and pokes one. The round thing trembles at his touch.
“Gross!” Jordan exclaims. “It’s all squishy!”
You gaze around at the tunnels and the round packages. It all reminds you of something you’ve seen somewhere.
The tunnel shakes.
“Someone’s coming!” Katy cries.
And now you remember where you’ve seen this before.
quote:
“It’s an insect nursery!” you exclaim. “These round things are eggs.”
“No way!” Jordan cries.
Then the tunnel fills with a long, squishy, rounded blob. It must be twelve feet long. It’s gray and eyeless. But it does have a mouth. A big, round mouth lined with tiny, pointed teeth.
Katy gasps. “What is that?”
“It’s a larva – a baby insect,” you whisper. You recently studied ants in science class. And you remember your teacher saying that the baby ants are always hungry.
Uh-oh.
The blind larva squelches along the tunnel toward you. Its huge mouth opens and closes, opens and closes. It’s an eating machine – and once it reaches you, there will be no way to avoid those terrifying, sharp teeth.
Maybe, if you crawl into one of the egg holes, the hideous larva will pass you right by.
Or maybe you should try to outrun the creature.
To run down the tunnel, turn to PAGE 101.
To crawl into one of the egg holes and hide, go to PAGE 64.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2020 00:59
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 10, 2024 03:35
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
We've already established that giant insect larvae are a thing around here, so hiding in a hole full of suspiciously egglike "packages" probably won't be good for our long-term health. Let's run for it!
quote:
“Run!” you shout.
You and your friends race down the tunnel. You’re much faster than the larva. Escaping should be no problem.
Except for one thing. After a few hundred yards the tunnel bends – and leads almost straight up. There’s no way you could climb it. It’s too steep.
The alien larva continues to crawl toward you.
It looks as if this is the end…
Or is it? The larva doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Is it going to climb the steep slope?
You glance at Katy and Jordan. “What if we jump on its back and hitch a ride?” you whisper.
quote:
When the larva has nearly reached you, you shout, “Now!”
The larva fills the tunnel. You squeeze between it and the walls. Its squishy body feels like a slimy water balloon.
“Climb up!” you urge your friends.
“It’s totally yucky!” Katy complains.
“It’s our only chance,” you point out. Bracing yourself against the tunnel wall, you grab a fold of the larva’s skin. It’s like grabbing a handful of thick jelly.
Your hands and front are covered with slime. But you hang on and pull yourself up the creature’s back. You offer a hand to Katy. She helps Jordan on.
The larva doesn’t seem to notice that it has passengers. It begins to crawl straight up the side tunnel. You and your friends hug the monster’s squishy body to keep from sliding off.
It’s horrible!
Finally, you spot reddish daylight to your left. You and your friends slide off the larva’s back. The light comes from a large hole in the tunnel wall. Through the hole, you see a set of stairs leading downward.
A sign above the stairs says: TO GARDEN OF DOOM.
This takes us to the same place as if we'd told the book we do, in fact, have stairs in our house.
quote:
You, Jordan, and Katy hurry down the stairs. The air begins to feel humid. You can smell wet dirt and plants.
Way above you, you can hear a faint hissing noise. The lizard is still after you!
At last you reach bottom. You find yourselves in an alien greenhouse. Outside, the strong red sun beats down on the tinted glass. Thousands of bizarre plants grow from pots and tubs. The plants are red, yellow, purple, black – every color but green.
You gaze up at a huge cabbage like plant with bright orange leaves. A purple palm tree grows in a pot by your side. Thick purple sap oozes out of its leaves.
“Cool!” Katy exclaims.
“Nice garden,” you agree. “But the lizard is still after us. We’ve got to think of a way to fight it.”
“I’ve got an idea,” Jordan offers.
quote:
“My grandmother used to study lizards,” Jordan explains. “She told me that they can’t be in really hot sun for more than a few minutes. They’ll fry.”
“So all we have to do is lure it outdoors?” you ask.
“Oh, right.” Katy’s voice is sarcastic. “And then we’ll fry too. Remember what happened when you tried to go outside?”
“Oh, yeah.” You gaze around the greenhouse. There must be something here you can use to protect yourself from sunburn.
“No problem,” you tell your friends. “All we have to do is cover ourselves. We can make sun hats from leaves – or try some of that purple palm goo for a sunblock.”
Will either idea work?
The only way to find out is to try one.
Make a sun hat on PAGE 117.
Slather yourself in purple goo on PAGE 9.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
 Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 4, 2020 02:39
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
The beings from Vega do not consume or use any product made of or by animals.
Don't mind me, just saving this comment for later. No particular reason...
Anyway, time to find out whether slathering ourselves with unidentifiable alien plant goo is the obviously stupid option that gets us killed, or the obviously stupid option that winds up actually working!
quote:
“I hear the lizard. It’s coming!” Jordan cries.
“Quick!” you urge your friends. “Plaster the palm goo on yourselves!” You bend down and grab two handfuls of purple goo.
It’s as thick as motor oil. It’s so sticky, you can hardly spread it. It smells like garbage that’s been left out too long.
You don’t care. You spread the disgusting stuff all over your face, arms, and hands. Then you and your friends head for the door – just as the lizard enters the greenhouse.
HISSSSSS! It peers around, searching for you.
“This way, frog-face!” you call. “I dare you to come get us!”
quote:
“Come on, fly-breath!” you cry to the alien. “Let’s go play outside!”
The lizard doesn’t understand English. But it gets your drift. It leaps toward you. You move closer to the exit.
“Bet you can’t eat just one human!” you goad the lizard.
It roars in anger. You move even closer to the exit.
Just as the lizard jumps at you, Jordan throws the door open.
The three of you rush outside. Hot desert air fills your lungs. But your skin is completely protected by the purple goo.
The lizard leaps onto the desert sand – and screams. Ten seconds later, it bursts into flames.
Thirty seconds after that, it’s just a heap of ashes.
A flash of red light fills the desert air. When it dies away, you find yourselves back in the Vegan battle room.
“Congratulations!” your alien captor booms. “You won the Red level!”
If you've already won the Yellow level, go on to the Blue level on PAGE 104.
Otherwise, you'll want to move on to the Yellow level on PAGE 7.
One level down, one to go!
quote:
“We’ll try yellow,” you declare.
You and your friends prepare to begin the Yellow level. Your Vegan pal hands you a tiny bottle. “Take this,” it says. “It may come in handy during the game.”
“Can you give us any hints about the Yellow level?” you ask.
“There’s no more time to talk,” the alien replies. “The Arcturans are close to winning. All I can do is wish you good luck.”
“Thanks a bunch!” you grumble. Some help that is!
The electrode in your ear begins to tingle.
A moment later the alien throws the On switch for the game.
quote:
A bright light flashes somewhere in your brain. You squeeze your eyes shut. Bells bong in your ears.
Then, suddenly – silence. You feel heavy. Very, very heavy. You’re so heavy, you can hardly even breathe.
You force open your eyes. Your eyelids seem to weigh twenty pounds. The air is clogged with musty greenish-yellow mist.
Slowly, slowly, you turn your head.
Beside you, Jordan and Katy slump in the swirling mist. They both seem to have become fatter and shorter.
“Where are we?” Katy asks.
“I don’t know, but the gravity here is really strong,” Jordan replies. His voice sounds low and hoarse.
You touch the ground. It’s spongy and damp. You try to stand up. It takes you a long time against the gravity. Your feet sink deep into the mushy ground.
You peer through the mist.
A big yellow blob drifts slowly – very slowly – toward you.
quote:
“What’s that?” Jordan cries, pointing at the blob.
“It looks like a pile of lemon Jell-O,” Katy announces.
As the creature comes closer, you decide Katy is right. It does resemble a six-foot-tall pile of Jell-O. If Jell-O could have one large, unblinking eye the size of a dinner plate.
SHHHH, SHHHH. The bloblike thing breathes in and out, in and out.
“I wonder what it wants,” you murmur.
Straining with effort, you move closer to the creature.
After all, how dangerous could a shimmering blob of Jell-O be?
quote:
The blob oozes along the spongy ground.
Soon it’s flowing over your sneaker. It slimes up your foot and begins to ooze toward your ankle. Its breathing grows louder.
“Yuck!” you cry. You try to kick it away.
But the blob won’t let go of your foot.
Your heart pounds. “Get it off me!” you cry.
“Take off your shoe!” Katy orders.
Quickly, you kick your sneaker off. The blob goes with it. You can only stare in horror as your shoe disappears into the pulsing yellow mass.
A moment later the creature makes a burping noise.
Then it oozes out in three directions at once.
It’s going after you, Jordan, and Katy!
“Let’s get out of here,” Katy urges. “Run, you guys!”
“Are you nuts?” Jordan retorts. “I’m bigger than you two. I’m so heavy, I can hardly move!”
“Wait!” you call. “The Vegan gave us a bottle. Maybe there’s something in it that we can use to fight the blob.”
You dig the bottle out of your pocket and hold it up.
Hey! It’s empty!
If you run from the blob, turn to PAGE 24.
Battle it with the bottle on PAGE 22.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 5, 2020 02:02
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
That's how I solve most of my emotional problems in real life, so hopefully the same principle applies to blob monsters on alien planets.
quote:
“Let’s get out of here!” you cry.
“You got it!” Katy agrees. “Run!”
You turn and try to run from the blob. But you can only move in slow motion. Your legs feel as heavy as an elephant’s legs. Every step feels as if you’re climbing a steep mountain with a hundred-pound pack. The most you can manage is a slow walk.
“Faster!” Katy urges.
“I’m moving as fast as I can!” Jordan snaps.
You glance back. The blob is slow too.
But it’s gaining on you. SHHH, SHHHH, it breathes.
“Keep going!” you yell. “We have to outrun it!”
“I can’t!” Jordan whines. He’s moving even more slowly. And then – he trips and falls. The blob flows over his legs.
“Help!” Jordan wails. “It’s got me!”
quote:
You and Katy slowly rush over to help Jordan. You grab his hands and pull as hard as you can.
The blob won’t let go. It moves up Jordan’s legs. It begins to cover his body with yellow slime.
Jordan struggles in slow motion. But the blob oozes all over him. Soon it covers everything but his hands and head.
Jordan suddenly stops screaming. His eyes open wide. A creepy smile spreads across his face.
That smile gives you chills.
“Stop fighting it,” Jordan commands in a strange, bubbly voice. “Just hold still. It will be all over in a moment. Then you’ll be one of us too.”
Oh, no! Jordan is one of them! He’s turned into a blob!
Before your horrified eyes, Jordan’s teeth fall out. His hair turns to yellow liquid and drizzles off his scalp. His eyes melt into yellow puddles. His head dissolves.
You suddenly feel something slimy on your hand. The one that was holding on to Jordan. You glance down.
Yikes! A yellow, hand-shaped blob is creeping up your arm!
quote:
In terror, you shake the blob off your body. “Let’s get out of here!” you shout to Katy.
“Help me!” Katy screams.
Oh, no. The blob is covering her arms! It spreads to her chest. You grab her legs and try to pull her away.
But it’s too late. In seconds, she’s a blob too. Your two best friends have turned into mounds of lemon Jell-O.
And they’re both oozing toward you!
You turn to run.
But you can’t run on this heavy planet.
You move as fast as you can. The blobs ooze after you. Shaking in terror, you put one heavy leg after another. You’ve got to get away!
But where can you go? You’re all alone on an alien planet. Earth is thousands of light-years away.
There’s no hope. No hope at all.
You think about giving up and becoming a blob.
No way! You’re not ready for that yet.
Especially when you see a light moving toward you.
quote:
You run heavily toward the light. Now you see that it comes from a small flying saucer. You don’t even stop to think about how weird that is. You just wave your arms frantically.
“Help!” you shout. “S.O.S.!”
The saucer dips down. A long, furry purple arm reaches out and grabs your wrists – just as the first blob reaches your feet.
The blob quickly oozes up to your ankles – then your legs. Its gooey surface clings revoltingly to your skin. The blob tugs, sucking you down toward the heavy planet.
But the purple hand has a strong grip on your wrists. It pulls up – hard.
Your arms feel as if they’re being yanked out of their sockets. Your legs feel as if they’re being stretched like taffy.
The blob pulls down.
The hand pulls up.
You’re being pulled in half!
quote:
The purple arm pulls even harder.
The blob suddenly lets go. You bounce up as if you’ve been shot from a rubber band. The hand hauls you into the saucer.
VROOOOOM! The saucer takes off for space.
“Thanks!” you exclaim, drawing a deep breath. For the first time, you get a good look at your rescuer. The creature looks human – except for its purple fur and three-foot-long arms.
“What – I mean, who are you?” you ask, trying not to sound impolite.
“I am from Aldebaran,” the purple being replies.
“Are you part of the game between the Vegans and the Arcturans?”
“We have nothing to do with that,” the Aldebaranian answers.
“Cool!” you exclaim. Just what you wanted to hear. “Um – could you return me to Earth, by any chance?”
“No problem,” the purple being says. “I’m heading that way now. It will take a while to get there, though.”
“That’s okay,” you reply. You don’t have to be home until dinnertime.
“Good.” The creature smiles. “Make yourself comfortable. You’ll be home in only three thousand of your years!”
THE END
...You know, I was just thinking it's been way too long since we had a good old-fashioned nightmare fuel death scene. Granted, it only happened to our friends instead of us, but that's arguably even worse depending how you look at it.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Take the stairs to the Garden of Doom.
- Hide in one of the egg holes.
- Make a sun hat out of leaves.
- Use the bottle against the blob.
Rebonack7 fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Feb 9, 2020
|
|
#
¿
Feb 6, 2020 02:21
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Running isn't going to work, so let's fight it head-on! Just... uh... maybe try not to let it touch us.
quote:
You stare at the little bottle in dismay. The Vegan said it might help you.
But how do you fight a giant blob with an empty bottle?
The blob oozes toward you. SHHH, SHHH, goes its breathing.
“Maybe it’s some sort of secret weapon,” you say hopefully. You prepare to throw the bottle at the blob.
“Wait!” Katy calls. “Maybe you’re supposed to put the blob in the bottle.”
Maybe she’s right. It doesn’t look possible, but –
“Yeah, right,” Jordan sneers. “That’s like trying to put a car inside a shoe box! Throw the bottle.”
Hmm. Jordan has a point too.
To try to put the blob in the bottle, turn to PAGE 31.
Throw the bottle at the blob on PAGE 45.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2020 00:42
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
After what we saw in the other timeline, staying at arm's length from this thing is probably the best option.
quote:
“I’m going to throw the bottle,” you decide. “Maybe it’s filled with invisible gas or something.”
You toss the bottle into the center of the pulsating mass.
The blob surrounds the bottle. After a second there’s a muffled thud. The yellow mass heaves and bubbles.
“It worked!” Jordan cries. “You killed it!”
“Yes!” Katy exclaims. “What an awesome shot! You are –“
“Quiet,” you interrupt. You’re trying to hear whether the blob is still breathing. But your friends are talking too much – blah, blah, blah. You can’t hear a thing.
The blob heaves again. Suddenly the bottle shoots out like a rocket. WHAM! It whacks you in the head.
“OOOOHHH,” you moan, sliding to the spongy ground.
That’s the last thing you remember – until you wake up feeling wonderful. The heaviness is gone. You sniff in a deep breath of greenish-yellow mist. Mmm, does it smell good!
You stretch your slimy yellow body happily. Oh, well, you think. So you became a blob after all. It’s not so bad. You don’t have to eat. Or sleep. Or even talk to your friends. No more blah, blah, blah.
From now on it’s just blob, blob, blob!
THE END
...Well, at least we were unconscious this time.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Take the stairs to the Garden of Doom.
- Hide in one of the egg holes.
- Make a sun hat out of leaves.
- Try to put the blob into the bottle.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2020 20:56
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Egg hole.
Also, what was up with that ending where it's a three thousand year trip back to Earth? Did the writer forget this part is supposed to be happening inside a simulation?
My personal theory is that Stine was originally going to end that segment with the alien and the blob accidentally pulling us in half, but Scholastic vetoed it and he had to come up with a slightly less violent bad end on the fly. Considering his track record, though, forgetting about the simulation aspect is probably a lot more likely.
quote:
You and your friends agree to climb into the egg holes. There’s barely room for one of you in each hole.
The larva oozes closer. You hesitate only a moment. Then you place your hands on the edge of a hole and pull yourself up.
The giant eggs feel wet and squishy – and they pulse, like a beating heart. They’re covered with a thick, clear goop that has a sickly sweet odor. As you cozy up to the eggs, you feel as if you’re drowning in honey.
The crawling larva inches past your hiding place. Its gray flank bulges into the hole.
You hold your breath. You know it’s blind – but can it sense you somehow? Are you safe?
Then something happens that makes you stop worrying about the monster in the tunnel.
quote:
With a sickening, pulpy sound, the giant eggs around you begin to hatch.
You gasp, horrified, as a dozen gray, eyeless baby insects begin wriggling out of their slimy shells. They’re not yet as big as the giant larva in the tunnel. But they have the same hideous, hungry mouths, filled with rows and rows of tiny, sharp teeth.
There’s nowhere to run. The giant larva is blocking your way out. There’s nowhere to hide.
A dozen mouths open and close, open and close.
These babies are starving. And you know what their first meal will be.
You.
Better close the book now. You don’t want to know what happens next. Let’s just say you’ve come to an egg-stremely disgusting
END.
Show of hands, who didn't see that one coming?
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Take the stairs to the Garden of Doom.
- Make a sun hat out of leaves.
- Try to put the blob into the bottle.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 9, 2020 23:48
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Storing living things in tiny glass bottles is a time-honored video game tradition! If anything, we should be grateful the Vegans gave us this one for free instead of making us win some bullshit minigame for it.
quote:
“I’m going to try Katy’s idea,” you announce. You lean down, holding the bottle out toward the blob.
To your surprise, the blob starts to flow into the bottle.
“No way!” Jordan gasps in surprise.
“I told you!” Katy exclaims.
You can’t believe your eyes. But the blob continues to flow inside the bottle. How can something so big fit into such a tiny container?
In a few moments, the entire blob is inside the bottle.
“It worked!” Katy cries. “We won!”
Jordan snorts. “If we won, how come we’re still on this planet? The Vegan said we’d return to the game center.”
“Yeah,” you agree. You gaze at the bottle and think.
You’ve captured the alien blob. But there must be something more to the game. Something else you’re supposed to do.
“Let me see it,” Katy asks. She takes the bottle and peers in. “It smells like lemon custard,” she announces.
“Hey!” You snap your fingers. “Maybe that’s the answer!”
quote:
Katy stares at you. “Maybe what is the answer?”
“Look. Somehow, we have to get rid of this blob, right?” you say to your friends. “I mean, how else can we get back to the Vegans? Now, the blob looks like food. It smells like food.”
“Hold on!” Jordan makes a face. “If you’re going to say what I think you’re going to say – don’t.”
“What are you going to say?” Katy wants to know.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” you argue.
“WILL YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT?” Katy shouts. Her face is red. “What makes sense? How can we win?”
You take a deep breath. “We have to eat the blob.”
“Eww! Gross!” Katy cries. “I wish you hadn’t told me that. I think I’m going to barf.”
“It makes me want to hurl too,” you admit. “But it might be our only way out of here!”
quote:
“I’ll go first,” you volunteer briefly. You take a deep breath and dip a finger into the bottle.
It comes out covered with slimy yellow goo.
Do you really dare taste it?
Your hand shakes as you lick your finger.
For just a moment, you feel like throwing up. Then you swallow. “Hey, it’s sort of... good!” you tell your friends. “It really does taste like lemon custard!”
You pour a little of the goo into Katy’s palm. Her doubtful expression vanishes after her first taste. “Yum!” she cries.
You and your friends pass the bottle around. In only a few moments it’s empty. You run your fingers around the rim and lick off the last sweet drops.
WHISSSSSSSH! A strong wind begins to blow. It sweeps the greenish-yellow mist away. When the wind dies down, you find yourselves back in the Vegan game room.
If you haven't yet completed the Red level, go to PAGE 95.
If you have completed the Red level, begin the Blue level on PAGE 104.
It should go without saying that choosing the first option just takes us to the start of the Red level.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Take the stairs to the Garden of Doom.
- Make a sun hat out of leaves.
- Begin the Blue level.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 12, 2020 03:59
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Looks like we're moving on to the final level!
quote:
“Amazing!” the Vegan says. “You won both the Yellow level and the Red level. No one has ever done that before.”
“What about the Blue level?” you ask. “Has anyone ever won that?”
The Vegan shakes both its heads sadly. “Alas, no Vegan has ever tried it. You will be the first. All I know about it is that it is a battle of wits between you and the Arcturans.”
“You mean all we have to do is outsmart a bunch of aliens?” Jordan asks. He laughs. “Piece of cake!”
The Vegan looks quite annoyed. “I think you’ll find it quite a challenge,” it snaps. “The Arcturans are the most intelligent race in the galaxy. No one has ever outwitted them.”
Jordan gulps.
“The final level takes place in reality. Step through the gateway to Arcturus,” the Vegan orders.
It leads you to a large doorway that throbs with blue energy. Crackling sparks fly from the doorframe. The electricity is so strong, your hair stands on end.
quote:
You cross through the blue doorway into a large white room. Blue-tinted sunlight streams in from a high window.
At one end of the room stand three small tables. On top of each table is a round glass case, like an upside-down fishbowl.
Inside each case is a big bald head!
“Whoa,” Jordan murmurs.
“Gross,” Katy declares.
You stare at the heads. They look human, but their skin is pale blue. Their eyes are open. But they don’t move or blink.
Are they alive?
“Welcome to Arcturus,” the head with blue eyes pipes.
You jump. Then, summoning your nerve, you approach the heads. “Wh-where are your bodies?” you ask.
“We Arcturans have outgrown the need for bodies. We spend all our time thinking,” the green-eyed head replies. “It gives you a superior smile.”
And then the third, brown-eyed Arcturan asks you a question that totally surprises you.
quote:
The brown-eyed Arcturan gazes at you as if you were an insect. “Are you Martians ready for the game?” it asks.
“Martians?” you blurt out. “There’s no such thing as Martians. We’re from Earth!”
The brown-eyed Arcturan looks shocked. “No such thing?”
“Mars, Earth, it’s all the same to us,” the green-eyed Arcturan says quickly. “The main thing is that you are inferior.”
“I can’t believe how conceited they are!” Katy whispers.
“Maybe the final game won’t be so hard after all,” you whisper back. “If these guys don’t know there’s no intelligent life on Mars, they can’t be as smart as the Vegans told us.”
“We heard that!” the blue-eyed Arcturan snaps. “Forget it. You won’t beat us. The game was designed by our wisest heads. They searched the galaxy for the three most difficult puzzles.”
“We can handle them,” you declare boldly.
“Unlikely.” The green-eyed head yawns. “But if by some miracle you do win, we will end our war with the Vegans and allow you to return to Earth.”
“What if we lose?” Katy asks.
“If you answer even one question incorrectly, you and the Vegans will become our slaves forever!” the third head cries.
“Give us the first challenge,” you say bravely.
quote:
“The first challenge is a test of knowledge,” the first Arcturan tells you. “It is based on a GOOSEBUMPS book we found in one of your time capsules.”
You can’t help smiling. You and your friends have read all the GOOSEBUMPS books. There’s no way you’ll blow this question!
“This is the challenge,” the Arcturan goes on. “In Trapped in Bat Wing Hall, the members of the Horror Club go on a scavenger hunt. Which of the following is not on the list of items to find?
- one human bone
- three hairs from a werewolf
- a straw from a witch’s broom
- two claws from a bat
- a piece from a mummy’s bandage?”
Yikes. You bite your lip. That’s a tough one!
If you’ve read Trapped in Bat Wing Hall, you already know the answer. If not, you’ll have to guess.
If the item not on the list is a human bone, turn to PAGE 12.
If the item is two claws from a bat, turn to PAGE 23.
Hard to believe it's been about two and a half years since we finished Trapped in Bat Wing Hall. Normally this is where I'd go back and edit the text so people can't look up the answer, but I'd have to change pretty much the entire Red Team path, so I can't really do anything except politely ask everyone to play fair.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 14, 2020 04:24
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Bat Claws based purely on the logic that if these Futurama rejects don't know that Earth has life on it then they don't know what humans are so they can't know about human bones.
This logic is stupid, farcical, wouldn't apply in this case, and even if it did doesn't hold up to casual scrutiny, but I don't respect these bozos enough to care.
It's as good a reason as any!
quote:
You know the answer to that question. “The bats’ claws weren’t on the list,” you declare confidently.
For a moment, all three heads just stare at you.
“I don’t believe it!” the blue-eyed Arcturan cries at last.
“What? You’re not saying I’m wrong, are you?” you ask.
“No!” the creature snaps. “You’re right. That’s what I don’t believe. How could someone with a head as puny as yours be right about anything?” Its mouth turns down in a frown.
“Our heads are just the right size!” Katy cries indignantly.
“Yeah. And we’re ready for the next challenge,” you add.
The Arcturan smiles nastily. “The next challenge is a difficult math problem. I’m sure you Earthlings can’t possibly figure it out.”
“We just might surprise you,” Jordan boasts.
The Arcturan rolls its blue eyes. “I doubt it.”
The wall behind the three Arcturan heads lights up. In blue writing, the challenge appears.
quote:
8 1 6
3 _ 7
4 9 2
“This is a magic square, made of the numbers one through nine,” the green-eyed Arcturan tells you. “All the numbers across, down, and diagonally should add up to the same thing – fifteen. But the number in the center is missing.” The Arcturan cackles. “Here’s the challenge: what is the missing number?”
You gnaw on a fingernail. Math was never your best subject.
But you’re better at it than Katy or Jordan.
It’s up to you.
You gaze at the magic square. Then you whisper briefly to Katy and Jordan.
“Sounds good to me,” Jordan declares. “Go for it.”
Go ahead – take your best shot.
If you think the missing number is six, go to PAGE 128.
If you think it's five, turn to PAGE 102.
If you get this one wrong, you're either picking answers at random or deliberately trying to get a bad end.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 15, 2020 22:37
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Sorry for the delay, everyone. I was suffering from some pretty bad migraines this week. Which, if anyone asks, is also my excuse for why I've suddenly forgotten how magic squares work! Six sounds like the right answer to me!
quote:
“We – uh – we think the missing number is six,” you tell the Arcturans.
“Wrong!” exclaims the brown-eyed head. “Hah. I knew you couldn’t do it. You have lost your freedom – forever. From now on, each of you will become the personal slave for one of us.”
Oh, no! This is terrible!
Still, maybe it’s not the worst thing in the universe, you think. After all, what kind of chores could a head with no body possibly need done?
“You’ll work for me,” the green-eyed Arcturan tells Katy. “From now on, you will do everything I command.”
“And you will be my slave,” the brown-eyed head tells Jordan.
The blue-eyed Arcturan turns its gaze to you. It smiles.
You can practically hear the thud as your heart sinks all the way down to your toes.
quote:
“You will be my slave,” the blue-eyed Arcturan tells you. “The first thing I want you to do is polish my scalp.”
The glass case covering your new master glows blue, then disappears. A soft blue rag appears on the tabletop.
You peer at the Arcturan’s scalp. Yuck! It’s got major dandruff!
“I’m not polishing anyone’s scalp,” you declare. “Forget it!”
“You have no choice,” the Arcturan replies. “My brain waves are much stronger than yours.” It stares at you. A blue bolt shoots out from its eyes. Blue energy surrounds you. You feel your mind relaxing.
You’re in a great mood suddenly. All you want to do is polish a scalp. In fact, you can’t wait to get started. You pick up the rag and begin rubbing.
On the other side of the room, you’re vaguely aware of your friends taking care of their Arcturans. But you don’t care. The only thing that matters to you now is keeping a clear head.
THE END
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Take the stairs to the Garden of Doom.
- Make a sun hat out of leaves.
- Answer the Arcturans' first question incorrectly.
- Answer the Arcturans' second question correctly.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 22, 2020 19:57
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Does answering the arcturans first question incorrectly give a different result from the second?
As a matter of fact, all three questions have a different bad ending for answering incorrectly!
quote:
“The item that’s not on the list is one human bone,” you tell the Arcturans.
For a moment all three bald heads gaze at you. Then, at the same moment, they begin to laugh.
“That’s wrong!” the blue-eyed head cackles. “I knew there was no way mere humans could beat our test!”
“Wait!” Jordan cries. “I know the right answer. Give us another chance!”
“No more chances!” the Arcturan replies. “To the spice mines with all of you!”
Blue energy sizzles toward you from the three heads. “Run!” you shout, and turn to flee from the room.
But before you’ve gone three steps, a tingling feeling sweeps over you. Ooooohhh, you feel so dizzy...
The next thing you know, the whole world turns black.
quote:
You wake up in darkness. A delicious smell of cinnamon fills your nostrils. It smells like someone is baking apple pie.
“Mmmmm,” Katy murmurs. “I smell vanilla.”
“No –“ Jordan interrupts. “It’s chocolate. Pure chocolate!”
As your eyes adjust to the dim light, you gaze around. You seem to be in a large, rocky cavern. Strangely enough, you can’t spot any stoves or kitchen equipment. But you can make out dim shapes moving by the walls.
“I’m hungry!” Jordan shouts.
“Me too!” Katy cries.
“Me three,” you agree.
The scents are driving you crazy. Your mouth waters uncontrollably. You’ve never been so hungry in your life.
But where are the delicious smells coming from?
Then you hear footsteps.
Yes! Maybe someone has come to feed you!
quote:
A fat, short, three-headed creature appears. Its skin is covered with jagged spikes. It looks like a walking rock.
“Why aren’t you three working?” the creature demands.
Before you can answer, the creature shoves a pick into your hands. “Get going – the spices are ripe!” it bellows.
At last you can see well enough to make out the movement by the walls. It’s other creatures. Dozens of them – in every size and shape. They’re digging at the walls with picks and shovels!
“What is going on?” you ask the three-headed creature. “Where are we?”
“Where do you think?” it snarls. “The spice mines.” It hands you a pick and swats you. “Now get moving!”
You swing your pick at the walls of the mine. With each crack of the pick, another delicious smell fills your nose. But, somehow, you’re not so hungry anymore.
Too bad – but this spicy adventure has come to a tasteless
END.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Answer the Arcturans' second question correctly.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 26, 2020 02:48
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Oh hey, I just remembered how magic squares work! Time for a do-over!
quote:
Is there some kind of trick? you wonder. This is the easiest math question you’ve ever seen!
“The missing number is five,” you tell the Arcturans.
The three Arcturans glare at you in stony silence.
“I guess that means we got it right,” Katy says with a grin.
“Yes!” Jordan whoops, pumping his fist in the air.
You’re feeling pretty good now. “Okay, let’s stop messing around,” you demand. “Bring on the last challenge!”
“You asked for it,” the brown-eyed Arcturan says. It blinks twice, and a grid of letters appears, hanging in the middle of the air. “Here it is. But it’s hard. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!”
quote:
Below is a list of words having to do with this space adventure. A few of those words are hidden in the puzzle above. The words run forwards, backwards, up, and down. Find and circle as many words from the list as you can. When you think you’ve found all the words that are there, count them.
If you found an even number of words, turn to PAGE 80.
If you found an odd number of words, turn to PAGE 63.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
|
|
#
¿
Feb 28, 2020 23:59
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
At this point, it's pretty clear the Arcturans are dumber than a bag of hammers, so let's take pity on them and let them win one more time.
quote:
“We found an even number of words,” you tell the Arcturans.
“I knew it!” the blue-eyed Arcturan cries. “Earthlings can’t do the puzzle! Too bad – you almost made it. But not quite.”
“You mean we can’t go home?” Katy cries. Her voice is shaking.
“My dog misses me,” Jordan whines.
“I miss my dog,” you say. “I even miss my little brother. Please, please – don’t make us stay here!”
The Arcturans stare at you. Then they glance at each other.
“Oh, all right,” the blue-eyed Arcturan says. “You would make lousy slaves, anyway. We’ll send you home. But we have no spaceships. We’ll only be able to transport your minds.”
“What do you mean?” Jordan demands.
“I mean – you’ll be like us. No bodies. Only heads.”
Nothing but a head! You’re horrified. You can’t even imagine what your parents will say when they see you.
But at last you and your friends decide it’s better than nothing. At least – finally – you’ll be heading home!
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.
Our options posted:
- Escape through the hatch.
- Answer the Arcturans' third question correctly.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 1, 2020 18:28
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
We're almost done with this adventure, so why not rewind time a bit and see what happens if we nope out right at the start?
quote:
This one is a no-brainer.
“Quick!” you cry. “Let’s get out before the alien returns!” You yank a lever underneath the hatch. It springs open. You and your friends crawl through.
The hatch clangs shut. You glance around.
You’re in a small room with four swivel chairs and a control panel in the wall. A sign on the control panel says EMERGENCY LIFEBOAT. PRESS RED BUTTON TO START.
You press the red button. A horn goes AOOOOGAH! AOOOOGAH!
“Oh, no!” Katy cries. “They’ll hear us!”
But the lifeboat starts up with a thump. You feel it begin to drift. You hear a loud whooshing noise, and the small ship takes off. You glance through the porthole.
“We did it!” you exclaim. “We got away!”
Your small craft is pulling away from the huge alien ship. From here, the alien ship looks like a big blimp.
The lifeboat moves farther and farther from the alien craft. Soon the big ship is just a speck in the distance.
You’re adrift in space!
quote:
It doesn’t take long to figure out the lifeboat’s controls. Black buttons fire the engines. You steer with a joystick.
“Cool,” Jordan says. “This thing is easy to drive.”
“Yeah, right,” Katy mutters. “But where can we drive it to? We have no idea where we are.”
“Or where Earth is from here,” you add. How will you ever get home?
You gaze out the porthole. A pinpoint of light in the distance grows bigger. Soon you can see that it’s another spacecraft, shaped like an “X.”
“It’s completely different from the other alien ship,” you point out. “Maybe the people in this ship can tell us how to get back to Earth.”
“It’s worth a try,” Katy agrees. “What do we have to lose?”
A button on the control panel is marked HAILING FREQUENCY. You press the button.
The X-shaped spacecraft instantly veers toward you. It pulls up alongside the lifeboat. You feel a jolt as the big ship locks on the lifeboat.
WHOOOOSH! Air cycles in the hatch.
A moment later the hatch pops open.
quote:
Jordan’s and Katy’s screams fill the lifeboat. The only reason you’re not screaming too is because you’re speechless with horror.
The creature that crawls through the hatch is... a roach.
A three-foot-tall cockroach!
Its slimy brown head is as big as a beach ball. Its six jointed legs are covered with stiff hairs. Its long, flexible antennas sweep through the air toward you.
With every step it takes, you hear a clicking noise.
As you watch, another roach squeezes in beside the first one. Then another squeezes through – and another – and another.
Dozens of giant roaches are crawling aboard the lifeboat.
quote:
Cockroaches pour into the tiny spacecraft. One of them approaches the control panel and examines it with its roach antennas.
Others move closer to you and your friends. They extend their antennas toward you. They seem to want to touch you.
Katy and Jordan back up against the bulkhead, screaming so loudly, you can hardly think. It’s going to be up to you to save yourself and your friends.
But what can you do? You glance around frantically.
Your eye falls on a fire extinguisher. Maybe you could use it as a weapon.
On the other hand, the roaches seem curious.
Maybe they’re intelligent.
Maybe you can communicate with them and persuade them to help you.
Use the fire extinguisher on PAGE 38.
Try to reason with the roaches on PAGE 131.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Empty
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 4, 2020 00:11
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
If it turns out talking does nothing to help, I'll eat my hat!
Bon appetit!
quote:
I’ll try to communicate with the roaches, you think.
“We need help,” you say. Your voice is shaking, but you try to look friendly.
To your surprise, one of the roaches speaks.
“Why should we help you?” it asks. Its voice is high and squeaky. “This is our territory.”
“You speak English!” Jordan gasps. “How – how –?”
“We monitor your television broadcasts,” the bug replies. “Especially the cooking shows. Very interesting!”
Whoa. You’re having a conversation with a bug. Yuck!
Still, you’ve got to try. “Uh – we’re stranded here,” you tell the roach. “Can you tell us how to get back to Earth?”
The spokesman – make that spokesroach – moves closer to you. Two of its hairy claws suddenly shoot out and grab you.
“Ow!” you yell. The claws have sharp edges, like a saw.
Two other roaches seize Katy and Jordan. All three of you scream and struggle. But the roaches are strong. They carry you into their ship and lock you in the brig.
A few days later, the X-shaped ship arrives at the roaches’ home world.
quote:
Six roach soldiers hustle you, Jordan, and Katy off the spaceship. They march you to a door with a red light over it.
“Wh-what are you going to do with us?” Jordan stammers.
The roach soldiers just shove you through the door – into a room that looks and smells like a dump!
“Here you are. Excellent!” A truly enormous roach scurries toward you, ticking off items on a clipboard. “Take a seat. We’ll start taping the program in a minute.”
“Taping?” you repeat, totally confused.
“Yes, we’re making a cooking show.” the huge bug beams. “It’s called Garbage Magic. Today the chef will make stir-fried coffee grounds and moldy lettuce pie. It’s our very first TV program. You three humans are our TV experts.”
“Gross – I mean, great,” Katy murmurs with a sickly smile.
What can you do? You’re trapped light-years from home on a world ruled by giant roaches. If they want you to help them make insect TV, you have to obey them. No matter how gross it is.
Well, Madame Zapp warned you there were bugs in the program. Guess she wasn’t kidding!
THE END
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Empty
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.
Kidnapped by space roaches and forced to host a garbage-centric cooking show.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.
Our options posted:
- Answer the Arcturans' third question correctly.
- Use the fire extinguisher on the roaches.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 6, 2020 01:33
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
quote:
The lead roach reaches for you.
You grab the fire extinguisher. You aim it at the big bug. “Back off, bug!” you scream, and press the handle.
Cold, wet foam sprays out the end of the extinguisher.
The cockroach makes a high-pitched screaming noise. It scrambles out of the way. Foam splashes some of the other roaches. They all panic, crawling up the walls and skittering across the ceiling.
You keep spraying the fire extinguisher. Katy and Jordan cheer you on. Roaches scuttle everywhere in panic. Several of the giant insects bump the lifeboat’s controls. The small ship lurches and bounces like a toy boat in a flood.
Finally all the roaches squeeze through the hatch to their own ship. Quickly, you slam the hatch shut.
But the lifeboat is spinning out of control.
quote:
The lifeboat bobs around so much, you feel dizzy and sick.
“Make it stop!” you beg.
Katy lurches toward the controls. She grabs hold of the pilot’s seat and pulls herself up to the control panel.
The small ship hurtles through space. “I can’t stop it!” Katy shouts, working the joystick frantically. She punches buttons. But the small craft only moves faster and faster.
Through the porthole, you spy the alien ship you came from. It swiftly grows larger. You’re speeding straight toward it!
“No!” Jordan screams. “We’re going to crash!”
You gaze out the porthole in terror. In another moment you’ll smash against the alien ship.
Desperately, you crawl over to the control panel. From the floor, you spot a button you hadn’t noticed before. It’s on the underside of the control panel.
A tiny label says: FOR EMERGENCIES ONLY.
This is certainly an emergency. But you have no idea what the button does. Should you take a chance?
Press the button on PAGE 103.
Brace yourself for a crash on PAGE 30.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Empty
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.
Kidnapped by space roaches and forced to host a garbage-centric cooking show.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 7, 2020 02:20
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Pushing ambiguously-labeled buttons has never failed us before! Okay, fine, it probably has, but I'm not rereading nearly 300 deaths spread out over 23 books just to make sure this one joke is accurate.
quote:
There’s no time to think. You jab at the emergency button.
CLICK! The hatch pops open.
WHOOSH! Air begins to rush from the cabin.
A computer voice blares from the console. “Emergency hatch release activated. Ten seconds to total vacuum.”
“All the air is escaping!” Jordan yells in terror.
“Shut the door!” Katy cries.
Quickly, you press the button again. Nothing happens.
The air whooshes out the open hatch. It tugs at your clothes, your hair, your skin. You hold on to the instrument panel to keep from being sucked into space. You feel like you’re caught in a tornado.
Soon, you realize, all the oxygen will be gone.
And you’ll go with it.
Face it. This time you made a bad choice. And, unfortunately, this exciting adventure has come to a breathtaking
END.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Empty
Goal Endings: 1/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.
Kidnapped by space roaches and forced to host a garbage-centric cooking show.
Pressed an ambiguously-labeled button and depressurized our escape pod.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.
Our options posted:
- Answer the Arcturans' third question correctly.
- Brace for a crash.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 8, 2020 17:52
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Bracing for impact!
quote:
“We’re going to crash!” you scream as the alien ship fills the porthole. You close your eyes. You can’t watch.
“Wait!” Katy shouts. “What’s that?”
You open your eyes. A bright beam of blue light shoots out from the alien spacecraft. It encircles your little ship.
The lifeboat slows down.
It stops spinning.
A big cargo bay slides open in the alien spacecraft.
The lifeboat moves toward the opening.
“It’s a tractor beam!” Jordan cries. “We’re saved!”
“What do you mean, we’re saved?” you snap. You punch frantically at the controls. But you can’t get free of the blue beam. “We’re right back where we started. And now we have to fight the alien!”
This takes us to the same page as if we'd decided to fight the alien right away - and more importantly, it means we're down to only one choice! Time to finally bring this game to a close!
quote:
“We found an odd number of words,” you tell the aliens.
The first Arcturan glares at you. Its blue eyes bulge.
Suddenly you notice that its head is starting to swell! It seems to press against the sides of its glass case.
You glance at the other heads. They’re bulging too.
“What’s happening?” Katy whispers.
“I don’t –“ you start to say. But your words are cut off by the sound of shattering glass. The heads have grown right out of their cases!
Then –
SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!
All three Arcturans suddenly explode.
quote:
Blue skin and bits of blue brain fly in every direction. You cover your head with your arms.
“Oh, that is so gross!” Jordan gasps.
“I am definitely going to be sick now!” Gagging, Katy wipes exploded Arcturan off her arm.
A shimmering blue door appears in the middle of the room. The three of you stumble through it – and find yourselves back in the Vegan game room.
“Congratulations!” a familiar metallic voice cries. It’s your Vegan friend. “We knew you could do it!” The Vegan shakes hands with all three of you at once.
“What happened to the Arcturans?” you ask.
“They couldn’t believe someone beat them,” the Vegan explains. “They exploded from an overload of anger.”
“We did what you asked,” you point out. “Now take us home.”
“I’m sorry,” the Vegan says. “We can’t do that now.”
quote:
“What?” you yell. “After all we did for you?”
“Please. Calm down. We’ll be happy to take you home,” the Vegan assures you. “But first, all my people want to meet you. They want to thank you for saving them from the Arcturans.”
“Oh. Well – all right,” you grumble. “But make it quick.”
The Vegan takes you to a big room decorated with red, yellow, and blue streamers. You, Jordan, and Katy stand on a table, waving and smiling as the room fills with Vegans.
You’re still a little creeped out by the Vegans’ lidless eyes and ropy arms. But you’re glad you were able to help them. They seem so happy.
“Just call me Intergalactic Warrior!” Jordan boasts.
Finally the party winds down.
“Now,” your Vegan friend says at last, “it’s time to go home.”
“All right!” you all cheer.
quote:
You and your friends strap yourself into your seats in the transporter. A thundering rumbling fills your ears. You’re slammed back against your seat.
After several minutes, the pressure dies down. You open your eyes.
You’re back at Madame Zapp’s arcade!
“WHEW!" Jordan cries, unstrapping himself. “That was some adventure!”
“I’m glad to be back,” you declare.
“Me too,” Katy agrees. “It seemed so real!”
“It was real!” you protest.
But then you wonder – was it? Virtual reality is supposed to feel exactly like real life.
Did you just imagine that it was all really happening?
“Where’s Madame Zapp?” Jordan asks.
You glance around. There’s no sign of her. And then you notice something on the wall of the booth.
Something very gross.
quote:
You examine the substance closely. It’s blue and green.
“It looks like – EEEEEEWWWWW!” Katy groans.
“It looks like an exploded Arcturan brain!” Jordan exclaims.
“That’s what it is,” says a familiar, hollow voice.
You jump and glance at the console. The Vegan’s voice is coming through the speakers.
“What happened to Madame Zapp?” you demand.
“She worked for us. We planted her here to help us find smart Earth kids,” the Vegan tells you. “But it seems she was really an Arcturan spy looking for game-playing tips. When you won the three challenges, her brain exploded.”
“Yuck!” you mutter.
“Thank you all,” the Vegan calls. There’s a CLICK – and then its voice is gone for good.
But that’s not the last you see of your alien friend. When you, Katy, and Jordan leave the arcade, you happen to glance up at the sky. Then you stop and stare. “Look!” you call, pointing.
Over your heads, a strange, blimplike ship is finishing a skywriting message. This is what it says:
GAME OVER - YOU WIN!
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Red Level Map
Empty Bottle (Slightly Used)
Goal Endings: 2/2
Bad Endings
Stuck with a massive repair bill after digging our way through the VR machine.
Fed to a litter of Abominable Ice Puppies.
Escaped the virtual world, but swapped bodies with Andy in the process.
Accidentally caused a cave-in with a magnifying glass and a compass.
Forced to serve snowballs for an ice-tennis game for a hundred years.
Squashed under the falling corpse of a ten-ton pelican.
Stranded in a virtual igloo with a year's supply of blubber-based foodstuffs.
Crashed a snowmobile into the side of a glacier.
De-rezzed into a cloud of pixels after cheating our way through the Ice Maze.
Had our head bitten off by a lizard-man after attacking him with a sword.
Stuck on a three thousand-year flight to Earth after watching our friends gruesomely dissolve into blob monsters.
Knocked out by a bottle and transformed into a blob monster.
Crawled into an egg hole and got eaten by freshly-hatched giant ant larvae.
Enslaved by the Arcturans and forced to polish their scalps.
Cooked to death by intense sunlight amplified by alien magnifying-glass leaves.
Forced to work in the spice mines after failing the Arcturans' quiz.
Sent back to Earth as a disembodied head after failing the Arcturans' final question.
Kidnapped by space roaches and forced to host a garbage-centric cooking show.
Pressed an ambiguously-labeled button and depressurized our escape pod.
Achievements
A Touch of Frostbite: Escaped the virtual world and gained the power to freeze anything we touch.
Bonus Level: Survived an optional detour through the Pit of Horrors.
Vapor for Brains: Deliberately answered all of the Arcturans' questions incorrectly, presumably out of pity.
Going for the Platinum: Completed every possible path of two different Give Yourself Goosebumps books.
And with that, after way too many delays on my part, we're finally finished with Zapped in Space! Next time, our parents decide that a rotting, abandoned mansion in the middle of a place called Stinkeye Swamp is clearly prime real estate.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 12, 2020 03:50
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
GIVE YOURSELF GOOSEBUMPS #24: LOST IN STINKEYE SWAMP
quote:
“Swamp House?” you shriek. You gaze out the car window at the words painted on the mailbox. “You didn’t tell me our new house is called Swamp House!”
Your dad steers the station wagon down the long, bumpy driveway. “You’ll love it,” he assures you.
Then you get a look at the house. It’s a dump! It’s huge, run-down, and ancient looking. The white paint is dirty and peeling. Half the shutters are hanging by one hinge.
“It’s a fixer-upper,” your dad says as he parks the car.
More like a knocker-downer, you think.
You get out of the car and take a deep breath. Yuck! What smells so gross? You gaze around and see that the house sits next to a big, ugly swamp.
“That’s Stinkeye Swamp,” your dad explains as you all start unpacking the car. “Fifty square miles of wilderness, right in our backyard. Isn’t it great?”
“Whoopee,” you mutter.
“The swamp is supposed to be haunted,” your mom adds. “And they say there’s buried treasure around here. There’s even a legend about ‘Annabelle’s Curse.’” She shivers. “Oooooh!”
quote:
“Mom,” you groan. You know she’s faking.
She punches you playfully on the shoulder. “What a grouch,” she teases. “You know you love creepy stuff like ghosts and legends.”
You’d never admit it, but your mom is right. The stuff about the treasure and the legend sound cool. The ghost part is lame, though.
“Welcome to Stinkeye Swamp,” a voice calls.
You drop the carton you’re holding and turn around. A boy about your age approaches. He has a pale face and long black hair.
“I’m Zeke,” he tells you. He gazes past you at the house. “So someone finally bought Swamp House.”
You sigh. “My parents,” you mutter. “The Fixer-Uppers.”
Zeke laughs. “Well, there’s plenty of fixing up to do here. But that could be cool,” he adds. “It will keep your parents out of your hair.”
For the first time since you heard about moving, you smile. “Hey – you’ve got a point,” you say. A broad grin spreads across your face.
You like the way this kid thinks!
quote:
You and Zeke end up being great friends. He doesn’t go to your school, but you hang out together every afternoon. Zeke’s biggest drawback? He’s totally obsessed with Annabelle’s Curse and finding the treasure.
“Come on, what have we got to lose?” Zeke urges one afternoon for the millionth time.
You roll your eyes. “I’m tired of looking for treasure!” you tell him. “That’s all you ever want to do. We’ve searched the whole house a hundred times already.”
It’s Friday after school. Your parents are at work. You and Zeke are playing catch in the weed-infested backyard.
“Come on!” Zeke replies. “Even if there’s no treasure, we might find something down there.”
“Down there” is the basement of Swamp House. You haven’t searched there yet – because the basement stinks. It smells just like Stinkeye Swamp.
With a shrug, you follow him. Who knows? Maybe you’ll dig up some old comic books. Those might be worth something.
quote:
You step from the hot sun into the damp, cold basement. It’s even worse than you expected. Old rotted chairs are stacked to the ceiling, along with crumbling papers, moldy trunks, piles of rags, rusty tin cans, an old sewing machine, and about three hundred cardboard boxes.
“There’s nothing here,” you complain to Zeke after a few minutes of poking around. You’re already bored. And you have a creepy feeling that there might be a large rat or two crawling around behind some of the boxes.
Zeke is on his hands and knees in the dust. “Wait!” he cries, popping up. “Look at this!” He holds out a bright, gleaming tube.
“Cool!” you exclaim. “An old telescope.”
In the glaring light of the bare bulb, the brass cylinder shines brightly. Almost as if it’s glowing.
“It’s something a ship’s captain would use,” Zeke comments, turning it in his hands. Letters are etched on the sides.
“Hey, let me see,” you demand. You take a few steps toward Zeke – and trip over something on the floor.
“Whoa!” you yell.
You’re going down!
quote:
You land on top of an old trunk.
“Are you okay?” Zeke asks.
“I tripped over something,” you explain. You reach down and pick up an old leather-bound book. It’s held shut with a thick strap.
“What’s that?” Zeke asks. He walks over.
You study the heavy brown volume. The rich leather of the book’s cover shines dully. The pages are bursting out of the binding. One hangs loose. You can see writing in tiny black letters.
“It looks like some kind of diary,” you answer.
“Let’s open it up and read it!” Zeke exclaims. “Maybe the secret of the Swamp House treasure is in there!”
For the first time, you’re as excited as Zeke. You’re dying to read the book.
But Zeke is still holding the gleaming telescope. You can’t wait to look through that. You could probably see for miles with it.
Which should you do first?
To read the diary, go to PAGE 27.
To peer through the telescope, go to PAGE 25.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Empty
Goal Endings: 0/3
Bad Endings
None yet.
Achievements
None yet.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 14, 2020 19:35
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
We're looking for buried treasure, so of course we need a telescope!
quote:
You take the telescope from Zeke. The brass cylinder is heavy and cold in your hands. Etched along the side are some words. You read them aloud: “’To see what isn’t there.’”
“What is that supposed to mean?” You laugh.
Zeke laughs too. He takes the scope back and lifts it to his eye.
Then he stops laughing. He looks as if he’s about to drop the scope.
“What?” you demand. “What is it?”
Without a word, Zeke hands you the scope.
You look through it.
On the far wall, outlined in blue light, is a door. But when you take the eyepiece away, the door disappears!
“I can see a door!” you cry as you look through it again. “I bet the treasure is behind it!”
You and Zeke rush to the door. Using the telescope, you spot a hidden latch. You pull it, and the door swings back with a creak. Beyond is a tunnel into blackness.
“Let’s go!” Zeke cries. He dashes toward the tunnel.
“Wait!” you shout. But Zeke has already run inside.
You can’t let your friend explore the tunnel alone. You jam the telescope into your shirt and run after him.
quote:
“Wait up, Zeke!” you shout as you grope your way along the dark tunnel. Suddenly you step into thin air! You’re falling through space!
“Help!” you manage to squeak. A second later you splash into ice-cold water. A strong current sucks you under! You fight for your life in the cold, wet darkness.
Finally you struggle to the surface and burst free, gasping for air.
“Zeke!” you croak.
“Over here,” comes his faint reply.
The two of you rush along on a fast-flowing underground river. As your eyes get used to the dark, you can see dim outlines. There’s Zeke, bobbing in the frigid water just ahead of you.
“I don’t know how long I can last!” you shout. You’ve swallowed a lot of water, and your arms are growing tired.
“Grab that log!” Zeke shouts back.
A long, flat shape is floating by a few feet away. You might be able to reach it. Then you see something up ahead, a vine or a branch hanging down from above.
You have only seconds to choose. Quick! Grab one!
Reach for the branch on PAGE 93.
Lunge for the log on PAGE 19.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Telescope
Goal Endings: 0/3
Bad Endings
None yet.
Achievements
None yet.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 17, 2020 04:07
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Let's try the log this time.
quote:
You stretch out and swim for the log, straining against the current. For a second, you think it’s going to sweep right past. But with a final hard kick, you lunge forward. And grasp a small branch jutting from its side.
Zeke grabs hold of the other side. You haul each other up and lie there panting against the wet bark. The log rushes forward in the flood.
As you regain your strength you notice that the light is growing. The log speeds on. Up ahead is the blazing light of day. With a final rush, the water spills out into the open.
You and Zeke find yourselves floating peacefully under a bright blue sky.
You look around. The lake is surrounded by a bright green wall of thick jungle. Trees, bushes, and vines crowd the shore. Insects buzz. You hear the cry of a strange bird.
The two of you paddle the log toward dry ground. You both wade ashore and collapse on the muddy shore.
“Wow, I’ve never been in this part of Stinkeye Swamp,” Zeke says, peering around.
“Stinkeye Swamp?” you repeat. “You mean the swamp that’s supposed to be haunted?”
quote:
“Stinkeye Swamp isn’t haunted,” Zeke scoffs. “Those are just dumb stories.”
“Haunted or not, how are we supposed to get out of here?” you wonder out loud. “It looks like no human being has ever set foot here.”
Just as the words leave your mouth, you see a man hopping along the shore of the lake. He’s a few hundred yards away. And he’s like no one you’ve ever seen. He has a white beard practically down to his waist, clothes that are little more than rags, and a hat made out of tree branches.
“Someone’s coming!” you tell Zeke.
“I see someone coming from over there!” Zeke says.
You peer in the opposite direction and see another man! This one wears the green uniform of a park ranger. He’s much farther away than the man in rags. You and Zeke yell, but neither man seems to notice.
“They’re too far away,” Zeke says. “We have to run to one of them. But which one?”
Talk to the man in rags on PAGE 37.
Check in with the park ranger on PAGE 113.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Telescope
Goal Endings: 0/3
Bad Endings
Drowned in an underground river after pulling a tree down on our heads.
Achievements
None yet.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 21, 2020 04:32
|
|
- Rebonack7
- Aug 27, 2015
-
|
Trusting an adult in a GYGB book rarely ends well - but if we have to, might as well go with the one who looks somewhat respectable.
quote:
“I bet you anything that park ranger can get us out of here,” you decide. “Let’s hurry, before he gets out of sight!”
The two of you rush in the ranger’s direction, shouting at the top of your lungs.
The ranger turns and peers at you. He seems very surprised.
“What are you two doing here?” he asks as you and Zeke dash up.
He’s tall and broad, with kindly eyes under the brim of his ranger’s hat. He introduces himself as Paul Billings.
“Boy, are we glad we found you,” you exclaim. You tell him your story, from the time you found the telescope until the moment you saw him. His eyes seem to light up when you mention the telescope. But then a worried look crosses his face.
“I can lead you two home,” he tells you. “But I’m gathering soil samples for an environmental test. It’s very important that I get them on time. You’re going to have to tag along with me for a day until I’m finished.”
“That sounds fine to me,” Zeke responds. “As long as you know your way out of here.”
quote:
You and Zeke gobble up a couple of candy bars that Ranger Billings pulls out of his pack. Then he leads you onto one of the narrow paths crisscrossing the swamp.
The path twists and turns and almost disappears a couple of times. But the ranger seems sure of the way.
“This path leads out of the swamp,” he explains. “But it’s easy to get lost, so stick by me. After I get the soil samples tomorrow, I’ll bring you straight home.”
The day drags on as you slog behind the ranger through the endless swamp. From time to time he stops to let you rest. On one of those stops you notice him writing in a small black notebook. You walk to where he is sitting and glance over his shoulder.
Ranger Billings sees you and snaps the book shut. But before he does, you see one word: Annabelle!
Billings said he was here to collect soil samples! Why is he writing about Annabelle?
“Annabelle?” you blurt out. “Like the legend of Annabelle?”
Billings’s eyes blaze with anger.
“Who told you to poke around?” he shouts angrily.
quote:
You stare at Billings in shock.
He laughs. “Just kidding! You don’t really believe that legend, do you?” he asks. “I’m just writing about my girlfriend – Annabelle.”
He stands up and lifts his pack. “Come on, let’s go!” he calls out cheerfully.
You and Zeke follow him. As you walk, your mind races. Was Billings really just kidding around? He seemed so angry! And what a strange coincidence that his girlfriend’s name is Annabelle.
Finally, Billings leads you into a wide, dry clearing. You and Zeke collapse on the ground while the ranger makes a fire. He whips together a hot stew from some packaged food.
By the time you finish eating, it’s dark. Billings gives you each a blanket and then lies down by the fire. In minutes, he and Zeke are snoring.
You know you should go to sleep too. But you’re wide awake. By the flickering light of the fire you see that Billings has left his pack open. Right on top is the black notebook. You also see a rolled-up map in a plastic case.
As quietly as you can, you crawl to the pack.
Read the notebook on PAGE 126.
Check out the map on PAGE 87.
Character Sheet posted:
Inventory
Telescope
Goal Endings: 0/3
Bad Endings
Drowned in an underground river after pulling a tree down on our heads.
Achievements
None yet.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 23, 2020 22:48
|
|
- Adbot
-
ADBOT LOVES YOU
|
|
|
#
¿
May 10, 2024 03:35
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2020 00:59
