You know the feeling. It's a pitch-black, spooky night. The moon is shining eerily through the mist. You hear a scuffling in the woods outside your house. It must be your imagination, you tell yourself. Then you hear a strange tapping at your window. You're just sure something's out there--but what? You're too frightened to look and see--and too frightened not to. Slowly you creep to the window. The tapping is getting louder. Again, you're sure your imagination is playing tricks on you. You reach the window, and dare yourself to look out. You pull back the curtains and . . .
People have been frightening themselves like this for thousands of years. And they have been telling scary stories like the ones in this book for just as long. Because the stories have been told so many times, they tend to change just a little every time they are told. A few more details are added here and there so that they are just a little different--and scarier. But one thing is common to all of the stories--they have been told so many times that they sound as if they have really happened. So, next time you are at a slumber party or a camp-out or just feel like being scared, share these terrifying tales with your friends. Oh, you don't have to tell them exactly as they are written here. In fact, it's scarier if you don't. And you'll want to add your own details to make the stories sound really true. Any of these stories could be about someone you know--or used to know. Try telling them, but substituting someone you sound as if you know for the main character. It could be your long-lost cousin who takes a drive with his girlfriend one night in the hook story or your late great uncle who lives alone in the mountains with only a pack of dogs for company in the Taily-po story. And remember, the way you tell the story is just as important as the story itself. Make sure the lights are turned down low. And talk slowly to build the tension. You might want to even act a little nervous as if you are scared to find out the ending yourself.
So open the pages of this book--if you dare. Like whatever it is that is making the sound outside your window, there's something between these pages that's waiting, waiting for just the right time, just the right place to scare the living daylights out of you!