The Haunted Cave (3) (Spooksville)

Product Description

Descend into underground danger in this third book in New York Times bestselling author Christopher Pike’s Spooksville series—now on TV!

There is a famous cave located just outside of Spooksville. A lot of stories surround the dark place: scary ones as well as exciting ones. Adam decides to explore the cave with his friends, Watch, Sally, and Cindy. But the moment they go into the cave, the entrance closes behind them. They are trapped. In the dark.

They walk deeper into the cave, frantically searching for a way out. The batteries in their flashlights begin to run low. Then they realize something is following them. Something that has been in the cave for a long time. Something big, black…and hungry.

About the Author

Christopher Pike is a bestselling author of young adult novels. The Thirst series,
The Secret of Ka, and the Remember Me and Alosha trilogies are some of his favorite titles. He is also the author of several adult novels, including
Sati and
The Season of Passage. Pike currently lives in Santa Barbara, where it is rumored he never leaves his house. But he can be found online at Facebook.com/ChristopherPikeBooks.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The Haunted Cave

1
Adam Freeman was having ice cream with his friends when the subject of the Haunted Cave came up. The ice-cream parlor was called the Frozen Cow, and it supposedly offered a choice of fifty flavors. They were listed on a large colorful bulletin board that hung behind the counter where the grumpy old man who owned the place stood. But the owner—even when asked politely—refused to give any customer anything but vanilla. Even chocolate and strawberry weren’t available. Sally explained that the owner—whom she called Mr. Freeze—was a purist and believed that vanilla was the only ice cream worth serving. Adam had managed to persuade the man to make him a vanilla milkshake. Of course, since this was Spooksville, Adam had to pay Mr. Freeze double not to use spoiled milk.

“Did you know that monkeys and apes love ice cream?” Watch said, working on a banana split that was made of bananas, vanilla ice cream, and nothing else. “Gorillas like it as well, although I’ve heard they’ll only eat chocolate ice cream.”

“They wouldn’t like this place,” Sally Wilcox muttered, frantically licking a melting ice-cream cone as if it would explode if she lost a drop.

“I thought monkeys and apes were vegetarians,” Cindy Makey remarked.

Sally chuckled. “A vegetarian can eat ice cream. You don’t kill the cow to get the milk out, you know. You just tug on the udders.”

Cindy gave an exaggerated sigh. “I know that. I mean I thought that monkeys and apes preferred fruit to dairy products.”

Watch shook his head. “That’s not so. They’re like kids—they’ll take ice cream over bananas any day. And as far as I’m concerned, that proves Darwin’s theory of natural selection. Man—and woman—evolved from monkeys. We’re nothing but talking apes.”

“But that’s only a theory,” Adam protested. “I don’t believe it.”

“You’re reacting to the idea emotionally,” Watch said. “It upsets you to think your ancestors used to need a shave twenty-four hours a day. In scientific matters you have to be cold and dispassionate.”

“Look who’s having the bananas,” Sally muttered.

“I’m not reacting emotionally,” Adam replied, insulted. “Science has never proven that we evolved from apes. You’re forgetting the missing link.”

“What about it?” Watch asked.

“It’s still missing,” Adam said, having a sip of his shake.

“What’s the missing link?” Cindy asked.

“A non-vegetarian monkey,” Sally said.

“It’s a creature that would be half ape, half human,” Watch explained. “Adam has a point. Science has never positively found a creature that is directly between us and apes on the evolutionary scale.” Watch paused and glanced at Sally. “Of course not many scientists have been to Spooksville.”

Sally shook her head vigorously. “Don’t start talking about that. We’re not goin