Night of the Creepy Things by R.L. Stine Page B

Welcome Back Day one of our most famous graduates. Let’s give a real Rotten welcome to…B. A. Gool!”
    We all cheered and jumped up and down and went nuts.
    And there he came, B. A. Gool, walking onto the stage…and everyone gasped in shock !

Chapter 3
H ELP ! I T’S S TUCK TO M Y F OOT !
    Everyone gasped in shock…because he looked totally normal !
    He wasn’t weird in any way. He was tall and thin. He had wavy brown hair, wore black-rimmed glasses, and had a nice smile as he stepped up to the microphone.
    No black cape. No fangs. He wore a pale blue shirt under a gray sports jacket and faded jeans.
    â€œMy name is B. A. Gool,” he said in a soft voice. “And my job is to scare you!”
    A few kids laughed. But most of us just stared athim. He wasn’t scary at all!
    â€œKids ask me all the time where I get my ideas for my scary movies,” he continued. “Well, a lot of my scariest ideas came from right here at Rotten School.”
    â€œYEAAAA!” Belzer cheered and kicked the seat in front of him.
    I glanced down the row. At the end, my friend Chipmunk had his hands covering his face. He scrunched down low, hiding behind the seat backs.
    Chipmunk is the shyest kid at Rotten School. He’s so shy, he has trouble talking to himself ! Poor guy. I could see that he was really scared of B. A. Gool.
    â€œI lived in Rotten House,” B. A. Gool said, “and my room was very crowded—with insects ! At night I would wake up with bugs and worms crawling all over my body…in my hair…in my ears…and on my tongue.”
    â€œMe too!” someone shouted.
    In the next row, my friend Beast shouted, “Did you eat any of them?”
    A lot of kids laughed. But we knew Beast wasn’tjoking. Beast is a little strange. We’re not sure if he’s human or not. He’s way too hairy to be a human. And he chews the bark off trees.
    â€œMr. Gool!” Beast shouted. “What did you do with the bugs you pulled from your nose?”
    Gool squinted at Beast. “Good question. I’ll answer your questions later,” he said. “Anyway, that’s where I got the ideas for my first two movies— Bugs on My Face and Bugs on My Face II: Night of the Living Bugs .”
    The whole auditorium went nuts, cheering and clapping. My buddies and I have watched those movies at least ten times—and then we itch for a week!
    â€œThis is a wonderful school for horror,” Gool said. “I remember one night in fifth grade. I went for a late-night swim in Pooper’s Pond. I dove in. And when I came up, some kind of slimy, sticky jellyfish creature had attached itself to the bottom of my foot.
    â€œMan, did that sting ! I sat down and tried to pull it off. But it stuck to my foot. My friends tried to tug it off. The slimy thing wouldn’t budge. It was stuck tight.”

    â€œFinally they helped carry me to the nurse,” Gool said. “She tried to cut it off—but it wouldn’t cut !”
    He held up his left shoe. “I’m still wearing it!” he cried. “I’ve had this creature stuck on the bottom of my foot for twenty years ! That’s why I have to wear such big shoes.”
    Everyone oohed and aahed.
    â€œBut it gave me the idea for my biggest film,” Gool said. “I’m sure you all remember HELP! It’s STUCK to My FOOT! ”
    Again the auditorium went nuts. Everyone stood up and cheered and shouted.

    Everyone except Chipmunk.
    Now he was hiding under his seat with his head buried in his hands.
    â€œSo, enjoy the horror, everyone!” Gool shouted. “You’ve come to the right school!”
    We all settled back down into our seats. I saw Beast pull a fat, brown bug from his hair and toss it onstage. It landed on B. A. Gool’s neck. I don’t think he saw it.
    â€œAnd now I have big news…” he said. “I have a big announcement for all