EPISODE 8-3

Time stood still. Everyone had heard it. Tippi and Mr. L had heard it. Dimentio, Mimi, and O'Chunks had heard it. Maybe even everyone in Toad Town. It was such a monumental statement, how could you not have heard it? How could your life go on, after such a statement had been made? How could you continue shopping, buying badges and mushrooms, mailing letters, and playing with Li'l Oinks when the whole world had just been turned upside down?

The drawer where Count Bleck kept the Dark Prognosticus was empty.

Count Bleck was gone.

Had he run off with the Dark Prognosticus? Would he do such a thing?

Nastasia hung up. She would explain everything to them in a few minutes. Right now she needed to clear her head. She turned off the SP, because she knew they would call right back. They'd be worried. Well, too bad. She was worried too. She was more worried than those three could be put together.

He had kept it after he returned to the castle. At first nobody had known, but the secret was too big to stay hidden. He kept it for a number of reasons. The dark secrets it held was knowledge that could be found nowhere else, and that was important to him right now. Even if he wanted to destroy it, he couldn't. It would take more than a paper shredder to destroy such a powerful book. That reason alone was enough to keep it- if he had it, he knew nobody else could use it. That thought helped him sleep at night, knowing that nobody else could gaze upon its pages and plot the end of all worlds without anybody knowing.

"I knew he still had it," said Tippi.

"It's come up before," Mr. L added.

"We have to keep looking for him," said Tippi. "We can't slow down. We still have some leads."

"Yeah," said Nastasia. "So, um, this place is a dead end. We should go to Forever Forest. It was also mentioned in the letter, and there might be some clues there as to who K Man Koopa Troop is and what Count Bleck was doing. And hopefully the Dark Prognosticus will be nearby."


As soon as Nastasia hung up on them, they turned on Dimentio. He was still standing idly to the side, not entirely involved but not entirely separate. He looked them over, Mimi and O'Chunks, and gave them a friendly nod.

"You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?" Mimi asked him sharply.

"I knew this would be coming right about now," he said. "I knew the Dark Prognosticus was there and have refused to have anything to do with it. It's more trouble than it's worth, at least for the time being. Prophecies, prognosticuses, hearts, heroes… they were probably right about making our own destinies- the heroes, that is. So that is what I'm doing now, you see?"

"Destinies about taking over the world?" Mimi snapped.

"Not at present," said Dimentio. "There is simply too much else going on in my life to fret about ruling an entire world. Maybe next year. And besides, have I not been good to you thus far?"

"Only so you would have a place to stay and something to do," Mimi shot back.

Dimentio smiled again, and then looked away. "I have ideas, not plans," he said. "I must do what is best for myself."

O'Chunks pondered for a moment, and then said, "Ah, we believe yeh. I don't think yeh 'ad anythin' to do wit' this."

"Your vote of trust is touching," Dimentio replied in a voice devoid of emotion.

"Because yeh'd have teh know that if it was you, and I found out, I'd strangle yeh."

Dimentio gulped. "Your words are clear as a window in a glass-cleaner commerical. And I thank you for the warning."


At the far end of Forever Forest was Boo's Mansion, where Lady Bow and about 999 other happy haunts lived. (Oh wait wrong haunted mansion!) In reality, there were anywhere from ten to ninety Boos hanging around at all times. If they weren't there, they were visiting friends in Gusty Gulch, wandering through the forest, or out in the world scaring the living daylights out of anybody they could find.

The house looked deserted, as if it hadn't been lived in for centuries. Boos were generally thought to be another kind of creature like a Goomba or a Buzzy Beetle, rather than the spirit of a dead person, but they behaved in much the same way as a typical ghost. They left no markings on thier surroundings in their day-to-day activities, so it was possible for a Boo to live somewhere for years and have no effect on the home. So it was possible for all 999- I mean about a hundred- Boos to be in the mansion, and for it to look empty and deserted.

"I don't like this place," said Tippi with a shiver.

"Suck it up," said Nastasia. "It's for the Count."

Nastasia pushed open the gates. "Come on it," she said. "Remember Lady Bow from Peach's tea party? This is the mansion where she lives."

"I don't appreciate your tone," said Tippi.

"What?"

"Just now."

"Oh. Yeah, well, sorry. I guess I'm just a little on end."

"If you have a problem with me, I'd like to know about it."

"Yeah, so can we talk about this later? I'll pencil you in for after we find Count Bleck."

Mr. L cut in. "Boy, it's a good thing Dimentio isn't here." And he forced a little chuckle. He remembered how Dimentio had been shot down several times in an attempt to pick her up at the social event. Probably he was just playing around, but either way rejection isn't a pretty thing.

They went inside, and it was even more lonely and spooky on the inside. There was furniture, mostly broken down from dry rot. The banister on the edge of the stairs and balcony hall didn't look safe enough to protect you from a fall. The chandelier on the ceiling looked like you would need something to protect you if it fell. And the portraits of old Boos hanging on the walls were most certainly watching them.

"Hey!" Nastasia called out, although she was so stricken with fear she was surprised she could muster anything above a whisper. "Are there any Boos hanging around in here?"

Slowly, one Boo appeared in front of him, his face covered up.

He peeked out under his hands and said softly, "Are you gonna play nice?"

Nastasia was having none of it. She pulled out the picture of Count Bleck and the letter and said, "We're looking for this man, who we believe came here because of this letter."

The Boo was surprised that his creepy little act wasn't getting attention. Instead of taking the picture, he stretched his face out huge, making a horrible startling noise in the process. Nastasia didn't budge. Tippi and Mr. L jumped in surprise, but Tippi was resolved to stay and find out what happened to Count Bleck, and Mr. L just didn't want to look like a fraidy-goomba.

"You're no fun," the Boo grumbled. He took the letter and scanned it. "Fighting? I haven't heard about any fighting." He turned around and called out, "Hey, Keith! Josh! Heard about any fighting?"

"Nah," said a Boo, suddenly appearing right behind them. "It's been quiet as a Mouser 'round here."

Again, they were startled, but resolved not to show that the Boos were scaring them.

"Seen this man?" Nastasia prompted him to look at the picture.

"Nope," said the new Boo. Then he disappeared.

"I haven't seen anything like him," the first Boo added.

"Was anyone around here last night asking questions?" Nastasia pressed.

"Nobody here but us Boos."

"So, there's nobody living under the forest fighting with Toad Town and you guys, is that correct?"

"I don't think it's even possible to live under the forest," said the Boo. "Too sandy. After you get past Toad Town Tunnels, there's no way to dig more than ten feet without the dirt turning into mush. Unless K. Man Koopa Troop was raised by Monty Moles. Hey, that'd be pretty cool. A Koopa raised by Monty Moles."

"I knew it," said Nastasia, looking at the letter. It was too perfect. The way it started. We, too, have a problem. Not acknowledging that other people ask him for help. It's a given in the letter- but why? And it was addressed to Count Bleck rather than Castle Bleck. And the setup was too perfect, like she'd noted before. Seperated from your true love.

There were no huge red flags. The things she noticed now, she only noticed were wrong after she realized the letter had to be a set-up. It was too perfect. Count Bleck had no reason to question its authenticity. So he came here asking around, and…

And what?

And where did the Dark Prognosticus fit it?

Suddenly, about fifty Boos appeared in the room, all at the same time, all of a sudden, with their faces stretched out making that horrible yell Boos make when they're trying to scare someone. Tippi screamed. Mr. L jumped ten feet. Nastasia took off running. In two seconds, they were clear of the mansion, without even stopping to think.

The Boos fell apart laughing.

"Knew we'd get 'em eventually!" the Boo said cheerfully.