Shell Shocker

"Shell Shocker" is the eighth short story in the book More Tales to Give You Goosebumps.

Plot
Tara Bennett picks up a beautiful shell on the beach. She raises the shell to her ear, and she hears a voice begging for help. The being inside the shell says it's a prisoner, and it begs Tara to take it to a cave on the beach. Tara doesn't know if she should, as a talking shell could be valuable, but the being promises that she will find the biggest shell in the world if they go to the cave.

The voice in the shell guides Tara to the cave. Inside the cave, Tara is attacked by spiders, but she continues on in the hopes of finding the giant shell. Tara falls into a pile of bones, but the voice assures her the bones belonged to fish that washed into the cave. Tara hears a thunderous noise, but she pushes forward anyways. Finally, Tara spots the biggest shell in the world. Unfortunately, the shell houses the biggest hermit crab in the world. As the massive hermit crab grabs Tara, the voice in the small shell celebrates its success at luring in another victim for its mother.

Trivia

 * The name "Shell Shocker" alludes to shell shock, a term coined during World War I. This phrase was used to describe the posttraumatic stress experienced by some soldiers. In the present day, "shell shock" has become antiquated, and it has been replaced by terms such as posttraumatic stress disorder.