Halloween costume back here in a hidden room?” I asked.
I slid the mask under the hood of the cloak. And then another idea struck me. “It looks like some kind of superhero costume,” I said. “ The Masked Cape Person !”
Stan still had the black tights in his hand. “Yeah. Well, I guess that’s what superheroes wear, right? Tights and a cape?”
I raised the cloak in front of me. “Do you think this is Jada’s? Think she wears this stuff?”
Stan shook his head. His face was knotted in confusion.
I laughed. “Maybe Jada has a secret life that no one knows about. Maybe she sneaks in here at night, and put on this costume, and pretends to be The Masked Cape Person!”
Stan shook his head. “This is just too weird,” he said again.
And then his expression changed. His eyes went wide. He suddenly turned pale. “Selena—” he whispered, staring at the mask in my hand.
“What? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What if—what if that’s a burglar costume?”
I let out a gasp. “Excuse me?”
“It looks like something a burglar might wear,” Stan said. “And didn’t they say on the news—”
“That the person who has been robbing houses in Elmwood wore a mask and a cape?” I cut in.
Stan nodded excitedly.
“But that’s totally insane!” I cried. “Jada a burglar? That’s too stupid, Stan. She’s a twelve-year-old girl, like me, She doesn’t put on a costume and sneak out in the middle of the night to rob houses.”
I moved to the window and tugged on the shade until it slid up. Gray light washed into the room. The window had been left open a crack.
I peered outside. A high tree branch rested rightoutside. It would be easy for someone to climb out this window, onto the tree branch—and then climb down to the ground.
What was I thinking?
“You are so not right,” I told Stan. No way my cousin is a burglar!”
Stan nodded. “Yeah. It’s a stupid idea. Don’t ever tell Jada I said it.”
He started to fold up the tights. “I don’t think we solved the mystery, Selena.”
“We made the mystery even more mysterious,” I said. I tugged down the shade. Then I started to fold the cloak.
“Hey—is anybody home?” a voice called.
Stan and I both gasped.
Jada’s voice. From downstairs.
We were caught.
About the Author
R.L. STINE says he has a great job. “My job is to give kids the CREEPS!” With his scary books, R.L. has terrified kids all over the world. He has sold over 300 million books, making him the best-selling children’s author in history.
These days, R.L. is dishing out new frights in his series THE NIGHTMARE ROOM. When he isn’t working, he likes to read old mysteries, watch SpongeBob Squarepants on TV, and take his dog, Nadine, for long walks around New York City, where he lives with his wife, Jane, and son, Matthew.
“I love taking my readers to scary places,” R.L. says. “Do you know the scariest place of all? It’s your MIND!”
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Credits
Cover design by John Fontana
Cover illustration by Vince Natale
Copyright
THE NIGHTMARE ROOM #7: THE HOWLER . Copyright © 2001 by Parachute Publishing, L.L.C. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition June 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-190453-0
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073,
I slid the mask under the hood of the cloak. And then another idea struck me. “It looks like some kind of superhero costume,” I said. “ The Masked Cape Person !”
Stan still had the black tights in his hand. “Yeah. Well, I guess that’s what superheroes wear, right? Tights and a cape?”
I raised the cloak in front of me. “Do you think this is Jada’s? Think she wears this stuff?”
Stan shook his head. His face was knotted in confusion.
I laughed. “Maybe Jada has a secret life that no one knows about. Maybe she sneaks in here at night, and put on this costume, and pretends to be The Masked Cape Person!”
Stan shook his head. “This is just too weird,” he said again.
And then his expression changed. His eyes went wide. He suddenly turned pale. “Selena—” he whispered, staring at the mask in my hand.
“What? What’s wrong?” I asked.
“What if—what if that’s a burglar costume?”
I let out a gasp. “Excuse me?”
“It looks like something a burglar might wear,” Stan said. “And didn’t they say on the news—”
“That the person who has been robbing houses in Elmwood wore a mask and a cape?” I cut in.
Stan nodded excitedly.
“But that’s totally insane!” I cried. “Jada a burglar? That’s too stupid, Stan. She’s a twelve-year-old girl, like me, She doesn’t put on a costume and sneak out in the middle of the night to rob houses.”
I moved to the window and tugged on the shade until it slid up. Gray light washed into the room. The window had been left open a crack.
I peered outside. A high tree branch rested rightoutside. It would be easy for someone to climb out this window, onto the tree branch—and then climb down to the ground.
What was I thinking?
“You are so not right,” I told Stan. No way my cousin is a burglar!”
Stan nodded. “Yeah. It’s a stupid idea. Don’t ever tell Jada I said it.”
He started to fold up the tights. “I don’t think we solved the mystery, Selena.”
“We made the mystery even more mysterious,” I said. I tugged down the shade. Then I started to fold the cloak.
“Hey—is anybody home?” a voice called.
Stan and I both gasped.
Jada’s voice. From downstairs.
We were caught.
About the Author
R.L. STINE says he has a great job. “My job is to give kids the CREEPS!” With his scary books, R.L. has terrified kids all over the world. He has sold over 300 million books, making him the best-selling children’s author in history.
These days, R.L. is dishing out new frights in his series THE NIGHTMARE ROOM. When he isn’t working, he likes to read old mysteries, watch SpongeBob Squarepants on TV, and take his dog, Nadine, for long walks around New York City, where he lives with his wife, Jane, and son, Matthew.
“I love taking my readers to scary places,” R.L. says. “Do you know the scariest place of all? It’s your MIND!”
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Credits
Cover design by John Fontana
Cover illustration by Vince Natale
Copyright
THE NIGHTMARE ROOM #7: THE HOWLER . Copyright © 2001 by Parachute Publishing, L.L.C. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Adobe Digital Edition June 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-190453-0
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073,
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