Exposition: Stranded

Hi, all, and welcome to my second Halloween story. Are you ready for some thrills and chills?

I listened in disbelief as my vehicle coughed, gave a great shudder and died. Great. Just great! Out of gas in the dead of night on this dark, dreary, twisted road—how could my luck get any worse? Oh, right—there isn't a gas station around for miles, and my cell phone has no service!

Frustrated, I beat my steering wheel until my knuckles were bleeding and then ran my fingers through my hair. What am I gonna do? How am I gonna get home now? Who's gonna find me? Will anyone care?

A full moon revealed itself from behind a cloud, the bare, gnarled branches of the woods in stark relief against it. Silvery moonlight revealed a twisting, dirt pathway which led to—what? I didn't know. Only one way to find out…

I gathered my things, got out of my car and cautiously made my way down the pathway, my phone's built-in flashlight my only source of light. My arms brushed against weeds, branches, and coarse shrubbery—my sneaker-clad feet stepped on brittle twigs. There was no sound except for the distant hooting of owls, the shrieks of bats and the caws of ravens—and my heartbeat.

Further down this winding road, I came upon the largest, gloomiest manor I'd ever seen in my life. Hazy smoke drifted from its chimney. Loose shingles dangled from the roof. Its exterior was run-down by mold, mildew and grime. Its windowpanes were cracked and stained and caked with dirt. And the iron gate that was supposed to be guarding it was badly rusted.

The path before me turned to cobblestone. I reached the gate and pushed against it, it's hinges screaming in protest as I pried it open. Down the cobblestone pathway I treaded, up the crumbling steps, pausing at the imposing double doors which were surprisingly intact.

I wandered over to the front porch, peeking through one of the windows. Darkness.

Wait.

What was that?

I held still, holding my breath. From within the manor was the echoing sound of a pipe organ, playing a haunting melody.

Someone was in there. But who? Who would want to live in an old, gloomy manor?

Gingerly, I knocked on the door. "Hello?"

No answer.

I tried again. "Hello?"

Still nothing.

Then, the door creaked open. My senses on high-alert, I creeped inside.

I studied everything, from the worn carpet beneath me to the peeling walls and fading portraits. Deeper I ventured, until I arrived at what I could assume was the living room.

The organ music stopped. And then I heard a man's voice, low, soft, gentle, European accent.

"Hello, Anabelle. I was expecting you."

Flickering firelight replaced the dimness as I stepped into the living room, finding myself face-to-face with the speaker. I was surprised to see that he was tall, relatively young and handsome. His bright, blue eyes were locked on mine, and below his moustache, a smile lingered on his lips. A light green cap with a "L" on it concealed his mocha-colored hair, save for a few bangs along the back of his neck. He wore a shirt the color of his cap, along with navy coveralls, brown boots with a high shine and white gloves.

I stared at him. "You—you know me?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Yes," he simply replied. "I knew you were coming."

"My car broke down," I explained. "I'm sorry to barge in like this, but—I need a place to stay for the night, and…"

"Don't worry. I've already taken care of everything. The towing service will be here in the morning," beamed the man.

"How did you…?" I was stunned. Not only did this guy know my name, he also knew that I was stranded and had already called someone to fix up my car.

"Would you like something to drink, Anabelle? Coffee, tea—or perhaps something stronger?"

"A little wine will do, thanks," I said slowly.

"By the way—my name's Luigi."

I smiled a bit. "Nice to meet you, Luigi."

The cork popped, and the wine flowed.

"Uh—how did you come about living here, if you don't mind my asking?" I queried.

"Well—that's an interesting story," said Luigi, offering one of the wine glasses he held. "I won this mansion—in a contest I didn't even enter."

"They offered this in a contest?" I laughed.

"The picture they showed me was of a palatial sort, not this. Boy was I in for the surprise of my life." Luigi sat across from me as he spoke. "I was still curious, so I decided to explore this creepy place. Then, I found out that it was already inhabited—by ghosts."

"Ghosts?"

"I hated ghosts—they made my blood go to ice. But then, I met a paranormal researcher, Elvin Gadd. But most people call him E. Gadd. He took me in, armed me, and sent me out to capture the ghosts."

"What exactly did he arm you with?"

"The Poltergust 3000. It essentially vacuumed up the ghosts after I stunned them. So, I captured ghosts for a while, and then a received a phone call telling me that my elder brother was missing."

"Oh, no!" I gasped.

"I'd called him earlier, telling him to meet me at my new mansion. He hadn't called me back. I started to get worried. But then—I found him…" He closed his eyes. "Trapped in a painting, in the clutches of the King of All Boos."

"Boos? You mean those white things I saw when I was walking up here?"

Luigi nodded. "My heart just stopped. It tore me apart, seeing him like that. I knew I had to rescue him. I was afraid, but I had to face my fears."

He picked up a photo and handed it to me. It showed him next to a shorter, squatter man in red, same blue eyes, same dark hair. Slightly bushier moustache and a red cap with an "M" on it.

"My God. I've heard of him. That's—Mario, right?"

"Yes," said Luigi, looking a little surprised.

"Did you save him? Was he hurt?"

"Not that badly," Luigi assured me. "I made sure of that. After I captured the ghosts and the Boos, I confronted their King. There he was, smirking at Mario as he uselessly beat the walls of his prison. And he started taunting me about how easily I fell for the ruse of winning a free mansion, how Mario and I were fed 'gullible soup' and about a whole bunch of other stuff. As he went on and on, I felt this heat build inside, shielding me from the fright. Nobody lays hands on my bro. Nobody."

"You're a good man, Luigi," I smiled.

"He got into this suit, warped me onto the roof, and attacked. I grabbed my Poltergust and fought back. He'd throw these huge spiked balls at me, but I'd suck them up and launch them back at him and knock him out of his suit, and try to suck him back up. He'd also breathe fire and suck me into his jaws—you see, the suit he was in bore resemblance to a reptile."

"But you beat him, right?"

"The battle took a lot out of me, but I did. The excitement had caused Mario to fall asleep. Or maybe he fainted with exhaustion or relief. I took his portrait to E. Gadd's lab, and he reversed the effects of whatever the Boos did. And then my bro was in front of me, dizzy and shaken but safe." He choked up a bit. "I laughed. And then I cried. And when Mario got his bearings, he started laughing and crying, too. I tackled him and we just hugged and hugged, crying in each other's arms. I'd done it. I overcame my fear of ghosts to rescue my bro. I love him so much, and nothing—nobody—will keep me from getting to him when he needs me."

"I wish I had a sibling so I could experience that feeling," I said honestly.

"How about you, Anabelle? What's your story?"

"Uhh—there's not much to tell. I'm from Fairfield, I'm a senior at UC Davis and I'm majoring in Biological Sciences. I wanna be a pediatrician when I grow up."

"How did you wind up here?"

"I'm on my way back to Davis after visiting my folks," I explained. "Must've gotten lost."

"Don't worry, Anabelle. Everything will fall into place before morning. I'm sure you'll find your way."

I leaned back against my chair and took a sip of wine, relaxing.

"In the meantime, though," said Luigi, "let's enjoy each other's company. What if I told you a few—spooky stories—to pass the time?"

"Sure. I love scary stories. I don't necessarily believe in ghosts, but still."

"Okeydokey," said Luigi. "My first story is about a little boy named Kirby…"

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