“Are we there yet?” 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ978h2QHxwJ
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Gretchen McFarlane groaned behind me.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡof1YyMXbW9
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“I dunno”, I answered.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRbysbE85fR
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“Are we there yet?345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLR48VGgfU2
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“I dunno”.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSIQEBfJRrj
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“Are we there yet?”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGL85UtXXMK
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“Oh my gosh, will you please stop?!” I snapped. My hands were gripping each other so hard they hurt. “345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsMFaxC7zGV
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We’d been walking for hours through the thick woods outside our sleepy town of Tolpeak, New Hampshire. Or so it seemed at least. The branches twisted overhead, blocking out the sun. And every rustle of leaves made my stomach clench.The trees were getting stranger, taller, darker… almost like they were leaning toward us. Our teacher. Miss Ferguson. said that this would be a quick journey. Ha! What a dumb joke!345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhdhGp85Zt
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By the way, My name is Betty Jeffres345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgM9FXUH7ka
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“Keep moving, everyone,” she called over her shoulder. “We don’t want to fall behind.”
Her voice sounded calm, but there was something tight about it. Something that made my stomach twist.
“Uh… how much farther?” Gretchen whined.
“Not long now,” Miss Ferguson said. glancing at the path ahead. “Just a little farther, and then… you’ll see.”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDxqZblof6q
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“Ugh, I dunno what’s worse!” Gretchen whined. “Chafed feet or camping in a forest that popped straight out of a b-horror movie! I'm pretty sure this place is haunted by at least five thousand werewolves!"345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkbnlgEx0X
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I rolled my eyes. Gretchen always acted so childish! If there was a contest for acting like a baby, Gretchen would win. Hands down.
We followed the narrow path deeper into the woods. But something felt…wrong.
“Wait,” I said, pausing. “This doesn’t look familiar.”
Gretchen squinted at the trees. “Uh… yeah. Didn’t we just pass that huge twisted oak?”
Miss Ferguson frowned, glancing back. “Keep moving. We’re on the right path.”
I frowned. But the trail behind us seemed… gone. The path had vanished, swallowed up by the dark undergrowth.
“Miss Ferguson…” I said, my voice trembling, “I think we’re lost.”
She didn’t answer. Her tight smile faltered. And for the first time, she looked… worried.
“Listen up everyone! I’m sorry to say this…but I think we’re lost”, Fergun said. Her voice was heavy with sadness.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEsth6L72Ql
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“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” I said. Facepalming myself.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3r1HeFqbEm
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Gretchen began to wail like a banshee. Big surprise. Gretchen is the biggest crybaby in the land.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0b5kJankcb
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“WE’RE GONNA DIE! WE’RE GONNA DIE!! I DON’T WANT TO DIE, I’M TOO YOUNG AND TOO BEAUTIFUL TO DIE!!!” Gretchen yelled. Tears running down her cheeks like a wild river.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7pnKiSLr7R
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“Shut up Gretchen! I shouted. Covering my ears. “This isn’t helping!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡti3peuCGvH
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“WE’RE GONNA DIE! WE’RE GONNA DIE!!!” Gretchen continued her super annoying wailing.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWCLzp7bE4i
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“SHUT UP!!!” I yelled. “YOU MAKE MY EARS BLEED!!!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVYphFc4EI
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By now, everyone had started panicking.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZDXuuTufu
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“Calm down, calm down everyone!” Miss Ferguson shouted. “I’ll handle this, I’ll check the GPS on my cell phone!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD48KAmc9jF
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She fumbled in her bag. Her hands trembled. She picked up her mobile. She discovered that it was dead. As dead as a cellphone can be.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeSHhT8zUw
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“Now it can’t get any wor…!” I said. I was cut off by a huge rain cloud looming above us.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4z9guVulhE
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“Never mind, it CAN get any worse than this!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcL6LgV2AEL
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“WE’RE GONNA DIE! WE’RE GONNA DIE!!!” Gretchen screamed.
Lightning forked across the sky. Thunder cracked so loud my teeth rattled.
“Everyone! Under the trees!” Miss Ferguson barked. But her voice was swallowed by the howling wind.
The rain came down in sheets. Soaking us in seconds. The dirt path beneath our feet turned to mud. My sneakers squelched with every step.
Then!345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkuOxCQVfja
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out of nowhere!345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2dQrnhRIEM
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The trees parted.
A bridge.
A long, ancient-looking stone bridge stretched out ahead of us, disappearing into a curtain of mist. The stone was slick with moss and carved with strange symbols that glowed faintly in the storm’s light.
Miss Ferguson froze. “This… this wasn’t here before,” she whispered.
“Uh…” I swallowed hard. “Where does it go?”
No one answered. Even Gretchen stopped her annoying crying.
That’s when we heard it! Low, guttural growls from beneath the bridge!345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5D3mBvQ4eH
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Then I saw them! Ogres. TWO ugly ogres!
Their skin was the color of swamp muck, glistening in the rain. Each one had arms as thick as tree trunks and teeth like broken gravestones. Their yellow eyes glowed in the dark, staring right at us.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0eiiYb1e8
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Gretchen whimpered. Her knees wobbled like jelly. Her face turned chalk white. I swear she almost fainted.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxw4zfEf1lW
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My knees wobbled too.
One of the ogres scratched his belly and grinned. The other licked his cracked lips.
“Well, well, well” the first ogre rumbled, his voice growling like thunder. “Look what’s wandered into our woods.”
“Children,” the second one hissed. “Soft, tasty children.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB14JAofTwM
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“Who should we eat first?” the first ogre hissed.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcq461qqdi
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“Let’s start with the fat one over there!”, the other ogre said and pointed at me.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLiSDOMKbq
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“Who you callin’ fat?!” I shouted angrily. “I’m not fat, I’m just big-boned!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6iywHE72C
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“Nice Eric Cartman impression!" Fenella Ziegler laughed. “You sounded just like him!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFLhNlXgxk
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Miss Ferguson approached the ogre. She looked very brave. More brave than she usually looked.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiuFbbCv0S6
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“Keep your filthy hands away from the kids! I won’t let you hurt them!”, she roared.
The ogres laughed. A booming, stomach-churning laugh that shook the bridge.
Then, faster than I thought possible, one of them scooped her up like a rag doll.
“NO!” we screamed.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw71rq7lgGx
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“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWN AT ONCE!!!” Miss Ferguson shouted.
She wriggled and kicked, but it was useless. The ogre opened his massive jaws. His shark-like teeth glistened.
And just like that. Miss Ferguson was gone.
Chomp! Chomp! Crunch! Crunch!
The ogre belched. Loudly.
“Needs salt,” he muttered.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiHfc0KYRT
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The ogre wiped his mouth with the back of his slimy hand.
“Delicious,” he growled. “But not enough.”
His glowing yellow eyes slid over the rest of us.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9xg0pIHbo
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“Now, how about the rest of you?”, he said. bearing his terrifying teeth.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdTZt2KlhQ
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Gretchen began crying again. Big surprise I know.
“Don’t eat me! PLEASE don’t eat me!” Gretchen wailed.
The second ogre grinned, showing rows of jagged teeth. “Oh, we’ll eat you. All of you. Unless…”
“Unless you answer our riddles” the first one finished. He leaned closer, his hot, rancid breath washing over me. “Three riddles. Each of you. Answer them all, and you may cross our bridge.”
“And if we don’t?” Riley whispered.
The ogre’s grin widened. He tapped his teeth with one claw.
“Then you’ll end up just like your teacher.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4gRYIUFsp5
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Fenella loved riddles. All her life revolved around them. Guess who stepped up to the ogres first? I think you already know the answer. If you don’t… Well, you’re dumber than you look!345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNZ3U0ngu7
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“Lemme go first! There’s no riddle in the world that I dunno the answer to!”, Fenella shouted345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bWpf3Dgag
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The ogres smiled. Bearing their shark-teeth again.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrh4pH8QA2d
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“As you wish, how many particles does pi have?” the ogre said.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCns7VJXlMe
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Fenella froze. Her mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
“I… I… uh… Five hundred?" she stammered.
The ogre snorted. “Wrong answer.”
Before anyone could react, the other ogre scooped her up. She screamed, but it was cut short as she disappeared into the ogre’s gaping maw.
“Fenella!” we all yelled.
The ogres laughed. “Next?” one hissed.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJFEAqo72FP
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Gretchen approached the ogre. Her face was still chalk white. Her legs still wobbling like jelly.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQSSV63JPE9
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“Soooo, the brunette with the pink bow wants to have a go?” The ogre sneered. “Very well, how many particles does pi have?”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrWw5QVBIdD
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Gretchen gulped. Fear shook her from head to toe. And then… Well, urine ran down her legs. Literally. I wrinkled my nose.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6dyVABuEj
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“T…T….T…T…Ten?” she stammered. A puddle of pee had formed underneath her shoes. “Please….Pleas…please…Please, don’t hurt me!!!” she sobbed.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5RDkaIKmU
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The ogres grinned.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8NHHtFpdX
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“Sorry little girl, we don’t care about your childish feelings, now you’re nothing but our dinner!”, the ogre boomed. He scooped her up. 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfggYUgYlKa
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“PLEASE, DON’T EAT ME!!!” Gretchen wailed. 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMlfSjUYu3
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Gretchen flailed and kicked, but the ogre’s massive hands were too strong.
Then…Snap!
She disappeared into his gaping mouth. A muffled scream, a thud, and then… silence.
The ogre smacked his lips together.
“Delicious!” he declared, licking the corners of his mouth.
The second ogre chuckled. “Needs more salt next time.”
A puddle of Gretchen’s fear (and something else) shimmered on the wet stones beneath us.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6ufF0Ta6x
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One by one. The ogres feasted on my classmates. I heard ‘em scream. I heard ‘em cry. I heard ‘em pleading for their lives. I saw ‘em gettin’ shredded to bits. 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfR0GX1nSmp
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It was horrifying.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7xsIsLcpzm
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It was terrible.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9liE6Q2p95
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Absolutely terrible.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAhasECs9P
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Then it was my turn. Life sucks sometimes. I know.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGN7rghifES
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“Now…It’s YOUR turn fatso!” one of the ogres boomed and pointed at me.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG3JUv5JZGl
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“The name’s Tracy Brown!” I snapped. “Call me fat ONE MORE TIME and I’ll go medieval on your butts!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvLVrpOf92x
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“Answer this: How many particles does pi have?” The first ogre boomed.
My brain did a weird little flip. Pi? Particles? Why would a number have particles? I swallowed. My heart hammered so loud I could hear it in my teeth.
“Infinite,” I said. My voice sounded small. “Pi’s decimal goes on forever. It doesn’t stop.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB5gvhXLhlF
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The ogres huddled together, whispering in low, guttural voices. They tapped their teeth. They poked each other in the ribs. Finally, one of them shrugged.
“Huh. Fine,” he grunted. “One down. Two to go.”
The second ogre frowned. “Next riddle,” he said. “345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOJrwlgQ5J
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My mind raced. A towel. A towel, a towel, a towel, say it, Tracy, just say it.
“Towel,” I blurted. “A towel.”
The ogres’ yellow eyes narrowed. Then, oddly, the second ogre clapped both massive hands together. “Okay,” he said. “You’re smart.”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zO4qawZh6
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“Yeeees!” I yelled happily.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OwvMcnfia
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“Final riddle, Challenge us to do something impossible, something we can't do!"345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXPRM7IWn5z
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I smirked. I knew just what to do. My smirk grew bigger. Then I farted. 345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs4b4E3j3KJ
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Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfffffffffffffft!!!345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRE6coIJPBq
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“Alright, I challenge you to catch my fart and paint it green!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5YJIomRBb1
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The ogres blinked. Then roared with confusion and outrage. “Impossible!” one bellowed.
“Exactly!” I shouted. “You can’t do it. I WIN!!!”345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKGfsjuHM1
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The ogre sighed in disappointment.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnw3OQDbGUp
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“You’re allowed to pass. We won’t eat you” The ogres muttered.
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I strutted across the bridge, laughing and waving at the ogres. “So long, suckers!” I shouted.
But then… the stones beneath my feet shivered.
I froze. The carvings glowed brighter, pulsating like tiny, angry eyes. The bridge groaned, a low, grinding, bone-chilling sound.
“What the…?!” I whispered.
The arches above twisted slowly, like fingers reaching for me. The bridge itself was alive. It shuddered, and the mist swirled around me, thick and suffocating.
I tried to run, but the stones shifted under my feet, forming ridges and valleys that slowed me down. The bridge was indeed alive!
A deep, rumbling voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once.
“Who dares cross me… and MOCK the ogres?”
I gulped. My victory, my fart, my clever riddles, they all felt meaningless now.
Somehow… somehow I had to make it to the other side.
I ran. I jumped. I scrambled, praying that this ancient, living bridge would let me survive…345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhLXOAFD3Z9
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But it didn’t.345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZoQjDKrK4
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And now…I’m no longer alive. Just a ghost, forever wandering the bridge, waiting for the next unlucky kids to cross.
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Afterword:
Answer… Or Be Eaten! was inspired by the spine-tingling worlds of R. L. Stine's Goosebumps-books and Betsy Haynes’ Bone Chillers-series. From the eerie forests of Tolpeak, New Hampshire, to the terrifyingly alive bridge and its monstrous guardians, this story blends suspense, dark humor, and a touch of the impossible, just like the tales that made us stay up late reading under the covers.
May this short story remind you that even when you think you’ve outsmarted the monsters… the real horror might be waiting in the shadows, or under your very feet345Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9VH1pCqxK
and then Add to home screen.