Hello again, R. L. Stein story club members, I'm Ivy, your ghostly host, and keeper of those strange and spooky tales from the hidden vault of R.L. Stein. Today is another chilling tale. This blood-sucking yarn story club members might make you itch all over.

It's one I call the monster flea.

Charlie Murdoch and his father Charles hunted through the deep, dark Alaskan woods.

His father had his weapon at the ready. They were out searching for a moose, an uncommonly massive one that had been spotted in the area. When they came to a clearing, Charlie's father abruptly signaled for him to stop with his hand.

Then his dad leveled the weapon and captured the moose.

Using his camera with a telephoto lens, that is,

Charles Murdoch expertly snapped several shots of the moose in the glen.

The amazing animal was munching on the wildflowers that were spread out as far as the eye could see in a galaxy of orange, yellow, and violet.

It was a clear blue August day.

Charlie's dad was a wildlife photographer.

This was one of the first trips he'd allowed his son to come on, and Charlie was so excited.

His dad had told him that wildlife photography would be pretty boring to an 11-year-old,

but Charlie was just happy to spend time outdoors together.

Even if that meant you often had to wait hours, or sometimes even days, for the perfect shot.

And many times, the perfect shot never came.

This massive animal had been pure luck. They were standing

downwind of the big bull moose so I wouldn't even smell their scent and run off. Charlie's dad was

able to get some seriously amazing pictures. Actually, they were really amazing because there was

something weird that had formed beside the moose. What's that near the moose? Charlie whispered to his dad.

There were long and white oblong shapes that resembled overgrown white rice.

They were the size of small cars.

I don't know, his dad whispered, aiming his camera, then shooting pictures of them.

...