After some skimming through this one to know when to expect endings, I'm sorely tempted to alter some dialogue if things go a certain way because of one awesomely-named character in this book. I probably won't, but the temptation is there.
"I thought after-school clubs were supposed to be fun," you grumble. You love comic books. And a comic club sounded cool. But it's run by Horace Grumbacher, the dullest kid in school!
How could someone make a subject like comics boring?
Horace manages.
He clicks his slide projector to a picture of a comic book cover. "Here's the first issue starring Super-Doer," he drones. "Today, it's worth nearly two hundred
thousand dollars.
Click! "And here's the first appearance of Ballistic Bug. This comic goes for nearly twenty thousand."
As if any kid in this club can afford that, you think.
The projector clicks again, and a horror comic appears on the screen. Excellent! You love horror!
But Horace can even make horror dull. "This issue of
The Cellar of Scary Stories went for sixteen hundred dollars," he lectures.
An ugly face sneers at you from the comic cover. Yuck! It looks like a rotten pumpkin. With warts.
You turn away and notice the classroom clock. How did it get so late? You run outside -- in time to see a horrible sight.
"Oh,
no!" you groan.
The school bus is already a block away. It left without you!
"Thanks a lot, Horace," you growl. Because of his boring lecture, now you have to walk home!
If you follow the same route as the bus, you won't get home for hours. You decide you'd better try a shortcut. Even though it means going through a part of town you've never seen before.
You walk and walk along your shortcut. With every step you take, your book bag gets heavier.
The area you're cutting through looks a little weird. The buildings are all old and dingy. The stores huddle together as if they're holding each other up.
And the stuff in the windows is
very weird. You pass a clothing store that seems to be selling Halloween costumes -- even though Halloween is months away. And the dolls in that toy shop window. They look like. . . vampires!
You're relieved when you spot a store for vacuum cleans.
That's normal, you think. And next to it. . .
Hey! A comic shop!
You step inside. The comic shop is dimly lit. You can barely make out the comics on spinning racks. Beyond, in deeper shadows, are tables with row after row of boxes. These are the back issues, where collectors look for treasures.
The owner stands behind a cash register. He looks familiar, with his round face and warts. But you can't place him.
He grunts when he sees you. "Humph. Kids."
Well, who does he expect to come in and buy comics?
As you walk past him, the store owner calls out, "Leave your bag up here!"
You scowl. Why is he treating you like a thief?
You think about leaving. But you'd like a rest from walking. And besides, you really want to check out the comics.
Strolling around the racks, you notice the latest issue of
Major Disaster. You bought it just a week ago. This guy has a sticker on it for half price!
Walking a little faster, you start picking up comic books. Doesn't the owner know what these things are worth?
The deeper into the store you go, the darker it gets. A pair of bookcases block your way. But there's a little space between them. You can see light coming through the crack. . .
You squeeze between the bookcases into an open area. A dusty lightbuild dangles from the ceiling. In its dim glow, you make out another spinning rack full of comics.
A sign taped to the top of the rack says:
YOU THINK THIS IS A LIBRARY?
LOOK, BUT DON'T TOUCH. . . OR YOU'LL BE SORRY.
You peer at the comics on the rack. Whoa -- that's the issue of Ballistic Bug from Horace's slide show! The comic is marked for two bucks! And up there, on the top rack - is that the incredibly expensive copy of Super-Doer?
Then you notice something else. A doorway. Beyond the rack. Metal stairs lead downward -- to the basement, you guess. An arrow-shaped sign points down the stairway. It reads: HORROR.
There's also a tattered sign on the open door. You try to make out the faded letters. It appears to say NO ADMITTANCE. TRESPASSERS WILL BE GLOMPFed.
GLOMPFed? What's that?
You don't really care. All you care about is making a tough decision: Should you take a closer look at the rack, or should you go down to the horror section?
If you check out the rack, turn to PAGE 12.
If you go downstairs, turn to PAGE 51.Also, it's started storming pretty badly on my end, so no guarantees I'll be able to keep going at the same speed I have been. Power's already tried going out a couple of times.