Michael Dahl - The Voice in the Boys Room: And Other Scary Tales

Dear Reader,

My friend Thom invited me to an unusual Halloween party.

Each guest had to bring a scary story to read. There were only seven of us. After dinner, Thom lit candles and then turned out the lights.

One by one, the guests told their tales.

Some stories were from comics, some from books. One guest had printed his out from the computer. My story was the true tale of a haunted coal mine. Each story gave us goose bumps.

You, too, have been invited to a party. By opening this book you have accepted the invitation. Dont worry if you didnt bring your own scary story. There are plenty here.

You dont need to turn out the lights, either.

THE GOOSE BUMPS WILL STILL COME.

Nina stood up and faced her giant chocolate birthday cake.

Make a wish! Make a wish! her friends shouted. They crowded around the table to get a good look at the birthday girl.

Ninas mom and dad stood nearby, smiling, presents in their arms.

Make a wish, honey, said her mom.

Nina thought hard. Wishes were serious. She bent toward the nine candles and blew.

Yeah! everyone shouted. The candles went out.

But a breeze kept blowing. A strong breeze. It blew across the table, fluttering napkins and shoving aside balloons. Party hats went flying. Birthday presents tumbled onto the floor. The wind whistled louder and louder.

Nina didnt move. She stood still, confetti and streamers swirling around her. Its coming true, she said.

Ninas mom fought against the wind to reach her side. What are you talking about? she yelled. What did you wish for?

I wished Great-Aunt Sally could come to my birthday party, Nina said.

No, honey, said her mom. Your Great-Aunt Sally died last week. Dont you remember?

The doorbell rang.

Someones at the door! yelled a kid.

Ninas parents frowned. Was it a late party guest?

Dad marched toward the door.

The wind grew stronger. It rushed against the huge birthday cake.

No ones out here, Ninas dad called out.

Frosting slid down the sides of the cake. The candles flew into the air. The top of the cake exploded, pushed up from inside. Up rose a round white skull, dripping with chocolate. It turned to face Nina.

Happy birthday, dear, said the skull. I didnt think Id make it.

The minute arrives.

Door opens I run! I scream!

The clock pulls me back.

The eye doctor puts drops in my eyes.

This wont hurt, he says. And hes right. It doesnt hurt at all. Theres a funny stinging on my eyeballs, but thats all.

This is a new medicine, he says. It should clear up that really quickly.

Hes talking about the weird eye infection I got at school. Lots of kids were getting it even a few teachers. It makes green crud come out of your eyes, and everything looks fuzzy. So my mom took me to see our eye doctor, Dr. Glass, this morning. I know. Glass. Funny, right?

Dont rub your eyes for at least an hour, says the doctor.

My mom is leading me out of the office when Dr. G. stops us. Oh, one other thing, Kevin, he says to me. Theres a little side effect.

Side effect? I repeat.

You might feel a little dizzy, Dr. Glass says as he carefully reads the label on the bottle of medicine he dropped into my eyes just a minute ago.

Didnt he check it out before? I wonder. And suddenly Im not feeling great about my visit.

It seems youll have double vision, he says. It should wear off in a few hours. Nothing to worry about.

Double vision? I ask. Im about to say, What does that mean? But suddenly Im staring at two doctors, each holding a bottle in their right hand. Okay, I think. I know what it means.

My mom leads me out of the doctors office, down the hall, and into the elevator. I hate elevators, but Dr. Glasss office is on the twenty-third floor of the medical building downtown. Theres no way Id be able to climb down twenty-three flights of stairs.

My eyes feel hot. I start to rub them, but then my mom says, Remember what the doctor said. Dont rub your eyes.

They itch, I reply.

Try not to think about it, she says.

Im not thinking about it, I say. And they still itch.

Hush! she says, glancing around the elevator car. Shes looking at the two other passengers, embarrassed.

I close my eyes, but they start to sting. When I open them again, the elevator has two more passengers.

Weird. I dont remember the elevator stopping. I didnt hear the little ding it makes when it stops at a floor. I didnt hear the footsteps of people getting on.

My eyes are hot, so I blink again. Now I see eight people in the elevator. Oh yeah, double vision, I remind myself. My eyes are playing tricks.

But the people in the elevator are acting odd. I hear a woman gasp. A man says, Let me off! Now!

Blink.

Now the elevator is almost full. And whats even weirder, there are lots of people wearing the same clothes. Like theyre clones or something. At first I thought it was just my eyes acting funny because of the drops. But people are starting to cram in tighter and tighter, so maybe there really are more people on the elevator.

Blink.

Without warning, Im shoved up against the wall.

Where are all these people coming from? cries my mother.

And I realize Im not only seeing doubles. There are doubles. Doubles of doubles. The number of passengers is doubling, and then doubling again. Each time I blink, more people pop into view. It isnt my eyes. Its really happening.

This is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to me. I cant help myself. I have to look again.

Blink.

Not a good idea.

I get pushed into a corner of the elevator. The air is stuffy, and someone just farted. Great.

Push the stop button! someone yells.

Move your elbow! says another.

I cant reach the buttons, says a third. Its too crowded.

How many people are there? How many bodies can the elevator hold? At least it feels like the elevator is still going down.

Thud.

The elevator stops. Were stuck between floors!

Kevin! I hear my moms voice.

Im back here, I reply. I dont dare to look at her. I keep my eyes squeezed shut.

Four men near the front of the elevator all say at the same time, Were on the main floor. This is the lobby. But the doors wont open.