It had been a long stressful day for five people who wanted more than anything to unwind. One of them was a fellow named Tony who was especially stressed out. His job at the library was more hectic than usual and he was worn out to the gills.
"Hey, Look at this," said Frankie. "This book tells how you can free your mind from your body of stress." "I think we could all use some down time. How is it done, Frank?" a fellow named Kevin asked curiously. "Well, We lie down on our backs and chant ourselves into a mediative state. Then our bodies becomes relaxed." "Sounds good to me," said Kathy who was cleaning up the last of the dishes in the kitchen they were all in. "But we need someone to help us do it," Bruce said. "I know who can," Frankie said. And he called up a friend he knew who was a sort of a mystic.
A few minutes later a short man wearing a cloak around him entered Tony's house. He seemed to be wiser than he looked even with his boyish face. "So you want my services, eh? I could teach you small magic parlor tricks. The Rabbit in the hat trick, The Indian Rope Trick, and a number of miscellaneous tricks for just twenty bucks from all of you." he said. Tony and the others, except for Frank looked at him skeptically. "Hey. A mystic's gotta make a living too," he said sheepishly. "My friends want to able to be free from their worries, Steve," Frank told him. "I'll throw in a Glow In The Dark 13 hour mini Clock to amuse your friends. Makes a great conversation piece at any party," Steven said trying to steer them in the other direction.
"No! No! No! We want to be free from our bodies for a few hours," Tony said a little impatiently. Steven now looked a little worried and with a resignated sigh he gave in. "I'll do it. But I gotta warn you. There's a danger to doing this. Your human shells could walk off without you and you'll be stuck in the spirit world forever. Repeat what I say and should you want to return to your flesh say the same thing only backwards." "We're ready for anything," Tony said happily. "All right. Lie down and look up at the ceiling. Make your mind a complete blank," Steven instructed. "That should be easy for you, Frank," Tony teased. "Very funny!" Frank said a little annoyed. "Now repeat after me. IYAMABOOB...IYAMABOOB!" "I YAMABOOB! IYAMABOOB!" Tony, Bruce, Kathy, Frank and Kevin all said in unison. "You certainly are," Steven said to himself.
"Why do I suddenly have this gone feeling?" Bruce said. "Hey, Look at us. We're in the air," Kevin said to the other four. The feeling was ecstatic as their spirits flew around the room. "Hey, guys. Look!" Kathy shouted. As Steven predicted their bodies were walking out of the house headed for disaster. The zombified shells of Tony, Kathy, Frankie, Kevin and Bruce wore a glazed look in their faces as people in automobiles were honking their horns to snap them out of it. "I knew this would happen," Steven moaned. "Where are they going?" Bruce asked worriedly seeing his body walk through a window pane two men were carrying. Thankfully his shell wasn't harmed. "Take a good look," Steven said as he pointed to a house on a hill where eerie lights have been seen in both attic windows. The zombies stopped short of the main entrance. "W-We can't go in there. That's The Haunted Mansion. Everybody knows about that place," Kevin said looking very frightened.
They tried to turn away but something or someone was pulling them into the mansion. Tony became a puff of ectoplasmic smoke and drifted into one of the many chimneys in the mansion. The others were floating into a huge picture window going up the staircase where a gruesome griffin was guarding the second floor from the bannister below, all the while Steven had followed them into The Haunted Mansion. Going past The Corridor Of Doors they all found themselves in Madame Leota's seance room. "Ah, So you have come at last," she said cackling. "I might have known your were behind this," Steven said. "Actually for once. This is NOT my doing," she said. "Then if it isn't you, then who? The Ghost Host?" Bruce said in a panicked voice. "Not I, foolish mortal," a disembodied voice cried out. This of course scared the captured spirits in the room. Then from a far corner of the dark room. They all heard a ghostly giggle. Out stepped a little girl ghost with a mischeivous gleam in her eye. "I did, Mama. Giggle!" she said. "Little Leota. How many times have I told you to stop playing around with mortal minds like that?" Madam Leota scoffed. "I was lonely, Mama. There's no one to play with around here," she protested. "I want to keep them." "Hey! Wait a minute you can't do that. We don't want to be permanent residents here. Give us back our bodies," Tony said. "Yeah. I've got to go to work tomorrow. We all do," Bruce said.
"Oh, poo!" Little Leota pouted. "since you won't play with me. I guess I'll have to send your fleshling bodies into the quicksand outside the cemetery." "WHAT?" the ghosts all said horrified. Leota gave Tony, Bruce, Kathy, Kevin and Frank very little time to think as their zombie selves went out to the balcony to the ballroom and out of the window in the attic. They saw themselves shimmy down a tree branch sticking out and they followed them to the graveyard. They tried to get help from the caretaker but he was as ever still more frightened by the ghosts all around him including them. "He's no help. come in. There they...I mean, you go," Steven shouted as he ran passed by his wispy friends.
The spirits flew as fast as a wink where the quicksand was and they tried to grab themselves but they were sinking fast. Steven frantically spoke some words backwards. "Nrut dnuora!" he shouted and they did...into The Mummy case next to the hearst sinking in the mud. The mummy looked very irritated and kicked the zombies out of his Egyptian tomb and they got thrown between the opera singers and the executioner. His sharp ax was literally poised between their heads ready to strike. They speedily flew into their bodies barely missing his ax by an inch and chanted the words to bring themselves to normal. They all got out as fast as they could.
Leaving the mansion behind them the walk was more tiring than they ever imagined. "How did we get out here?" Bruce asked. "Last thing I remember we were being put into a trance," Kathy. "Yeah. Some really crazy dream, wasn't it, Frankie?" Steven said. He was relieved they couldn't remember what they did.
At a stop light Tony saw a pretty looking girl walking across the street and his spirit came out in haste to get her." Bruce, Kathy, Kevin and Frankie shocked by the sight went running in the oppposite direction. "What's with them?" Tony said not noticing as his spirit walk into his body again. "You guys should've taken my parlor tricks instead," Steven said.