DEAR BRITNEY CROSBY:
Let the SCREAMS begin! You have won a free, weeklong stay at HORRORLAND Theme Park, the SCARIEST Place on Earth!
Bring your PARENTS. Bring your friend MOLLY MOLLOY. And be sure to bring something to feed the WEREWOLVES (like an arm or a leg!).
We've enclosed FREE PASSES to CROCODILE CAFE, where you can grab a quick bite. And free tickets to our challenging SWIM-WITH-A-HUNGRY-SHARK ride! (Hope you're a FAST swimmer!)
You don't need a ticket to the BOTTOMLESS QUICKSAND PIT. Drop in anytime!
We know you and Molly will never forget your stay at our famous hotel, STAGGER INN - it's a real SCREAM! (Really!)
So come be our GHOST - oops - we mean GUEST.
We look forward to SCARING you!
Please RSVP to:
Di Kwickly, Guest Relations
Chapter 1
Molly and I sat in the back seat of my parents' car and talked all the way to HorrorLand. After four hours our talk talk talk, Dad cranked up the radio as loud as he could. That was his subtle hint that we should take a break.
"You two are chattering like magpies," Mom said
"What are magpies?" I asked.
"Little black-and-white birds that chatter a lot," Mom said. "Why don't you two enjoy the scenery for a while?"
"Yeah. For sure," I said.
Molly and I went back to our conversation. We were totally psyched. Our friends Kaitlin and Jason went to HorrorLand last spring, They told us all about it when they got back. They said it was the coolest place they'd ever been. Kaitlin told us they have a werewolf petting zoo and the werewolves looked totally real! Jason liked the rides. He said be sure to check out the Doom Slide, the world's longest slide. And to check out Black Lagoon Water Park.
So here we are, on our way to the famous, scary theme park, riding through endless farmland, all the windows down because the air conditioner stopped working, talking nonstop.
Finally, the park came into view. We drove through the wide-open mouth of an enormous purple dragon. It had to be ten stories high! Into the endless parking lot, jammed with cars. Up ahead I saw a tall green-and-purple billboard. It said:
WELCOME TO HORRORLAND. WHERE NIGHTMARES COME TO LIFE!
I slapped Molly a high-five. "This is gonna be awesome!" I cried.
"And it's all free!" Dad chimed in. "Brittney, what did you do to win free tickets?"
I shrugged. "Beats me. I didn't enter a contest or anything. I don't know how I got picked."
"They seemed to know a lot about us," Molly said. "They knew my name. It's totally weird."
This is one of the biggest theme parks in the world," Dad said. "They do a lot of research on people."
We climbed out of the car. The afternoon sun beamed down from the clear, cloudless sky. Large black birds circled high over head.
"Are those buzzards?" Mom asked, shielding her eyes with one hand. "Don't buzzards feed on dead things?"
Dad laughed. "They're probably animated robots or something. Very clever."
He watched the buzzards for a moment. Then he popped the trunk and started to pull out our bags.
I tried to see into the park. But it was surrounded by a tall green fence.
Deep scary organ music poured out of the speakers above our heads.
Mom frowned. "That's the kind of music they play at funerals," she murmured.
Molly tugged the sleeve of my shirt. "Hear those kids screaming?" she asked. She suddenly looked frightened.
"Sounds like they're on a roller coaster or something," I told her. "Remember? Jason said the rides here are incredible."
Dad pulled out his new digital camera and snapped some pictures if the park entrance and the big WELCOME sign. Then we carried our bags down the long row of cars. I spotted a ticket booth next to the wide iron front gate. It looked like a green-and-purple castle.
Molly laughed. "Check out that sign." She pointed to the fence beside the booth. The sign read: YOU MUST BE THIS TALL TO ENTER.
And the arrow was only two feet off the ground! Dad snapped a photo of it.
"Looks fun," Mom said. "It'll be like living in a horror movie for a week."
We lined our bags up on the walk and stepped up to the ticket window. No one there.
"That's weird," Dad said. "Maybe this booth is closed."
"It can't be," I said. "It's the only one."
"Be patient," Mom said. "Someone will come."
So we waited. And waited some more. The hot sun broiling us, our sweat making us itchy. Listening to the screams inside and watching the fat buzzards swoop low overhead.
"Something is wrong," Dad started. "If this the only booth, I think -"
He never finished his sentence. Suddenly, a hideous horned creature - purple and green with pointed fangs and giant curled claws - leaped out through the ticket window. With a low, nasty growl, he grabbed me by my throat. And I started to scream.
Chapter 2
"Sorry," the creature said. He let go if me and patted my shoulder gently. "Just doing my job, you know."
We all laughed. My heart was still pounding. But I didn't want to let on that he had scared me. He climbed back into the ticket booth and poked his out the opening. His long horns scraped the side of the booth.
"I'm a Horror," he said. "We're the park workers. It's not a bad job. I have paid vacations, and I get to eat any small children I catch."
We all laughed.
On the other side of the fence, I heard snarling animal sounds. The snarls turned into a roar. And I heard people screaming.
"Sounds like one of the creatures escaped Werewolf Village," the Horror said. "That happens from time to time. It can get very messy."
Molly and I exchanged glances. I wished Molly would lighten up. She just looked so tense.
"We have a special invitation," Dad said. He pulled the letter from his pocket and handed it to the Horror. The Horror pretended to eat it
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