HAUNTED MANSION TALES: SPOOKY LITTLE RASCALS PART 4 By Swarlock/Co Authored by Birdy Wilbury

Steven had all the ghosts in rapture as he continued looking through the album.

"Hey, Frank. Remember this one?"

"Oh yeah. The Soapbox Derby contest," he smiled. "That's how Walt decided which mansion he wanted at Disneyland which came twenty seven years later."

"He made Mickey a big star and later branched out by doing more films. Then walking through an amusement park one day he got the idea of making one of his own. We owe Lily a debt of thanks for this one," Steven said.

September 30th 1942

The mansion now under the control of The Ghost Host was busier than ever. As more freeways were being made more abandoned houses were torn down leaving many wayward ghosts out in the cold. Madam Leota retained some of her power but only enough to contact the spirits who chose to come rather than being commanded to.

Word got around about a famous movie producer looking for ideas for a new project he was working on. Arriving in New Orleans he had sent out researchers to investigate the supernatural elements of Lousiana.

Looking at The Antebellum Mansion near the bayou a brilliant notion popped into his head.

"So boss. Is this gonna be the model for your Spook House attraction?" a construction worker asked.
"No. This place IS going to be the attraction," Mickey's employer said happily. "Send somebody to do the paperwork so we can ship it off to Anaheim, California."
"What about the one on the hill above The Dance Studio?" a mover named Hal asked.
"Didn't think there was another one on the other side of the neighborhood," Mister W said. "Go check it out."
"Right, Boss," Hal said and off he went.

Meanwhile the new arrivals, about 680 of them were being shown to their rooms in The Corridor Of Doors.
"Make yerselves at home, gang!" Steven said. "Wow! Like this place is bee-autiful. Kinda wild and freaky," Willy The Wisp said. He was a For Real beatnik long before the term was ever used.
"When do the humans come around? I'd like to get out there and spook everybody," Phineas Pock said.
"Don't worry, pal. You'll get your chance. Just don't scare them too much. They have to WANT to stay here if they choose," Steven cautioned the ghost.
"For that matter, I might as well thumb a ride out of town," Phineas said a little disgruntled.
"What? You're gonna follow them home or something?" Frankie said jokingly.

Steven shook his head in disbelief.

"That's not a bad idea at that. We'll give the mortals a tour of this mansion and promote this place as a retirement home for ghosts," The Ghost Host said.

There was a knock at the door and Frankie went to get it.

"Someone taped a note to the door, Boss," Frankie said.
"Read it." The Ghost Host said excitedly.

"We are looking to buy your property to use as part of our new family entertainment center. Please meet us at 1313 Dreary Drive to discuss the details."

"I'll select a few people to come with me to see into this matter," The Ghost Host said.
"How can he come with us when he's part of the house?" Frankie asked.
"In extreme times his essence can rematerialize into his past self," Bandy said.
"You mean he can come back as a baby?' Frankie asked.

Steven zapped up a newspaper and whacked him over the head with it.

"You chose now to say something remotely stupid in front of the boss," The warlock said to his buddy.

"In a word. Yes I can rematerialize as my former self Master Gracey but for a short period of time. To the rest of the world I shall be The Ghost Host of The Haunted Mansion," he said in a polite pleasant manner.

The Ghost Host selected six representative to come with him to the meeting. Himself, Steven W. Warlock, Frankiestein, Phineas Pock, Little Leota and The Organist. When they got there however they saw six other ghosts next to Walt talking about his plans.

"Hold it a minute. We were given the same note on the door too. That means we get to go to California. Not you guys," Frankiestein said.
"Are you out of your slab, Vampire Boy? We're gettin' that gig," One of the ghosts said.

This argument went on for some time until...

"Enough! This is pointless. What we need is a contest to decide who gets to go to my new park which I'm going to have done in the future. Any suggestions?" Walt said.

"I have an idea," Frankie spoke up.

"Look out! When Frankiestein gets an idea it's usually a dangerous thing," Steven said mocking his friend.
"How about a Boxcar Derby Race?" he said.
"How about I stretch those pointy ears of yours into your backside?' said one of the ghosts.
"Wow! First time you've ever had a brilliant idea that good," Steven said to Frankie.
"Then a boxcar derby race is it," Walt said.

Fleabag who had been humiliated during the Ballroom fiasco a couple of years before had joined the team that was competiting with The Ghost Host's team. He decided to "help" his group win by any means possible. So he went through Madam Leota's remaining trinkets in a drawer to see if he could find anything useful to use.

And then he saw it.

In a small box was an emerald embedded in a ring. There was also a book that had among other things the history of the objects she had gathered over the years.

"The Fregosi Emerald: In 1623, Duke Ferdinand Fregosi born Werewolf Junction, Translyvania was a rich farmer who cast a spell on an emerald to give bad luck to anyone who wears it. In his last days he wore the emerald but found that the curse he put on it was even too much for him as he couldn't remove it. Ferdinand barely got it off after creating a counterspell to reverse its effects. Unfortunately he didn't have time to complete the incanation choking during the last part of the curse removal. Every Fregosi in the family chain had misfortune with it and then it fell into the Hands of Jack The Ripper.

That was all Fleabag had to know. He placed the ring back into the box and waited until the next day to put his plan into the wetworks.

Tomorrow came sooner than the wink of an eye as Frankiestein was busy putting the finishing touches on the derby car Handy and Bandy would race in. The car parts were gathered from places around the neighborhood. The front end consisted of the grill from a hearst his Uncle Herman and Aunt Lily had lying around while the back was a make shift version of a Haunted House on wheels donated by The Creepy Coup Family. His other Uncle named Fester gave him headlights and his Grandpa M gave him some exilir that also served as fuel for the car. Not that he really needed it with Birdy in the hood peddling his little feet off.

The half breed changed into a tiny bat to reach a small screw that needed to be tightened under the bottom of the race car when he saw two wooly feet standing over him.

"Hi, There. Ol' Buddy!" Fleabag shouted.
"Owww!" Frankie shouted as he bumped his head under the vehicle. Rolling out he had a look of suspicion on his face.
"What are you up to, ya big jerk?" he asked him with a look of contempt on his face.
"What makes you think I have anything up my sleeve, pal. So we got off on the wrong foot all those years ago. To make it up to ya. I have a present you can give to your girl Carmen," Fleabag said handing him the ring.
"Well, I don't know"
"Give it to her on a picnic before the race. She'll be eternally grateful to you," Fleabag smiled a fake smile.
"I guess yer a good egg after. She'll really love this ring," Frankie grinned as he put it in his pocket.
Fleabag rubbed his hands cackling all the way back to the other team.

Steven was watching this from a distance and after the wolf boy bully left turned to his buddy with a look of disgusted dissapointment on his face.
"You really take the cake you know that. What did Fleabag give you that was so important?" he asked.
"This ring with the green emerald on it. Looks cool doesn't it?" he said.
"Glad to know you and him will be sharing a life together," Steven said sarcastically.
"This is for my girl friend, ya nut," Frankie said insulted by Steven's jab.
"Humph! Anything Fleabag gives you makes more trouble for you as well as me," he reminded his scatterbrained friend. "You can keep it for now. Go on. Get outta here! Have lunch. We're gonna need our strength for the race today."

A little later Frankiestein and his ghoul friend are having a picnic in the cemetery in back of the mansion. The singing busts decide to spring into a serenade to get Frankie and Carmen into a romantic mood after they finished eating.

"Before we do anything I have a present for you," Frankie said to Carmen.
"Oh, Frankie. What a beautiful ring," she squealed. "I'll put it on much later. Right now. Let's eat."

Digging into the sandwiches she made Frankie couldn't help but comment on its unusual flavor.
"This is a pretty crunchy sandwich," he said. "It tastes just like sand from the beach"
Carmen was confused by his words and bit into one of the delicacies herself.

She spit it out of her mouth immediately.

"This isn't a sandwich. It's kitty litter!!!" she screamed.

Hearing this, her boyfriend spit the rest out of his mouth into a glass of water that suddenly became mud.

Carmen screamed her lungs out almost taking a sip.

But the worst was yet to come as Monster Ants the size of a Chijuajua came trumping and stumping all over the blanket with Carmen's food on it.

"Must be from Texas," Frankie said trying to bring some levity to a picnic lunch that was quickly unraveling.

She wasn't laughing.

"What else could go wrong?" Frankie said.

KABOOOOM!!!

The sky became overcast as the food and blanket got washed away into the mud where the hearst was sinking.

"You're a jinx. I'm NEVER going out with you again," Carmen fumed. "And here's your ring back."

She overshot Frankie's hand and it landed in the race car fuel tank which Birdy was in and swallowed it whole.

"Aww. Honey bunch. Wait," Frankie said as he was about to go after her and give her the ring.

"Hey, Frankenstein. Stop fooling around. We've got work to do," Steven shouted from the starting line.

The race was about to start. A crowd of race car fans were in the bleachers cheering. Most of them twice removed Aunts, Uncles and Cousins from The Old Country. Lily and Herman, Grandpa, Eddie and Maryln along with Burp, Slurp, Sigmund, Witchypoo, Frank, Drac, Wolfie, Gomez and Mortica were watching the drivers rev up their engines.

"On your mark..." Phineas said holding a flag up. "Get set..." The car Handy and Bandy were in was as tight as a bullet.
"GO!!!"

The second car took off down Dead Man's Curve while Bandy and Handy's boxcar was smoking up a storm.
"Give 'er The Choke, Handy," Bandy The Mummy shouted.
From inside the boxcar tiny hands were grasping about Birdy Bat's neck. It caused him to speed up twice as fast as the little car took off faster than a Road Runner with jet skis.

But an hour into the race the makeshift boxcar was overheating. Handy and Bandy took a look under the hood to Birdy puffing, puffing and wheezing his heart out. His sweat caused the engine to flood up.

"Ewww!" the two racers said as they went into convulsions.

Composing themselves they called in Frankenstein to peddle the rest of the way. His pet bat sat with Bandy and Handy in the car and suddenly he got the hiccups. The boxcar for some unexpected reason starting jumping every few feet with every hiccup Birdy let out. Frankie was pretty banged up inside the where the motor peddles were.

They were almost at the finish and it was at that moment that the Fregosi Emerald Ring got lodged out of Birdy's throat and into the backseat of the boxcar Fleabag and the other driver were in. The wheels of their car came off instantly. So did Handy and Bandy's as well.

"You're inches away from winning the race, guys. Push the car across the finish line!" Steven screamed.
They did and everyone cheered.

But to his surprise and the Ghost Host's as well. Frankenstein's inexplicable Code Of Honor reared its head at that moment and he decided that Fleabag should win instead of them.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU PINHEAD!!!" Steven said. He was boiling mad.

The crowd cheered even louder as Fleabag and his driver went up to get their trophy and the reward of having their mansion moved to California.

"And to think I owe it all to the ring I found in Madam Leota's drawer," Fleabag bragged.
"I fixed it so your piece of automotive junk would fall apart. I didn't count on your stupid little pet swallowing it though."

"Is that right?" Walt said. "Well in that case. You're disqualified for cheating."

The Ghost Host and his six players in the game were thrilled by the news. It looked like they were on their way to making The Haunted Mansion the showcase it was meant to be.

"What happened to the ring?" The Diminutive Wathiel R. Bender asked.

"After the race was over Frankie gave it to his Uncle Grandpa for safekeeping. He decided not to tell Herman and Lily how he originally found it of course," Steven answered.

"Wait a minute. Technically you won because of a fluke. How did this mansion get here instead of out West?" Wathiel asked.

"That's a story in itself," the warlock answered.

He flipped to other photo in the album.

To be continued...