Free The Haunted Mask II by R. L. Stine Page A

my second piece!” Sabrina protested with her mouth full.
    We stepped into the darkness. Some kids in costumes were coming up the
driveway, all carrying bulging trick-or-treat bags. “Hey, Carly Beth—where are
you going?” a girl called.
    “I’m doing a good deed!” Carly Beth replied. “See you guys later!” She turned
back to me. “I can’t believe you didn’t listen to me, Steve. You really look
disgusting.”
    “I can’t even wipe the green gobs out of my nose!” I wailed.
    Holding me by the shoulder, she guided me toward my house. We crossed the
street onto my block. I heard kids laughing and loud music inside the house on
the corner. A Halloween party.
    As we passed the house, I stumbled over a moving shadow. Carly Beth caught me
before I fell. “What was that?” I cried.
    Then I saw it scamper silently across the street. A black cat.
    I laughed. What else could I do? I had to laugh.
    Go ahead, cat, I thought bitterly. Go ahead and cross my path. I couldn’t
have any worse luck—could I?
    My house came into view past a row of tall evergreen shrubs. Through the
shrubs, I could see that nearly all the downstairs lights were on.
    “Are your parents home?” Carly Beth asked, helping me across the grass.
    I nodded. “Yeah. They’re home.”
    “Do they know about the… uh…”
    “No,” I replied. “They think it’s a costume.”
    As we stepped onto the front stoop, I could hear Sparky start to bark inside
the house. I pushed open the door, and the little dog let out an excited yip and leaped up at me.
    His paws landed on my waist and pushed me back hard. I toppled against the
wall.
    “Down, Sparky! Please! Get down!” I pleaded in my old man’s croak.
    I knew Sparky was glad to see me. But I was too feeble for his usual
greeting.
    “Down, boy! Please!”
    Carly Beth finally managed to pull the dog off me so that I could stand up.
Then she held onto Sparky until I regained my balance.
    “Steve—is that you?” I heard Mom call from the den. “You’re back so early!”
    Mom stepped into the living room. She had changed into the gray flannel
housedress she usually relaxes in at night, and she had her blond hair in
curlers.
    “Oh, hi, Carly Beth!” she cried in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting visitors. I—”
    “That’s okay, Mom,” I croaked. “We’re only staying a minute. We came back to
get something.”
    “Don’t you love Steve’s costume?” Mom asked Carly Beth. “Isn’t that the most
horrible mask you ever saw?”
    “You mean he’s wearing a mask?” Carly Beth joked. She and Mom enjoyed a good
laugh.
    Sparky sniffed my shoes.
    “What did you come back here for?” Mom asked me.
    “Those black-and-white cookies,” I replied eagerly. “You know. The ones you
bought me yesterday.”
    Those cookies were a symbol of love.
    Mom had told me how she drove two miles out of her way to buy them for me.
She knew they were my favorite cookies in the whole world. And she drove out of
her way to buy them because she loves me.
    So the cookies were the perfect symbol of love.
    I couldn’t wait to bite into one. One bite, I knew—and I’d be able to pull
off this horrible mask.
    Mom’s face twisted in surprise. She narrowed her eyes, studying me. “You came
back here for those cookies? Why? What about all your trick-or-treat candy?”
    “Uh… well…” I stammered. My brain stalled. I couldn’t think of a good
reason.
    “He had a strong craving,” Carly Beth chimed in. “He told me he’s been
thinking about those cookies all night.”
    “That’s right. I had a craving,” I repeated. “Candy bars can’t compare, Mom.
Those cookies are the best.”
    “I love them, too,” Carly Beth added. “So I came back with Steve. We want to
bring them to my Halloween party.”
    Mom tsk-tsked. “What a shame,” she said.
    “Huh?” I cried, feeling my heart skip a beat. “What do you mean? What’s
wrong?”
    Mom shook her head. “The cookies are gone,”