Read Online The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman - Free Book Online Page A

ask me. You need a Band-Aid, you ask me.
    “And if you ask me, you’re lucky I’m here becauseI can be a lot of fun—until you stop following the rules. And that’s when I turn into your worst nightmare.” Carol raised her auburn eyebrows and flashed a mischievous grin. Then she paced once around the table, smiling and nodding.
    “Now, don’t ask for hints,” she continued. “I won’t give them to you. Don’t try to bribe me for answers. I wouldn’t tell you even if I had them. What I will give you is a guarantee. This day will be one of the most memorable of your lives, win or lose. And I don’t like to lose.
    “I have this friendly wager with Bill, my counterpart on the red team. You win, and he shaves off every hair from his head. They win, and I shave mine. I like this curly stuff on top of my head. Don’t make me lose it. Make me proud.
    “How do you start?” Carol leaned on the table for emphasis. “You act like a team. You entered this competition as individuals, but that changes right now. Depend on one another’s strengths. Forgive one another’s weaknesses. You need that type of attitude. There’s a variety of challenges today. And my guess is, any one of you would be hard-pressed to completethem all by yourself. So let’s talk about these challenges and the procedures.
    “Think of this as a big treasure hunt with one activity leading to the next. You’ll have five puzzles you must solve. Each puzzle alternates with a stunt you must perform.”
    Carol took a seat at the head of the table. “Now, this may sound confusing, but I promise, once you get in there, things’ll run as smoothly as a greased pig through buttered hands.” Carol referred to the piece of paper in front of her.
    “Okay,” Carol continued. “Try to follow this. I will lead you to a large warehouse-type area. Inside, you will receive your first puzzle. Each puzzle will have a multiple choice answer—not the same sort of multiple choice you know from school. No. Your choices will be three Golly products. All three will be on a table. The answer to the puzzle is the name of one of those toys or games. Sound easy? It isn’t.
    “First, you need to solve the puzzle. Be sure your solution makes sense. Be sure you all agree on that solution. Then, and only then, pick up the Golly toy or game that corresponds to the answer. Openit and you’ll find an envelope marked STUNT .
    “Inside will be instructions on how to perform an activity. Follow the instructions exactly. When you complete the stunt, you’ll receive the instructions for the next puzzle. Maybe.”
    Huh?
    “Huh?” said Rocky out loud.
    “If you solved the puzzle wrong, it will make you perform the wrong stunt. How will you know you’ve made a mistake? The puzzle you receive at the end of a wrong stunt will be the very same puzzle you thought you already solved. Then you must go back, figure out the right answer, and perform the right stunt.
    “And ouch! That will hurt because you’re in a race for time. The team that finishes this treasure hunt with the best time goes on to the next round.”
    “But,” said Rocky, “won’t it take more time to sit around and figure out the puzzles than guess and do the stunts?”
    “Oh, Rocky, you dear, misguided child. We’re smarter than that,” said Carol. “Every time you goof, we add a one-minute penalty to your score. So notonly have you taken extra time to do more stunts, you also have to deal with those precious extra seconds.”
    “But—”
    “Hold on, Rocky. I’ll bet you’re still thinking that a one-minute penalty is a small price to pay for a wrong answer, and it’ll take longer than that to work the puzzle.” Carol shook her head. “According to the rules—and we’ve worked very hard on them—you must make a true and logical attempt to solve each puzzle. You must work on each for at least five minutes before you make a random guess. We’ve even installed a five-minute clock visible