Then, amidst the commotion, a carriage with four horses appears from out of the darkness, drawing up beside the coach. You can see from the flash of lamps that the horses are coal-black. They are driven by a tall man with a long brown beard and a great black hat, which hides his face. His eyes appear red in the lamplight.

He says to the driver, “You are early tonight.”

The man stammers in reply, “The Englishman was in a hurry.”

The stranger smiles, and the lamplight falls on a hard-looking mouth, with very red lips and sharp teeth as white as ivory. “Give me the Englishman’s luggage,” he says.

Your bags are quickly loaded onto the carriage. Next, the new driver helps you out of the stagecoach and into your new means of travel. His hand squeezes your arm with a grip of steel. The stranger climbs back into his seat. Without a word he shakes his reins, and you are swept into the darkness of the pass. You feel a strange chill.

The carriage goes at a hard pace straight ahead. Then it makes a complete turn and goes along another straight road. It seems to you that you are simply going over and over the same ground again. You would like to ask the driver, but you fear to do so. Instead, you wait with a sick feeling of suspense.

At midnight, a wild howling of wolves begins. It seems to come from all over the country. The horses begin to strain and rear, but the driver speaks to them soothingly, and they quiet down. Nevertheless, they shiver and sweat from fright. You wish you could jump from the carriage and run. But in a few minutes, your ears get used to the sound, and the horses become calm enough that the driver is able to climb down and stand before them.

As he pets and soothes them, you realize that you are on a narrow roadway. You are hemmed in with trees and great rocks on either side. 

It grows colder. Fine, powdery snow begins to fall. The wolves sound nearer, as though they are closing in on you from every side. You grow dreadfully afraid.

Suddenly, on your left, you see a faint blue flame. The driver sees it at the same moment. He at once checks the horses and then disappears into the darkness. As he nears the flame, you watch the driver’s motions. He gathers a few stones and forms them into something.

There appears a strange optical effect. When he stands between you and the flame, you can see its ghostly flicker through his body. This startles you, but you guess that your eyes are playing tricks on you. The wolves continue to howl around you.

The driver goes farther away, disappearing from sight. During his absence, the horses begin to tremble worse than ever. They snort and scream.

You are nervous and afraid. The horses, the dark, the wolves, the blue flame—all of it is getting to you. You sense trouble, and you feel the need to move. Should you venture into the darkness and find the driver? Or should you stay where you are and wait? Both options feel dangerous, but they’re the only options you have. What will you choose to do?

The Interactive Classic Literature series puts a new spin on classic literature for middle-grade readers, ages 9 to 13. In these interactive adventures, readers become the main characters and make choices that affect what happens next. Each book of around 140 pages introduces a timeless work of fiction—such as The Call of the Wild or The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes—and gives readers an opportunity to make about 25 life-or-death decisions. If the correct choices are made, the story’s golden path ultimately leads to a happy ending. The 5.25" x 7.5" books are priced below $10, and their video-game-in-a-book format appeals to boys and girls alike, including reluctant readers.