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The giant hangs over you, flexing his muscles. He squints at you as if you are a bug - ready to be squashed.
"Did you call me a wimp?" he thunders.
You are much to scared to answer.
The giant answers for you. "You're right. I am a wimp!"
And with that, he bends the bars, and you, Patty, and Brad scramble through.
"Follow me," the gaint says. "I know a way out of here."
"What about the others?" you ask, pointing to the freaks in the cells that line the wall.
"No problem!" Patty yells, grabbing the keys from a hook on the wall "Here - catch!"
You quickly unlock all the doors - setting the freaks free!
turn to Page 126

"Yay! Our hero!" the freaks cheer as they bolt out of their cells.
You follow the giant through a side exit. And in no time, you're leading all your new friends to your house.
You're sure your parents won't mind taking them in. After all, how much can a three-hundred-pound giant, a five-hundred-pound fat lady, and a three-headed man eat? Hmmmm. Better not answer that question.
Just be happy that you've come to . . .

"What do you want to do?"
"I don't know, Patty. what do you want to do?"
"not fair, Brad. I asked you first."
Patty and Brad. Your two best friends. Arguing. As usual.
it's the last week of August. and Patty and Brad haven't stopped fighting since your summer vacation started.
patty likes being bossy. you don't mind, though. It's no big deal.
It's hard to wina fight with her anyway. you don't know why Brad even tries. You guess it's becuase he doesn't want to look like a wimp in front of a girl.
"There's nothing to do. I guess I'll just go home, " brad says. he shoves his hands in his pockets. then his shoulders slump and he sort of shrivels up. You guess brad is kind of a wimp - even if he is your best friend.
"You're so boring, Brad," Patty complains. Whenever Patty complains, her reckles really pop out. Now there are about a million of them spread across her face.
"Hey! I know what we should do!" Patty suddenly bursts out.
Go to Page 2

"Let's bike over to Bennet's Field and watch them set up the carnival!"
"I don't know," you answer. "It's getting dark and Mom said I have to be in by nine."
"It's only a quick bike ride," Brad says. "Are you some kind of wimp?"
Brad calling you a wimp? You can't believe it!
"Okay. Okay," you agree. "but if it's as bad as last year, there won't be much to see. don't you remember the main attraction?" you remind them.
"the ride they call the Terror Track? It turned out to be a baby choo-choo train that circled around and around."
It doesn't matter what you say. Patty's made up her mind. you're going to ride over to the carnival.
A hot, humid blows in your face as you pedal along. Patty's in the lead. no surprise. And Brad's puffing behind you.
It's dark by the time you reach Bennet's Field.
you are your friends drop your bikes adn race across the moonlit field, toward the huge wooden fence that surrounds the carnival.
To take a closer look, turn to page 3

As you reach the carnival entrance, you hear music coming from inside. not the usual corny organ stuff they always play. But some really strange music. it sounds familiar and totally new at the same time.
Brad stretches his neck to try to peer over the fence. But no luck. The fence is way too high.
patty jiggles the padlock on the door. It's sealed shut.
"I guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow night when the carnival opens," Brad says.
"No way," Patty says. "Let's climb the fence. Now!"
"Are you crazy?" Brad says. "We'll get caught!"
"Come on. there's probably no one in there," Patty replies.
your friends turn to you to cast the deciding vote. you glance at your watch. It's almost 9:00 P.M. it you're going to get back home in time, you should start back now.
What are you going to do?

If you decide to go home, turn to PAGE 10.
If you climb the fence to get inside, turn to PAGE 6.

"Let's do it!" you say to your friends. "Let's climb the fence!"
Patty is halfway up before you finish speaking. You let Brad go next. You're last.
It's a hard climb up. There's really no place on the fence to get a good grip. But you make it to the top, swing your legs over, and tumble down. You land on the grass. You're inside!
You and your friends gaze around. It's pretty dark - the only light comes from the torches. At first the carnival looks the came as it always does. Dinky Rides. Hot dog wagons. then the lights start to flicker on in every corner of the field - the rides start to move. It's as if the whole place is magically coming to life.
"Hey! Look at that giant roller coaster!" you exclaim, pointing up ahead. "They never had a roller coaster before!"
"Yeah," Brad agrees. "And the whole place is a lot bigger than last year!"
"This is awesome!" Patty says as she sprints toward the rides.
Race over to page 7

You and Brad take off after Patty. You all stop in front of the roller coaster.
"Wow!" Patty says as she gazes up at is. "It's like a rocket to outer space!"
Beyond the roller coaster, you spy a castle surrounded by a moat. And a spooky-looking haunted house sitting atop a high hill.
"These are the coolest rides I've ever seen!" you say. "They still have that dumb choo-choo train over there," you point out, "but we could ride this stuff all night and near go near it!"
Patty grabs your arm and tugs you over to the other side of the carnival - to the midway. brad races after you.
"Hey! Where are all those dinky wooden booths from last year?" you ask as you gawk at the amazing games of chance.
They're gone. And in their place are giant video games and huge spinning wheels studded with hundreds of blinking colored lights!
"Get a load of that!" Brad suddenly cries out.
You and Patty spin around.
You can't believe what you see!
Be more amazed on PAGE 87

You're staring at a sign that read: WORLD's FREAKIEST FREAK SHOW! The three of you gape at the pictures.
There's the three-headed Man with the ugliest collection of faces you've ever seen. and the Snake Lady - a young blond girl with a beatiful face and the body of a slithering snake.
"This is - uh - " you start to say. But you don't finish. Because a large hand has come down on your shoulder. Hard.
You slowly turn and gaze up at a huge man with shoulders wider than a refrigerator. He has coal-black eyes with a thick mustache to match. He looks strong enough - and mean enough - to pitch you over the fence with one hand.
"What are you doing?" his deep voice booms. "you're not allowed in here," he says, pointing drectly at you.
"We're sorry," you say, hoping you appear sorry and not just scared. "We wanted to look around. That's all. But we'll leave. right now."
his eyes stare into yours. He clamps both hands down on your shouldres and says, "You're not going anywhere!"
Uh-oh. Quick! Better turn to PAGE 4

"Wh-what do you mean?" Brad asks, trembling all over.
"I just had an idea. A great idea," the man replies. "I want you kids to stay and try out the rides before the grand opening tomorrow."
Patty's eyes open wide. "Cool!" she says.
"Are you sure it's all right with the ownre?" yo uask
"I'm Big Al, the manager. And what I say around here goes."
Big Al digs around in his checkered jacket and pulls out three maps. He hands one to each of you.
"Study them carefully," he says. "If you have any questions, ask them now."
Your eyes fall upon the map. You have a question. But when you gaze up, Big Al is gone. He's vanished!
"a whole carnival to ourselves!" Patty exclaims. "Where should we start?"
You stare down at your map once again. You notice that the carnival is split in half, On one side are the rides. Tons of them. On the other side is the midway, packed with games of chance and the Freak Show.
What will you try first?
To go on the rides, turn to PAGE 34
To check out the midway, turn to PAGE 77

"Let's head for the midway and play some games!" you say.
You, Patty, and Brad jog down a wide avenue. Tents of every color line the street. Carnival music blares from loudspeakers.
You spot a green neon sign flashing above a yellow-striped tent. The sign reads: MADAME ZENO-FORTUNE TELLER.
"Excellent!" you exclaim. "I'm going in!"
You tell your friends you'll catch up with them in a minute.
You lift the tent flap. Inside, one small candle flickers in teh dark. You hear a low voice call out, "Enter my chamber."
There is Madame Zeno, sitting in the shadows. She wears a long red dress dotted with brightly colored gems. They shimmer in the candlelight. Her black hair tumbles to her shoulders as she bends over a large crystal ball.
"Welcome," she whispers. Then she reaches out and gently lifts your hand. "Let me tell you your future."
To find your future, go to PAGE 78

Madame Zeno studies your hand closely. She traces the lines in your hand with her soft fingers.
"I see horror in your future. In your immediate future," she warns.
"Wh-What kind of horror?" you stammer. "What do you mean?"
Madame Zeno releases your hand. She picks up a strange deck of cards. She spredas them out on the table. you notice the cards have pictures-a headless man, a bloody sword, a large, evil eye.
She gathers up all the cards and flips the deck over. Then she deals out a red card and a lue card.
"Turn one over," she commands. "Learn your fate."
Pick red? Go to page 14.
Pick blue? Go to page 59

Blue is your favorite color. You turn the blue card over.
There is a message: Help us! You are our only hope([Obi Wan Kenobi!]). Hurry to the back door of the freak show. Signed, The Freaks.
"What does this mean?" you ask Madame Zeno. She stares deep into your eyes. Her lips tremble. She leans forward. She's about to speak.
And then the lights go out - and a bloodcurdling scream rips through the dark!
You start to bolt for the door when a dim light suddenly flickers. You stare across the table. Madame Zeno is gone!
You reach out to take the card. And it bursts into red-hot flames! In seconds, the entire tent fills with thick smoke. Flames shoot across the floor. You run for the door.
Outside you gulp for the fresh air. Whew! You made it.
You glance back. No smoke. No fire. No tent! Everything has disappeared! What should you do now?
If you decide to help the freaks, go to PAGE 11
If you don't want to help the freaks go to PAGE 113

You've decided to help the freaks. As you race down the midway, you spot Brad and Patty.
"Listen, guys" you tell them, lowering your voice. "We've got a problem. A big problem."
You take a deep breath and tell them all about Madame Zeno and the blue card.
"So," you finish saying, "somebody might need our help in the back of the Freak Show."
"What's a freak?" Brad asks nervously.
"Remember the poster we saw when we came in? The one with the three-headed man and the lady with the snake body?" you remind him.
Brad bites down on his lip. "Are they really real?"
"Sure they're real," Patty chimes in. "I once saw a bearded lady at the circus."
"I don't know," Brad says. "It sounds kind of creepy."
"Well, Madame Zeno said this was my fate. I'm going to go help them - whatever they are. Are you guys in?"
"You bet," Patty answers, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Okay, okay. I'll go," Brad mumbles.
"Then let's hurry!" you exclaim.
Race to the back of the Freak Show on PAGE 35

Five minutes later, the three of you are sneaking down a dark alley. Brad is so frightened, he's practically walking on top of you.
The alley is littered with large cardboard boxes and overflowing trash cans. And it smells like dead fish.
"Hey! Quit stepping on my shoes," you say to Brad.
"I'm not stepping on your shoe," he shoots back. "I'm not anywhere near your stupid shoe."
You glance down. And nearly scream.
Brad's right. He's not stepping on you. But about a dozen rats are.
You shake your foot wildly. The rats scurry off.
Brad catches sight of the rats and tries to bolt.
You and Patty quickly pull him back.
"Hey! Look!" patty says, pointing up ahead. "A door!"
On the door you see a big sign that reads KEEP OUT, so...
you go in.
Go to PAGE 13

The room is dark, but all around you, you hear hushed moans. "Help us! Help us!"
"We're in a prison," Patty says. "And look at the prisoners! They're weird!"
Patty is right. As your eyes grow accustomed to the darkness, you see cell after cell. Each one holds a strange-looking prisoner. There's an enormous fat lady who's nearly busting out of the bars. A giant. A dwarf. A young lady with boa constrictors wrapped around her waist. And a woman with a long black beard!
"We're the freakssss," the Snake Lady says. "Every night when the show ends, the master locks us up."
"The master? you mean Big Al is -" you start to say.
"You must help us!" the Giant interrupts.
"Ssssssssh," the Snake Lady says. "the master'sssss coming - you musn't be here! Go! That way!" She points to a door down the hall.
Escape through the door down the hall, go to PAGE 48
Stay and Big Al, go to PAGE 62

You decide to wait for Big Al.
"Big Al has to free the freaks," you say to Patty and Brad. "If he doesn't, we'll tell him we're calling the police!"
"Free the freaks?"Big Al says, bursting into the room. "The freaks are free to go any time. This prison is just part of the show. Did you pull the 'free us' joke on him?" Big Al laughs heartily.
"He'ssss lying," the Snake Lady says. "We're prisonersssss."
"Oh, come now," Big Al says. "You're not prisoners." And with that he unlocks all the cell doors. Then he turns to you and your friends.
"As you can see, the freaks are free. Now, come with me. You haven't even tried one game on the midway."
"Don't go with him, It's a trick!" the Snake Lady cries.
Should you go with Big Al?
Who's telling the truth? Al or the Snake Lady?

If you want to go with Al, turn to PAGE 84.
If you trust the Snake Lady, turn to PAGE 102.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Big Al. I believe the Snake Lady!"
"So do I," says Patty.
"Me, too!" Brad echoes.
"That's too bad," Big Al says. Then he turns to the Snake Lady.
"And as for you, Miss Reptilia - I told you, you've been overreacting. If these kids believe you, we won't be able to torture them with our real horrors."
"Sorry, boss," she says "So what do you want me to do with them?"
You can hardly believe it! Real horrors?
"What kind of carnival is this?" you shout.
"The Carnival of Horrorssssss," the Snake Lady answers - and that's the good news.

turn to PAGE 120 for the bad news.

The bad news is the Snake Lady fooled you.
"Throw them into the large cell with Harold and all the other prisoners," Big Al commands.
You are shoved into a dark cell. You hear a click. You are locked in. As the Snake Lady leaves with Big Al, you can hear their laughter echo down the hall.
You glance into the other cells and think, the freaks are prisoners. They do need our help. Then you peer into the darkness of your cell - to find out who Harold is.
There's no way you could miss him. Harold is a giant. He's huge - twice as big as a football player. His hands are, in fact, the size of two footballs. His arms look like tree trunks.
At first you are afraid of him, but then you think, Hey! He's trapped, too. Maybe we can convince him to help us. And then you get a big idea!

Turn to PAGE 28

What's the big idea? You're going to embarass the giant into helping you.
"Hey, you. you know, you're a real wimp," you say to the giant.
He looks at you as if he can't believe what he hears.
Patty and Brad look at you as if you're crazy.
Maybe you are.
"You wimp," you continue. "You sit here all day, taking orders from that creep, Big Al. And you live in these horrible conditions. Why? Because you're a wimp and you refuse to fight back. you could bend those bars and escape - but you won't. Because you are a wimp -- W-I-M-P -- wimp."
The giant stands. You gaze up. He's over fifteen feet tall. He lumbers over to you. He isn't smiling.
Is your plan going to work? Is he going to bend the bars to proe you wrong? Or is he going to bend you?
It's out of your control now.
Look out the window.

If it's sunny out, turn to PAGE 45.
If it's raining or if it's nighttime, turn to PAGE 85.
(I'm pretty sure you are supposed to turn your real head and look.)

It's Wednesday! Where's the update?