The Haunted Mansion© 2:
The Secret of Phantom Manor©
Prologue
By
Ggunsailor
Disclaimer: I don't own the Haunted Mansion© and Phantom Manor©; Walt Disney Imagineering© and Disneyland Paris© do. If I did, I'd pay people to write this for me! J I do own Ben Raven and other characters, and they can be used with my permission.
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When hinges creak in doorless chambers...and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls...whenever candlelights flicker...where the air is deathly still...that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight...
WELCOME, FOOLISH MORTALS! I am your host, your…"Ghost Host". You may not believe it, but beauty once lived in this house!
Kindly pay attention to my tale, for this is a story of a beauty…a beast…and a young man who would be a savior…
But first, I believe it is necessary to tell how the "beauty" and the "beast" came about.
We begin our morbidly macabre, yet funny tale, with a most happy occasion: a wedding. But things will not end happily for the blushing bride.
As we shall soon see…
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It was strange weather that day; dark and rainy, with thunder and lightning.
Of course, the townspeople of Thunder Mesa were used to it. That was part of their town's name, after all. But none of the previous storms weren't like this. There was some sort of…ominous feeling about it.
Still, that wasn't going to stop Melanie Ravenswood from marrying Macy H. Anderson. As a precaution, they decided to hold the ceremony and the reception in the ballroom of Ravenswood Manor. It was to be a grand wedding. Many people had been invited, from friends & family of the couple, and high society of Thunder Mesa, to some townsfolk that gained favor with their families; all in all, there were many guests.
All the guests sat waiting, for the ceremony was about to begin. Two elderly, gossipy ladies sat near the front, fanning themselves even though the thunder crashed outside. One turned to her friend.
"I swear it sounds like a war is going on out there, Emmeline."
Emmeline agreed with her. "Indeed it does, Mabel. I can't help but feel like I'm at a funeral instead of a wedding." Mabel shut her fan closed with a snap and wagged it at Emmeline.
"Now don't you go sayin' that, Emmy! Melanie's already had a funeral; she doesn't need you bringing another one on her head!"
Emmy sighed. "I know, I know." She shut hers and dabbed at her eyes with her hankie. "Oh, it's going to be a beautiful wedding. But such a cloud hanging over it! What with both her parents dyin' in that terrible earthquake, and then having to bury them a week before the wedding!"
Mabel nodded sympathetic. "Yes. Poor dear. I wonder how she is."
"Well, I hear tell that their death took a toll on her…" Emmy glanced to see if anyone was listening. Then, she leaned over and whispered conspiratorially "…mental state." Mabel gasped.
"Oh, no!"
"Yes! Seems she had a bit of a breakdown, but it was Macy who calmed her down."
Mabel smiled kindly. "That Macy Anderson. Such a gentleman. And kind and handsome! It's sad that poor Martha isn't here."
Another woman, Clara, who had been listening, leaned forward. "Well, at least she's watching from heaven, being such a loving woman. But," she stated primly, "Henry Ravenswood's probably rotting in hell." She shook her head sadly as she said "Why a gentle soul like Martha would marry someone like him, I'll never know. He was so-so-"
Mabel interrupted. "Angry?"
Clara nodded. "I've heard he could go into such rages that nothing could calm him, save for Melanie; she was the only one who could."
Emmeline agreed. "That's right. My husband Edgar told me Henry invited him to discuss business over dinner once. During that, they began arguing about something or other, and Henry became furious. One minute he was a complete gentleman, chatting about this and that, the next, he became a livid figure; standing up, turning the table over and sending everything to the floor, waving his arms, shouting obscenities. Edgar told me he was so scared he nearly soiled his good business trousers just watching Henry!"
"What happened!?"
"Well, Henry picked up a marble bust and almost threw it at him! But then, Melanie, who was in the room, ran up to her father and came right close up to him. Edgar said Ravenswood stopped dead cold. Melanie put her hands on her father's shoulders and began to sing to him; Edgar swears he never heard a more beautiful voice than hers.
What was more amazing was that Ravenswood began to calm down. He dropped the bust and slowly lowered his arms. He closed his eyes and a big smile of such serenity appeared on his lips. Melanie kept singing and guided him to a chair. He sat down and leaned his head back. Melanie finished her song, kissed him on the cheek, curtsied to Edgar, and left the room. Henry opened his eyes and he was calm again."
During Emmeline's tale, no one noticed that the priest had come in. He took his place at the altar and waited. All the guests were brought to attention as the entrance music for other members of the wedding party started. They all looked very splendid. Then, the wedding march began playing, and all stood and turned.
Everyone gasped. Melanie looked so beautiful! Her white wedding gown, which Macy had specially made for her, shone like a diamond, the locks of her brown hair offset by the brilliant whiteness. Her lovely face and her gray blue eyes were made more lovely by the radiant smile on her red lips. Since her father was…er, deceased, Macy's father Harold walked her up the aisle.
At the altar, Harold lifted her veil and kissed her on the cheek. He then stood next to Macy's best man (and best friend), Yale Coats. The guests sat down, and the priest, one Father Mulley, cleared his throat and began.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered 'ere tadae in th' presence of God th' Almighty tae join these tew young paeple in 'oly matrimony. If eenyone 'ere believes tha' these tew shouldnae be married, speak now, or f'ever 'old yer peace!" There was none. Father Mulley nodded.
"Very well! Naow Macy, I want ye to—" he stopped short his speech. "Wait a momunt! Somethin's not right 'ere!" he stated sharply. Everyone looked at each other, wondering what it was. Then it hit them all.
The groom wasn't there! Macy was gone!
Harold gasped, then whirled to Yale. "Where's Macy?" he asked calmly. Yale grinned reassuringly at Melanie(he happened to be her best friend, too) and turned to the assembled guests.
"Don't worry, all. Macy is inside the house; he'll be here in a minute." He declared.
Everyone nodded.
After a few minutes, Macy still hadn't showed. The guests began to fidget in their seats, and whisper among each other.
"Wonder where he is?"
"It's not like him to be late for anything. He's always so punctual; never misses a thing!"
"Yeah. He wouldn't miss his own wedding! Unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless he's with someone else!"
"You mean he might be—"
"Yep."
"Run away with some other girl!?!? On his wedding day!?!?"
"Why not? He's a red-blooded young man like we was once!"
By the look on his future daughter-in-law's face, Harold could tell Melanie was very uncomfortable. He motioned to Yale and muttered to him "Get the servants together for a search party."
Yale whispered "You're sure, Mr. Anderson?"
"Yes, Yale. Macy has been gone too long. Something is very, very wrong; I feel it in my bones."
"All right, sir."
Some of the guests got up and joined the search party. More minutes passed, and others finally got up from their seats, saying that they had something else better to do than wait for a no-show groom. One by one, they all left, stopping on their way out and saying their condolences to Melanie, who barely responded to them. Finally, Father Mulley sighed, and walked over to the distraught woman.
Placing a comforting hand on her lace-swathed shoulder, he said with heartfelt compassion "I'm very sorry, Melanie, lass, but some marriages arenae mean' tae be. P'rhaps you'll unnerstand one day." With that, he took his hat and coat, and made his way out into the rainy day.
Melanie slowly sat down on the floor and put her face in her hands, trying hard not to cry. Suddenly, there came through the silence a piercing scream from the attic.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!!!!"
Some guests came running back in, thinking someone had been killed. Melanie leaped up and, gathering up her voluminous skirts, raced as fast as she could, the guests and search party hot on her heels.
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In the attic, a hysteric maid, being supported by a butler, was sobbing fearfully. Melanie ran up with the others behind her, and asked the butler "Ropert, what's wrong with Olivia?"
"I don't know, miss. She won't talk to me. Come now, Olivia, tell the young mistress what's wrong!" Ropert ordered sternly.
Olivia, still sobbing, tremblingly pointed to the center of the attic and up. Their gazes all followed her pointing finger…and gasped in complete horror!
There, illuminated by the flashes of lightning and the searchers' oil lamps, was Macy, dressed up in his elegant black-colored silk suit. The rafter was creaking as his body gently swayed in the breezy draft….held fast by the hangman's noose around his neck!!!!
Melanie let out an inhuman shriek vaguely akin to her lover's name, and fainted. As several men rushed forward to catch her, Yale noticed a piece of paper stuffed in his best friend's collar. He reached over and, with a wobbly hand, took it while trying to stop the bile rising in his throat.
After laying Melanie down carefully on th floor, Harold noticed Yale holding the paper. He inquired nervously "Where'd you get that?"
Yale looked up. "I found it stuffed in Macy's collar."
"Is it a…suicide note?"
"…no. I don't think so. It's not done in his handwriting."
"Read it, then. Maybe we can figure out who did it."
Yale nodded. Unfolding the paper, he began to read in a quavering voice.
"A curse upon the happy bride; never shall she make it to the other side! When she dies, may her soul be trapped within this house; trapped the way a cat does a mouse! From this day, her descendants all will feel my wrath, and when they die, no peace shall they have!
Signed,
The Phantom."
After Yale finished, all present looked at each other. The thunder rumbled ominously in the air as they all thought the same thing.
Who in the name of God was The Phantom?
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Melanie had fallen into a deep blackout after that day, so she woke up the day after Macy's funeral.
Perhaps it was the shock of seeing him dead in front of her eyes, or his death quickly following that of her parents. Whatever it was, it caused the unfortunate girl to fall into a deep bout of melancholy. It may have also broken her mental state just a bit; for she insisted that Macy was not murdered, but instead away on a trip, momentarily detained. And she swore she would wait for him.
For many years after that, she stayed always in her wedding gown, wandering the halls of Ravenswood Manor day and night. Down in town, a person would always stand outside at night and could hear her beautiful voice coming down from the house, and they'd be moved to tears at the lovely tone and heartbreaking message of her song; calling, always calling for her beloved to come back to her.
The servants were afraid to do anything to help her, and one by one, they moved out, save for two; a butler and a maid.
The years went by. Finally, word came that the maid had found her aged mistress in the wine cellar, dead. They buried her in Boot Hill, the family (as well as the town) cemetery.
As years passed, strange things began to be seen and heard up at the mansion. Descendants of the Ravenswood's would come and live in the house. Rumors began to circulate that the mansion was now haunted by the ghost of Melanie and the Phantom, as well as 999 other ghosts! During the day and night, you could see her form clearly through the windows and hear her singing, but there would also be the sounds of roistering, honky-tonk piano, gunshots, organ playing…and the evil, maniacal laughter of the Phantom.
Some began to say that he was in actual reality the crazy ghost of Old Henry Ravenswood himself, come back from the grave to kill Macy and keep his daughter in Thunder Mesa for all eternity; this was the most likely accepted account.
In time, Thunder Mesa became a medium prosperous town, with the population now down to about one thousand and twenty-five.
But Ravenswood Manor survived, and the descendants still lived there, passing down from generation to generation.
Soon, the mansion, because of the many ghostly noises and the name of Macy's so-called murderer, was given a new name.
A name that would continue to hold the secret of what really happened on that fateful day.
It was called…
PHANTOM MANOR!!!!
End of Prologue