CHAPTER ONE
The sun shone extremely bright for an evening as struggling Student, Peter Venkman hailed a cab from the steps of the main library down town New York. He had his knit cap on his head and a thick green coat partially zipped, he took a minute to light his last cigarette. With a long drag he flagged a taxi down, he was about to entre when a lanky man jumped in front of him.
"Whoa! Come on man, I just called that one!" He flailed and try to scare the man away. The thin man eye's widened at him swinging wildly. He lifted his sunglasses from his face and looked at the man.
"Oh, I'm sorry. But I need it really badly, see I have this-" He started but was cut off by Venkman.
"Just take it and shut up. I'll just get another one, pal." He waved him off and started to walk the other direction. The thin man thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Hey, don't I know you?" He shouted at him. Venkman tried his best to ignore him. But the man's persistent yelling got to him.
"Oh god I hope not." He muttered. He turned when he heard the cab door shut. The thin man came to him. "Ahh, you let the cab go!...Thanks..."
"I do know you. Well, not personally, but...aren't you in Psychology 505? With Prof. Wiseman?"
"What's it to you? Can't you see I'm trying to get a cab? Do me a favour and fuck off." Venkman said and pushed the man away.
"Well, sir, might I say that your attitude carries out of the class as well." The man said and followed behind. "I might add that your talk back with Wisemen was a good one the other day. I laughed for a while after that one." Venkman turned to face him.
"What do you want pal?" He said and crossed his arms.
"Ray Stantz, I'm pleased to meet the class clown of 505 Psych. I was wondering, if you were interested in a group project? You know, get some extra credit with the professor?"
"Peter Venkman. Extra credit, eh? What do I gotta do?"
"You've heard of the Zener cards, right? Well, I want to see if the use of the sixth sense is true and if so, can we prove what it can-"
"Whoa-whoa. Look buddy, I don't know what you take me for, but I think I can manage."
"Plus I have been pondering the workings of ghosts and want to see if there is a way to communicate with them. I'm sure the rights alone will be worth a lot..." That was all Venkman needed to hear.
"Shultz-" he started.
"Stantz..." Ray stated
"Stantz, count me in." He said and put a hand on the thin man's shoulder.
"Great! Let's get a cab and I'll show you what I have so far. It's back at the apartment building." Ray said and called a cab with no problem what so ever.
"Lead the way my dear man." Peter chimed as he got in the cab.
The thin man wore a smile on his face, his sunglasses pocketed in his breast pocket of his blue jacket. He seemed tall and yet the same height as Peter.
"So what exactly do I have to do?" Venkman questioned as he threw his cigarette out the window.
"Basic quiz, just the usual stuff in parapsyology matters." Ray said in a singsong tone as he stopped the cab. Venkman got out first and looked up in awe at the size of the building. Ray waved him to follow and they made it through the entrance. It was the basic place, nothing to fancy. Potted plants lined the windows and pictures hung on the wall. It was almost like a hotel, but without the bellhops and service. The elevators were a sight, the doors were nicely polished and reflected the sun's rays.
Taking it up to the 15th floor, they got out and went down the hall of more plants and poorly bought paintings of lines and other basic objects. Ray stopped at the door.
"Well, this is home away from home. Mind the mess." He said and let Venkman come in first. Peter was surprised that he called a mess a few things out of place. Ray took his coat and put it on the hangers in the closet, he did the same with Peter's.
"So this is what a college kid's house looks like?" Peter said and found a comfy spot on the couch. He was amazed that this Ray Stantz could live like this while paying for years of college. Peter looked up at the man standing in front of him, he gave a smile and smacked the couch just to make reference to it's softness.
"Can I get you anything? Beer, Coke..." Ray asked and started to go for the kitchen.
"A beer would be lovely." He said noticing a black and white life size photo of Marilyn Monroe on the wall that led to the bedrooms. "So, what..." He said as he was handed the beer.
"What?" Ray said taking a drink from his.
"When do we get to the cards or the whole reason I'm here?" He asked and sat up as Ray sat in the recliner next to him.
"Well, we won't get the tests until later. I thought that we'd start by getting to know each other better. After all, we are taking Psychology to understand people better, why not start with people in the same class?"
"You're not going to rape me are you? I feel that I may need to leave." Peter said and got up.
"Why do you hate the professors? I see that you give lip to every one of them, why is that?" Ray said making Venkman pause.
"Well...for starts their all a bunch of wound up pencil pushers with the idea that just because they're the teacher means that they can tell me what to do. Their all uptight because they have a calculator shoved so far up their asses they can't see that others are around them." Peter said and turned to face Ray. He looked down and came back to the couch and looked down at the floor. He may have crossed the line about talking poorly about professors, but Ray spoke up again.
"You might have a point there, Peter. I can understand your feelings about them." Ray said and took a long drink from his beer. It frothed and went down smooth, he licked his lips and started again, "Would you be interested in this experiment?"
It took him awhile to think of anything better than extra credit, he gave a slinky smile and put his beverage down on the oak wood table. "Well, I don't have much of a choice." He shook Ray's hand and picked up the drink, it had left a water ring on the wood. "Let's see, well I don't have much of a good story. See, I was born in a tent on King City Attraction lot. A field in Sedalia, Missouri. I went to school in Iowa city, but because my family was a circus one, I never stayed in place for too long. I really wanted to go to college, but I didn't have the balls to tell my Dad why. I just wanted to better than a circus boy, it would make my dad so pissed if I told him 'I hate my life.' So here I am, one money grant later, making my way through college on the peddler's cash I make on Coney Island. Guess I never left the entertainment part of my life. I'm a little of everything really; Irish, Dutch, German and French, on a count that all the women in my family were whores, slept with every man they met. Plus, everyone hates my Grandfather, can't figure that one for the life of me... So there. Now I choose Truth for you next."
Ray's eyes were wide and he felt himself feeling really sad for this guy, here was a man from the corn belt trying to make a good name for himself. It made him feel sick for making him remember, but Peter's face just kept on smiling, that gentle smile. It was a wonder that he came this far and to New York for study. Coughing to get his mind back to reality. "Um... Well, coming from Long Island, My mom and dad raised me and my older brother, Carl, and younger sister, Jean. My brother and sister don't talk to me or each other, too different, I suppose. Carl hates my sister for being... well she's bisexual and he hates that. And he stays away from me, because of my choice of study here at the University. At least I stay in contact with my parents, even if it is strained. Not much to be said about that, but that's the gist of my life."
The two men looked away from each other and thought of their lives for a moment, each was grateful for being able to take their lives to the next level by attending school and getting to know each other better. In truth, Peter was thankful that he ran into this Ray Stantz and having someone help him get through school. And Ray was just happy to have someone who understands what the field of study means to him.
"So, we got that out of the way, now what?" Asked a somber Ray. Peter though for a second and sat up straight on the couch.
"Well, I guess we start ordering pizza then talk business later." He said and put the empty can on the table.