Hey, this is BloodyHarpy! So, here's a new fanfic with new characters, a new plot, and a new setting. Yayz!!!! I started another fanfic, Super Mario: Essence of the Soul, sometime ago and I'm going to update as steadily as possible during the summer. And then one weekend, I thought of this new story, and I just had to write down something before I forgot it. I've seen some people with different perspectives on the story behind the Mario series and I wanted to take a shot at it. However, I wanted to take a step beyond that... The title, In Memoria Di…, is Italian for "In Memory of…" I really like this idea and I hope for some good comments on it. ^-^
(Disclaimer: I do not own Mario, his games, TV shows, or anything from the Mario franchise. They all belong to Nintendo and their original owners. The OCs belongs with me.) Enjoy!
*~____~*
Friendship…
Hatred…
Love…
Time…
...and memories…
These experiences shape the soul of every living person.
Destiny may not be defied, but it can be reshaped as well.
Even in the bitterness of a cruel world, a person can still search for the truth, reach out for the light, and hold on to a miracle.
In the end, it may save an ill-fated life from utter despair.
"Whatever may have happened, I don't regret I had met you.
I will never forget, I will never doubt it, and I won't let your memory die away.
I have left our story within a single place for them to find."
……………………
"…Loretta…"
*~____~*
*~~ In Memoria Di… ~~*
Prologue: The Forgotten Memoir
Beyond the borders of the Mushroom Kingdom, on the far side of a small town in a foreign country, a blue car pulled up to a rusty gate of an abandoned residence. Two people, a red spotted capped Toad and a female Koopa, both in fancy suits, stepped out of the vehicle and surveyed the property. The grass was brown with many dirt patches, the walkway was breaking apart, and the house itself looked burned and boarded up.
"Tell me again why we're here, Stan," the Koopa woman complained, speaking in an accent.
"This land hasn't been used for nearly thirty years, and we finally have the lease to it. We're here to inspect the property and the remains of the house to report back to the housing department," Stan replied.
"Okay, so why do you need me?"
"They say this place is supposedly haunted after a terrible accident. No one's sure what happened anymore, but because they were scared to come near this place, the land has just been wasted. So pretty much, Kassidy, you're here to protect me up in case something happens."
"You're really something, you know that?" she said sarcastically.
"Let's not dawdle now. It's really cloudy out and the wind's picking up. The forecast says a severe storm will hit soon. So come along."
The two house contractors pushed the gate open and strolled up to the decrepit house. Stan pulled out a skeleton key from his pocket and jingled the knob as he turned the lock. After a few tries, the lock finally opened, and he pushed the door wide open before stepping in. The first area was the living room with overturned tables, sofas, and paintings on the walls. The carpet was burnt, and dust and cobwebs filled the air, indicated by Kassidy's coughing.
"Let's take a look around. I'll look in the living room and kitchen here. The floor plans show that the bedrooms are down the left hallway; you check that."
Kassidy nodded and they went separate ways. Stan carefully walked over the worn furniture and glass on the floor. The picture frames on the walls were broken, and the glass looked like it was scratched or punched. The pictures themselves were torn or faded. One photo looked like a family portrait, but the paint was smudged so he couldn't to make it out. The kitchen was in no better shape. The air smelled awful and rancid. The refrigerator door was hanging from the hinge and the food inside was moldy and shriveled to nothing. The oven door was wide open, and black with food and grease in the inside.
Kassidy took her time to venture in the back rooms. She pushed one door aside, and the knob came right off. Inside, the walls were charred and black, and the roof had collapse, leaving planks and chips of wood all over the floor. One beam had crashed right through what seemed like a baby's crib. Examining the floor more closely, toys and dolls of different kinds were shattered about into several pieces. The wind coming in from the broken window blew a plastic ball by her feet. "This must have been the baby's room. Those poor people…" she sympathized.
The two contractors converged back into the living room, nearly tripping over everything.
"So how does it look?" Stan asked.
"How does it look?" she repeated in disbelief. "This place is a grave site. There's nothing left here to save. It needs to be rolled over."
"Yeah, I see that happening," Stan agreed. "So why would the department send us here if it would be a waste of time?"
"Who knows? Let's just get out of this miserable place."
"Wait, we have to inspect every room. I don't want to return to the office and have them up our rear ends for not doing a 'complete' survey."
Kassidy groaned under her breath as Stan walked into what seemed like a large bedroom. Like the state in the other rooms, it was charred and broken down. The large bed was torn, leaning toward the side because of the broken legs, and large pieces of cotton and feathers were everywhere on the floor and burnt. The dressers on either side of the dismantled bed weren't in any better shape as they were smashed with the clothes sprayed on the floor, and the large mirror was broken. Stan figured in must have been the master bedroom for the couple who lived there.
Kassidy joined him but crossed her arms as she watched him observe the room, wondering when he would be done.
"Come on, Stan. You looked far enough. It's easily noticeable that this building needs to be condemned and torn down."
The suited Toad sighed in defeat and turned to his partner. Just then, something caught his eye. The left side of the bedroom wasn't damaged as the rest of the room. On that side was a sliding closet, still retaining a relatively white surface and two yellow doorknobs. Stan stepped up to it, turned the knobs and slowly pulled opened the doors. Stan didn't know what hit him as a load of junk toppled on his fungal head and piled on top of him.
"Stan, are you alright?" Kassidy asked as she ran to him under the pile.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered as he pushed the belongings off of him.
"I'm surprised there's something actually intact. Is there anything worthwhile in there?" the Koopa wondered.
Stan stood up and searched the emptied closet. All he saw was the ordinary: shoes, clothes, hangers, a few boxes, a small chest…
"Wait, a chest?" He took notice of it on the high rack. "Hey Kassidy, can you get that chest up there for me?" he asked his partner since she was taller than him. She nodded, stood on her toes and reached for it with the tips of her claws. Whoever lived in this home had to be taller than the Koopa species for it to be convenient. After a few tries, she finally got a grip on it, slid it over the edge, and made it fall for Stan to catch.
"Nice work," the Toad complimented.
He set the chest down to look at it closely. It was wooden and painted dark blue with a design pattern of yellow stars and stones for decoration. The lock on the chest was a little rusty, but it still had a strong hold. He looked around and found the missing leg from the bed on the floor. He picked it up and struck it on the lock to break it but had no luck. Kassidy took the leg from him, struck the chest once and it came off easily. She smiled at the humble Toad as he rolled his eyes at her.
He opened the chest, peered inside, and arc his eyebrow.
"A diary?" Stan looked at it confused. It was made of white leather and a strap with the metal lock dangling on the side as if someone just left in opened, and the pages were ragged and slightly brown. The cover was engraved with gold "L" and "R" cursive letters.
"I wonder who's that belonged to?" Kassidy spoke up.
Stan opened the book and glanced at the author page. It was dirty from the dust and the ink was smudging. He did see one clear sentence. "If anyone is to find this memoir, even if you should read it, be sure to treasure the memories."
"That's a very open statement. I don't know why anyone would readily allow a stranger in on their most personal secrets and feelings," said the Koopa. She looked at Stan who was about to nonchalantly turn the pages of the diary. Her quick reflexes whacked the Toad over his red spotted cap, leaving a swelled bump.
"Hey! What was that for!?" he yelled while he rubbed his head, dropping the white diary.
"What did you think you were doing? You just can't go reading other people's diaries! It breaks the code of privacy!"
"Uh, Kassidy, I don't think it matters since the couple here probably died. Nobody is going to miss it."
"You're so cruel! I hope the spirit of the owner haunts you forever!"
"Look, it may give us an idea who lived here and what happened to them. It may even have some info on the land itself," he tried to convince her.
"Hmph!" she scoffed. "I still don't think its right."
"Whatever. I think we're done here. Let's head back to the office and file our report," he instructed with the diary in tow and Kassidy still glaring behind him.
They stepped across the living room and were about to leave when they heard thunder outside. The sounds of rain hit the roof of the house and the rapid taps kept getting louder and faster. Stan quickly ran up to the front door when it suddenly flew open. There was a downpour of rain, the wind blowing furiously, and lightning flashing. Stan grabbed the door knob and pushed the door closed with all his strength. As he held it, Kassidy picked up an old broken table and chair and pushed the pieces against the door to brace it. Once it was secured, Stan relaxed and fell on the carpet to catch his breath.
"I told the boss we should have waited until tomorrow for the storm to go by, but he was as arrogant and impatient as ever. We can't possible hope to drive in that weather now," he said as he took off his wet coat. "We're going have to stay here and wade it out."
Kassidy could have sworn she went deaf for a moment as she couldn't believe what her partner suggested. "Stay…HERE?!!" she growled through her teeth as she turned to him. "The Stars Above know how long we'll be stuck here, and we'll be lucky if this shack doesn't get scattered all over the place!"
"We don't have a choice. The living room looks the most intact. We'll just sit quietly here." Stan walked over to the center of the room and sat on the floor. Kassidy still grumbled to herself as she went and sat on an overturned sofa.
The sun was setting and the street lights would come on soon. The mood was quiet and tense at the same time, making the air thick. Stan wanted something to ignore the daggers coming from his partner's eyes. An idea came into mind, and he took out the ivory memoir. Kassidy shifted her eyes toward him and surprisingly had a smirk on her face. "I told you they wouldn't let you leave with it peacefully."
Stan decided to ignore her superstition. The red spotted Toad was truthfully interested what was written in the diary. What sort of person wanted to leave his or her memories for others to read? He turned past the author page and found a small passage before the real start of it. Luckily, the pages were less ragged and dirty as they progressed. And the passage read:
"You might have no idea who I am. That's to be expected if you are not me who wrote this. But, if you care to listen to my story, you will understand. I decided to start this memoir after something truly miraculous happened to me. At a time, I never believed in such things or wanted to accept them, but fate wouldn't allow me to run away from it, and in the process, I had endured unforgettable experiences both good and bad, but mostly weird. I don't know how this will turn out for you or for me, but it is important to know the truth, to have something to believe in, and to cherish all the memories of your friends and loved ones."
"Let me share mine with you."
"My name was Loretta Rigassi…"
*~____~*
(A/N) For future reference, while the diary is being read in present time, the story will take place in the past in third person even though this is supposed to be from the author's eyes. I used the name Rigassi from a character from Super Mario Bros. Super Show. So next chapter, we get to learn more about the mysterious character, Loretta Rigassi, and her story.