Little Shop of Hamsters

  The shop looked small on the outside, but it stretched really far back. I could see two long aisles with shelves and shelves of magic tricks. A shiny suit of armor stood at the end of one aisle. It had a magic wand gripped in its metal glove. A stuffed rabbit poked out from the open visor.

  “Jessica, check out these chains and padlocks,” Ryan said. He tugged at a heavy silver lock, and it popped right open. “Perfect for quick escapes.”

  He turned to me. “Does your dad ever do an escape from a locked trunk?”

  “No way,” I said. “That’s too scary for kids.”

  Dad has to be careful. If he makes the kids cry, he won’t be invited to perform at many birthday parties!

  I picked up a pair of Chinese puzzle rings. I slapped them together, then pulled them apart. Easy.

  I turned and saw Ryan pick up a metal cuff. It looked like it had sharp teeth. “This is a mean-looking handcuff,” he said.

  I opened a box of playing cards. I pulled out the deck and examined it. Every card in the deck was the ace of spades.

  I started to put the cards back when I heard a deafening SNAP.

  Then I heard a scream.

  I turned — and saw the metal cuff clamped around Ryan’s wrist.

  “Jessica, HELP ME!” he shrieked. “It HURTS! It HURTS! Ohhh, help! MY HAND IS BROKEN!”

  R.L. Stine’s books are read all over the world. So far, his books have sold more than 300 million copies, making him one of the most popular children’s authors in history. Besides Goosebumps, R.L. Stine has written the teen series Fear Street and the funny series Rotten School, as well as the Mostly Ghostly series, The Nightmare Room series, and the two-book thriller Dangerous Girls. R.L. Stine lives in New York with his wife, Jane, and Minnie, his King Charles spaniel. You can learn more about him at www.RLStine.com.

  Goosebumps book series created by Parachute Press, Inc.

  Copyright © 2010 by Scholastic Inc.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, GOOSEBUMPS, GOOSEBUMPS HORRORLAND, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First printing, March 2010

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-30118-3

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