R. L. Stine_Mostly Ghostly 04 Read Online Free PDF
Author: Little Camp of Horrors
kid.
My sneakers sank into the soft mud on the shore. And then I took a wild leap at Jakey.
The Wilburs jerked him to one side—and I flew past them. And sailed headfirst into the water.
I sank to the bottom, my clothes and sneakers helping to pull me down. I must have been in two or three feet of water. But the shock of the cold paralyzed me for a moment.
I stretched out my hands and kicked my feet and started to float.
Then I felt the first tickle on my face.
And then another.
Something brushed my cheek and slid past my ear.
Something tickled the back of my neck.
Something wrapped itself around my arm.
The snakes.
The snakes were real—and they were about to start eating their lunch.
13
P ANIC FROZE MY MUSCLES . I couldn't move.
A snake slithered across my neck. Another one curled over my ear.
I jerked alert. Kicked my legs hard—and felt the soft, muddy bottom.
Tearing at the snakes, slapping them off my face, I scrambled to my feet. I sucked in breath after breath of air.
Trembling, I pulled a snake off my chest. And another one from my hair. “S-snakes!” I choked out. “They're … all over me.”
I saw the kids laughing at me. It took me a few seconds to understand why.
The snakes on my body—they weren't snakes. They were lake grass. Long, wet blades of grass.
I shuddered, struggling to catch my breath.
The Wilbur brothers let Jakey go. He ran behind the group of kids,
way
behind them. He was hugging himself, a frightened expression on his face.
The others laughed at me.
“Okay, okay,” I muttered. “It was only weeds or something.”
I stomped away from the shore. My T-shirt and shorts were soaked, and I couldn't stop shivering.
“Hey, Max?” Someone was calling me. I turned to see Traci running across the grass toward me.
I pulled another long blade of grass off the back of my neck. At the edge of the water, the other kids were still laughing. One of them started to imitate me, slapping at his face and body, pretending to pull snakes off.
“Big joke,” I muttered, avoiding Traci's eyes.
“Well, I thought you were totally brave,” Traci said.
“Huh?” I turned to her. “Really?”
“Trying to save that little guy was awesome,” Traci said. Her smile made me feel warm all over. The sunlight reflected off her beautiful blond hair.
“Of course, falling headfirst in the lake made you look like a total klutz,” she added. Then she went running back to her friends.
I just stood there with my mouth open. Traci Wayne had paid me a compliment!
Traci Wayne had said something nice to me!
I couldn't get to sleep that night. I kept thinking about Nicky and Tara and rememberingthose two evil creatures who had dragged them away.
And I kept thinking about the life pod. How could we find out whether Nicky and Tara's parents were inside the pod if we couldn't get it away from my stupid brother?
It was a hot, damp night. I kicked off my blanket and tossed and turned on my bunk. Sweat prickled the back of my neck.
Finally, I dropped to the floor, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, and crept outside for some fresh air. A tiny sliver of a moon greeted me overhead. It looked like a cat's grin. The sky was filled with stars.
I took a deep breath and started walking along the path to the woods. Crickets chirped all around me, and the trees made a whispering sound.
I stopped walking when I heard voices. Shouts and laughter. They seemed to be coming from the lake.
I turned into the woods and followed the path to the lakeshore. The voices grew louder. I recognized Colin's voice. He was shouting about how cold the water was.
Through the trees, I could see a bunch of kids swimming and splashing in the lake. Counselors and junior counselors were having a late-night swim.
Swimming in Snake Lake.
So the stories about the lake
weren't
true. The lake
wasn't
filled with poisonous snakes. It was just one more story to frighten the new campers.
Okay. No big surprise there.
I didn't really
My sneakers sank into the soft mud on the shore. And then I took a wild leap at Jakey.
The Wilburs jerked him to one side—and I flew past them. And sailed headfirst into the water.
I sank to the bottom, my clothes and sneakers helping to pull me down. I must have been in two or three feet of water. But the shock of the cold paralyzed me for a moment.
I stretched out my hands and kicked my feet and started to float.
Then I felt the first tickle on my face.
And then another.
Something brushed my cheek and slid past my ear.
Something tickled the back of my neck.
Something wrapped itself around my arm.
The snakes.
The snakes were real—and they were about to start eating their lunch.
13
P ANIC FROZE MY MUSCLES . I couldn't move.
A snake slithered across my neck. Another one curled over my ear.
I jerked alert. Kicked my legs hard—and felt the soft, muddy bottom.
Tearing at the snakes, slapping them off my face, I scrambled to my feet. I sucked in breath after breath of air.
Trembling, I pulled a snake off my chest. And another one from my hair. “S-snakes!” I choked out. “They're … all over me.”
I saw the kids laughing at me. It took me a few seconds to understand why.
The snakes on my body—they weren't snakes. They were lake grass. Long, wet blades of grass.
I shuddered, struggling to catch my breath.
The Wilbur brothers let Jakey go. He ran behind the group of kids,
way
behind them. He was hugging himself, a frightened expression on his face.
The others laughed at me.
“Okay, okay,” I muttered. “It was only weeds or something.”
I stomped away from the shore. My T-shirt and shorts were soaked, and I couldn't stop shivering.
“Hey, Max?” Someone was calling me. I turned to see Traci running across the grass toward me.
I pulled another long blade of grass off the back of my neck. At the edge of the water, the other kids were still laughing. One of them started to imitate me, slapping at his face and body, pretending to pull snakes off.
“Big joke,” I muttered, avoiding Traci's eyes.
“Well, I thought you were totally brave,” Traci said.
“Huh?” I turned to her. “Really?”
“Trying to save that little guy was awesome,” Traci said. Her smile made me feel warm all over. The sunlight reflected off her beautiful blond hair.
“Of course, falling headfirst in the lake made you look like a total klutz,” she added. Then she went running back to her friends.
I just stood there with my mouth open. Traci Wayne had paid me a compliment!
Traci Wayne had said something nice to me!
I couldn't get to sleep that night. I kept thinking about Nicky and Tara and rememberingthose two evil creatures who had dragged them away.
And I kept thinking about the life pod. How could we find out whether Nicky and Tara's parents were inside the pod if we couldn't get it away from my stupid brother?
It was a hot, damp night. I kicked off my blanket and tossed and turned on my bunk. Sweat prickled the back of my neck.
Finally, I dropped to the floor, pulled on shorts and a T-shirt, and crept outside for some fresh air. A tiny sliver of a moon greeted me overhead. It looked like a cat's grin. The sky was filled with stars.
I took a deep breath and started walking along the path to the woods. Crickets chirped all around me, and the trees made a whispering sound.
I stopped walking when I heard voices. Shouts and laughter. They seemed to be coming from the lake.
I turned into the woods and followed the path to the lakeshore. The voices grew louder. I recognized Colin's voice. He was shouting about how cold the water was.
Through the trees, I could see a bunch of kids swimming and splashing in the lake. Counselors and junior counselors were having a late-night swim.
Swimming in Snake Lake.
So the stories about the lake
weren't
true. The lake
wasn't
filled with poisonous snakes. It was just one more story to frighten the new campers.
Okay. No big surprise there.
I didn't really
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