As promised, this chapter is much longer than the prologue. Enjoy, and please leave a review if you like it.

Chapter 2: Darkness

I left the forest with a feeling of dread. An icy fear that was partly responsible for the shaking in my hands that was causing the beam from my flashlight to fly around wildly, showing various parts of the surrounding scenery. I saw everything around the mansion in flashes; the dark, dead trees, the ravens in their branches, the crumbling tombstones and statues standing out of the ground, at strange angles, like crooked teeth. I was too far away to read the inscriptions, nor did I particularly want to. I couldn't stop thinking about the reason for the stones' existence, the reason they adorned the edge of the forest in such numbers, and I really, really didn't want to venture close enough to see the names carved into them. Was it possible that the mansion was the reason there were so many gravestones out here? I was already starting to believe the rumours that the place was haunted, but I hoped they were just that – rumours. Now I found myself confronted with possible evidence that this mansion was more than it appeared, and, quite probably, home to all kinds of horrible creatures...

Nevertheless, I steeled myself. As far as I knew, my brother Mario had gone to the mansion to check it out. And he never came back. That was the only reason I was still here and not cowering in my house back in Toad Town. Mario must be in trouble, unbelievable though it seemed, because he hadn't returned when he was supposed to. And that alone was enough to worry me, because Mario never got himself into trouble. He was the hero, I was just his lowly brother hiding in his shadow while he saved Princess Peach from monsters more times than I could count. I had often wished that I would be given the chance to be a hero too, but now I was presented with the opportunity, I would much rather be somewhere else. Somewhere safer. And less dark. And without dead trees and tombstones.

Perhaps the mansion seemed even more frightening because it was only a few days until Halloween...

I heard a raven's cry from one of the trees whose branches stretched out over the path. The sound held meaning, as though the bird was trying to speak. Ignoring it, I continued on my way towards the mansion, which loomed tall and ominous above me, still and silent, yet buzzing with energy. Lights glowed in some of the upstairs windows, as though there was somebody inside. I pointed my flashlight at them, my hand shaking badly as I gripped the handle, wondering who would possibly want to live inside that mansion. Or maybe it wasn't a person. Maybe it was the reason the mansion was haunted. I hated ghosts...

Especially boos. Those awful, round, white creatures, with their great long teeth and black eyes. Their enormous tongues hanging out of their mouths, like the tongues of overexcited puppies. Their chilling laugh as they materialised right behind you, after sneaking up on you, invisible, for goodness knows how long. I hated boos. Even if they were really harmless.

I suppose you could compare it to the way some people are afraid of spiders. They might not be dangerous, but they still scare people. I'm afraid of ghosts, boos in particular, although they're more mischievous than harmful. They don't hurt you, they just terrify you. Mainly by sneaking up on you, invisible, and then reappearing with a spooky laugh. Just the thought of meeting a ghost made my hand shake even more badly and I had to tighten my grip on the flashlight to stop myself from dropping it. Without a flashlight, I wouldn't be able to go into the mansion, so I really couldn't lose it.

I was halfway up the path when I heard the raven caw again, and I paused for a second to listen. It was a mournful sound, like a wolf's howl, and it echoed around for quite a while before last strains of it faded away. There was nothing dangerous about a raven, and it certainly wasn't as scary as the prospect of meeting a real, live ghost, so I ignored it and continued on my way.

The doors appeared in front of me. It looked like they had just materialised out of nowhere, but that was simply because the short range of my flashlight had made them impossible to see until I was close. There was a pattern above each door, a pattern that strangely reminded me of an orange segment. The brass doorknobs were shiny, as though they had been recently polished, and were smooth to the touch, rather than old and rusty as I had expected. I let out the breath I had been holding in a long, shuddery gasp. That settled it. There really was someone living here. Either that or the ghosts had been taking very good care of the mansion, right down to polishing the doorknobs. Well, I suppose ghosts can have a sense of cleanliness...

I touched the door with my gloved hand. It was cold. Smooth. Exactly like the doorknob had felt, and I realised that the whole door was made out of some kind of metal, probably brass. Under other circumstances, I would have liked to stay there and examine the door further, but there was a reason I had come here and I needed to hurry. Mario could be anywhere by now, lost, or captured by the ghosts, and I had to find him quickly before anything bad happened to him. So, without wasting any more time than I already had, I lifted my hand and knocked, three times.

No answer.

Of course, I was being stupid. Of course nobody was going to answer. It was a haunted mansion! Did I expect a ghost to open the door for me? Still, I decided to knock one more time before I considered doing anything else. My fist hammered against the door, louder than last time, but I still received no response. Sighing, I reached for the doorknob and realised that it turned easily in my hand. Smoothly, as though it had been used recently. But a ghost wouldn't need to open a door – it could just float through the wall.

When the door opened, all I could see inside was blackness. It was worse, a hundred times worse, than the forest outside, and I had needed my flashlight to navigate my way through that. This was different from the normal darkness of a cloudy night, or the space under my bed, or the darkness in the back of the cupboard. It was much more than that. It was an impenetrable blackness that prevented me from seeing anything at all. Even when I shined my flashlight between the small crack in the door, it revealed nothing. It was as though I was staring into a room where the walls, floor, and ceiling were all painted black. It was like looking down into a deep, dark hole or the middle of outer space.

And I had to go inside.

For the love of Toads, Mario was really going to regret this when I found him.

However, I couldn't just stand outside and complain. I shook my flashlight firmly, hoping that its battery power would last just a little while longer. I glanced back at the forest, which suddenly seemed very inviting compared to the inky blackness of this strange, probably haunted mansion. I had never been this frightened in my life, nor felt so alone. I was starting to wish I'd asked someone else to come with me, or even asked someone else to go in my stead. I didn't like ghosts, or boos, or silence, or the dark, or being alone. And this crazy expedition into a haunted mansion fit all those descriptions. It wasn't even my mansion; I had received a letter this morning, telling me that I'd won it in a contest. But I never entered a contest. At first I thought they had sent the letter to the wrong person, but now I think it might be a trap. And Mario had fallen for it.

Time to go inside. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open wide with my free hand and stuck my head around it. At the same time, I raised my flashlight and switched it on, peering into the complete darkness inside. 'H-hello?' I called out, my voice sounding small and pathetic as it echoed in the silence. Nobody answered.

I took a step through the door. Then another, my flashlight held out in front of me. Then another. Both my feet were over the threshold now. And another...

The door slammed shut.

I nearly screamed, but it froze in my throat, and all that came out was a strangled squeak. My hand was shaking worse than ever, and my fingers felt oddly numb. My flashlight crashed to the floor and the last of its battery power ran out. All light vanished.

I was alone, and in complete darkness.

The night's meeting did not last as long as predicted, though it did nothing to ease the worry and uneasiness that hung over the mansion. The meeting room was well-lit using the finest candles they had been able to find. A fireplace stood against one wall, directly opposite the door, but it was cold and empty; the ghosts preferred the soft glow of candles rather than the roaring flame of a lit fireplace. The table was surrounded by chairs, quite a few of them missing a leg or two, while the surface of the table, normally dusty, was spotless. Even the old portraits on the walls looked to have been cleaned with great care before the meeting began. Not that the ghosts had any interest in the state of the mansion.

It had, over a certain number of years, become King Boo's habit to regularly clean and tidy the mansion. He was proud of his home, and harboured no desire to see it ruined by the rebellious young ghosts who patrolled the corridors on dark nights. It was his habit to sneak out in the middle of the day and do the cleaning, because nobody else did, and he wished to see everything kept flawless. And during meetings like this one, he was especially careful to keep the room tidy and the tabletop dust-free. However, no amount of cleaning on King Boo's part could change the outcome of today's gathering. He had expected something like this to happen for a long time, and while ghosts cannot fear, they can certainly capable of showing concern. And King Boo could not bear the thought of losing any of his subjects. He would do anything in his ghostly power to protect them from harm.

The meeting was held every full moon, and the purpose of it was to discuss events that were happening in the mansion. This included ordinary things (such as windows being smashed by mischievous ghosts), unusual things (such as the toilet becoming blocked with ectoplasm), and extraordinary things (such as humans coming through the forest and attempting to enter the mansion). All of these examples had occurred at least once, and the meetings had often seen far stranger examples.

But today, King Boo did not gather the ghosts together in one room to discuss ectoplasm in the lavatory. Today's meeting was deadly serious, for it concerned matters that endangered the whole mansion.

The collection of ghosts waiting impatiently in the meeting hall was an odd sight. There were enormous purple ones, small blue ones, and over fifty boos. They did not have to wait long. King Boo materialised in front of them, turning off his invisibility power. He was huge, three times the size of a normal boo, and his eyes were bright red. Other than that, he looked no different from his subjects, apart from the great gold crown that sat proudly upon his head. How it didn't fall off, nobody ever knew, but they were ghosts, so they didn't find it particularly unusual.

'Frrrriends.' The King's voice silenced the room at once, and turned all the ghosts' heads towards him. He licked his lips with his enormous tongue. Never had he tried so hard to capture his subjects' attention before. He could not let their minds drift now. 'I have important news. If any of you wish to speak, do so before I begin, and make it quick.' Nobody replied, although he sensed the atmosphere in the room change. The complete seriousness of his tone quietened the younger ghosts who had, previously, been listening with only half-hearted interest. Everyone was paying him more attention than before. It was a subtle change, but noticeable. He cleared his non-existent throat out of nervousness and continued, 'It has taken me some time to rrrrealise this, but now I understand it betterrrr. We are in a considerable amount of dangerrrr. The mansion is not entirely safe any more. There is an intruderrrr here with us.'

There was a low noise as several of the ghosts muttered inaudibly among themselves, but none dared speak aloud. They had not heard their King talk with such seriousness, and utter conviction, in their lives. They had no memory of their mansion ever being in danger. Their mutterings grew clearer as their anger increased, anger at the intruder. Only the boos, the ever-faithful, diligent boos, remained completely quiet and waited for the King to resume his speech.

The King heard the murmurs of the distressed ghosts. Although he disliked bringing them such terrible news, it was necessary if they wanted to defend their mansion against their enemies. An army of ghosts was hard to defeat. The boos in particular were famous for their ability to turn invisible, causing any attempts at attack to pass through their bodies as though they did not exist. It took enormous amounts of energy to maintain this invisibility for very long, but they were almost invincible while doing it. Sensing the ghosts' fear over his words, the King's voice cut through the noise like a sword stroke.

'Have hope. I haven't told you everything yet.' The ghosts fell silent and the King carried on with his speech. 'This intruderrrr is greedy. He longs forrrr the gold and jewels we keep safe in our mansion. He will do almost anything to gain them for himself. After all, what human could rrrresist the beauty of ourrrr treasures, the sparkling rrrradiance of the objects we have guarded for centuries, locked away in ourrrr home? But this human is more greedy than most of his kind. I fearrrr he will sink to the lowest levels to steal ourrrr treasure. He is not alone in his endeavour; he brings with him a great army of monsters at his command. They help him under the promise of treasure, and there is little they won't do for him, as long as he keeps his promise. They are a vile bunch indeed.'

'Yessss.' The whisper was at the edge of the King's hearing, emanating from somewhere off to his right. His name was GameBoo Advance. Mystery and fear surrounded him like a cloud, and some of the youngest ghosts said that he could tell the future. While these claims were originally thought to be nothing more than rumours, the King had long since admitted that GameBoo Advance did seem to have uncanny powers when it came to predicating events that had not yet happened. Whether he really could tell the future was uncertain, but there was definitely something about him that the King didn't quite know what to make of.

'Yessss... they are coming,' said the old boo, his voice a soft hiss, yet clearly audible due to the nervous silence in the room. 'King, you must prepare. Our enemy is already attempting enter the mansion... so far, the ancient spells are keeping him out, but it won't be long before he discovers a way to break them.' Slowly, pensively, he drew his tongue back inside his mouth and licked around his long fangs as though testing them for sharpness. 'Our enemy comes nearer and nearer by the minute. We have no time to waste...'

King Boo had listened attentively with growing fear. GameBoo Advance's predications always came true, and if he was right this time, then the mansion was in more danger than he originally thought. The 'ancient spells' were enchantments placed over all the mansion's entrances, including the doors and windows, in order to prevent uninvited intruders coming in. However, they were not strong enough to keep out everything, and if the intruder had a large army at their disposal, they could break through the mansion's walls with very little effort. The amount of treasure stored inside the mansion was the main reason it was so extensively guarded, for the boos were jealous of their belongings; the King the sort of scenarios that tended to happen when a ghost's money was stolen. The panic caused by a few gold coins disappearing was enough to cause stampedes that took hours to calm down. If large amounts of treasure were stolen by intruders, the King didn't know what he would do.

The King slowly opened his glowing red eyes and observed the now-quiet room. Over a hundred pairs of eyes were locked with his, silently asking for advice. Every ghost was staring at him in terror, GameBoo Advance's words having shaken them into silence. He could taste their fear in the air, sharp and bitter, and he could smell it as well. The boos had less interest in gold or jewels than the common ghosts, but even they were gazing at the King in hope that he would tell them what to do in order to protect their treasure. The atmosphere was as thick as melted chocolate.

Clearing his non-existent throat (again), the King spoke in a voice that he hoped did not show his own fear. 'GameBoo Advance is, unfortunately, correct. And none of our treasures will be safe unless we defend the mansion against this intruder. However... we will not be alone in our efforts. Help is coming.' A surprised gasp rolled across the room, and the King found himself grinning slightly at the thought of how the ghosts would react to his next sentence. 'Mario's younger brother, Luigi, is just walking up the path now.'

He expected annoyance. Eye-rolling. Anger. Maybe even laughter at the absurdity of it. What he didn't expect was to be confronted with applause. It started out slow and wavering, a whisper of sound coming only from the boos. Then it erupted into a storm of clapping that surrounded him on all sides. Every ghost in the room joined in with the applause, and they clearly were not lacking in enthusiasm. The King's tongue came out, and his eyes glowed a little brighter as he laughed silently. What an unexpected reaction! Did any of these ghosts really know who Luigi was? The King's information might not have been entirely accurate, but he knew Luigi was afraid of the dark, and monsters, and... well, just about everything! Could he actually be the saviour who came out of the darkness to defend their treasure against the thieving intruders?

The applause took a long time to die down, and its volume meant that nobody heard the commotion downstairs as the front door slammed shut. Only GameBoo Advance knew, and he had known ever since Luigi had left the forest. However, he said nothing to the others, preferring to wait until they discovered it themselves. In the meantime, he allowed himself a small grin, anticipating the chaos that was sure to erupt in the next few minutes.