>>143949923Mario steps onto the brick road that winds through the Mushroom Kingdom. Immediately, a bright blue turtle charges at him. Mario hops into the air. The small reptile scuttles underneath without touching him.
"Those Koopa Troopas aren't very bright," Mario says, watching the turtle scamper off.
Just then, he feels something bump into him and a sharp pain shoots through his leg. He looks down to find another turtle with its teeth dug into his ankle.
"Ouch! Where did you come from?" asks Mario, picking up the small blue turtle. It looks exactly like the one he just dodged.
Mario frowns at the turtle, but it doesn't answer. "Oh, never mind," he says. He drops it to the ground and shoves it out of the way.
"Things seem normal enough," he notes as he looks about the countryside. But after a minute he begins to change his mind.
The Mushroom Kingdom is made up of open meadows, rolling hills, and valleys. There's usually room for every creature there to go about its business undisturbed. But today, for some reason, the kingdom seems crowded. Beetles swarm about in such great numbers that a single flock entirely covers a grassy hill by the road. Orange Tweeter birds fight for space on a nearby brick ledge.
Mario watches two tiny masked creatures walk by. That's strange, too, he thinks. Shyguys almost always travel alone.
"I'd better get to the bottom of this," says Mario, gazing around. A few feet ahead, the road forks. One path zig-zags up to the royal palace. The other winds around some metal boxes and fades into the distance.
Mario must decide which path to take. He's sure he'll find trouble on either one.
If you think Mario should go to the palace, turn to page 79.
If you think Mario should explore the Mushroom Kingdom, turn to page 26.
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