The_Haunted_Mask__Goosebumpsdocx

The_Haunted_Mask__Goosebumpsdocx

1

THE HAUNTED MASK 2

Look for more Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine:

#1 Welcome to Dead House #2 Stay Out of the Basement

# 3 Monster Blood

# U Say Cheese and Die!

# 5 The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb # 6 Let's Get Invisible!

# 7 Night of the Living Dummy # 8 The Girl Who Cried Monster # 9

Welcome to Camp Nightmare # 10 The Ghost Next Door

3

Goosebumps

THE HAUNTED MASK

R.L. STINE

AN

APPLE

PAPERBACK

SCHOLASTIC INC. New York Toronto London Auckland Sydney

4

If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that

this book is stolen

property. It was reported as

and neither the author

nor the publisher has received any payment for this

No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part,

or stored in a retrieval

system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying,

recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.

For information

regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 730 Broadway, New

York, NY 10003. ISBN 0-590-49446-5

Copyright ? 1993 by Parachute Press. All rights reserved. Published

by Scholastic Inc. APPLE

PAPERBACKS is a registered trademark of Scholastic Inc.

12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 3 4 5 6 7 8/9

Printed in the U.S.A. 40

First Scholastic printing, September 1993

5

THE HAUNTED MASK

6

[Blank Page]

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1

moved her fork around

in the bright yellow macaroni on her lunch tray, but didn't take a

bite. Carly Beth Caldwell sighed and shook her head. The overhead light

on the lunchroom ceiling

made her straight brown hair gleam.

Sabrina's mouth dropped open.

at her friend.

She raised a forkful of macaroni to her

mouth and started to chew.

complained, chewing

hard.

flashing angrily.

I'm a big scaredy-cat, don't you!

Sabrina giggled.

8

ponytail behind her shoulders with a quick toss of her head.

don't eat the macaroni.

Really, Carly Beth. It's gross.

keep Carly Beth from

raising her fork.

The lunchroom grew crowded and noisy. At the next table, a group of

fifth-grade boys were

tossing a half-full milk carton back and forth. Carly Beth saw Chuck

Greene ball up a

bright red fruit rollup and shove the whole sticky thing in his

mouth.

Sabrina.

scaredy-cat, Sabrina. Just because everyone picks on me and --

ripped open a bag of

tortilla chips and offered some across the table to her friend.

really stupid.

chips.

haunted. You should have seen the look on your face when the ceiling

started to creak, and

we heard the footsteps up there.

went all white and you 9

screamed,

witches!

me,

< br>away.

try to scare me. Even

you, my best friend.

and squeezed Carly Beth's

wrist reassuringly.

resist. Here. Want some more

chips?

Her friend laughed.

Carly Beth continued to pout. She was eleven. But she was tiny. And

with her round face and

short stub of a nose (which she hated and wished would grow longer),

she looked much

younger.

Sabrina, on the other hand, was tall, dark, and sophisticated-

looking. She had straight black hair

tied behind her head in a ponytail, and enormous, dark eyes.

Everyone who saw them

together assumed that Sabrina was twelve or thirteen. But, actually,

Carly Beth was a

month older than her friend.

10

her chin on her hands.

slime dripping down

my face and --

A loud crash made Carly Beth scream.

It took her a few seconds to realize that it was just a lunch tray

hitting the floor. She turned to

see Gabe Moser, his face bright red, drop to his knees and start

scooping his lunch off the

floor. The lunchroom rang out with cheers and applause.

Carly Beth hunched down in her seat, embarrassed that she had

screamed.

Her breathing had just returned to normal when a strong hand grabbed

her shoulder from

behind.

Carly Beth's shriek echoed through the room.

11

2

She heard laughter. At another table, someone yelled,

Steve!

standing behind her, a

mischievous grin on his face.

shoulder. Steve pulled out the chair next to Carly Beth's and lowered

himself over its back. His best

friend, Chuck Greene, slammed his bookbag onto the table and then

sat down next to

Sabrina.

Steve and Chuck looked so much alike, they could have been brothers.

Both were tall and thin,

with straight brown hair, which they usually hid under baseball caps.

Both had dark brown

eyes and goofy grins. Both wore faded blue jeans and dark-colored,

long- sleeved T-shirts. And both of them loved to scare Carly Beth. They

loved to startle her, to make her jump and

shriek.

12

They spent hours dreaming up new ways to frighten her.

She vowed every time that she would never -- never -- fall for one

of their stupid tricks again.

But so far, they had won every time.

Carly Beth always threatened to pay them back. But in all the time

they'd been friends, she

hadn't been able to think of anything good enough.

Chuck reached for the few remaining chips in Sabrina's bag. She

playfully slapped his hand

away.

Steve held a crinkled hunk of aluminum foil under Carly Beth's nose.

don't want it.

Carly Beth sniffed it suspiciously.

forgot the mayo. You want it?

from him and peeled back

the aluminum foil. Then she took a big bite of the sandwich.

As she started to chew, she realized that both Steve and Chuck were

staring at her with big

grins on their faces.

Something tasted funny. Kind of sticky and sour.

Carly Beth stopped chewing.

13

Chuck and Steve were laughing now. Sabrina looked confused.

Carly Beth uttered a disgusted groan and spit the chewed-up sandwich

hunk into a napkin.

Then she pulled the bread apart -- and saw a big brown worm resting

on top of the turkey.

hands.

The room erupted with laughter. Cruel laughter.

jumped to her feet and stared

angrily at Steve.

It's -- it's --

talk.

from her stomach.

Carly Beth hesitated.

Kids all through the vast room were whispering and pointing at her.

And laughing.

grinning.

Carly Beth reached down with two fingers and reluctantly picked the

brown worm from the

sandwich. It felt warm and sticky.

14

It was real! A real worm!

With a horrified cry, Carly Beth tossed the worm at Chuck, who was

laughing wildly. Then she

leapt away from the table, knocking the chair over. As the chair

clattered noisily against

the hard floor, Carly Beth covered her mouth and ran gagging from

the lunchroom. I can still taste it! she thought.

I can still taste the worm in my mouth!

I'll pay them back for this, Carly Beth thought bitterly as she ran.

I'll pay them back. I really will.

As she pushed through the double doors and hurtled toward the girls'

room, the cruel laughter

followed her across the hall.

15

3

After school, Carly Beth hurried through the halls without talking

to anyone. She heard kids

laughing and whispering. She knew they were laughing at her.

Word had spread all over school that Carly Beth Caldwell had eaten a

worm at lunch. Carly Beth, the scaredy-cat. Carly Beth, who was

frightened of her own shadow. Carly Beth,

who was so easy to trick.

Chuck and Steve had sneaked a real worm, a fat brown worm, into a

sandwich. And Carly Beth

had taken a big bite.

What a jerk!

Carly Beth ran all the way home, three long blocks. Her anger grew

with every step. How could they do that to me? They're supposed to be my

friends!

Why do they think it's so funny to scare me?

She burst into the house, breathing hard.

stopping in the hallway 16

and leaning against the banister to catch her breath.

Her mother hurried out from the kitchen.

wrong?

windbreaker.

Her mother took Carly Beth's windbreaker and hung it in the front

closet for her. Then she

brushed a hand affectionately through Carly Beth's soft brown hair.

straight hair?

We don't look like mother and daughter at all, Carly Beth realized.

Her mother was a tall,

chubby woman with thick curls of coppery hair, and lively gray-green

eyes. She was

extremely energetic, seldom stood still, and talked as rapidly as

she moved. Today she was wearing a paint-stained gray sweatshirt over

black Lycra tights.

grumpy?

Carly Beth shook her head.

telling her mother that she had

become the laughingstock of Walnut Avenue Middle School.

17

Mrs. Caldwell said, tugging Carly Beth toward the living room.

back.

the hallway. Carly Beth always found it

impossible to argue with her mother. She was like a hurricane,

sweeping everything in her

direction.

mantelpiece. Carly Beth followed her mother's gaze to the mantel -- and

cried out in surprise.

closer look.

Carly Beth took a few steps toward the mantelpiece, her eyes on the

head staring back at her. It

took her a few moments to recognize the straight, brown hair, the

brown eyes, the short

snip of a nose, the round cheeks.

to it.

class at the museum. I

finished it today. What do you think?

Carly Beth picked it up and studied it closely.

me, Mom. Really. What's it

made of?

and holding it up so that Carly 18

Beth was face to face, eye to eye with herself.

careful. It's delicate. It's hollow,

see?

Carly Beth stared intently at the head, peering into her own eyes.

muttered.

to look away from the replica of

herself, and saw that her mother's smile had faded.

Mrs. Caldwell looked hurt.

did you make it?

Honestly, Carly Beth, you have

the strangest reactions to things. I worked really hard on this

sculpture. I thought --

Carly Beth insisted.

It's great. It looks just like me. I -- I had a bad day, that's

all.

Carly Beth took another long look at the sculpture. Its brown eyes -

- her brown eyes -- stared

back at her. The brown hair shimmered in the afternoon sunlight

through the window. It smiled at me! Carly Beth thought, her mouth

19

dropping open. I saw it! I just saw it smile!

No. It had to be a trick of the light.

It was a plaster of Paris head, she reminded herself.

Don't go scaring yourself over nothing, Carly Beth. Haven't you made

a big enough fool of

yourself today?

eyes away. She forced a

smile.

your duck costume is all

ready. I put it on your bed.

carefully placed the sculpted

head on the mantel.

You thought it would be

funny to be a duck this Halloween? So I made you a duck costume.

be a stupid duck this

Halloween? she thought.

Thanks.

want to be cute this Halloween,

she thought as she climbed the stairs to her room. I want to be

scary.

She had seen some really scary-looking masks

20

in the window of a new party store that had opened a few blocks from

school. One of them, she

knew, would be perfect.

But now she'd have to walk around in feathers and have everyone

quack at her and make fun of

her.

It wasn't fair. Why did her mother have to listen to every word she

said?

Just because Carly Beth had admired a duck costume in a store didn't

mean she wanted to be a

stupid duck for Halloween!

Carly Beth hesitated outside her bedroom. The door had been pulled

closed for some reason.

She never closed the door.

She listened carefully. She thought she heard someone breathing on

the other side of the door.

Someone or something.

The breathing grew louder.

Carly Beth pressed an ear to the door.

What was in her room?

There was only one way to find out.

Carly Beth pulled open the door -- and uttered a startled cry. 21

4

With a hideous cry, an enormous white-feathered duck, its eyes wild

and frenzied, leapt at

Carly Beth.

As she staggered backwards in astonishment, the duck knocked her

over and pinned her to the

hallway floor.

The costume has come alive!

That was Carly Beth's first frightened thought.

get off me!

realized the truth.

duck off her chest.

The white feathers brushed against her nose.

She sneezed.

22

brother.

costume.

her through the white-and-

yellow duck mask.

to budge.

angrily.

replied.

time?

boo,

< br>

He quacked a few more times, flapping the feathery wings. Then he

climbed to his feet.

have this costume? It's really neat.

Carly Beth frowned and shook her head.

You're molting!

off the mask. His blond hair was

damp from sweat and matted against his head.

mask.

23

The phone rang in her room.

winter or something,

said, and hurried to answer the phone.

As she ran to her desk, she saw white feathers all over her bed.

That costume will never survive

till Halloween! she thought.

She picked up the receiver.

okay.

Sabrina had called to remind Carly Beth that the school Science Fair

was tomorrow. They had

to finish their project, a model of the solar system constructed

with Ping-Pong balls.

My mom said she'd help us take it to school tomorrow.

They chatted for a while. Then Carly Beth confided,

Sabrina. At lunch today.

Why do Chuck and Steve think it's so funny to do things like that to

me?

scare-able, Carly Beth.

they're more quiet about it.

You know Chuck and Steve. They don't really mean to be mean. They

just think it's

funny.

unhappily.

scare-able

24

anymore. I mean it. I'm not ever going to scream or get frightened

again.

The science projects were all set up for judging on the stage in the

auditorium. Mrs. Armbruster,

the principal, and Mr. Smythe, the science teacher, walked from

display to display, making

notes on their clipboards.

The solar system, as designed by Carly Beth and Sabrina, had

survived the trip to school in

pretty good shape. Pluto had a slight dent in it, which the girls

had struggled

unsuccessfully to straighten out. And Earth kept coming loose from

its string and bouncing

across the floor. But both girls agreed the display looked pretty

good. Maybe it wasn't as impressive as Martin Goodman's project. Martin

had built a computer from

scratch. But Martin was a genius. And Carly Beth figured the judges

didn't expect

everyone else to be geniuses, too.

Looking around the crowded, noisy stage, Carly Beth saw other

interesting projects. Mary Sue

Chong had built some kind of electronic robot arm that could pick up

a cup or wave to

people. And Brian Baldwin had several glass bottles filled with

brown gunky stuff that he

claimed was toxic waste.

Someone had done a chemical analysis of the town's drinking water.

And someone had built a 25

volcano that would erupt when the two judges came by.

Carly Beth, her eyes on the two

judges who were oohing and aahing over Martin Goodman's homemade

computer.

mean, it's just painted Ping-Pong balls on strings.

Sabrina.

boring.

The volcano erupted, sending up a gusher of red liquid. The judges

appeared impressed.

Several kids cheered.

into her jeans pockets.

Mrs. Armbruster and Mr. Smythe, smiles plastered across their faces,

were coming closer. They stopped to examine a display of light and

crystals.

Suddenly, Carly Beth heard an excited shout from somewhere behind

her on the stage.

tarantula! Hey -- my tarantula got out!

She recognized Steve's voice.

Several kids uttered startled cries. Some kids laughed.

I'm not going to get scared, Carly Beth told herself, swallowing

hard.

26

She knew she was terrified of tarantulas. But this time she was

determined not to show it.

over the roar of excited voices.

I'm not going to get scared. I'm not going to get scared, Carly Beth

repeated to herself. But then she felt something pinch the back of her

leg and dig its spiny pincer into her skin --

and Carly Beth uttered a shrill scream of terror that rang out

through the auditorium. 27

5

Carly Beth screamed and knocked over the solar system.

She kicked her leg wildly, trying to toss off the tarantula. Ping-

Pong ball planets bounced over

the floor.

She screamed again.

It took Carly Beth a long while to realize that everyone was

laughing. Her heart pounding, she

spun around to find Steve down on his hands and knees behind her.

He made a pinching motion with his thumb and finger.

he said, grinning up at

her.

There was no tarantula, she realized. Steve had pinched her leg.

She raised her head and saw that kids all over the stage were

laughing. Mrs. Armbruster and Mr.

Smythe were laughing, too.

28

With a cry of anger, Carly Beth tried to kick Steve in the side. But

he spun away. She missed.

Sabrina say.

But Sabrina seemed far, far away.

All Carly Beth could hear was the pounding of her heart and the

laughter of the kids all around

her. Steve had climbed to his feet. He and Chuck were side by side,

grinning at her,

slapping each other high- fives.

But Carly Beth spun away, jumped off the stage, and ran, escaping up

the dark auditorium aisle. I'm going to pay Steve and Chuck back, she

vowed angrily, her sneakers thudding loudly up the

concrete aisle. I'm going to scare them, REALLY scare them!

But how?

29

6

phone between her chin

and shoulder.

On the other end of the line, Sabrina considered for a moment.

about seven-thirty?

house, then go trick-or-treating through

the entire neighborhood.

Steve call you?

deal. I mean, he already

made me look like a jerk in front of the entire school. What good is

an apology?

30

she added,

Carly Beth pulled back the curtain to glance out her bedroom window.

The evening sky was

charcoal-gray. Dark clouds hovered low. But the rain had stopped.

The street glistened

wetly under the light of a streetlamp.

speaking rapidly.

It'll be a surprise to me, too, she told herself, glancing unhappily

at the feathery duck costume,

rolled up on the chair in the corner.

Carly Beth's plan had been to go to the new party store after school

and pick out the ugliest,

most disgusting, scariest mask they had. But her mother had picked

her up after school and

insisted that she stay home and watch Noah for a couple of hours.

Mrs. Caldwell hadn't returned home until five-fifteen. Now it was

nearly a quarter till six.

There was no way the party store would still be open,

31

Carly Beth thought, frowning at the duck costume.

She walked to the mirror and ran a hairbrush through her hair. Maybe

it's worth a try, she

thought. Maybe that store stays open late on Halloween.

She pulled open her top dresser drawer and took out her wallet. Did

she have enough money for

a good, scary mask?

Thirty dollars. Her life savings.

She wadded up the bills and stuffed them back into the wallet. Then,

jamming the wallet into

her jeans pocket, she grabbed her coat and hurried downstairs and

out the front door. The evening air was cold and damp. Carly Beth

struggled to zip her coat as she jogged toward

the party store. The house next door had a glowing jack-o'-lantern

in the front window. The

house on the corner had paper skeletons strung up across the front

porch. The wind howled through the bare trees. The branches above her

head shook and rattled like

bony arms.

What a creepy night, Carly Beth thought.

She started running a little faster. A car rolled silently by,

sending harsh white light floating

across the sidewalk like a bright ghost.

32

Glancing across the street, Carly Beth saw the old Carpenter mansion

looming over its dark,

weed-choked lawn. Everyone said the ramshackle old house was haunted

by people who

had been murdered inside it a hundred years ago.

Once, Carly Beth had heard frightening howls coming from the old

mansion. When she was

Noah's age, Steve and Chuck and some other kids had dared each other

to go up to the

house and knock on the door. Carly Beth had run home instead. She

never did find out if

the other kids were brave enough to do it.

Now Carly Beth felt a chill of fear as she hurried past the old

house. She knew this

neighborhood really well. She had lived in it her entire life. But

tonight it looked different

o her. t

Was it just the wet glow left by the rain?

No. It was a heavy feeling in the air. A heavier darkness. The eerie

orange glow of grinning

pumpkins in windows. The silent cries of ghouls and monsters waiting

to float free on their

night to celebrate. Halloween.

Trying to force all the scary thoughts from her mind, Carly Beth

turned the corner. The little

party store came into view. The window was lighted, revealing two

rows of Halloween

masks, staring out at the street.

But was the store still open?

Crossing her fingers, Carly Beth waited for a truck to rumble past,

then eagerly jogged across 33

the street. She stopped for a second to examine the masks in the

window. There were gorilla

masks, monster masks, some sort of blue-haired alien mask.

Pretty good, she thought. These are pretty ugly. But they probably

have even scarier ones inside. The lights were on in the store. She

peered through the glass door. Then she tried turning the

knob.

It didn't move.

She tried again. She tried pulling the door open. Then she tried

pushing.

No. No way.

She was too late. The store was closed.

34

7

Carly Beth sighed and peered in through the glass. The walls of the

tiny store were covered

with masks. The masks seemed to stare back at her.

They're laughing at me, she thought unhappily. Laughing at me

because I'm too late. Because

the store is closed, and I'm going to have to be a stupid duck for

Halloween. Suddenly, a dark shadow moved over the glass, blocking Carly

Beth's view. She gasped and

took a step back.

It took her a moment to realize that the shadow was a man. A man in

a black suit, staring out at

her, a look of surprise on his face.

The man gestured that he couldn't hear her. He turned the lock and

pulled the door open an inch.

in the middle and

slicked down

35

on his head, and a pencil-thin black mustache.

pulled the door open another

few inches.

determined voice. The man's tiny, black eyes peered into hers. His

expression remained blank.

quietly.

As Carly Beth stepped past him into the store, she saw that he wore

a black cape. It must be a

Halloween costume, she told herself. I'm sure he doesn't wear that

all the time. She turned her attention to the masks on the two walls.

door behind him. Carly Beth felt a stab of fear. His black eyes glowed

like two burning coals. He seemed so

strange. And here she was, locked in this closed store with him.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He pointed to the wall.

gorilla mask has been very

popular. It has real hair. I believe I may have one left in stock.

Carly Beth stared up at the gorilla mask. She didn't really want to

be a gorilla. It was too

ordinary.

36

It wasn't scary enough.

asked. He flipped his cape back over the shoulder of his black suit.

with the pointy ears?

sort of Star Trek

character. I still have a few of them, I believe.

A strange smile formed under the man's thin mustache. His eyes

burned into hers, as if trying to

read her thoughts.

left in stock is up on the walls.

Carly Beth turned her gaze to the masks. A pig mask with long, ugly

tusks and blood trickling

from the snout caught her eye. Pretty good, she thought. But not

quite right. A hairy werewolf mask with white, pointy fangs was hung

beside it. Again, too ordinary, Carly

Beth decided.

Her eyes glanced over a green Frankenstein mask, a Freddy Kreuger

mask that came with

Freddy's hand -- complete with long, silvery blades for fingers --

and an E.T. mask. Just not scary enough, Carly Beth thought, starting to

feel a little desperate. I need something

that will really make Steve and Chuck die of fright!

37

your choice,

the narrow counter at the

front and was turning a key in the cash register.

closed, after all.

The phone rang before she could finish explaining.

The man picked it up quickly and began talking in a low voice,

turning his back to Carly Beth. She wandered toward the back of the

store, studying the masks as she walked. She passed a

black cat mask with long, ugly yellow fangs. A vampire mask with

bright red blood

trickling down its lips was hung next to a grinning, bald mask of

Uncle Fester from The

Addams Family.

Not right, not right, not right, Carly Beth thought, frowning.

She hesitated when she spotted a narrow door slightly opened at the

back of the store. Was

there another room? Were there more masks back there?

She glanced to the front. The man, hidden behind his cape, still had

his back to her as he talked

on the phone.

Carly Beth gave the door a hesitant push to peek inside. The door

creaked open. Pale orange

light washed over the small, shadowy back room.

Carly Beth stepped inside -- and gasped in amazement.

38

8

Two dozen empty eye sockets stared blindly at Carly Beth.

She gaped in horror at the distorted, deformed faces.

They were masks, she realized. Two shelves of masks. But the masks

were so ugly, so

grotesque -- so real -- they made her breath catch in her throat.

Carly Beth gripped the doorframe, reluctant to enter the tiny back

room. Staring into the dim

orange light, she studied the hideous masks.

One mask had long, stringy yellow hair falling over its bulging,

green forehead. A hairy black

rat's head poked up from a knot in the hair, the rat's eyes gleaming

like two dark jewels. The mask beside it had a large nail stuck through

an eyehole. Thick, wet- looking blood poured

from the eye, down the cheek.

Chunks of rotting skin appeared to be falling off another mask,

revealing gray bone underneath. 39

An enormous black insect, some kind of grotesque beetle, poked out

from between the green-

and-yellow decayed teeth.

Carly Beth's horror mixed with excitement. She took a step into the

room. The wooden

floorboards creaked noisily beneath her.

She took another step closer to the grotesque, grinning masks. They

seemed so real, so horribly

real. The faces had such detail. The skin appeared to be made of

flesh, not rubber or plastic. These are perfect! she thought, her heart

pounding. These are just what I was looking for. They

look terrifying just propped up on these shelves!

She imagined Steve and Chuck seeing one of these masks coming at

them in the dark of night.

She pictured herself uttering a bloodcurdling scream and leaping out

from behind a tree in

one of them.

She imagined the horrified expressions on the boys' faces. She

pictured Steve and Chuck

shrieking in terror and running for their lives.

Perfect. Perfect!

What a laugh that would be. What a victory!

Carly Beth took a deep breath and stepped up to the shelves. Her

eyes settled on an ugly mask

on the lower shelf.

It had a bulging, bald head. Its skin was a putrid yellow-green. Its

enormous, sunken eyes were

an eerie orange and seemed to glow. It had a broad,

40

flat nose, smashed in like a skelton's nose. The dark-lipped mouth

gaped wide, revealing jagged

animal fangs.

Staring hard at the hideous mask, Carly Beth reached out a hand

toward it. Reluctantly, she

touched the broad forehead.

And as she touched it, the mask cried out.

41

9

Carly Beth shrieked and jerked back her hand.

The mask grinned at her. Its orange eyes glowed brightly. The lips

appeared to curl back over

the fangs.

She suddenly felt dizzy. What is going on here?

As she staggered back, away from the shelves, she realized that the

angry cry hadn't come from

the mask.

It had come from behind her.

Carly Beth spun around to see the black-caped store owner glaring at

her from the doorway.

His dark eyes flashed. His mouth was turned down into a menacing

frown.

She still felt confused. Her

heart pounded loudly in her chest.

He took a step toward her,

his cape brushing the doorway.

42

What is he going to do? Carly Beth wondered, uttering a horrified

gasp. Why is he coming at

me like that?

What is he going to do to me?

He took another step closer. Carly Beth backed away from him. Then she

uttered a startled cry as she backed into the

display shelves.

The hideous masks jiggled and quaked, as if alive.

just --

man said softly. He stepped past her and straightened one of the masks

on its stand.

Carly Beth breathed a loud sigh of relief. He didn't mean to scare

me, she told herself. I am

scaring myself.

She crossed her arms in front of her coat and tried to force her

heartbeat to return to normal.

She stepped to the side as the store owner continued to arrange the

masks, handling them

carefully, brushing their hair with one hand, tenderly dusting off

their bulging, blood-

covered foreheads.

tiny and shrill. 43

one.

she had touched, the mask with the open mouth and its terrifying,

jagged fangs.

shoulder.

Carly Beth to go back to the

front room.

good price on it since

it's so late.

Carly Beth shook her head, her arms crossed defiantly in front of

her.

scare Steve and Chuck,

The man's expression changed.

afraid to touch it. It's perfect.

his hand over the green

forehead.

know they will. Then they'll

never try to scare me again.

watch.

that you make up your mind. I am a patient man, but --

44

dug into her jeans pocket

and pulled out the money she had brought.

the man's hand.

you thirty dollars for it. That's enough, isn't it?

sale.

sigh, he started toward the doorway that led to the front of the

store.

after him.

He shut his eyes.

gleefully, seeing that he was about

to give in.

He opened his eyes. He shook his head. She could see that he was

debating with himself. With a sigh, he tucked the money into his coat

pocket. Then he carefully lifted the mask from

the shelf, straightening the pointed ears, and started to hand it to

her.

soft

45

and surprisingly warm.

front, the mask gripped

tightly in her hand.

But Carly Beth was already out of the store.

She crossed the street and started to run toward home. The sky was

black. No stars poked

through. The street still glistened wetly from the afternoon's rain.

This is going to be the best trick-or-treat night ever, Carly Beth

thought happily. Because this is

the night I get my revenge.

She couldn't wait to spring out at Steve and Chuck. She wondered

what their costumes would

be. They had both talked about painting then-faces blue and dyeing

their hair blue and

being Smurfs.

Lame. Really lame.

Carly Beth stopped under a streetlight and held up the mask,

gripping it with both hands by its

pointed ears. It grinned up at her, the two crooked rows of fangs

hanging over its thick,

rubbery lips.

Then, tucking it carefully under one arm, she ran the rest of the

way home. Stopping at the bottom of the driveway, she gazed up at her

house, the front windows all

glowing brightly, the porchlight sending white light over the lawn.

46

I've got to try this mask out on someone, she thought eagerly. I've

got to see just how good it is.

Her brother's grinning face popped into her mind.

it.

Noah her first victim. 47

10

Carly Beth crept silently through the front door and tossed her coat

onto the entryway floor.

The house felt stuffy and hot. A sweet smell, the aroma of hot cider

on the stove, greeted

her.

Mom really gets into holidays, she thought with a smile.

Tiptoeing through the front hallway, holding the mask in front of

her, Carly Beth listened hard. Noah, where are you?

Where are you, my little guinea pig?

Noah was always bragging about how he was so much braver than Carly

Beth. He was always

putting bugs down her back and planting rubber snakes in her bed --

anything he could

think of to make her scream.

She heard footsteps above her head. Noah must be up in his room, she

realized. He's probably

putting on his Halloween costume.

At the last minute, Noah had decided he wanted to be a cockroach.

Mrs. Caldwell had dashed 48

frantically all over the house, finding the materials to build

pointy feelers and a hard shell for

his back.

Well, the little bug is in for a surprise, Carly Beth thought evilly.

She examined her mask. This

should send that cockroach scampering under the sink!

She stopped at the bottom of the stairs. She could hear loud music

coming from Noah's room.

An old heavy-metal song.

Gripping the mask by the rubbery neck, she raised it carefully over

her head, then pulled it

slowly down.

It was surprisingly warm inside. The mask fit tighter than Carly

Beth had imagined. It had a

funny smell, kind of sour, kind of old, like damp newspapers that

have been left for years

in an attic or garage.

She slid it all the way down until she could see through the

eyeholes. Then she smoothed the

bulging, bald head over her head and tugged the neck down.

I should have stopped in front of a mirror, she fretted. I can't see

if it looks right. The mask felt very tight. Her breathing echoed

noisily in the flat nose. She forced herself to

ignore the sour smell that invaded her nose.

She held on tightly to the banister as she crept up the stairs. It

was hard to see the steps through

the eyeholes. She had to take the climb slowly, one step at a time.

49

The heavy-metal music ended as she stepped onto the landing. She

crept silently down the hall

and stopped outside Noah's door.

Carly Beth edged her head into the doorway and peeked into the

brightly lit room. Noah was

standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the two long cockroach

feelers above his head.

To her surprise, her voice came out gruff and low. It wasn't her

voice at all!

evil.

bug makeup, Carly Beth

could see him go pale.

She darted into the room, her arms outstretched as if ready to grab

him.

How -- how did you get in?

He doesn't even recognize me! Carly Beth thought gleefully.

And he's scared to death!

Was it the hideous face? The deep rumble of a voice? Or both?

Carly Beth didn't care. The mask was definitely a success!

50

at how scary her voice sounded from inside the mask.

trembling all over, his

feelers quivering in fright.

Carly Beth burst out laughing. The laughter came out in a deep

rumble.

cried.

Carly Beth declared in the

gruff voice.

scared me. I mean --

at her, studying the mask.

he muttered.

Carly Beth tugged at the bottom of the mask, trying to lift it off.

It felt hot and sticky. She was

panting noisily.

She tried pulling the bottom with both hands. The mask didn't budge.

She raised her hands to the pointed ears and tried lifting it off.

She tugged. Tugged harder. She tried pulling the mask off by the top of

the head. It didn't move.

off!

51

11

both hands.

revealed fear.

around, Carly Beth. You're scaring me!

voice.

this -- off!

With great effort, Carly Beth managed to slip her fingers under the

neck of the mask. Then, she

pulled it away from her skin and lifted it off her head.

The air felt so cool and sweet. She shook her hair free. Then she

playfully tossed the mask at

Noah.

He let the mask bounce onto the bed. Then he picked it up hesitantly

and examined it.

you get it?

her forehead.

inside it.

eyeholes.

looked scared.

He tossed the mask back at her, frowning.

he said.

protested.

door, rolling the mask

over her hand.

Carly Beth stopped at the doorway and turned back to him. Her smile

gave way to a puzzled

expression.

mask in her hand.

you do that?

know.

* * *

53

By the time she got to her room, she was grinning again. The mask

had worked. It had been a

wonderful success.

Noah might not want to admit it, but when Carly Beth burst in on him,

growling through the

hideous mask, he nearly jumped out of his cockroach shell.

Look out, Chuck and Steve! she thought gleefully. You're next!

She sat down on her bed and glanced at the clock radio on her bed

table. She had a few minutes

until it was time to meet everyone in front of Sabrina's house.

Time enough to think of the best possible way to give them the scare

of their lives. I don't want to just jump out at them, Carly Beth

thought, playing her fingers over the sharp

fangs. That's too boring.

I want to do something they'll remember.

Something they'll never forget.

She ran her hands over the mask's pointy ears. Suddenly she had an

idea.

54

12

Carly Beth pulled the old broom handle from the closet. She brushed

off a thick ball of dust and

examined the long, wooden pole.

Perfect, she thought.

She checked to make sure her mother was still in the kitchen. She

was sure that her mother

wouldn't approve of what Carly Beth was about to do. Mrs. Caldwell

still thought that

Carly Beth was going to wear the duck costume.

Tiptoeing silently into the living room, Carly Beth stepped up to

the mantel and pulled down

the plaster of Paris head her mother had sculpted.

It really does look just like me, Carly Beth thought, holding the

sculpture waist high and

studying it carefully. It's so lifelike. Mom is really talented.

Carefully, she placed the head on the broomstick. It balanced easily.

She carried it over to the hallway mirror. It looks like I'm

carrying my real head on a stick, 55

Carly Beth thought, admiring it. A wide grin broke out across her

face. Her eyes sparkled

gleefully.

Excellent!

She leaned the head and stick against the wall and pulled on the

mask. Once again, the sour

aroma rushed into her nostrils. The heat of the mask seemed to wrap

around her. The mask tightened against her skin as she pulled it down.

Raising her eyes to the mirror, she nearly frightened herself! It's

like a real face, she thought,

unable to take her eyes away. My eyes seem a part of it. It doesn't

look as if I'm peering out

of eyeholes.

She moved the gruesome mouth up and down a few times. It moves like

a real mouth, she

realized.

It doesn't look like a mask at all.

It looks like a gross, deformed face.

Working with both hands, she flattened the bulging forehead,

smoothing it over her hair. Excellent! she repeated to herself, feeling

her excitement grow. Excellent!

The mask is perfect! she decided. She couldn't believe the man in

the party store didn't want to

sell it to her. It was the scariest, realest, ugliest mask she had

ever seen.

I will be the terror of Maple Avenue tonight! Carly Beth decided,

admiring herself in the 56

mirror. Kids will be having nightmares about me for weeks!

Especially Chuck and Steve, she told herself.

had returned.

balanced her sculpted head on top of it, and started to

the door.

Her mother's voice stopped her.

Caldwell called from the kitchen.

this.

57

13

Carly Beth froze in the doorway. She could hear her mother's

footsteps approaching in the

hallway.

Maybe I should've told her about my change of plans, Carly Beth

thought guiltily. I would've

said something, but I didn't want to hurt Mom's feelings.

Now she's in for a shock. And she's going to be really angry when

she sees I've borrowed her

sculpture.

She's going to make me put it back on the mantel.

She's going to ruin everything.

raspy inside the mask.

58

called. She rounded the

corner and came into view.

I'm sunk, Carly Beth thought with a groan.

I'm caught.

The phone rang. The sound echoed loudly inside Carly Beth's mask.

Her mother stopped and turned back to the kitchen.

better answer that. It's