Read Online The Haunting Hour by R.L. Stine - Free Book Online

next to her and gazed down at the mummy. Its head and body were completely wrapped with gauze. The gauze was stained and torn in spots. You could see the black tar underneath.
    One eye had become uncovered. The empty eye socket was filled with tar.
    â€œYuck,” Joanna said. “Do you think there are millions of bugs crawling around inside it?”
    â€œBugs can’t get in,” I told her. “The bodies were completely emptied. Then they were covered in hot tar before they were wrapped. They were wrapped too tightly for anything to get in. And the coffin lids were sealed tight. No way bugs could get in.”
    Joanna frowned at me. “Connor, how come you know so much about mummies?”
    I shrugged. “I just do.”
    Rising on tiptoe, I turned back to the ancient mummy. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest. He seemed to stare up at me with that one tarry eye.
    â€œDo you know how they got the brains out of his head?” I asked Joanna. “They used a long tool to go up into the skull. Then they pulled the brain out through his nose.”
    â€œOhhh, sick,” Joanna groaned.
    â€œShut up, Connor!” Abbey cried.
    Josh and I laughed.
    â€œLet’s get out of here,” Joanna said, hurrying to the door. “Let’s go look at the sphinx.”
    The others turned away from the mummy case and followed her to the next room. Their voices echoed off the tile walls.
    Josh and I stayed behind. We both studied the mummy for a while.
    â€œI wonder how old he was when he died,” I said. “People didn’t live very long back then. Most of them died in their twenties.”
    â€œMaybe he was just a kid,” Josh said. “Wait! What’s in there?” He pointed to a half-open door in the corner.
    I followed him over to it and peeked inside. “It’s just a supply closet,” I said.
    â€œBut check this out, Connor.” Josh bent into the closet and pulled out a ball of something. “Strips of cloth,” he said. He started to pull it apart.
    â€œThey probably use it for dusting,” I said.
    â€œBut it looks a lot like mummy gauze,” Josh replied. “There’s piles and piles of it in there.” He laughed. “Enough to make our own mummy.”
    I stared at Josh. Josh stared back at me.
    â€œAre you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked.
    He was.
    We had to work fast. It was a simple plan. Josh wrapped me up in the cloth until I looked like a mummy. Then I climbed into the empty mummy case. I crossed my arms over my chest and stretched out.
    â€œQuick. Go get Joanna,” I said. The layer of cloth muffled my voice. “Hurry, Josh. It’s hard to breathe.”
    Josh peered down at me. I could barely see him through the gauze. “After I bring Joanna and the others, you sit up very veryslowly, okay? And whisper Joanna’s name.”
    â€œGot it,” I said.
    â€œShe’ll jump out of her skin!” Josh exclaimed.
    â€œJust hurry…” I begged. “My face itches, and I can’t scratch. And it’s hot in here.”
    He disappeared. I settled against the stone case bottom. I tried to relax, but I was really uncomfortable.
    The stone was hard. And I was already sweating.
    I shut my eyes and counted to ten.
    Where are they? What is taking so long?
    Finally I heard voices. I sucked in a deep breath and held it. It would spoil the joke if someone saw me breathing.
    Poor Joanna, I thought. In a few seconds I’m going to scare her to death!
    The voices came closer. I could hear them right above me.
    My heart started to race. Time to do my mummy act, I told myself.
    Slowly, very slowly, I raised my head and began to sit up. “ Joanna… ” I whispered.
    I waited for the screams.
    Instead, I heard a man’s voice. “Prince Akor, there you are.”
    â€œHuh?” I gasped. I sat up straight.
    â€œWe have been searching for you,” the man