House of a Thousand Screams

House of a Thousand Screams by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online Page B

Book: House of a Thousand Screams by R.L. Stine Read Free Book Online
Authors: R.L. Stine
in the middle of the night, I wasn’t so sure.
    What was that creak? Was the poltergeist sneaking up on us now? If it could make dress dummies and bedspreads come to life, what else could it do? Could it take over our parents? Control them? Make them wander through the house like robots?
    I shuddered and burrowed farther into the covers. Something hard poked my arm. I felt around and found the object. I peered at it in the dark.
    The magic glasses!
    But I’d left them in my room! I clearly remembered putting them down on my dresser. Right before I went to brush my teeth.
    â€œFreddy?” I called softly.
    No answer.
    â€œFreddy, wake up.” I reached up and gave him a shove.
    â€œWhat?” He sat up, rubbing his eyes. “What is it? What?”
    â€œThe magic glasses,” I said urgently. “Did you bring them in here from my room?”
    Freddy leaned down from his bunk and grabbed his own glasses from the nightstand. “No.”
    â€œWell, why are they in my bunk, then?” I felt panic rising again, grabbing me by the throat.
    The glasses had moved on their own!
    â€œMaybe the poltergeist put them there,” Freddy suggested.
    Maybe. But why?
    I slipped the glasses on and looked around the room. It was easy to see in the dark with them on. Another magic quality they had, I guess. No poltergeist in the room.
    Then I heard another noise from downstairs. A new noise. The sound of something scraping, shuffling against the floor.
    Something was down there. I was certain of it. Was it planning to get me and Freddy? Or Mom and Dad?
    Stay calm, I told myself.
    Yeah, right.
    I pushed back the covers and climbed out of bed. “Get up,” I ordered Freddy.
    We couldn’t just lie there in the dark, waiting for whatever it was to come get us. We had to do something.
    Even if it meant risking our lives!

13

    W e needed weapons. The best we could come up with was Freddy’s baseball bat and my tennis racket. Oh, well, better than nothing. Holding them ready, we tiptoed down the hall.
    I still had the magic glasses on. So I spotted him right away. The little hairy guy from the attic. Leaning calmly against the stair railing. He looked as if he was waiting for a bus.
    I jumped forward and swatted at him.
    He vanished! Just like that!
    I spun around. “Where’d he go?” I asked softly.
    â€œPeeps,” I heard in my ear.
    â€œAck!” I squawked. “Freddy! The poltergeist! He’s on my shoulder!”
    â€œHold still!” Freddy ordered, and swung the bat.
    I barely ducked in time to save my head. “Watch it, lamebrain!” I whispered furiously. “You almost decked me.”
    â€œI didn’t mean to,” he argued. “I can’t see the stupid poltergeist, remember? I was just trying to help.”
    I reached up and felt my shoulder. Nothing there.
    â€œWell, he’s gone anyway,” I said. “That’s what matters. Now, for pete’s sake, keep quiet. The last thing we need is for Mom and Dad to wake up and catch us out here. They’d ship us to the loony bin for sure.”
    We crept down the stairs. The poltergeist kept popping in and out of sight. Each time, I took a swing at him with my racket. And missed.
    He was playing with us! The little creep!
    When we reached the downstairs hall, the poltergeist stood on a chair. Waiting for us. His little black eyes glittered at me. I pounced and thwacked the racket on the seat of the chair.
    Nothing.
    â€œDid you get him?” Freddy asked.
    â€œNo,” I growled. I flipped on a light.
    â€œHow come you keep missing?” Freddy wanted to know.
    I gave him a look. “He keeps vanishing. How do you expect me to hit something that can just blink on and off like that? I think he pops from one place to another.”
    Then I heard “Peeps” again. And felt something land on my head. Oh, yuck!
    I slowly raised my hands, trying to catch the little guy by

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