“Are we there yet?” 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMktXrbE6eh
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Gretchen McFarlane groaned behind me.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttsX2i35G8
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“I dunno”, I answered.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyV0w7Ja8e
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“Are we there yet?146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkh3lqAi1OQ
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“I dunno”.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡneot26WVJZ
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“Are we there yet?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMISueUQ5H
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“Oh my gosh, will you please stop?!” I snapped. My hands were gripping each other so hard they hurt. “146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7coNt00Cj
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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!146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGRCWY4ATIY
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By the way, My name is Betty Jeffres146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jxiA3DD95
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHwR5SGFfF
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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!"146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKwENLmvY2E
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhsR346wpSo
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“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!” I said. Facepalming myself.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQQfOQK6Y8k
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Gretchen began to wail like a banshee. Big surprise. Gretchen is the biggest crybaby in the land.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzymIfUThET
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5K5n0eN90
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“Shut up Gretchen! I shouted. Covering my ears. “This isn’t helping!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiws1MAjWq
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“WE’RE GONNA DIE! WE’RE GONNA DIE!!!” Gretchen continued her super annoying wailing.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIxYZAO2lG8
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“SHUT UP!!!” I yelled. “YOU MAKE MY EARS BLEED!!!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjOn4pl1T48
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By now, everyone had started panicking.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡke4IZauGzT
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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!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxD12uyKtzp
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7QGa3pJrgj
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99mA4R64t2
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“Never mind, it CAN get any worse than this!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48QabzSIRd
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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!146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDiwtYdlZoG
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out of nowhere!146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXByuHco3G
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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!146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj0r9OsimJD
146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjkk9G08nWy
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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqDVUrMRK2w
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Gretchen whimpered. Her knees wobbled like jelly. Her face turned chalk white. I swear she almost fainted.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUOO6ubp9bO
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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.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxmvVQeAqq4
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“Who should we eat first?” the first ogre hissed.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0HETG4Kd6M
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“Let’s start with the fat one over there!”, the other ogre said and pointed at me.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiAgNwOdJwv
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“Who you callin’ fat?!” I shouted angrily. “I’m not fat, I’m just big-boned!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKPsvCjrkl
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“Nice Eric Cartman impression!" Fenella Ziegler laughed. “You sounded just like him!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlc56vnoViU
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Miss Ferguson approached the ogre. She looked very brave. More brave than she usually looked.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7UlpBjazx0
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnodn32ooZw
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKd25XyB2P
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqx3G6iX6A9
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“Now, how about the rest of you?”, he said. bearing his terrifying teeth.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqauTvA0ZBq
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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.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5h8n7bx7Cf
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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!146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSeKGkB3iSY
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“Lemme go first! There’s no riddle in the world that I dunno the answer to!”, Fenella shouted146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLQRcPpWzV
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The ogres smiled. Bearing their shark-teeth again.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUlB1DUbANr
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“As you wish, how many particles does pi have?” the ogre said.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR0Y3z8zCV
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXoh0LsTogD
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Gretchen approached the ogre. Her face was still chalk white. Her legs still wobbling like jelly.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnStNfQpxhp
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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?”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXYXz9Rt1v
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37UAGy3HEq
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVSn6RRLfAO
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The ogres grinned.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNeYJO2clI
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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. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTIwl4hHi6H
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“PLEASE, DON’T EAT ME!!!” Gretchen wailed. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnSuyzEtpR
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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.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2PfuIUl7BL
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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. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxXqDa61Nn
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It was horrifying.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkWmRtgAzhR
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It was terrible.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeB2ATgLuO
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Absolutely terrible.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmwwOZUyB5
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Then it was my turn. Life sucks sometimes. I know.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQwzh8Uuf4
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“Now…It’s YOUR turn fatso!” one of the ogres boomed and pointed at me.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JnFAgwQvZ
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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!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKY1xnO5o8d
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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.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSuTFaNdes7
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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. “146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4ulXUsQlib
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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.”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhFNEbzFqdw
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“Yeeees!” I yelled happily.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89CQ9GiCkv
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“Final riddle, Challenge us to do something impossible, something we can't do!"146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnTbI8Ulab
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I smirked. I knew just what to do. My smirk grew bigger. Then I farted. 146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvg4HwMdafi
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Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfffffffffffffft!!!146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3c9IpzZib2
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“Alright, I challenge you to catch my fart and paint it green!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQqZgbVISx
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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!!!”146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVB6TqaEU0
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The ogre sighed in disappointment.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvaAfu0VHx
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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…146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJpkEplCuHL
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But it didn’t.146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLWBgCdn63K
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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 feet146Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLMe1Owhcq
and then Add to home screen.