Dare to be Scared
Encyclopedia
Dare to Be Scared: Thirteen Stories to Chill and Thrill is a 2003 children's horror short story collection by Robert D. San Souci
and illustrated by David Ouimet
, consisting of thirteen stories.
and write his name on a chalkboard to prove he was there. As he is in the house, he hears strange noises. A hairy figure touches his shoulder then chases Peter out of the house and all the way to his own house, with the last lines (which is the monster's) being , "What's the matter? Don't you like me?"
given from her Aunt Margaret, who died. Lindsay had pretended to like her Aunt because she only wanted her ring. Lindsay's father loses his cell phone while at the funeral. When Lindsay gets a call from an unknown caller, who says it's her Aunt Margaret, Lindsay tells the caller she never liked her, she just wanted her ring, then hangs up. While Lindsay's at her friend's house, Missy, she gets another call from her Aunt Margaret who says she's coming back to get her ring. This time the call was from her father's number, she guesses it was her little brothers trying to mess with her. When Lindsay hears footsteps behind a door, she thinks it's Margaret. While the door is still closed, Missy says she's on the other side, laughing at Lindsay. Mad at Missy, Lindsay opens the door, but it wasn't Missy who was clenching a phone covered in mud.
. Upset, he finds the four boys, and spreads sap on them also.
to leave. The bus was supposed to arrive in five minutes but instead Mark and his mom wait for one hour. Finally, it arrives. Surprisingly, the bus was new with a fresh coat of paint, unlike the other buses. The driver was hidden in a compartment. The inside of the bus is shiny, comfortable and new. Mark's mom is delighted. They soon take off. The ride begins smoothly and comfortably, but then the passengers complain that the bus has passed their intended destination. Then the bus rises into the sky. They soon panic as they find out the driver is an alien and they are in a UFO
called Jungle Jaws of Death, about killer ants. At the theater, while watching the previews, a horror movie called Frightmaster is coming soon and it's about things that crawl out of your nightmares and come to life. After watching the movie and going home, Kyle begins to feel and see killer ants everywhere. While in bed, killer ants crawl to him. Scared and shaky, the Frightmaster is in Kyle's head and says, "They're just figments of your imagination, like me. But, then, you always did have too much imagination."
. They go to the park, when they're mom told them not to. Jonelle doesn't want to stay, while Keesha does. Jonelle runs back home to tell on Keesha. Keesha and her friends have their attention paid to a girl named Cassandra, who calls for a spirit to come. No one believes it, making Cassandra mad. Jonelle comes back to the park, and Keesha takes her home. Jonelle doesn't speak as if she doesn't exist, confusing Keesha. When they get home, Keesha sees Jonelle sitting at a table. The girl with Keesha reveals to be a real witch who takes Keesha away.
and use it as a lever to push boulders on the creature, scaring it away. They tell Angel and their parents what happened, but only Angel believes them, until the creature's shadow flies over everyone.
that Playland would never go away and that he could ride the haunted house again and again. Alec goes to Playland one more time with his friend, Brian. They visit the automaton
wish witch and Alec asks if the wish would come true. The wish witch promises it would. Then, Alec and Brian ride the haunted house. When riding the haunted house, it was supposed to stop but it didn't. Then, Brian falls off of the ride and gets crushed to death. Alec tried getting the ride operator's attention, but he was busy chatting. The ride goes faster, faster and faster. Alec is dizzy, as his head swings loosely on his neck, as if it were about to fall off. He can't get out of the cart and the ride goes on and on, never stopping. Just as he had wished for.
. She wakes up in her grandparents home. She never met her Grandfather, and she only met her Grandmother when she was 6. Her memory is blurry. She asks her grandparents if she can go back to the house and find their ghosts, to say she loved them since the last thing she said to them was that she hated them, because they wouldn't let her spend the night at a friend's house. Her grandparents refuse. Katie then sneaks out of the house and goes to her old house. There is a heavy scent of burnt roses. She finds her parents' ghosts and tells them she loves them. They spend a sad and touching moment. Her grandparents arrive, revealing they too are ghosts and so is Katie. Her memory becomes clear and remembers that her grandfather died before she was born, and her grandmother died when she was 6.
girl named Maria Luisa is staying with her grandmother while her mother is on business. She breaks things and blames it on anything but herself, when she knows she did it. Her grandmother tells her if she continues to be bad, a spirit called Mrs. Moonlight will come and take her away, which is what she does with all bad children. Maria Luisa doesn't believe her, until she's actually taken away by Mrs. Moonlight.
's, whose hunger is no more.
n boy off a cliff. When the boy lands on the ground and dies, Marty tells his friend to ignore the situation. The boy's twin brother whispers the word "Bakotahl" to Marty. Bakotahl was a spirit that caused bad things to happen to people who did bad things. After school, and earthquake happens causing Wayne to fall off a cliff, dying. Mojo believes Bakotahl killed Wayne. Marty and Connor don't believe him. That night, Connor calls Marty telling him Mojo died in a sand storm when an RV crashed into the car he was in with his parents. Connor comes over to Marty's and they break into a fight, since Connor wanted to tell the truth about what they did to the boy. After the boys quit fighting, a flash flood occurs and kills them.
Robert D. San Souci
Robert D. San Souci is a multiple award winning children's book author, residing in the San Francisco Bay Area. He often works with his brother, Daniel San Souci, who is a children's book illustrator. He was a consultant to Disney Studios and was instrumental in the production of the film Mulan,...
and illustrated by David Ouimet
David Ouimet
David Ouimet is an American musician and artist. He was a band member of Cop Shoot Cop, Motherhead Bug, Firewater, and Sulfur but has since moved on to interests other than music....
, consisting of thirteen stories.
1. Nighttown
It is about a "dream" where a boy named Sammy is on vacation and is looking for the hotel he's staying at and finds people with vampre-like teeth. Then he gets to the hotel and wakes his parents up and tells them, and they say, "Were they as big as these?" And they flash their giant teeth. Sammy starts running and he felt that they were chasing after him and that he never woke up.2. The Dark, Dark House
After being dared by his friends, a boy named Peter must go in a creepy, supposedly haunted houseHaunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
and write his name on a chalkboard to prove he was there. As he is in the house, he hears strange noises. A hairy figure touches his shoulder then chases Peter out of the house and all the way to his own house, with the last lines (which is the monster's) being , "What's the matter? Don't you like me?"
3. The Caller
A girl name Lindsay has a beautiful ringRing (jewellery)
A finger ring is a circular band worn as a type of ornamental jewelry around a finger; it is the most common current meaning of the word ring. Other types of metal bands worn as ornaments are also called rings, such as arm rings and neck rings....
given from her Aunt Margaret, who died. Lindsay had pretended to like her Aunt because she only wanted her ring. Lindsay's father loses his cell phone while at the funeral. When Lindsay gets a call from an unknown caller, who says it's her Aunt Margaret, Lindsay tells the caller she never liked her, she just wanted her ring, then hangs up. While Lindsay's at her friend's house, Missy, she gets another call from her Aunt Margaret who says she's coming back to get her ring. This time the call was from her father's number, she guesses it was her little brothers trying to mess with her. When Lindsay hears footsteps behind a door, she thinks it's Margaret. While the door is still closed, Missy says she's on the other side, laughing at Lindsay. Mad at Missy, Lindsay opens the door, but it wasn't Missy who was clenching a phone covered in mud.
4. The Double-Dare
Four boys have their own club and they run through woods everyday that are supposedly filled with evil spirits. A boy named Greg hangs with them a lot, but the boys only like him for his computer games. Against his will, they make him run through the woods, but while he's running through, sap is spread on him and he's transformed into a terrible tree monsterMonster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
. Upset, he finds the four boys, and spreads sap on them also.
5. Space Is the Place
In Mark's town, weird lights have appeared in the sky, believed to be aliens. Mark's mother wants to leave the town, against Mark's wishes. They arrive at the bus stationBus station
A bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
to leave. The bus was supposed to arrive in five minutes but instead Mark and his mom wait for one hour. Finally, it arrives. Surprisingly, the bus was new with a fresh coat of paint, unlike the other buses. The driver was hidden in a compartment. The inside of the bus is shiny, comfortable and new. Mark's mom is delighted. They soon take off. The ride begins smoothly and comfortably, but then the passengers complain that the bus has passed their intended destination. Then the bus rises into the sky. They soon panic as they find out the driver is an alien and they are in a UFO
6. Ants
Kyle lies to his mom, saying that he's going to see a Disney movie, when he's going to see a horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
called Jungle Jaws of Death, about killer ants. At the theater, while watching the previews, a horror movie called Frightmaster is coming soon and it's about things that crawl out of your nightmares and come to life. After watching the movie and going home, Kyle begins to feel and see killer ants everywhere. While in bed, killer ants crawl to him. Scared and shaky, the Frightmaster is in Kyle's head and says, "They're just figments of your imagination, like me. But, then, you always did have too much imagination."
7. The Halloween Spirit
A bratty girl named Keesha is forced to take her little sister, Jonelle, with her on HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. They go to the park, when they're mom told them not to. Jonelle doesn't want to stay, while Keesha does. Jonelle runs back home to tell on Keesha. Keesha and her friends have their attention paid to a girl named Cassandra, who calls for a spirit to come. No one believes it, making Cassandra mad. Jonelle comes back to the park, and Keesha takes her home. Jonelle doesn't speak as if she doesn't exist, confusing Keesha. When they get home, Keesha sees Jonelle sitting at a table. The girl with Keesha reveals to be a real witch who takes Keesha away.
8. The Bald Mountain Monster
Three kids, Nick, Sarah, and Angel are on a trip with their parents to explore interesting mountains. The kids meet a man who tells a legend of a strange winged creature who flies to children and eats them. If anyone gets in the creature's shadow, bad luck comes to them. Sarah goes off into a cave and gets trapped. Nick goes after her and then they both end up stuck. They see the winged creature in there and are chased by it. Finally getting out of the cave, they take Nick's dad's camera tripodTripod (photography)
In photography, a tripod is used to stabilize and elevate a camera, or to support flashes or other photographic equipment. All photographic tripods have three legs and a mounting head to couple with a camera...
and use it as a lever to push boulders on the creature, scaring it away. They tell Angel and their parents what happened, but only Angel believes them, until the creature's shadow flies over everyone.
9. Playland
Alec loves the amusement park, Playland. But unfortunately, it's about to be replaced by a new one. His favorite ride is the haunted house. He makes a wishWish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.-In literature:...
that Playland would never go away and that he could ride the haunted house again and again. Alec goes to Playland one more time with his friend, Brian. They visit the automaton
Automaton
An automaton is a self-operating machine. The word is sometimes used to describe a robot, more specifically an autonomous robot. An alternative spelling, now obsolete, is automation.-Etymology:...
wish witch and Alec asks if the wish would come true. The wish witch promises it would. Then, Alec and Brian ride the haunted house. When riding the haunted house, it was supposed to stop but it didn't. Then, Brian falls off of the ride and gets crushed to death. Alec tried getting the ride operator's attention, but he was busy chatting. The ride goes faster, faster and faster. Alec is dizzy, as his head swings loosely on his neck, as if it were about to fall off. He can't get out of the cart and the ride goes on and on, never stopping. Just as he had wished for.
10. Smoke
Katie's parents died in a house that was on fireFire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
. She wakes up in her grandparents home. She never met her Grandfather, and she only met her Grandmother when she was 6. Her memory is blurry. She asks her grandparents if she can go back to the house and find their ghosts, to say she loved them since the last thing she said to them was that she hated them, because they wouldn't let her spend the night at a friend's house. Her grandparents refuse. Katie then sneaks out of the house and goes to her old house. There is a heavy scent of burnt roses. She finds her parents' ghosts and tells them she loves them. They spend a sad and touching moment. Her grandparents arrive, revealing they too are ghosts and so is Katie. Her memory becomes clear and remembers that her grandfather died before she was born, and her grandmother died when she was 6.
11. Mrs. Moonlight (Senora Claro de Luna)
A spoiled SpanishSpanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
girl named Maria Luisa is staying with her grandmother while her mother is on business. She breaks things and blames it on anything but herself, when she knows she did it. Her grandmother tells her if she continues to be bad, a spirit called Mrs. Moonlight will come and take her away, which is what she does with all bad children. Maria Luisa doesn't believe her, until she's actually taken away by Mrs. Moonlight.
12. Hungry Ghosts
A boy named Michael and his uncle visit a whole bunch of paintings that were about Michael's ancestors who were tortured and starved to death because of the government. Michael then begins to feel their pain, literally. While on a boat, going home, Michael's soul flies out of his body and is replaced with his ancestorAncestor
An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor ....
's, whose hunger is no more.
13. Bakotahl
Marty and his friends Wayne, Mojo, and Connor chase an IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n boy off a cliff. When the boy lands on the ground and dies, Marty tells his friend to ignore the situation. The boy's twin brother whispers the word "Bakotahl" to Marty. Bakotahl was a spirit that caused bad things to happen to people who did bad things. After school, and earthquake happens causing Wayne to fall off a cliff, dying. Mojo believes Bakotahl killed Wayne. Marty and Connor don't believe him. That night, Connor calls Marty telling him Mojo died in a sand storm when an RV crashed into the car he was in with his parents. Connor comes over to Marty's and they break into a fight, since Connor wanted to tell the truth about what they did to the boy. After the boys quit fighting, a flash flood occurs and kills them.