9 SINGLE DIP

CHAPTER 9 SINGLE DIP They call that a roller coaster?" yelled Rip, shaking his head. There was a sign lying on the ground. Nikki picked it up. "Look, guys!" she said. "This rope has been snipped!" OUT OF ORDER

Low, flat track Well-lit tunnel One bump "See, Rip?" said Alexander. "Somebody has been cutting stuff all over the park!" "Okay, fine, Salamander," said Rip. "But so what?! And why cut that rope? The ride is out of order with or without the sign!" Just then, an empty roller coaster car rolled into view, and stopped.

CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK CLICK "Uh, this ride doesn't look out of order," said Nikki. The three friends glanced at the control booth, but there was nobody in there. They stepped up to the coaster. "Look! What's that in the front seat?" said Rip. "Something fuzzy," said Nikki. "And rabbity!" "Dottie's backpack!" cried Alexander. "How did it get here?" asked Nikki.

"Beats me," said Rip, scratching his head. "But there's no way a ghost put it here." "Not a ghost..." said Alexander. "That's it! Those eyes in the crystal ball! They weren't ghost eyes—they belong to a whirly-wisp!" He opened the notebook.

WHIRLY-WISP Looks like a ghost, but it's not. (There's no such thing as ghosts.) skull head Glowing red eyes Raggedy body HABITAT Dark caves.

GRUMMM! A whirly-wisp's growl sounds like a rumbling train. DIET Jellied Kid brains (served on crackers). BEHAVIOR The whirly-wisp turns anything it touches to jelly. WARNING! This monster will stop at nothing to eat your brains! But if you can draw a circle around it, the whirly-wisp will fade away.