The story begins a few days before Halloween in a canteen at the fictional Walnut Avenue Middle School. The story's protagonist, eleven-year-old Carly Beth Caldwell, is sitting talking about her trick or treating costume with her best friend Sabrina Mason. Carly Beth is a quiet, shy, and overly trusting girl. She is easily scared of almost everything, and repeatedly humiliated by her friends, Chuck Green and Steve Boswell, at school who call her ...
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The story begins a few days before Halloween in a canteen at the fictional Walnut Avenue Middle School. The story's protagonist, eleven-year-old Carly Beth Caldwell, is sitting talking about her trick or treating costume with her best friend Sabrina Mason. Carly Beth is a quiet, shy, and overly trusting girl. She is easily scared of almost everything, and repeatedly humiliated by her friends, Chuck Green and Steve Boswell, at school who call her a "scaredy cat", and delight in making her life a misery. After being tricked by Steve into eating a sandwich that contained a live worm, Carly Beth flees home in shame and vows revenge.
At home, Carly Beth discovers her mother has made a perfect likeness of Carly Beth's face from plaster of paris as a symbol of her love for her. Carly Beth is also annoyed to discover her mother has made her a silly duck costume. Carly Beth goes to her room, where her little brother, Noah, has dressed up in her costume and frightens her. After Carly Beth sends Noah away, she phones Sabrina and they talk about the cruel prank Steve played on her. Carly Beth swears she will never fall for one of their stunts again, and muses about buying a horrible mask from a new shop that has just opened. The day before Halloween at a science fair, Carly Beth is once again made a fool of after Steve pretends his tarantula has escaped, knowing full well Carly Beth is terrified of spiders. Steve sneaks up behind Carly Beth and pinches her leg, making it seem as though the tarantula is biting her. Carly Beth runs off in tears, after everyone laughs at her. On Halloween day she collects her money and sets off for the costume shop, distraught that it is closed. However the mysterious owner of the shop allows her entry and she unwillingly stumbles upon a back room filled with the most hideous, deformed masks she has ever seen. The owner refuses to sell her the one she wants, but she is insistent and takes off with the mask while throwing the money to him. Thrilled, she goes home, puts on the mask and scares her brother. However the mask won't come off, and when it finally does, Carly Beth and Noah are unsure as to how she unintentionally changed her voice to a hoarse growl.
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