After carefully shimmying down the tree, you and Jeanine drop into a field of headstones that must have been in back of the house - a cemetery! "Oh wow," Jeanine says. "Let's look around."\n[["Okay!"|30D]]\n[["YOU can look around! I'm done with this place!"|30E]]

There's a little baby bird chirping in this nest! "Aw, cute!" Jeanine says. You have to admit, even with its jagged, sharp beak, it's pretty cute. This nest is full of bones - like, really really big ones. And - is that a human toe?! "Braaak!" the little bird cries. A shadows falls over you - the mother is returning to the nest. And she's much, much bigger than her baby. THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You don't remember closing the bathroom door behind you, but it's closed! And locked! Meanwhile, the ooze has reached your ankles! "The toilet was cool but now this is getting kind of gross," says Jeanine.\n[[Use the plunger!|29E]]\n[[Escape out the window!|28E]]

You grab the plunger and shove it into the toilet, plunging with all your might! With a POP the tongue comes unstuck. It lays in the bowl, exhausted and docile for now. You gently close the toilet lid. "That's a really cool plunger," Jeanine says. You look at it for the first time. The handle is a skeleton's arm bone. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You don't find anything under the bed except miles of writhing black tentacles.\n[[Look inside the closet.|30C]]\n[[Examine that lump in the carpet.|30B]]

You lift the rug. It's just a potato with rows and rows of tiny, needle-like teeth.\n[[Look in the closet.|30C]]\n[[Check under the bed.|30A]]

There's nothing in the closet other than the thousand screaming rat corpses.\n[[Look under the bed.|30A]]\n[[Examine that lump in the rug.|30B]]

"OH, COME IN THEN." The door slowly creaks open. Jeanine shrugs, then grabs you by the hand and pulls you into an old, dust-covered foyer.\n[[Explore the kitchen!|10A]]\n[[Investigate the library!|10B]]\n[[Look upstairs.|10C]]

Silence for another minute. And then: "HA HA HA, HA HA HA HA HA!" The house is shaking with unearthly laughter! You and Jeanine have to hold onto each other to keep from falling over. Then the house speaks again: "WHAT DO YOU CALL A BONE THAT MAKES MUSIC?" You are too stunned to answer. "A TROM-BONE!" THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"THEN ALLOW US TO PROVIDE ONE." Suddenly a trap door opens and Jeanine vanishes down a chute. Oh gosh!\n[[Dive in after her!|4A]]\n[[Get outta here!|4C]]

"EXCELLENT," the house bellows. "WE HAVE MANY OF THOSE HERE." The door slowly opens. "I knew this was gonna pay off!" Jeanine grins, grabbing your hand and tugging you into the house. You stand in an old, creepy foyer.\n[[Explore the kitchen!|10A]]\n[[Investigate the library!|10B]]\n[[Look upstairs.|10C]]

It's brain juice, you know it is. Sure enough, you find a tiny, typewritten label near the bottom: "Brain Juice." You knew it. You wonder if drinking some will help you with math. The brain juice bubbles and gurgles.\n[[There's a door nearby marked "SPECIMENS."|6A]]\n[[A second door is marked "NEVER ENTER."|6B]]

"I can't believe you!" Jeanine wails, flailing her hands wildly. "What? How did I get out of the stocks? I had to pick the lock with this gross old bone." She shows you a small, brown, finger-like object. You look closer. It's not a bone after all! It's a small man! "Hello," he says, and begins to giggle hideously. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

On the table is a tray labelled "Kid Foot," and on it - gosh! - that's a foot alright. Next to it, a tray labelled "Kid Elbow" - t-that's an elbow alright. Last, there's one labelled "Kid Head" - empty! Uh oh, you'd better find Jeanine FAST!\n[[There's a nearby door marked "SPECIMENS."|6A]]\n[[A second door is marked "NEVER ENTER."|6B]]

The sheet is lumpy and oddly shaped. You wonder what could be under it! You yank it off - the slab underneath is empty. "RUDE," remarks the floating sheet behind you. YEEPS! Run!!\n[[There's a door marked "SPECIMENS!"|6A]]\n[[The other door is marked "NEVER ENTER!"|6B]]

You take a bite of the mushroom. It tastes like cotton candy. Yum! Wait, what's going on? Your clothes are getting bigger. No! You're getting smaller! Is this the Mushroom of Youth? "Dogification mushroom?" Jeanine says. You bark. "Huh. Well, here," she says, tossing you a weird, black-and-white-striped bone. "It was growing out of a mushroom. It's probably safe to gnaw on." THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You return to the kitchen with the spice in hand. There's no sign of Jeanine, save for one of Jeanine's shoes, which the old woman hastily slides under the table with her foot. "Ahem. What spice did you bring me?"\n[["E-e-eye of n-newt."|13A]]\n[["A-a-a wolf's d-dream."|13A]]\n[["A-a-allspice."|13A]]\n[["G-g-ghost p-powder."|13A]]

Nervously, dip your spoon. Even in your spoon, the soup is still bubbling furiously. You close your eyes and put it in your mouth. Wow! This is really good! "Wow!" you say. "This is really good!" The old woman smiles even wider.\n[["What's in it?"|13B]]\n[["Can we have seconds?"|13C]]

"Rude!" Jeanine says, scarfing down the bubbling soup. "This is really really good. It could use a little something, though." "Well," says the old woman, "if you don't want to eat, perhaps you could go get me something to spice it up." She directs you to the pantry.\n[[Eye of newt?|12A]]\n[[A wolf's dream?|12A]]\n[[Allspice?|12A]]\n[[Ghost powder.|12A]]

Most of the books in the library turn to dust in your hands. On a table in the very back of the room, though, you find a book that looks intact, albeit very, very old: "Magick Spells of Relative Utility." On top of it is a skull.\n[[Read the ancient tome.|13F]]\n[[Or I guess you could try that suspicious book in the bookcase.|13G]]\n[[Leave the library.|12E]]

You leave the library and take off down the hallway. You haven't noticed how dark it's become until you SLAM into a wall! Ouch! You rub your sore nose. It's completely pitch black!\n[[Go this way!|33A]]\n[[No, go that other way!|33A]]\n[[Not that way! Turn around!|33A]]\n[[No no no, your other around!|33A]]

You and Jeanine descend the winding stone staircase. It's a little weird how the torches light up on their own as you pass them. Must be some kind of electronic novelty torches. Soon you arrive at a vestibule with two doors.\n[[An ornately-decorated archway to the left.|13D]]\n[[A plain but ominous stone portal to the right.|13E]]

You turn back to the bookcase to find the secret book. But your hand passes right through them! Oh no! These were g-ghost books all along! Well, no choice but the staircase. You descend, eventually arriving at a vestibule with two doors.\n[[An ornately-decorated archway to the left.|13D]]\n[[A plain but ominous stone portal to the right.|13E]]

You stand inside the immense iron maiden, spikes bristling against your back. "Well, it was nice knowin' ya!" Jeanine slams the lid shut on you.\n[[Scream!|21H]]\n[[Cry!|21H]]\n[[Hollar!|21H]]\n[[Take deep, slow breaths.|21H]]

I don't know much about art, you think, but I know what I DON'T like! "Where do you think you're going?" someone yells. You turn. Trapped in the very last portrait is Jeanine, next to a cat and a bowl of fruit! "Get me out of here!" she demands. "Mrrow!" says the cat.\n[[Break the painting in half!|37B]]\n[[Burn it with your candle!|37C]]\n[[Flip the painting over!|37D]]

You read the spell - POOF! A cloud of wispy eyeballs is conjured, scanning every surface that you see and, you imagine, many that you do not. When they ultimately disperse smoke, a single figure is revealed within. Is it - it's Nancy Mew, your missing cat. You scoop her up into a big hug. Mwah mwah mwah! You give her so many smooches. "Mmroww," she coos. You missed your kitty so much! Jeanine can find her own way out, probably. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

A Very Very VERY Scary House

You hold your candle to the corner of the painting. It immediately catches fire! "Is this a good idea?" Jeanine asks. "I feel kind of warm!" The painting goes up in flames - and then, standing next to you, are Jeanine, a cat, and a bowl of fruit. "Mrrow!" says the cat. "I guess that worked," Jeanine says, coughing through the smoke. "Except now the house is on fire." The cat bolts from the room and is gone. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Fine! I'll go!" She strides confidently into the Iron Maiden and stands with her shoulder brushing the spikes of the back panel. "Now close it on me."\n[["W-well, if you say so."|21F]]\n[["No! That's an awful idea!"|21G]]

You pick up the painting. You kick the frame in half and tear the canvas down the middle. "Whoa!" Jeanine whoops, sliding down out of the painting and onto the floor. "Thanks, I owe ya," she says. Then she notices how large you are. She's the same size as she was in the painting! A series of tiny fruits bounces off her head. Then a cat falls into her arms. "Mrrow!" it says. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You put out your hands to touch the wall. It feels warm and wet. You can feel it breathing. Aah! J-jeepers! You wish it were less dark! "Take this," says a mysterious voice, as a lit candle is placed in your hands. But t-there's n-no one around!\n[[It looks like this door leads to - an art gallery?|35A]]\n[[There's also a creepy staircase leading to the cellar.|35B]]

You hold your breath and listen. You can hear - slathering? You listen closer. Are those words? Something like "right behind you." AAAAH! "Calm down, calm down," says a voice. "Here, take this." A lit candle is placed in your hands. But t-there's n-no one around!\n[[It looks like this door leads to - an art gallery?|35A]]\n[[There's also a creepy staircase leading to the cellar.|35B]]

BAM!! You slam into another wall! That was a terrible idea! Here, take this," says a mysterious voice, as a lit candle is placed in your hands. But t-there's n-no one around!\n[[It looks like this door leads to - an art gallery?|35A]]\n[[There's also a creepy staircase leading to the cellar.|35B]]

"I WAS trying to perform a very important ritual," she says. "But I lost my familiar, Kitty Meowsevelt. If you help me find him, I can show you something cool!"\n[[Check in the closet.|29A]]\n[[Look under the bed.|29B]]\n[[Examine that lump in the rug.|29C]]

"You're saying I should eat you now? Well, alright, all that wrapping made me pretty hungry." She bares a set of drooling fangs! Just then, something falls on the web from above. It's your candlestick. "Uh oh," the spider says as the web catches fire.\n[[Rock back and forth in the web!|38A]]\n[[Come up with something witty to say.|38B]]

You gingerly lift the lid of the toilet. BLARGH!! A huge slimy tongue lunges for you! "Radical!" says Jeanine. You quickly flush the toilet, and the tongue is sucked back in. Oh no! It's stuck - and the room is filling with gross, slimy ooze.\n[[Run for the door!|29D]]\n[[Use the plunger!|29E]]\n[[Escape out the window!|28E]]

"What a spoilsport," Jeanine huffs after you leave the room. "I bet she was doing something cool. "Well, I bet we can find something even cooler to do!"\n[[Check out that creepy bathroom.|27A]]\n[[Return downstairs to the library.|10B]]

You push open the window - there's a twisted old tree just outside. "Gnarly," says Jeanine. She climbs up, and then helps you up after her. In a minute the two of you are high in the branches of the spooky tree.\n[[Let's get out of here! Climb down the tree.|29F]]\n[[Wait - what's that nest up on that branch?|29G]]

You pull back the shower curtains. GASP! A floating bar of soap is moving all by itself!! "Excuse me," says a tiny voice. As you watch, the soap rubs itself on thin air until a small cat appears. "Invisibility juice is really hard to get out of your fur," it says. "Meow." It jumps out of the shower and disappears. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You flip the painting over. Now you can see Jeanine and the cat's backs. Hee hee. "Hey! What are you doing?" she says. "Mrrow!" says the cat.\n[[Break the painting in half!|37B]]\n[[Burn it with your candle!|37C]]

"A real head-scratcher," she agrees, dragging you trembling toward the front door of the horrible house. "How do ya think we get in?"\n[[Ring the doorbell.|3A]]\n[[Knock on the door.|3B]]\n[[Look for a key under the mat.|3C]]\n[[Just open the door.|3D]]

"Yeah, what is up with that bone?" she asks, dragging you trembling toward the front door of the horrible house. "How do ya think we get in?"\n[[Ring the doorbell.|3A]]\n[[Knock on the door.|3B]]\n[[Look for a key under the mat.|3C]]\n[[Just open the door.|3D]]

"I didn't wrap your friend up cause I was worried she would be cold. That was a lot of work. I don't know if I could do it again on an empty stomach." She bares a set of fangs! Just then, something falls on the web from above. It's your candlestick. "Uh oh," the spider says as the web catches fire.\n[[Rock back and forth in the web!|38A]]\n[[Come up with something witty to say.|38B]]

"As much as you like," the old woman says, ladling you both another bowlful. "Yes, eat all you like. Fatten those bellies." Whatever, this soup is really good! You shovel spoonfuls into your mouth. Wait. You stop and look at your spoon. There's something weird and round and pink in your soup. It's - a human toe? THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"You want to see my secret ingredient? Go, take a look," the old woman says with a grin. The pot is tall, you'll have to stand on a step-stool to see over it. "Come on," Jeanine says, pulling you toward the pot. You both hoist yourself up on the precarious step-stool. "Look closer." You have to lean waaay over the boiling pot. And then you see it - a single human toe, sitting in the boiling soup, for flavor. THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Wonderful!" Her grin widens. You h-hadn't noticed how s-sharp her teeth were before. "Now come over here and put it in the pot." Trembling, you cross the room, approaching the h-huge, boiling pot. You can't see what's inside it. "Go on now." You step onto a step-stool to c-climb up to the pot. "That's it." Finally, you look into the pot - HEY! You grabbed the wrong spice! This one's labelled, "Preserved Toe." THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

Oh yeah, the suspicious book. You pull on it, and the bookcase flips around to reveal - "Hey!" says Jeanine. "Look what I found! It's the COMIC BOOK SECTION of the library!" The walls are stacked with comic books of every kind imaginable! "Look at this one! It's about a couple of kid detectives who are trapped in a room full of comic books forever! It's kind of boring, actually. Oo, hey, gimme that," she says, snatching a copy of "CAT WORLD" out of your hands. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You open the old tome. A cloud of ancient bone dust and fairy glitter engulfs you. When you cough your way through it, you see that you've opened the book to two different spells on facing pages.\n[["To Find One that is Lost."|14E]]\n[["Animate Skull."|14F]]

Jeanine grabs a torch off the wall and you proceed together through the bleak stone portal. Ick! The floor is lined with slimy water. "I think," Jeanine says, catching prison bars in the torchlight, "this might be some sort of DUNGEON!"\n[[Look inside the nearest cell.|19A]]\n[[That door, does that lead to a - torture chamber?|19B]]\n[[This place gives me the creeps! I'm out of here!|19C]]

You step through the archway and into a long, dark hallway. You can only walk a few steps before it's impossible to see. "I wish we brought one of those torches along," Jeanine complains. Suddenly there's a blazing torch in her hand. "Wow! Did you see that?"\n[["I wish I had a sandwich."|14A]]\n[["I wish for a million dollars."|14B]]\n[["I wish I was home!"|14C]]\n[[Wish for nothing.|14D]]

"Just close me in." You push the heavy, spike-lined lid closed. It shuts with a resounding, heart-stopping boom. Jeanine says nothing. Suddenly nervous, you pry the iron maiden back open. Jeanine is gone - not impaled. Just not there.\n[[She's got to be around here somewhere!|22I]]\n[[Get in the iron maiden yourself.|22J]]

"You're such a coward," Jeanine says, then grabs the lid of the iron maiden and slams it shut. You wait several minutes. She doesn't say anything else. Oh no. You pry the iron maiden back open. Jeanine is gone - not impaled. Just not there.\n[[She's got to be around here somewhere!|22I]]\n[[Get in the iron maiden yourself.|22J]]

Oh man! The iron maiden is a huge, heavy standing coffin lined with long, sharp, needle-like spikes like the teeth of some hideous monster mouth. "Go on! Maybe the key's in there!" Jeanine shouts!\n[[Look inside.|22F]]\n[[Go back and tell Jeanine what a coward you are.|22G]]

A dark, heavy-looking box sits on the floor. It looks big enough to fit a person, if they were stuffed in really carefully! There's a hole in the top - wide enough for your arm. You look inside, but it's too dark to see anything.\n[[Maybe the key's inside. Stick your arm in the hole.|22H]]\n[[N-no way! Go and explain to Jeanine what a coward you are.|22G]]

"Oh," it says, tilting its head. "Oh, I'm sorry. All this time really messes with your memory. I'M the executioner. I'M supposed to kill YOU." The skeleton carefully slides its bony wrists out of its shackles - and then lunges at you!\n[[Cower in terror!|22D]]\n[[Flee to the torture chamber!|22E]]

"What?" It points a bony finger at you. "If I was dead, do you think I'd still be hanging around this dungeon?" Then suddenly it notices there's no skin on its hand. "Oh. Oh! No kidding! I'm free! Haha! I'm free!" The skeleton suddenly crumbles to dust. Only a single femur bone remains, sticking out of the pile. You pick it up. It seems to be inscribed: "Thanks, kid." THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Well, get it over with! Just make it quick, I've been waiting so long." The skeleton bows its head.\n[[Punch skeleton.|22A]]\n[[Decapitate skeleton.|22B]]\n[[Just tap it gently on the head.|22C]]

It seems like a miracle, but the spikes are too short to actually pierce you. Jeanine opens the coffin, laughing. "I knew you'd be fine." She doesn't seem to notice the hundred ghostly figures crowded around her, their dead faces staring.\n[["Uh, Jeanine...!"|22N]]\n[["Who are your friends?"|22N]]\n[["AAAAH! GHOSTS!!"|22N]]

POOF! You look at the cage. Oh no! Jeanine is gone! "Don't worry, I'm still here. I think you just turned me invisible." The cage swings as she invisibly slips through the bars and jumps down. "So now I'm an invisible cat. That's cool, I can deal with that." THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

POOF! "Well, that's a relief," Jeanine says, stepping down from the cage, which has magically opened. "All of my parts seem to be back in order!" she assesses while scratching herself. "Hey, what are these red things all over my arms? Augh! You jerk, you gave me measles!" THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Yes, it's me. For seventy years I've been trapped in this cave. Seventy long years since you left me in that torture chamber. But you're gonna set things right. One of these mushrooms is a magic Mushroom of Youth. The other? Who knows. Try one."\n[[Eat the spiky black mushroom.|26B]]\n[[Eat the blue one with white spots.|26C]]\n[["I'm not eating any of these weird mushrooms!"|26D]]

"I have bathed my skin in mushroom cream every day for seventy years," she says. "Seventy long years since you left me in that torture chamber. But you're gonna set things right. One of these mushrooms is a magic Mushroom of Youth. The other? Who knows. Try one."\n[[Eat the spiky black mushroom.|26B]]\n[[Eat the blue one with white spots.|26C]]\n[["I'm not eating any of these weird mushrooms!"|26D]]

"Iron-maiden-to-iron-maiden transportation system. It's really efficient! But who would build such a thing, you're thinking? Guess. Go on, guess!"\n[["The Public Works Department?"|26A]]\n[["A cabal of ancient wizards?"|26A]]\n[["Some weird historical reenactment society?"|26A]]\n[["An eccentric millionaire?"|26A]]

"Good thinking!" Jeanine says. "You check under the mat." The mat says "HELLCOME." Weird. You stoop and lift it. A slimy green hand reaches out and hands you a small key. "Wow!" Jeanine says, "You were right! Let's go in."\n[[Unlock the door and go in.|4D]]\n[["Jeanine, wait! There's something under the mat!"|4E]]

Jeanine raps assertively on the warped old door. You're surprised her hand doesn't go right through it. There's silence for several long minutes. Just before you're about to leave, an ancient voice booms from behind the door. "WHO'S THERE?"\n[["The Boro Groves Junior Detective Agency!"|4F]]\n[["Little Old Lady!"|4G]]\n[["We're Scouts! Wanna buy some cookies?"|4H]]\n[["Whoops! Wrong address! We were looking for the other really scary haunted house."|4I]]

"Good idea," Jeanine says, reaching to ring the doorbell. "It's always polite to-" and then she disappears down a hidden chute.\n[[Dive in after her!|4A]]\n[[Go inside the house.|4B]]\n[[Get outta here!|4C]]

"Oh, of course," says Jeanine. But the door is already strangely ajar. "Come on!" She grabs you by the hand and drags you into a foyer hidden beneath a thick layer of dust and an even thicker layer of darkness.\n[[Check out the kitchen!|10A]]\n[[Investigate the library!|10B]]\n[[Look upstairs.|10C]]

In a clearing between the trees hunches an old, old woman. In front of her are several mushrooms. "Who goes there?" she hisses, looking up. "Y-you?! After all these years, how are you still so young-looking?"\n[["Jeanine?! Is that you?"|25F]]\n[["I moisturize."|25G]]

"Oh, Hecate!" croons the witch. Suddenly a twelve-feet tall jaguar covered in snarling mouths stands over you, flapping its eight wings and beating its snapping, snakelike tail against the ground. It breathes out a long hiss of sulfur as all of its mouths lick their lips in synchronicity. You close your eyes. Now you can't see the cat. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

Two spectral forms, half-skeletonized and full of holes, detach from the mass and enter the iron maiden together. It shuts, and they fake noises of pain. "OH, OUCH! GASP! HORROR!" The device opens. "THERE YOU GO." The ghosts vanish. "That was so rad," Jeanine says. Then you both turn toward the iron maiden. A single glowing, spectral bone rests inside it. "WHOOPS, FORGOT THAT." THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You touch the smooth wall of the huge crystal structure, and a triangular door appears, allowing you to enter. In a chamber of perfect crystal surfaces, you discover a lone iron maiden, open and empty. "BOO!" shouts Jeanine behind you.\n[["AAH! Jeanine! How'd you get here?"|25D]]\n[["EEK! Jeanine! Where are we?"|25E]]

You say the word aloud. POOF! "What did you just read?" Jeanine shouts. You turn and look at her. Oh gosh! Jeanine's body-parts are all mismatched - her arm is coming out of her head, her leg is all turned around, and her butt is right near her face. "I don't like this. Fix it!"\n[[Quick! Try this word: "ALAMEDA."|25A]]\n[[Or maybe this one: "ZIGZAGOON."|25B]]

"No, gross!" the witch says. She shakes Jeanine's cage, and there's a tinkling sound, like gems falling, though you can't see anything come off of Jeanine. "Oh, Hecate!" A small black cat appears and begins to eat something unseen off of the floor. Then the cat fades into invisibility. "It's important to feed cats a grain-free diet," says the witch. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You say the word aloud. POOF! "Uh, what did you just read?" asks Jeanine. You look over at the cage. Jeanine has turned into a small calico cat! "I like cats, but I'm not sure if I want to be one! Try another spell!"\n[[Maybe this magic word: "ZIGZAGOON."|25B]]\n[[Or maybe this one: "BANDOLIER."|25C]]

This is the spookiest library ever! Cobwebs drape the many shelves of books. A mouse scurries by - was it wearing reading glasses?! "Maybe we can learn something from one of these books!" Jeanine suggests.\n[[Magick Reagents|11C]]\n[[How to Pickle Kids|11D]]\n[[Jokes About Skeletons|11E]]\n[[A suspicious-looking book that's leaning out of the shelf a little too far.|11F]]

You and Jeanine climb a set of incredibly groany, creaking stairs. The second floor is even dingier and darker than the first floor! There's also some sort of weird wooden cupid statue at the top of the banister.\n[[The first door on the left - is that a bathroom?|27A]]\n[[The door at the end of the hall seems to be lit!|27B]]\n[[Check out this weird cupid statue.|27C]]

There's an enormous pot bubbling on the stove. It's so big, it takes up all four burners. "Oh good, someone for dinner." YIKES! An old woman is standing there, grinning hungrily. "I'm Jeanine Janeeny, junior detective, pleased to make your acquaintance!" "The pleasure is all mine," the woman smiles. "Won't you stay for supper?"\n[["W-what's for dinner?"|11A]]\n[["S-sorry, not hungry!"|11B]]

You run for your life, pushing past the ice-cold ghosts. You manage to get past them. Then you realize - Jeanine isn't with you! "Leave? Are you kidding?" You turn around - Jeanine is now see-through, glowing with ghostly light! "Look, I have ghost powers now!" She makes a fist, then slowly opens it. There's a disembodied big toe in the palm of her hand. "It's yours!" THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"AWW," say the ghosts, with visible disappointment. They fade and disappear. "Way to go, jerk," says Jeanine. "MEOW," says a ghostly voice. You turn and look - there's a small, see-through cat staring up at you. "WHOOPS," comes another voice. "I FORGOT MY KITTY." The cat fades from sight. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Rude," Jeanine says. She strides into the iron maiden and adjusts the spike. "THANK YOU," the ghosts say. "YOUR RUDE FRIEND, HOWEVER, WILL BE CURSED FOR ALL TIME." There's a POOF and the ghosts are gone! You check yourself over. Nothing seems to have changed! You resume your life - everything seems fine. One day you break your arm. "I'm not sure how to tell you this," says your doctor. She points to an x-ray of your arm. Written on one of the bones is the word "RUDE." THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

Trembling, you s-step inside the iron maiden and r-reach for the broken spike. You begin adjusting it, careful not to cut yourself. SLAM! Oh no! The iron maiden's been shut! Now you're trapped in here! Oh gosh, oh no! "SORRY ABOUT THAT," say the ghosts as the lid swings back open. "LOOKS LIKE YOU BROKE THE HINGE TOO. AS PUNISHMENT, YOU WILL RECEIVE A LIGHT CURSE!" You leave the house and return home. Ten days later, you receive a very light rash. THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You don't find anything under the bed except miles of writhing black tentacles.\n[[That just leaves one place to look!|31A]]

You lift the rug. It's just a potato with rows and rows of tiny, needle-like teeth.\n[[That just leaves one place to look!|31A]]

There's nothing in the closet other than the thousand screaming rat corpses.\n[[That just leaves one place to look!|31A]]

You follow Jeanine deeper into the spooky cemetery. "Look!" she points. A set of weird, glowing lights is floating by just ahead. "Let's follow them!"\n[["O-o-okay!"|31B]]\n[["Alright, this is just too spooky now! I'm leaving!"|31C]]

"Fine," Jeanine replies. You turn and march away from the house, leaving her behind. "Hey, wait!" she calls out. You turn. "You've got something stuck to your leg," she says. You look down. It's a whole skeleton, holding onto your ankle. "My name is Percival Bone. Pleased to make your acquaintance." THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You take a bite of the weird mushroom. It tastes like licorice. Suddenly you feel yourself getting smaller! Is this the Mushroom of Youth? "Mousification Mushroom?" Jeanine says, looking at your tiny rodent body. "Good thing I didn't give that to Bast. Where is that cat anyway, she'll want to know there's a mouse around." You squeak in fear. "Oh yeah, she died sixty years ago." THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Hey," says Jeanine. "To be honest this is kind of cool, but I think this spider might eat me eventually. Well, mmph mmf mrff." The spider finishes Jeanine's cocoon. Then she turns to you!\n[["W-wait! Don't wrap me up!"|37E]]\n[["A-are you going to eat me?"|37F]]

A painting of a really surly, impatient-looking girl standing beside a cat and a bowl of fruit. Wait - that's Jeanine! "About time you showed up! Get me out of here!" "Mrrow!" says the cat.\n[[Break the painting in half!|37B]]\n[[Burn it with your candle!|37C]]\n[[Flip the painting over!|37D]]

She rolls all of her eyes. "Who else usually hangs out on a web cocooning people?" You glance at the person she's wrapping. J-Jeanine?! "Hi," Jeanine says. "This spider's totally gonna eat us, I think." She finishes cocooning Jeanine - then turns to you!\n[["W-wait! Don't wrap me up!"|37E]]\n[["A-are you going to eat me?"|37F]]

This is one of those paintings where the eyes seem to follow you around the room. Even when he reaches up and pulls them out of their sockets, they still seem to follow you around the room.\n[[Look at the next portrait.|36C]]\n[[Enough art, these paintings are spooky!|37A]]

"GREETINGS, FLESH CHILD." Suddenly standing before you is a woman made of stone. "They're Iron Maidens!" Jeanine squeals. "FOLLOW ME, HUMANS. WE HAVE A TRANSPORTATION UNIT THAT WILL TAKE YOU HOME." Gosh, you think as you follow her. Iron Maidens. Will you ever be anything so cool? You kick a tiny pebble and it skitters along the crystal floor. "THAT WAS MY LITTLE TOE," your host says. THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

A portrait of a woman posing with her hands in her lap. She's has a very pretty face - one of the prettiest you've ever seen! You don't even notice her hair is made of snakes until they slither beneath the surface of the painting.\n[[Look at the next portrait.|36B]]\n[[Enough art, these paintings are spooky!|37A]]

"Ohhh yes you are! Since that day you abandoned me in the dungeon I've been experimenting with these mushrooms, trying to find the one that would restore my youth! There are hazards," she tips her hat, revealing a scalp covered in mushrooms instead of hair! "But today you're taking the risk! Eat one!"\n[[Eat the spiky black mushroom.|26B]]\n[[Eat the blue one with white spots.|26C]]

"That's boring," Jeanine says. But you're already reading: "What do you call a bone that makes music?" This isn't funny! You close the book and put it back on the shelf. Then you look around. Jeanine is gone.\n[[Search the library!|12D]]\n[[Maybe she went somewhere else?|12E]]

"That's boring," Jeanine says. But you're already reading: "Pickling a child requires a very large jar and a lot of vinegar." Huh. You close the book and put it back on the shelf. Then you look around. Jeanine is gone.\n[[Search the library!|12D]]\n[[Maybe she went somewhere else?|12E]]

It's a bedroom. An older girl with black lipstick and her shoes off is sitting cross-legged on the bed, with some bowls of weird ingredients and a burning candle. "Kids? Hey, what are you kids doing here? This is a dangerous place!"\n[["What are we doing here? What are YOU doing here?"|28A]]\n[["Okay! Okay! We're leaving immediately!"|28B]]

You push the book in. WHOA! The entire bookshelf flips around, dumping you and Jeanine onto a cold stone floor. "Whoa, a secret passage!" Jeanine says. "The Boro Groves Junior Detective Agency strikes again! Let's explore!"\n[[A stone stairway winds downwards.|12F]]\n[[W-what if we just go back to the library?|12G]]

"Oh, it's a very special stew." Her smile widens. She sits you and Jeanine down at the table, and then sets a bright red, boiling bowl before each of you. "Eat up. Before it gets cold."\n[[Try the soup.|12B]]\n[[No way!|12C]]

"That's boring," Jeanine says. But you're already reading: "Bat powder. Eye juice. Fox glove. Wolf mitten. Tiger toe." It goes on and on. You close the book and put it back on the shelf. Then you look around. Jeanine is gone.\n[[Search the library!|12D]]\n[[Maybe she went somewhere else?|12E]]

"Well, I am!" Jeanine declares. The old woman turns to you, smiling a very large smile. "Well, if you don't want to eat, perhaps you could go get me some spices from the pantry." "Yeah, get to it!" adds Jeanine. "And make it quick!" You're left alone in the pantry.\n[[Eye of newt?|12A]]\n[[A wolf's dream?|12A]]\n[[Allspice?|12A]]\n[[Ghost powder.|12A]]

You tremble as Jeanine's body lifts a hand and points. "Ignore it, it can't see a thing. Here, check the drawer in the desk." Sure enough, there's a half-opened drawer in the side of the desk. You can see a piece of paper inside, something typed on it in fading ink. "Read it," Jeanie says. You lift the paper and start to r-read. "Measles were brought to Earth by the Martians." THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You flail around, but there's nothing you can defend yourself with. Wait, what's this? Just a piece of paper! You hear the sound of something heavy and metal being lifted from a table. Oh no! Despite your terror, you can't help noticing what's written on the paper. Some sort of journal?? "August 1956. Invented a new disease I have chosen to call 'measles.'" THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

EEK! You trip over the scampering thing as it darts back out from under the desk and fall in a stack of papers, which fly everywhere! Jeanine's body is groping towards you, trying to find your h-head! "We just want to borrow it!" Suddenly a paper falls over your eyes! You snatch it off your face. It's - from a reference book? "Measle: a type of hairy, miniature weasel." THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You grab at the handle. Click click! Oh no no no no no, it's locked!! "You'll be out of there ssoon!" Aah! Frantically, you begin rocking the locker back and forth in desperation. Conk! Something falls off a shelf and bops you in the head. Ow! You pick it up - an empty bottle. You examine the label: "Measles." Something's dripping down your head. THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You wake up strapped to a table - the same one Jeanine was on! You look down at your body. It's - it's Jeanine's body! "The brain transfer was a success!" says a familiar voice. You turn - it's YOU. You shrug. "I couldn't put up with THAT body a moment longer," you say, indicating a decaying green form in the corner.\n[["What - what happened to it?"|9A]]\n[["Why couldn't you take Jeanine's body?!|9B]]

"Measles," you say. "A remarkably bad case." THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You read the spell - POOF! There's a puff of magical smoke, which is then sucked into the eye and nose holds of the skull like milk through a straw. The skull looks the same. But then - it turns and looks at you! It opens its dead mouth: "WHAT," it hisses, "DO YOU CALL A BONE THAT MAKES MUSIC?" You shake your head in confusion. "A TROM-BONE!!" A secret passage opens, and Jeanine sticks her head out. "That joke sucks!" THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You lean inside the iron maiden a little and inspect the inside. Wow, those spikes sure are s-sharp! Wait, what's this? There's a little key hanging from one of them, but it's high up. You'll have to stand all the way inside the iron maiden to reach it!\n[[Step inside the iron maiden.|23E]]\n[[Go and explain to Jeanine you're a craven coward.|22G]]

You turn to walk away - and immediately set foot in an open grave. Whoa! "Are you okay down there?" calls Jeanine. "Aside from being a coward?" You reach up and pull yourself out of the grave. As you do, you notice the name written on the gravestone. Is that - that's your last name! But the first name - "Calliope?" Is this one of your ancestors? No, look at the date on the tombstone - it's fifty years in the future! It says she dies of measles. "Weird," Jeanine says. THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You and Jeanine follow the strange lights. As you get closer, you see that they're actually candles, being carried by a bunch of figures in long grey robes. "Hey!" someone suddenly yells. "There are kids here! Cool, they'll be perfect for the sacrifice!"\n[["S-s-s-s-sacrifice??"|32A]]\n[["We're not kids! We're ghooosts!"|32B]]

Sure enough, there's a little black cat hiding here. "Mew!" he says. "Awesome, thanks!" says the older girl. "Ready to see something cool? Come here! Come here, Kitty!" The kitten jumps up into her lap. She dips her finger in three different bowls, then anoints the cat's forehead with a weird powder. Then she says "VALDERAMA!" POOF! Kitty Meowsevelt transforms into a six-foot-tall goat-headed mass of undulating snakes! "Mew!" he says. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Boring," Jeanine says. "I'm gonna check out the torture chamber." You enter the cell alone. Eeeeeeee! There's a skeleton in here, old and brown and manacled to the wall.\n[[Look closer.|20A]]\n[[This is too spooky! I'm going to the torture chamber.|20B]]

You flee into the torture chamber, where you see Jeanine bound to a table beneath a swinging pendulum. "I don't know how this happened," she says. "RARRRGH!" says the skeleton as it follows you into the room.\n[["Wait! You can't eat me!"|23C]]\n[["What do you call a bone that makes music?"|23D]]

You turn to leave this horrible place - only to discover a metal portcullis has slammed down behind you, trapping you in here! "Come on!" Jeanine says. "Let's look around!"\n[[Peek inside a nearby cell.|19A]]\n[[Explore the torture chamber.|19B]]

"Whoa, cool!" Jeanine exclaims as you step into a room filled with stocks and racks, pillories and pendulums. "Look at that!" It's an iron maiden - a huge standing coffin lined with spikes on the inside. "You should go inside it."\n[["Yeah, okay."|20C]]\n[["What? No! No I shouldn't!"|20D]]

"Rarrrgh!" the skeleton howls as it descends on you. "Whoa," Jeanine says, entering the room. "Cool skeleton!" "Rarrrgh!" It turns on her. "Sorry! I take it back!" Whoa! One of the bones in the skeleton's back is glowing.\n[[Quick! Grab the glowing bone!|23A]]\n[[Nah, the skeleton can eat Jeanine.|23B]]

You grab the skeleton's skull and twist. Pop! It comes off in your hand. "Well, this doesn't help me," it says. Then it bites your fingers! YOWCH! You drop the skull and it shatters - all except for the jawbone. Weird. The jawbone jumps up and bites you again. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"You're coming with me, or I'll tell everyone what you were doing behind the bushes in Phys Ed!" Wait, what WERE you doing behind the bushes in Phys Ed?! "C'mon, this is the Boro Groves Junior Detective Agency's chance to finally solve that mystery that's been stumping us! You remember."\n[["The Case of the Missing Toe."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Vanishing Cat."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Measles."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Mysterious Bone."|2B]]

Sagging and bloated like a bent old man trying to hide something sinister beneath a dark cloak, this is, without a doubt, the scariest house you've ever seen. In fact, take a moment to imagine the scariest haunted house ever. There it is, growing out of the second floor. "Let's go inside!" shouts Jeanine Janeeny, your worst best friend.\n[["Well, have fun!"|1A]]\n[["I-I'm not going in there."|1B]]\n[[Run away.|1C]]

"Get back here! Or I'll tell everyone the real reason you missed the first day of school!" Wait, what IS the real reason you missed the first day of school?! "C'mon, this is the Boro Groves Junior Detective Agency's chance to finally solve that mystery that's been stumping us! You remember."\n[["The Case of the Missing Toe."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Vanishing Cat."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Measles."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Mysterious Bone."|2B]]

"Yes you are, or I'm going to tell everyone what you were up to with those chemicals in the lab!" Wait, what WERE you doing with those chemicals?! "C'mon, this is the Boro Groves Junior Detective Agency's chance to finally solve that mystery that's been stumping us! You remember."\n[["The Case of the Missing Toe."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Vanishing Cat."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Measles."|2A]]\n[["The Case of the Mysterious Bone."|2B]]

KA-POW! You punch the skeleton, and it shatters into a million pieces, bone dust filling the air. That was pretty cool. Wait, there's a weird bone stuck in your arm. You try and dislodge it - ow! Something strange is happening. Within moments, you have become a skeleton! "Did you lose weight?" Jeanine asks. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

Jeanine turns around to stare at the army of eyeless ghosts clustered around her. "Radical!" She says. "WE COULDN'T HELP NOTICE," intones a hideous ghost chorus, "YOU SEEM TO BE USING THAT DEVICE INCORRECTLY."\n[["H-h-h-h-how so?"|23K]]\n[["S-s-s-s-sorry for playing in your iron maiden!"|23L]]

You reach into the pool and feel around. It's really deep! In fact, you can't reach the bottom. Could this be some sort of underwater tunnel? Where could it go?\n[[Dive in!|23I]]\n[[This is too much for me. I'm outta here.|23J]]

You grab the crank and give it a good spin. What's this? Jeepers! A hidden passageway opens in the wall! You enter a secret chamber - where you find Jeanine standing in a hanging cage! "Trapdoor in the iron maiden - who knew?" she says.\n[[How do I open this cage?|23G]]\n[[Wait - what is this room?|23H]]

You take a deep breath and pull the lid closed. Phew! Amazingly, the spikes are just too short to pierce you. The lid is opened again by an old man wreathed in clouds. "Another one!" he laughs. "Welcome!" "Who'd of thought the iron maiden was a portal to a wizard's manse?" Jeanine says, floating on a nearby planetoid. A winged cat nuzzles your ankles, but when you reach down to pet it, it disappears. "Oh, that's just my magic cat, Cybele." THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You step into the iron maiden. You can feel the spikes prickle your back. Oh gosh.\n[[Uh, m-maybe Jeanine is s-somewhere else?|22I]]\n[[Close yourself in the iron maiden.|22K]]

You search the room for anywhere Jeanine might have escaped to. There s-sure are a lot of nasty-looking d-devices here! There's a hole in the floor filled with water - above which hangs a set of leather cuffs on a chain. There's a crank that looks like it can lower or raise the cuffs.\n[[Spin the crank.|22L]]\n[[Search the water.|22M]]

You reach into the box. You feel something weird and squirmy! It's not a key, though. It feels like - yuck, it feels like bugs! Swarming over your arm!\n[[The key's gotta be in here, I know it!|23F]]\n[[EEEEK NO. Go tell Jeanine you're a coward!|22G]]

"SO HUNGRY I COULD EAT TWO CHILDREN!" the Jackal bellows. "HA! How about that, huh? Naw, I'm kidding. Just one of you should be enough to fill me up."\n[["Eat Jeanine!"|17F]]\n[["Take me!"|17G]]

"Yeah, it kinda sucks. I've been guarding this chamber for so long, you know? They never give you a lunch break or anything. In fact," the Jackal frowns, "they never give me anything! You know what? Just go. But! Only one of you may enter the chamber beyond."\n[["I should go."|17D]]\n[["Jeanine should go."|17E]]

There's a SPLAT. A gross sandwich with eyeball bread and writhing tentacles has materialized at your feet. "Euck!" the Jackal says. "I'm definitely not hungry any more. Okay, you can pass. But! Only one of you may enter the chamber beyond."\n[["I should go."|17D]]\n[["Jeanine should go."|17E]]

"The truth is," you say, "Jeanine had an invisible but nonetheless really itchy case of measles." That explains so much. Suddenly, you start itching. You try and scratch, but it's pretty hard strapped down like this. "Well, I guess they're yours now." THE CASE OF THE MEASLES IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Uh, I'm killing you now," you say. "Here it comes." You tap the skeleton gingerly on the forehead. POOF! It explodes into a cloud of dust. Jeanine coughs as she enters. "Check out this old bone I found. I think it belonged to an executioner." She's holding a skeletal arm. The arm is holding an axe. It lunges at you. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"INCORRECT!" the Sphinx booms smugly. "Languish in the chamber of solitude for all eternity!" A trap door opens up and you and Jeanine tumble into a round stone chamber. Oof! "It was obviously a hamburger," Jeanine says.\n[[Search for a way out of the chamber.|17A]]\n[[Scream for help.|17B]]\n[["I wish I wasn't trapped in this room."|17C]]

"CORRECT," the Sphinx sighs. "Was that too easy? Oh well, I suppose you can pass." Ancient stones move aside, and a passageway appears in the wall ahead of you. "However! Know that only one of you may enter the chamber beyond."\n[["I should go."|17D]]\n[["Jeanine should go."|17E]]

You fish a piece of gum out of your pocket and toss it to the Jackal. The Jackal chews, then blows a bubble. POP! Now there's pink all over the Jackal's snout. "I was never any good at that. I guess you can pass. But! Only one of you may enter the chamber beyond."\n[["I should go."|17D]]\n[["Jeanine should go."|17E]]

This painting is very very detailed. In fact, the more you look at the hedge maze depicted, the more your head starts to hurt. You think you can hear faint, far-off wailing, but the sound disappears when you look away from the painting.\n[[Look at the next portrait.|36D]]\n[[Enough art, these paintings are spooky!|37A]]

Jeanine emerges a few minutes later. "Wow, that was so rad. I met the Cat Prince, and he opened a portal to a magical kitten paradise. All cats that go missing end up there. I got to pet so many cute cats. I was there for hours in cat time, but the Prince told me just a few minutes passed in the real world! Can you imagine?" Jeanine walks toward the stairs. "It was really cool, sorry you couldn't come." THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You open the enormous sarcophagus. There's a sigh of ancient air escaping, and you behold some ancient prince, mummified. "Phew, thanks for getting me out of there!" says a voice. You look around. A little cat emerges from the coffin. "Ancient customs, you know? I had to be buried with the guy even though I wasn't dead. Nuts to that. Anyway, see you around." The cat vanishes. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You step through the door after Jeanine. "THOU HAST VIOLATED THE ANCIENT LAW!" booms a horrible voice. "LANGUISH IN THE CHAMBER OF SOLITUDE FOR ALL ETERNITY!" You find yourself in a round stone chamber with Jeanine. "I can't believe you did that," she says.\n[[Search for a way out of the chamber.|17A]]\n[[Scream for help.|17B]]

Huh, this isn't a vase, it's a tiny sarcophagus. Much too small for a person. You open it up. Inside is a tiny form thoroughly covered in bandages - it's shaped like a cat! "Meow!" Did you really hear that? You touch the cat mummy - and the bandages fall into a pile, as though there was never anything inside them at all. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

This is the creepiest bathroom you've ever been in by at least fifty percent! Everything's dark and dingy, and there are strange shadows on the shower curtain. The toilet looks - hungry. And something is rapping eerily on the closed window! "Neat!" Jeanine exclaims.\n[[Lift the toilet lid.|28C]]\n[[Open the shower curtains.|28D]]\n[[Open the window.|28E]]

Nope, it's just a little black cat. "Aw, hey kitty kitty," says Jeanine. The kitten blinks all eight of its eyes at her. Then it climbs up the wall on its long, chitinous legs and disappears into a crack. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

Suddenly something bright falls from above and lands at your feet. It's your candlestick - still lit! You grab it and hold it up to get a look at what's around you. You see:\n[[Thousands of the spider's hungry children.|40A]]\n[[Piles of explosives and loose gunpowder.|40A]]\n[[The inside of a giant monster's mouth.|40A]]\n[[A den of murderous giant cats, temporarily asleep.|40A]]

It sticks out its tongue at you.\n[[Investigate the bathroom.|27A]]\n[[What's with the room at the end of the hallway?|27B]]

Eeeeee. This room is full of weird, wet-looking things. Some of them are dripping a little. One of them scampers underfoot and disappears beneath a desk. Yipes! "Hey! Is someone there? I can hear you!" A v-voice is coming from a tiny metal cabinet on the desk!\n[[Open it!|7A]]\n[[Get out of here!|7B]]

You have to duck under some hanging chains as you enter. "Oh, hey," says Jeanine. She is strapped to a huge table. "Can you get me out of this? I think something bad is going to happen." At that exact moment, you hear footsteps outside the door.\n[[Hide!!|7C]]\n[[Free Jeanine!|7D]]

"That's, uh, noble of you. But I was still kidding. I don't eat kids, that's so gross." The Jackal looks away. "Uh, awkward. Anyway, I guess you can pass. But! Be it known that only one of you may enter the chamber beyond."\n[["I should go."|17D]]\n[["Jeanine should go."|17E]]

"Uh, whoa," the Jackal says. "I was still just kidding. You sure leapt to volunteer your friend though." "Yeah, seriously!" Jeanine agrees. She's glaring at you. "Anyway, uh, I guess you can pass. But! Only one of you may enter the chamber beyond."\n[["I should go."|17D]]\n[["Jeanine should go."|17E]]

"Okay, sure!" Jeanine says. She vanishes through the passageway. You wait, shuffling your feet. You wait some more. "Oh, cool!" she shouts. "Yeah, I would love to!"\n[[Go in after her!|18A]]\n[[Wait for her to come out.|18B]]

You step into a gaudily appointed chamber. Rubies and sapphires gleam from every surface. Gold ornaments climb the walls. In the center of the room stands and ancient sarcophagus. Next to it, on a podium, stands a beautiful jeweled vase.\n[[Open the sarcophagus!|18C]]\n[[Check out the vase.|18D]]

But the magic can't hear you down here. You're stuck. "I wish you were better at solving riddles," Jeanine says. Suddenly you look up. There, standing in front of you, is a small, wide-eyed black cat. As you watch, it slowly fades away and is gone. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Help!" you cry. Jeanine shouts, "Help! I'm trapped in here forever because someone makes terrible decisions!" She shakes her head. "No one's coming." Suddenly you look up. There, standing in front of you, is a small, wide-eyed black cat. As you watch, it slowly fades away and is gone. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You search the empty chamber, run your fingers over every inch of the walls. Nothing, no way out. "This sucks," Jeanine says. Suddenly you look up. There, standing in front of you, is a small, wide-eyed black cat. As you watch, it slowly fades away and is gone. THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"We're in the underground crystal city of Gemrule! Well, this is the very top. The rest is even further underground. They use iron maidens to travel around. Guess why!"\n[["Being underground, you develop strange hobbies?"|26A]]\n[["Because torture chambers are everywhere?"|26A]]\n[["Gotta spend taxpayer dollars on something?"|26A]]\n[["Because it's really cool?"|26A]]

BAM! You slam into a wall! Ouch! You rub your sore nose in the darkness. There's got to be another way to navigate.\n[[Feel along the wall with your hands.|34A]]\n[[Listen for clues.|34B]]\n[[Just take off again at random.|34C]]

The stairs creak under you as you descend. They suddenly snap, and you plummet - landing a moment later in something springy, like a net. "Another one?" says the enormous spider. "I'll get to you after I finish wrapping this one up."\n[["You're a s-s-spider?!"|36E]]\n[["Finish wrapping - Jeanine?! Is that you?"|36F]]

The candlelight illuminates what must have once been a grandly-appointed hall, full of color and decorations. A bunch of portraits still line the walls, each dulled by a layer of dust.\n[[There's a portrait of a beautiful woman.|36A]]\n[[Next to it, one of a strange man.|36B]]\n[[Third, a painting of a hedge maze.|36C]]\n[[Finally, some kind of surly looking kid.|36D]]

POOF! "Cool, that's better," Jeanine says, stepping down from the cage, which has magically opened. "All of my parts seem to be back in order!" You point. She reaches and touches her face. There's a big toe growing out of the tip of her nose. "I thought my foot felt lighter," she says. THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You fumble hurriedly with the straps. They're really tricky! Suddenly you can hear the door creak open behind you! Before Jeanine can finish saying "Watch out!" you're conked on the back of the head.\n[[You dream about a really weird bird.|8E]]\n[[No! It's a fish.|8E]]

You dive into a locker in the corner and close the door behind you. "Hey! Get back here!" Jeanine cries. "Iss ssomeone in here with you?" asks a slimy voice outside. "That'ss good - thiss experiment callss for two bodiess. Uh, ssubjectss." Heavy footsteps are approaching the locker door!\n[[Find a weapon, quick!|8C]]\n[[Spring out of the locker and run!|8D]]

You're not staying in this place one second longer! "Coward!" You run for the door - and immediately crash into someone standing behind you! Oh no no no! It's Jeanine's body!!\n[[Run! Run! Run!|8A]]\n[["Wait! I need to show you something!|8B]]

You slide open the metal cabinet with shaking fingers. "About time you showed up!" It's Jeanine! Or, rather, it's Jeanine's head! YIKES! You jump back - crashing into someone behind you! You wheel around: o-oh no! It's Jeanine's body!\n[[Run for it!|8A]]\n[["Wait! I need to show you something!|8B]]

You look at the skeleton. The skeleton looks back at you. Oh my gosh! "Well?" it asks in a raspy hiss. "Are you here to finally finish me off?"\n[["Sure am."|21A]]\n[["Uh, you m-must have me m-mistaken for someone else!"|21B]]\n[["You're already dead!"|21C]]

"Boring," Jeanine rolls her eyes. Guided by torchlight, you continue down the hallway.\n[[Up ahead is a statue of a Sphinx.|15A]]\n[[Next to it, a statue of a Jackal.|15B]]

You step into the torture chamber. Jeanine is locked neck and wrists in some kind of wooden pillory. "Uh, it locked automatically. But don't worry, the key is bound to be around here somewhere!"\n[[There's an iron maiden in the corner.|21D]]\n[[Nearby, there's a weird metal box.|21E]]

You hear a low rumble. You narrowly avoid being crushed by a falling stack of hundred dollar bills! Oh jeepers! A huge diamond smashes to the ground. You and Jeanine run for your lives! "Is it over?" she asks. "Are we rich?"\n[[Up ahead is a statue of a Sphinx.|15A]]\n[[Next to it, a statue of a Jackal.|15B]]

A huge sarcophagus suddenly appears in front of you. It swings open, and bandages snap out grabbing you and pulling you inside! Oh jeepers oh jiminy cricket! As the sarcophagus slams shut the bandages begin to mummify you! "THIS IS NOW THY HOME," booms a voice. Suddenly you hear a meow. It's your cat, Nancy Mew! This IS home now! THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

There's a loud SPLAT at your feet. You look down. Ugh, what kind of sandwich is this? The bread has eyes in it and the meat seems to have a heartbeat. It crawls away on its tentacles. "Ew," Jeanine remarks.\n[[Up ahead is a statue of a Sphinx.|15A]]\n[[Next to it, a statue of a Jackal.|15B]]

Anna Anthropy

"oooOOOOOoooo!" You and Jeanine do your best ghost impressions. The figures just laugh as one, a strange, echoey laugh. Then they fade from sight. "They were ghosts!" says Jeanine. She inspects the ground where they stood. "Not only that," she continues, pointing at paw-tracks in the dirt, "they were ghost cats!" THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

One hooded figure draws forth an enormous knife! Y-y-yikes! In one swift motion the figure swipes out with the blade - collecting a lock of hair from you and one from Jeanine. These are then dropped in a mystic symbol painted in the grass. Words are intoned. "What did that accomplish?" Jeanine asks. As one, they lower their hoods - unfurling the longest beards you've ever seen. "This is great," one says, "I can't even see my toes anymore!" THE CASE OF THE MISSING TOE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You rock back and forth in the web - finally it gives, and you plummet into the darkness! Oof! You sit up, rubbing your head. Then something falls on you! "Thanks for breaking my fall!" It's Jeanine! "Where are we, though?"\n[["I don't know! It's pitch black."|39A]]

"You're fired!" you scream as the web gives way and you fall into the darkness. Oof! You sit up, rubbing your head. Then something falls on you! "Thanks for breaking my fall!" It's Jeanine! "Where are we, though?"\n[["I don't know! It's pitch black."|39A]]

"YES, I AM VERY HUNGRY. COME INSIDE." The door creaks open. "Come on!" says Jeanine. You follow her inside. Ew! This weird pink welcome mat is all wet. You emerge into a dark and mysterious foyer.\n[[Explore the kitchen!|10A]]\n[[Investigate the library!|10B]]\n[[Look upstairs.|10C]]

"IT'S TO YOUR LEFT," the voice groans. You turn, and there in the yard is the scariest dog house you have ever seen. Inside, the skeleton of a dog sprawls on the grass. In front of it is a big, juicy bone. The bone is hovering several feet off the ground. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

The house is silent for a moment, as if considering. "ARE YOU HERE INVESTIGATING A MYSTERY?"\n[["Yes!"|5F]]\n[["N-no!"|5G]]

"LITTLE OLD LADY WHO?" the voice booms.\n[["I didn't know you could yodel!"|5D]]\n[["Uh, just a harmless old lady!"|5E]]

You nervously insert the ancient key into the lock. It doesn't turn at first, and you hope the door won't open and you can go home. But then it turns, and the door creaks open to reveal a dusty old foyer.\n[[Explore the kitchen!|10A]]\n[[Investigate the library!|10B]]\n[[Look upstairs.|10C]]

"Are you pulling my leg?" Jeanine bends over and lifts the mat. The slimy hand reaches out and grabs her leg! She can barely say "gasp!" before it pulls her down into a long, dark chute that was concealed under the mat.\n[[Dive in after her!|4A]]\n[[Go inside the house.|4B]]\n[[Get outta here!|4C]]

You n-nervously open the d-door and s-step inside the h-house. SLAM!! The door shuts behind you, leaving you in perfect darkness! Oh jeepers! Oh jiminy cricket!\n[[Go this way!|33A]]\n[[No, go that other way!|33A]]\n[[Not that way! Turn around!|33A]]\n[[No no no, your other around!|33A]]

"If you don't come find me," her voice echoes from the chute, "I'll tell everyone why you failed your math final!" Wait, why DID you fail your math final?! Reluctantly, you jump down the chute. Oh, it was because you're not good at Math. WHUMP! Oh jeepers, you landed in a really creepy laboratory!\n[[There's some kind of big jar bubbling in the corner.|5A]]\n[[There's a big slab, its contents hidden under a sheet.|5B]]\n[[There's a table near the wall covered in objects.|5C]]

For some reason you pinch your nose before jumping into the chute. AAAAAAAAAA! It tosses and turns before spitting you onto a pile of dirty rags. Dirty, glowing rags. Jeepers, it looks like you're in some kind of creepy old l-laboratory!\n\n[[There's some kind of big jar bubbling in the corner.|5A]]\n[[There's a big slab, its contents hidden under a sheet.|5B]]\n[[There's a table near the wall covered in objects.|5C]]

"YOU WILL BE SORRY," the ghosts say. "LOOK, YOU BROKE IT." You look and, sure enough, one of the spikes is tilted at a weird angle. "GET IN THERE AND FIX IT."\n[["O-o-o-okay."|24J]]\n[["I'm n-n-not g-getting in there!"|24K]]

It's full of weird, mystic-looking objects - chairs made of crystal, mushrooms in birdcages. The mushrooms snap at you when you get close. On a pedestal is a weird, ancient-looking book. You open it. None of the words make any sense to you.\n[[This page says "BANBAGOON."|24A]]\n[[This one says "GRIBBLETRON."|24B]]

You dive into the watery hole and swim, deeper and deeper. The tunnel goes on and on! Just when you can't hold your breath any longer, you see light above! You pop out of the water - in an enormous underground cave.\n[[Is that - a forest of mushrooms?|24E]]\n[[Near the shore, a huge crystal - some sort of building?|24F]]

You sneak out of the scary house and go home, where you live a quiet life of introversion. You forget all about Jeanine and the house, and how you abandoned the former in the latter. The years pass in solitude. Seventy years later, you're sitting on your front porch, rocking in your hover-chair and petting your cat, Nancy Mew. Suddenly Nancy jumps up, as though terrified, and darts away. You look up. Storming across the holo-lawn towards you is a bedraggled figure dressed in rags and covered in dirt. She shoves a piece of paper into your lap, then turns on her heel and walks away. Was that - J-Jeanine? You lift the piece of paper and read. It says: "Jerk." THE CASE OF THE VANISHING CAT IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"YOU SEE," the ghosts continue, "IT'S A TWO-PERSON IRON MAIDEN." "That's so cool!" Jeanine squeals. The ghosts crowd closer. You are suddenly very cold. "DO YOU REQUIRE A DEMONSTRATION?"\n[["Okay!"|24G]]\n[["That w-w-w-won't be n-n-necessary!"|24H]]\n[[Run away!!|24I]]

The skeleton stares at you. "I don't know. What DO you call a bone that makes music?" "A trom-BONE!" you shout. The skeleton turns its head, thoughtful. Then it bursts into laughter! "Ha ha ha! Ah ha! A trom-BONE!" The skeleton laughs so hard its head flies off, and it crumbles into a pile of bones. "That's great and all," says Jeanine, "but I'm still stuck in this thing!" THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You stand completely inside the spiked coffin. Gulping, you reach up - farther - farther - got it! You grab the key and triumphantly return to Jeanine. You find her locked in a guillotine. "I don't know how this happened," she says. "But maybe your key is a skeleton key!" You look in your hand. Sure enough, the key is carved from a human bone. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

Bugs swarm over your arm as you feel around. Finally - yes! You found something! You pull your arm back out! But it's not a key - it's a BONE! Wait just one second. Your arm IS the bone - all of the flesh has been eaten off! THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

You look the cage over. It doesn't seem to even have a lock! It's some kind of magic cage! "Who's there?" shouts a shrill voice. A spindly woman in black robes descends into the chamber. "Leave her in there! My kitty needs to eat!"\n[["Your cat eats p-people?"|24C]]\n[["Well she's not eating my friend!"|24D]]

You grab the bone and pull it free! "My cursed booooone!" the skeleton shrieks. Free of the animating power of the bone, it collapses. "Phew!" Jeanine says. You hold the glowing bone triumphantly. Huh? Your body seems to be vibrating from inside! Moments later, your skeleton wriggles out of your body. It tucks the cursed bone in its rib cage. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

In a horrible wet gnashing of teeth that seems to go on forever, the skeleton devours all of Jeanine's flesh. Then it snaps the glowing bone on its back in half, inserting part into Jeanine's skeleton. "What a trip!" she says, looking over her skinless arms and body. "Watching someone eat always makes me hungry, though." They both turn toward you. THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"Why not?" the skeleton replies. "Cause you're just SKIN AND BONES? Ha! Ah ha ha ha!" The skeleton starts laughing uproariously. It slaps its knee so hard that its arm bone flies off, landing at your feet. You grab it and hold it like a baseball bat, preparing to defend yourself. Its skeleton fingers jab you in the eyes. "Ah ha ha ha ha!" THE CASE OF THE MYSTERIOUS BONE IS SOLVED! GOOD WORK, JUNIOR DETECTIVE.

"To pass into the burial chamber," intones the Sphinx, "thou must answer my riddle! What is born with two buns but soon has none?"\n[["A person."|16A]]\n[["A pair of boxers?"|16A]]\n[["A burger."|16B]]\n[["A bakery."|16A]]

"Yo," says the Jackal. "I guard the burial chamber. The Sphinx usually asks people riddles, but me? I'm just really hungry right now."\n[["I have some gum."|16C]]\n[["How hungry are you?"|16D]]\n[["Me too."|16E]]\n[["I wish I had a sandwich."|16F]]