“Are we there yet?” 309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pRb2cjnAG
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Gretchen McFarlane groaned behind me.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYo6t1SaDi
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“I dunno”, I answered.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBi1oEGndeh
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“Are we there yet?309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY6Q3jWlKYm
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“I dunno”.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhCNRRYlGJQ
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“Are we there yet?”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHMkIJWCXBs
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“Oh my gosh, will you please stop?!” I snapped. My hands were gripping each other so hard they hurt. “309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MFIEz7XTz
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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!309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfk2EuOpp2
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By the way, My name is Betty Jeffres309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7l3b3ZwJG
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRiy1VBG2E
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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!"309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dGAAEqHeH
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKnCjchltTP
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“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” I said. Facepalming myself.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dU8cPNWjD
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Gretchen began to wail like a banshee. Big surprise. Gretchen is the biggest crybaby in the land.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fObmvJz8A
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCswXzsOIOY
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“Shut up Gretchen! I shouted. Covering my ears. “This isn’t helping!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwYGGrR3OUl
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“WE’RE GONNA DIE! WE’RE GONNA DIE!!!” Gretchen continued her super annoying wailing.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdTbziiZTpL
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“SHUT UP!!!” I yelled. “YOU MAKE MY EARS BLEED!!!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZujwUb8GBU
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By now, everyone had started panicking.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuPi2UIoip
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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!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aDFyS1BJq
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrr9VjjffK8
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6NhsLFdNe
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“Never mind, it CAN get any worse than this!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGhS1CHW9Qr
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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!309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVY6vXH0hs
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out of nowhere!309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVE0cPFHB1x
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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!309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HRFnKO2yW
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgZG26IrkwD
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Gretchen whimpered. Her knees wobbled like jelly. Her face turned chalk white. I swear she almost fainted.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFy0LXMG8Sx
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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.”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpvNHtWcKvD
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“Who should we eat first?” the first ogre hissed.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynk4bFtc1h
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“Let’s start with the fat one over there!”, the other ogre said and pointed at me.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XcdHlZV4D
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“Who you callin’ fat?!” I shouted angrily. “I’m not fat, I’m just big-boned!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmTtj1L52WD
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“Nice Eric Cartman impression!" Fenella Ziegler laughed. “You sounded just like him!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwyMGCagXhT
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Miss Ferguson approached the ogre. She looked very brave. More brave than she usually looked.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuOQlVqurJ0
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJTp5YljWo
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBisLP51KT8
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVj74mzXREX
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“Now, how about the rest of you?”, he said. bearing his terrifying teeth.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxPct4eCgS
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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.”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeD8fFle3c4
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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!309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tzEThOdoD
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“Lemme go first! There’s no riddle in the world that I dunno the answer to!”, Fenella shouted309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsuEs4pwLj
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The ogres smiled. Bearing their shark-teeth again.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRUM12xiPmh
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“As you wish, how many particles does pi have?” the ogre said.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDOcninSBXN
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkB8qIiULB
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Gretchen approached the ogre. Her face was still chalk white. Her legs still wobbling like jelly.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzr2hpJoNs
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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?”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQIG5D23tM
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbukoT9CgQQ
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTO2fiF43za
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The ogres grinned.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHpRJu204I
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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. 309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2oBiOEFvx
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“PLEASE, DON’T EAT ME!!!” Gretchen wailed. 309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJDFdMbXJUA
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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.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxybb1rgZJ
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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. 309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡasQAftP9Vm
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It was horrifying.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJIs5HtoQu
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It was terrible.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPOXsi2NWt
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Absolutely terrible.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4w57F8Xnmv
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Then it was my turn. Life sucks sometimes. I know.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKpPcZnpPR
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“Now…It’s YOUR turn fatso!” one of the ogres boomed and pointed at me.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QrwA8DSb1
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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!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDoEsfJVpxh
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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.”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVOlhVVjM6
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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. “309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl6LAIWHJXU
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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.”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYVGcFhrxH
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“Yeeees!” I yelled happily.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQUWPgo4tYx
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“Final riddle, Challenge us to do something impossible, something we can't do!"309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVc7W627aqZ
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I smirked. I knew just what to do. My smirk grew bigger. Then I farted. 309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcFbzHsNH0
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Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfffffffffffffft!!!309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5T4pc1yUTa
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“Alright, I challenge you to catch my fart and paint it green!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBx5R3b0sih
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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!!!”309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXrHIl0sanW
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The ogre sighed in disappointment.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUYPe5Kp04
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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…309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlMCXdL580
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But it didn’t.309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgTIXrBAEAZ
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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 feet309Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PL0kgGOdG
and then Add to home screen.