The Beast from the East (novella)

infobox Book | | name = The Beast from the East
orig title =
translator =


author = R. L. Stine
cover_artist = Tim Jacobus
country = United States
language = English
series = "Goosebumps"
classification = fiction
genre = Horror fiction, Children's literature
publisher = Scholastic
release_date = May 1996
media_type = Print (Paperback)
pages = 118
isbn = 0590568809
preceded_by = Egg Monsters from Mars
followed_by = Say Cheese and Die - Again

"The Beast from the East" is the 43rd book in the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine,in which a girl and her brothers get lost and meet some crazy creatures that want to eat them. But the animals give them a fighting chance by playing a crazy game of tag. If the heroes can avoid them all day and night, they can live.

Plot

Ginger Wald and her younger twin brothers, Nat and Pat, are on a camping trip with their parents in the woods. The children get separated from their parents, get lost in the woods, and notice that the grass is yellow, the bushes are purple, and the trees are as tall as skyscrapers. They are found by large blue bear-like highly intelligent creatures with sharp teeth and sharp claws. The creatures want to eat the kids but instead give them a fighting chance as it is their way in hunting. Ginger is "The Beast from the East", she must tag another creature and make it to the safe tree before sunrise, because if she is still "The Beast of the East" by sunrise, the kids will be eaten. The three discover that no matter how far they run, they cannot escape the woods and are soon caught in a predicament. One of the twins is trapped by snakes and Ginger is unable to do anything. One of the creatures appears and Ginger pleads with it to help her and her brother, the creature is shocked because getting bitten means points but Ginger obviously does not care and so the creature helps but then tags Ginger, making her "The Beast of the East".

Ginger is separated from her brothers and manages to find a one-eyed creature babysitting a child. Ginger tags him but the creature informs her that he is on the west side of the woods and cannot be tagged. Ginger tricks him into crossing over on to the east side by engaging him in a spinning game; the creature becomes so disoriented that he spins onto the east side and Ginger tags him. The creature is impressed but warns Ginger to run before he chases her. Ginger finds shelter in a safe spot, a bug infested hole in the ground beneath a bush that keeps her safe from being tagged. But the bugs prove to be too bothersome and she flees and is unable to hide there again as the rules state. Ginger spots the safe tree as the sun rises and runs to tag it but is caught by the creatures and tagged. Ginger, Nat, and Pat have lost. Ginger is taken to the fire pit and awaits her death as the creatures bring in Nat and then Pat, only to discover that Nat and Pat are identical twins. The creatures call Nat and Pat's identical move, a "Classic Clone." The creatures believe that this makes the three kids Level Three players, and since the creatures are Level One, cannot eat them and let the kids go. The three begin to leave but come across another creature. Boldly, Ginger tells the creature to step aside as they are Level Three, to which the creature happily exclaims that he is too and tags her, beginning the game again.