Have You Met My Ghoulfriend? by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online

Colin,” Dad continued, glaring across the table. “It isn't funny. So stop it right now. I'm warning you.”
    “Jabba jabba?” Colin asked, a big dopey grin spreading across his face. And then he began honking. I mean, really. He opened his mouth wide and tossed back his head. And these unbelievable
honnnnnk
s came from deep in his throat.
    “Stop it! Stop it!” Dad shouted. “Is this some kind of a game? Is it a dare? Is that what it is? Someone dared you to do this today?”
    “Honnnnnk”
was Colin's reply.
    This is scary, I thought. Colin isn't playing a joke. There's something really wrong with him.
    I turned and saw that Mom had tears in her eyes. She shook her head. “I don't like this, John,” she said to Dad. “I don't like this one bit.”
    “Heeeee-honnnnk. Heeee-honk.”
    Dad turned to me. “This is the kind of stupid stunt that
you
would do. It isn't like Colin at all.”
    “Thanks for the compliment,” I muttered. But a shiver ran down my back. I was really worried about my brother.
    “Jabba gubba? Jabba jabba!”
    And then we all let out cries as Colin jumped to his feet. Wailing at the top of his lungs, he began running around and around the kitchen. He swung his arms wildly and knocked over the coffeemaker. Glass shattered. A puddle of coffee spread over the floor.
    Colin kept running, racing in circles, wailinglike an animal, flapping his arms at his sides as if he wanted to take off and fly.
    “Stop him! Stop him!” Mom screamed. She grabbed Dad by the waist and held on to him. “Can't you do something?”
    “Not with you holding on to me, Harriet.”
    Buster barked his head off. Even he knew something was wrong.
    I stared in shock. I couldn't move. Why was Colin doing this? Why was he going totally berserk?
    As we stared in horror, Colin ran headfirst into the refrigerator. He bounced off, tumbled to the floor, and did some weird spinning moves on the floor like really bad break dancing.
    “Jabba gubba jabba gubba!”
    He picked himself up, slammed himself into the front of the oven, bounced off, and then ran around the kitchen counter, flapping his arms like a bird.
    “Do something!” Mom screamed. “He's gone crazy!
Do
something!”

16
    F INALLY, D AD GRABBED C OLIN around the chest and forced him to stop. Dad is built like a truck. He has big, powerful arms, and he held on to Colin, held him in place and wouldn't let him take another step.
    “Jabba,” Colin said. But it came out in a weak whisper. “Jabba.”
    And then my brother seemed to collapse. He just folded up with Dad holding him. And I thought I saw the yellow glow fade from Colin's eyes. A sound floated from his throat like air escaping a balloon.
    I felt a whoosh of air over me. It fluttered my hair. And I felt a breeze pushing lightly against the side of my face, like someone blowing into my ear.
    Weird.
    “Colin?” Dad asked breathlessly. His face was bright red. His muscles bulged as he held on to my brother. “Colin? Are you finished?”
    Mom stood next to me, trembling. Tears rolled down her cheeks. “Colin? Are you okay?”
    “Yeah. Fine,” he said in his normal voice. “What's up?”
    Dad slowly let go of him. “At least he's speaking again,” he said to Mom.
    “Speaking? Why wouldn't I speak?” Colin asked, confused. He raised his eyes to me. “What's up with this, Maxie? What did you do to me?”
    “Hey—no way,” I said. “No way you're blaming me.”
    “Blaming you for what?” Colin asked, scratching his head. I don't think he remembered anything.
    “You just went totally berserk,” I told him. “Look at this kitchen. You did all that.”
    Blinking as if he was just waking up, Colin gazed around the room. “Wow. What a mess.”
    “You were running around the room, acting totally wacko,” I said.
    Colin squinted at me. “Yes. I kinda remember now. I wasn't in control. I couldn't stop myself. Did you hypnotize me? Is that what made me do it? You and your crazy magic tricks. Did you