Free Return of the Mummy by R. L. Stine

was desperate to find my mummy hand. But I knew there was no time to think about it now. “We’ve got to make a run for it,” I told Sari. “The mummy is slow and stiff. If we can get past it …”
    “But what about Daddy?” she cried. “We can’t just leave him here.”
    “We have to,” I told her. “We’ll get help. We’ll come back for him.”
    The mummy made a brittle cracking sound asit stepped forward. The sound of an ancient bone breaking.
    But it continued toward us, moving stiffly but steadily, its arms outstretched.
    “Sari — run — now!” I screamed.
    I gave her a hard shove to get her going.
    The room blurred as I forced myself to move.
    The mummy made another loud cracking sound. It leaned its body forward and reached out as we dodged around it.
    I tried to duck under the mummy’s outstretched hand. But I felt the scrape of its ancient fingers against the back of my neck — cold fingers, hard as a statue.
    I knew it was a touch I would never forget.
    My neck tingled. I lowered my head from its grasp — and plunged forward.
    Sari let out low sobs as she ran. My heart raced as I hurried to catch up to her. I forced myself to run, but my legs felt so heavy, as if they were made of solid stone.
    We were nearly to the doorway when we saw a flickering light.
    Sari and I both cried out and skidded to a stop as a beam of light swept into the room. Behind the light, a figure stepped into the doorway.
    Shielding my eyes from the sudden brightness, I squinted hard, eager to see who it was.
    “Nila!” I cried as she raised the flashlight beam to the ceiling. “Nila — help us!” I choked out.
    “It’s come alive!” Sari shouted to her. “Nila — it’s come alive!” She pointed back toward the mummy.
    “Help us!” I screamed.
    Nila’s green eyes widened in surprise. “What can I do?” she asked. And then her expression changed quickly to anger. “What can I do about you two kids? You shouldn’t be here. You’re going to ruin everything!”
    “Huh?” I cried out in surprise.
    Nila stepped into the room. She raised her right hand.
    In the dim light, I struggled to make out what she was holding up.
    My little mummy hand!
    She raised it toward the mummy! “Come to me, my brother!” Nila called.

23
    “How did you get my mummy hand? What are you doing?” I demanded.
    Nila ignored my questions. She held the flashlight in one hand. She gripped the little hand in the other, holding it up toward the approaching mummy.
    “Come here, my brother!” she called, waving the hand, summoning the mummy. “It is I, Princess Nila!”
    Its legs cracking, its brittle bones breaking inside the gauze wrappings, the mummy obediently dragged itself forward.
    “Nila — stop it! What are you
doing?”
Sari shrieked.
    But Nila continued to ignore us. “It is I, your sister!” she called to the mummy. A triumphant smile crossed her pretty face. Her green eyes sparkled like flashing emeralds in the darting light.
    “I have waited so long for this day,” Nila toldthe mummy. “I have waited so many centuries, my brother, hoping that someday someone would uncover your tomb and we could be reunited.”
    Nila’s face glowed with excitement. The little mummy hand trembled in her hand. “I have brought you back to life, my brother!” she called to the mummy. “I have waited for centuries. But it will all be worth it. You and I will share all this treasure. And with our powers, we shall rule Egypt together — as we did three thousand years ago!”
    She lowered her eyes to me. “Thank you, Gabe!” she cried. “Thank you for the Summoner! As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to have it. I knew it could bring my brother back to me! The ancient words weren’t enough. I needed the Summoner, too!”
    “Give it back!” I demanded, reaching out for it. “It’s mine, Nila. Give it back.”
    A cruel laugh escaped her throat. “You won’t be needing it, Gabe,” she said softly.
    She waved the hand at the