The Secret

By R.L. Stine

In the second novel of a terrifying trilogy, R.L. Stine takes you back in time, finally telling the awful truth of what happened to the cursed Fear family…and why their evil lives on. Simon Fier meets an old gypsy who tells him his family will all die in a terrible fire. Terrified, he changes the family name to Fear, but he can’t escape the curse.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Release date: Oct 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781442407411

R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine has more than 350 million English language books in print, plus international editions in 32 languages, making him one of the most popular children’s authors in history. Besides Goosebumps, R.L. Stine has written other series, including Fear Street, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room, and Dangerous Girls. R.L. Stine lives in New York with his wife, Jane, and his Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Minnie. Visit him online at rlstine.com.

Book preview

Village of Shadyside

1900

Nora’s pen scratched against the paper. Dry again. Wearily she thought of dipping the point into the inkwell, changed her mind and, yawning, set the pen down on the small writing table.

Just for a minute. Just for one minute’s rest…

Her back ached and her fingers were cramped. She had been scribbling furiously all night by the light of a single candle.

Nora knew she had to tell her story. And she had to tell it tonight.

She touched the silver pendant that hung from a chain around her neck. Her fingers picked out the silver claws, the blue stones. Then fire appeared before her closed eyes, burning in her memory. Fire that burned the innocent Susannah Goode in 1692. Two hundred years of hatred and revenge followed Susannah’s death. And then, at last, the terrible fire that consumed the Fear mansion …

Nora’s eyes filled with tears. Daniel … my Daniel …

After so many fires, all was in ashes now.

Sighing sadly, Nora dipped her pen into the inkwell. No time to rest. The story must be told.

She heard a noise and stopped writing. She listened.

Footsteps. Someone was coming!

Her hands trembling, Nora frantically shoved the paper and ink into the desk drawer. No one must see this, she thought. No one can see it until it is finished. And it is far from finished. There are so many horrors left untold.

So many horrors …

She held her breath, listening. The footsteps moved closer, closer …

PART ONE

Wickham Village, Massachusetts Colony

1737

Chapter 1

VILLAGE OF WICKHAM.

Jonathan Fier sighed with relief as the wagon rolled past the wooden sign. Their long journey was over at last.

He glanced at his father sitting beside him on the box of the wagon. Ezra Fier’s face was haggard and drawn, but his black eyes sparked with excitement. He snapped the reins with renewed energy, and the chestnut horse trotted faster down the rutted, tree-lined road.

We are here, Jonathan, Ezra said to his son. After all those weeks in this wagon, we are finally in Wickham. George Goode is going to wish he had never been born. Ezra’s voice dipped lower, almost to a whisper. Revenge at last. It will be so sweet!

Jonathan felt a cold chill. Revenge. Revenge for what?

I still do not understand, Jonathan thought. Who is George Goode? I have never even met anyone named Goode. Goodes have never done me any harm. So why did we have to leave the farm in Pennsylvania? Why have we spent the last six months driving east in this cramped and dirty old wagon?

Jonathan stole a glance at his father’s gaunt face. We’ve come here to seek revenge against the Goodes, Papa says. Everything he does is for revenge.

Sometimes I think Papa is crazy.

Jonathan immediately wished he could take back that thought. How could I think such a thing? he scolded himself. He is my father. He cannot be crazy. There must be a reason for all the misery we have suffered. There must be.

I have searched for the Goodes through five colonies, Ezra muttered. And found no one. But now— He paused to lift his hat and run a bony hand through his straight black hair. "Now I feel sure. I know they are here. I know I have found them at last."

Ezra! Jonathan’s mother called from the back of the wagon. Please slow down. The girls are being tossed all around!

Ezra scowled and pulled on the reins. Jonathan turned on the box and looked back into the covered wagon.

His mother, Jane, and his two sisters, Abigail and Rachel, were huddled back there, along with all the family’s possessions: pots and pans, dishes, utensils, clothes, blankets, the Fier family Bible, and the little food they had left.

We have arrived, Mama, Jonathan said quietly. He wondered whether she would be glad or sorry.

Hurrah! cried three-year-old Rachel, clapping her hands. She was a chubby angel in a homespun muslin shift with a mop of blond curls peeking out from under her cap.

Jane Fier only nodded. She was fair, with worry lines beside her clear blue eyes. She wore a printed linen dress and a loose white cap.

I will be so happy to leave this wagon, said Abigail, a red-haired eight-year-old with mischievous blue eyes. She wore a blue- and white-striped linen dress and a white cap with blue ribbons. She looked up to her brother, Jonathan, who at almost twelve was nearly grown up. Mama, will we be able to stop for good this time? Will we be able to sleep in a bed tonight?

I hope so, Abigail, Jane said.

I will ask Papa, Abigail said.

She started for the front of the wagon, but her mother pulled her back.

Do not bother Papa about that now, Jane whispered He has other matters on his mind."

He always has other matters on his mind, Jonathan thought with some bitterness. Or rather, one other matter.

Jonathan faced front again and lowered his black hat over his eyes. He wore his long brown hair tied back. His white linen shirt was dirty from weeks of traveling, and he was growing out of his brown homespun waistcoat and knee breeches.

As soon as we settle down, he thought, Mama will have to make me some new clothes.

No one passed them as they rolled down the leafy lane toward the village—not on horseback or on foot. It seems strangely quiet here, Jonathan thought. It is not the Sabbath. Where is everyone?

At last he saw a carriage up ahead. It was headed toward them on its way out of town.

Jonathan kept his eyes on the carriage as they approached it. It was shiny and black, a fancy carriage for rich people.

But, wait, he thought. The carriage is not moving. And where are the horses?

Something is wrong, he realized.

Something is terribly wrong.

The Fiers’ wagon drew closer. Jonathan could now see two horses, but they were lying on the ground. Are they hurt? he wondered, leaning so far forward he nearly fell. Are they dead?

Closer.

A foul smell invaded Jonathan’s nostrils. He nearly gagged.

He could see the horses clearly now. Long dead. Their flesh was rotting, their bones shoving up through the decaying skin.

Ohhh!

Jonathan heard his mother utter a cry of shock. He glanced back into the wagon. She had pulled his two sisters close and was covering their eyes.

Ezra slowed the wagon but did not stop.

Why was it left here on the road? Jonathan wondered. Why would people abandon such a fine carriage?

The wagon wheels creaked as they pulled close enough for Jonathon to see inside the carriage.

To his astonishment, the carriage was not empty.

Three women were inside, dressed in gowns of fine silk and white lace caps.

Jonathan stared hard at the women. Their faces.

The faces were purple, nothing but bone and chunks of decaying flesh, poking out from beneath their fancy caps.

They’re dead, Jonathan realized, covering his nose with his hand. And they’ve been dead a long, long time.

Rotting corpses, going nowhere in a fancy carriage.

Chapter 2

Jonathan stifled a cry and covered his face with both hands.

Why have these decaying bodies been left here? he wondered. Why have the villagers not taken them away to be buried?

Was the carriage and its rotting cargo left here as a warning?

Stay away!

Still holding his breath from the stench, Jonathan turned to gaze at his father.

Ezra was staring intently into the carriage window. Was he shocked by the figures inside? Jonathan could not tell. His father’s face revealed no emotion.

Ezra— Jane pleaded, her voice tight and shrill. Turn back. We cannot stay here. That carriage. Those women. I have such a bad feeling.

Ezra turned and silently glared at her in answer. She kept her eyes leveled on him defiantly. Then, without a word, he snapped the reins and urged the horse forward. They headed into town.

Ezra guided the wagon into the village common and stopped.

Jonathan glanced around.

No sign of life. Not another person in sight.

Jonathan could hold the questions back no longer. Papa, why are we here? Why are we searching for the Goodes? What did they do to you?

Jonathan, hush! his mother cried. Her eyes were wide with fright and warning.

For

Reviews for The Secret

[luvdancr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This wasn't as great as the hype that preceding my reading of the book. It does have a good message, but it's reiterated over and over again, in different ways. There are many books out there exactly like this one...the only difference is this one has a movie (which matches the book exactly0 and this one had more media attention....not a horrible read, but not a great one either

[drea3132 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I do believe in the secret, but really it's no secret at all. Just positive thinking. Some things are meant to happen and there's nothing you can do about it, but I do believe that if you live a positive life good things do come to you. I guess you can say it worked for me. After reading this book I wanted to try to see if it worked. So I kept saying that I got the job that I'd been wishing for. I had applied and was waiting for a call back. I ended up getting like 4 calls for jobs! I swear to god! It's always like that, it seems. Like "when it rains, it pours". But I'm happily employed now. I don't know if it was because of "the secret" or not but I did try it out on that. The book was more or less like little lists and letters compiled together. It's not really anything I'd pass along to anyone.

[mindea_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is the second book to the Fear Street Saga on how Fear Street came to be. The second generation of Fiers and Goodes are revenging their family.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This second book carries on the story of the Fiers and the Goodes, and their evil family feud. Sometimes the Fiers are hunting down the Goodes, sometime the other way around. And each time the wrath of one family ignites the other. That is until Jonathan Fier decides to end the curse by burying the family's cursed amulet with the ashes of his father. And a period of peace ensues until several generations later when an unwitting member of the family unearths the amulet. And so the evil begins anew. I really enjoy this story of how the evil of Fear Street began. The books are quick reads and just a bit creepy. The second storyline in this one seemed to wrap up a bit quickly. I would have liked to have learned more about some of the people in the story, particularly Franklin Goode and Simon Fier. Well Simon is in the next book so I will learn more soon.

[nlpolak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Such a great book! Very timely, informative, and thought provoking. I can already see it shift my life around just in the time it took to read this!

[jane3phillips-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Secret really is where you get the saying "be careful what you wish for". But maybe there is something to the Law of Attraction. I've had some really cool things come to me that could be a result of using The Secret - contest winnings - a bike, a trip etc. and some cool business endeavours. One thing the book does say is not to concentrate on what you don't want (the Law of Attraction does not recognize negatives) and to not wish too hard as then you are not truly believing it so it won't work. If nothing else (and for the skeptics out there), The Secret is a great book about living life better through positive thinking and there is no harm done to put it into practice, just realize that you have to put some work into life to make it better. (Whatever that may be!)

[jenn88-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A family member lent this book to me when I was going through a rough time.

It actually helped me. It is common sense, but seeing the words in writing made things clearer. You have the power to turn your life into what you want it to be as long as you believe you can do it.

If you feel down definitely read this book.

[kr_patterson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had to put this one in as one of my favorites. I read it a while back, but continue to listen to parts of it every day. I filter the content through my own faith and beliefs, but I think this "power of attraction", call it whatever you will, is a real thing.

I also wanted to add, though, that I believe the gospel contains the more complete and unadulterated version of this, and it comes down to faith, hope, charity, and gratitude. And the fact that God really does want our lives to be abundant, even though we will have real trials.

[ecoprob · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The law of attraction - when you want something the whole universe conspires to help you have it. As in you can REALLY control what you get.

[xleptodactylous · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is the biggest case of "don't judge a book by its cover" you will ever come across. From the cover, it looks like a pretty damn good fantasy novel, or perhaps a nice bit of historical fiction. But no. It's some self-help bollocks that is some of the most pretentious self-loving twaddle I've ever encountered. There are self-help books for everything, and only 1 in 10000 are worth anything. This is not one of them. The Secret is to not read this.

[gecizzle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I remember reading this book, back when I was in sales. It was a fascinating read. It made a lot of sense, at the time. Did a good job at lighting a fire under my ass, to get myself motivated.

But, just like going to some stupid Tony Robbins seminar, this book too fades away after a short time. All this motivational stuff falls flat. After a couple weeks, you realise that it's all just bullshit. What the ideas in this book are trying to teach you, is yes, it is all bullshit. It's all in your head. Whether you believe yourself a failure, or believe yourself a success, you're right.

You don't need this book, or anything else, to succeed. You just need yourself to want to succeed, and have the drive to fulfill that dream. Holy shit! I should write one of these stupid motivational books. But, why... I mean, Baywatch is on. And, I'm hungry. Fuck that noise. People can motivate their own damn selves.

[willow1972 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This is a guide for being a nicer sociopath. Rarely I have I seen such utter greed and desperation masked as 'spirituality'. This is a disgusting book that panders to the weak minded.

[mark_oszoli · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing, Interesting, Engaging, and definitely Thought Provoking. I can see why so many have read this book. The principle behind the secret makes sense. One of our favorites at home.

[aeromaxtran-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Let there be abundance.
Oh it's already there.

[leena_duncan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wish I could give this book a higher rating as it did have a good message, but the ideas here are a collection of those found elsewhere throughout history. The author isn't presenting something new and bold. I have read lots of religious, spiritual and new age books and already had heard of the 'secret' presented here. I know the book was extremely popular, but the fact that the secret really wasn't a secret makes me less inclined to give it a high mark.

[karenirelandphillips · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

A pig in a fur coat. Smarmy, to boot. A collection of quotations "explained" and summarized by the author. Honestly, any good book of quotations without commentary would give you better brain food.

[jmcgarry2011 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good book as far as it goes. You do attract what you're thinking about, but you need action to get there.

[chickalea · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book is ridiculous.

[fberger-4 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Utter inanity. Nonetheless, it is hardly surprising the book appealed to such a vast amount of people when one considers the fatuousness that masquerades as spirituality and philosophy in today's society.

[lmeza-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I hope what I read stays!

[athenable · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

3/24/12 This is a distressingly awful book.

2/15/12 I expect to be disgusted with this book.

[stephen.tan · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Clever title that entices curiosity and reading. Smart presentation that facilitates easy reading. Commercially expedient & excellent Old-age mental skills & powers, nothing new.

[smcamp1234 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Seriously works, many people have known about it. It's just brought together into words rather than thoughts now.

[berthashaver · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I listened to this book on CD. The "Secret" is the law of attraction. My thoughts become what I am. Through my own positive thoughts, I have the capability to become far more than what I am. A very motivational book that gives me energy and empowers me to be more than I am.

[dianalynn5287-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It certainly offers a new perspective on things. Reading through this book, I found myself relating to it and by the end, I loved it. I say give it a chance. It is definitely a different outlook, but with an open mind, you might discover some new qualities within yourself.

[justanotheryablog · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is An awesome must read book <3

[weecare-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the book! The author demonstrates the believe that what you say and do affects what happens to you-I have put this theory to the test and it works! Negitivity affects situations all around us and we must control what we say and do. This is a 5 star read-the author has done research to prove her beliefs, her ideas are easily explained. It is a well written easy to read book and makes a perfect addition to any spiritualist book collection!

[maryann12_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Good Book, fast read!

[amandamay83 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Egads. One star is one star too many for this book. Positively awful. Dreadful. Terrible. There are not enough negative words in the English language to describe this book.

Another book I read for book club. I was not enthused from the get-go. I made certain to order a used copy of the book (as opposed to the Kindle edition) because I did not want the author to make any money off of my purchase. I do believe in the power of positive thinking, and really like the girl who picked this book, so I truly gave it the ol' college try.

Most of it was merely eye roll worthy. Silly, new-agey crap, but nothing to get me too worked up. That is, until I got to the part wherein she all but blames the Jews for the halocaust. Of course, she doesn't come out and say that. Instead, she couches it carefully and instead talks about "events in which masses of people have died". (That's a rough paraphrase. I'd quote directly from the book, but I've already sent the book on to someone else and have no desire to lay eyes on it again.) She says that, difficult though it may be to accept, people who die in these tragedies certainly brought on their own death by thinking negative thoughts. Had they only thought more positively, they certainly would have survived.

Essentially, all the tradgedies and problems in the world are brought on by a lack of positive thinking. You have cancer? It's your fault. You could cure yourself if you'd just try hard enough. You're fat? It's not beeecause you eat too much! No! That's nonsense! You need merely say to yourself, "I eat anything I want and stay thin!" and it WILL BE SO!!! You can will the universe to behave as you desire!

Of course, you must also be careful in how you word your positive thoughts. You musn't say, "I am not fat," because, apparently, the universe does not "hear" negative words such as "not" and "no". Were you to say, "I am not fat," the universe would merely hear, "fat," and, well, you're right back where you started. Instead, you must think, "I am THIN!" and LO! it will be so.

I'm not gonna lie: after the halocaust implication, she lost me. I was so pissed off, I couldn't do it, not even for book club. Each chapter ends with bullet points, and I did read those. Not that you need to. The book was more succinctly summed up by Peter Pan: "Just think lovely thoughts."

I really do believe in positive thinking. I do not believe in this book. It was an absolute waste of time and $4.

[tonile4helena · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book was really interesting. I feel like a bit of a weirdo for reading it, but it came highly recommended and I can understand why. I'm on the fence with the concept of the law of attraction, but the book does contain many good tips for positively changing your life. I have just picked up the sequel (released yesterday in Australia) called the Power, so we'll see how it compares.