Chapter 3: "Anyone home?"
"Hello?"
Luigi cautiously peeked his head into the mansion. The light of his flashlight revealed a large, dusty room. Two sets of stairs on either side of the room led up to the second floor. A pair of double doors at the other end of the room glowed with a mysterious light. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling. Several candles burned along the sides of the stairs.
"This must be the mansion's foyer. Doesn't look like it's been cleaned for a while." said Luigi, eyeing the dust and cobwebs that covered the room. "Hey! Maybe Mario lit those candles!"
"MARIO!!" Luigi called. His echoes were his only reply.
Luigi plucked up his courage and stepped inside the gloomy room. Luigi shivered. It was really cold in here. He began to walk toward the strange glowing door. The door seemed to have strands of pale light rapped around it, like a spider's web. Luigi slowly extended his hand toward the doorknob. And then…
"WAAAAHHH!!" Luigi screamed as the electric shock moved up his arm and all over him. The force sent him flying backward. Electricity trailed of him
(Like in Super Smash Bros. Melee) as he flew through the air. His body slammed against the front door. His hat fell down over his eyes as slid down the door.
As Luigi sat with his back against the door, he heard what sounded like something metallic hitting the stone floor. He managed to get the cap off his head just in time to see a shadow disappear up the stairs. He tried to turn his flashlight back on, but nothing happened. Lightning flashed outside, and in the light he saw something shining on the floor.
"Huh? A key?" he said, picking up the slender piece of metal. "How did this get here? I wonder if I should try this upstairs."
Luigi cautiously made his way up the stairs. The steps creaked as he stepped on them. The deep purple carpet sent dust swirling into the air when Luigi stepped on it. Luigi sneezed. The sound echoed around the room. A group of bats swarmed down from the chandelier and flew out a broken window into the cloudy sky.
"I sure hope nothing bad happens." Luigi reached the landing at the top of the stairs. A pair of oaken double doors loomed before him. Sticking the key in the keyhole, Luigi slowly turned it. With a groan, the door swung open into a dark room. Luigi entered cautiously.
The room was dark. He couldn't see much. A single candle lit the room, slowly dripping wax onto the small wooden table it was placed on. The only other object was a slip of paper. Luigi tried his flashlight again. Still nothing happened. He approached the table and looked at the paper. In the candlelight, he made out what it said.
Welcome to your mansion.
Luigi thought he heard a sinister giggle behind him. Turning around, he saw nothing but darkness. He returned to studying the paper. Suddenly, one of the letters faded away, leaving the following:
Welcome to our mansion.
His gazed in horror as more text appeared on the card.
Welcome to our mansion.
Enjoy your stay...For good.
Luigi was terrified. How could he have won a haunted mansion? He turned quickly and darted for the door. It slammed shut before he could reach it. He pulled and tugged at the handle, trying to get out. The door would not budge.
"Hee hee hee heeeeeeeeeeee!"
Luigi slowly turned around, not wanting to know what made that sound, yet he turned and saw a orange, transparent figure with glowing yellow eyes and a gaping grin.
Luigi stood frozen with fright. "A...A...A…"
"A ghost." the phantom said. "BOO!"
Luigi's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
************************************************************
The world slowly came spinning back into Luigi's vision. He heard what sounded like a vacuum. He sat up immediately, looking across the room at the strange scene before him.
The ghost was still there, but now there was a little man in a lab coat. He wore huge glasses and had two rather large front teeth. A curly mass of hair stood on top of his head. It stood like a topiary Luigi had seen in Peach's garden. The man also wore what looked like some sort of modified vacuum cleaner. He wore it like a backpack and held the nozzle, pointing it at the ghost. The ghost appeared to be caught in the vacuums suction and was trying to get away. It dragged the old man around the room, knocking chairs and tables around.
Luigi watched the strange spectacle. Was he still out? This was too weird.
The little man finally got a firm foothold on a moth eaten couch. He appeared to have the ghost now. It slowly began to get pulled toward the nozzle of the vacuum.
"I have you now, you little Booligan!" cried the old man.
"Wait a sec, pal." the ghost said. "I'm not Booligan. He's one of the other ghosts here."
"He is?" the man said. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry. Here." He flicked a switch and the vacuum whirred to a stop. "Who are you then?"
"Well, I'm…" Then ghost suddenly flew at the man and smacked him with a well placed punch. The little fellow flew through the air and crashed into a wall, where he slumped to the floor and didn't move. "Idiot proof! Bwa ha!" laughed the ghost. "See you later, idiot! Hee hee hee!" With that, the apparition vanished.
Luigi quickly ran to the old man's side. "Sir! Are you okay?"
"Ouch…" groaned the old man. He got up and brushed himself off. "I'm defiantly losing my touch." He turned to Luigi. "Hey, sonny. What are you doing in a place like this? Don't you know this house is haunted?"
"I do now." Luigi said, picking the strange vacuum off the floor. "Here, you dropped this."
"Oh! Thanks!" The man strapped it to his back again. He looked around the room. "That ghost will be back. And he'll most likely bring some of his friends. What do you say you and I go to my lab and I'll explain a little more, hmm?"
Luigi nodded. The two walked out the door, which was now open, down the stairs, out the front door and into the night. It began to rain as they trudged toward a little shack located just beyond the mansion's gate. Luigi pondered his new companion. Who was this old coot? What's with the weird vacuum? And, what happened to Mario?
"Hello?"
Luigi cautiously peeked his head into the mansion. The light of his flashlight revealed a large, dusty room. Two sets of stairs on either side of the room led up to the second floor. A pair of double doors at the other end of the room glowed with a mysterious light. A grand chandelier hung from the ceiling. Several candles burned along the sides of the stairs.
"This must be the mansion's foyer. Doesn't look like it's been cleaned for a while." said Luigi, eyeing the dust and cobwebs that covered the room. "Hey! Maybe Mario lit those candles!"
"MARIO!!" Luigi called. His echoes were his only reply.
Luigi plucked up his courage and stepped inside the gloomy room. Luigi shivered. It was really cold in here. He began to walk toward the strange glowing door. The door seemed to have strands of pale light rapped around it, like a spider's web. Luigi slowly extended his hand toward the doorknob. And then…
"WAAAAHHH!!" Luigi screamed as the electric shock moved up his arm and all over him. The force sent him flying backward. Electricity trailed of him
(Like in Super Smash Bros. Melee) as he flew through the air. His body slammed against the front door. His hat fell down over his eyes as slid down the door.
As Luigi sat with his back against the door, he heard what sounded like something metallic hitting the stone floor. He managed to get the cap off his head just in time to see a shadow disappear up the stairs. He tried to turn his flashlight back on, but nothing happened. Lightning flashed outside, and in the light he saw something shining on the floor.
"Huh? A key?" he said, picking up the slender piece of metal. "How did this get here? I wonder if I should try this upstairs."
Luigi cautiously made his way up the stairs. The steps creaked as he stepped on them. The deep purple carpet sent dust swirling into the air when Luigi stepped on it. Luigi sneezed. The sound echoed around the room. A group of bats swarmed down from the chandelier and flew out a broken window into the cloudy sky.
"I sure hope nothing bad happens." Luigi reached the landing at the top of the stairs. A pair of oaken double doors loomed before him. Sticking the key in the keyhole, Luigi slowly turned it. With a groan, the door swung open into a dark room. Luigi entered cautiously.
The room was dark. He couldn't see much. A single candle lit the room, slowly dripping wax onto the small wooden table it was placed on. The only other object was a slip of paper. Luigi tried his flashlight again. Still nothing happened. He approached the table and looked at the paper. In the candlelight, he made out what it said.
Welcome to your mansion.
Luigi thought he heard a sinister giggle behind him. Turning around, he saw nothing but darkness. He returned to studying the paper. Suddenly, one of the letters faded away, leaving the following:
Welcome to our mansion.
His gazed in horror as more text appeared on the card.
Welcome to our mansion.
Enjoy your stay...For good.
Luigi was terrified. How could he have won a haunted mansion? He turned quickly and darted for the door. It slammed shut before he could reach it. He pulled and tugged at the handle, trying to get out. The door would not budge.
"Hee hee hee heeeeeeeeeeee!"
Luigi slowly turned around, not wanting to know what made that sound, yet he turned and saw a orange, transparent figure with glowing yellow eyes and a gaping grin.
Luigi stood frozen with fright. "A...A...A…"
"A ghost." the phantom said. "BOO!"
Luigi's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the floor, unconscious.
************************************************************
The world slowly came spinning back into Luigi's vision. He heard what sounded like a vacuum. He sat up immediately, looking across the room at the strange scene before him.
The ghost was still there, but now there was a little man in a lab coat. He wore huge glasses and had two rather large front teeth. A curly mass of hair stood on top of his head. It stood like a topiary Luigi had seen in Peach's garden. The man also wore what looked like some sort of modified vacuum cleaner. He wore it like a backpack and held the nozzle, pointing it at the ghost. The ghost appeared to be caught in the vacuums suction and was trying to get away. It dragged the old man around the room, knocking chairs and tables around.
Luigi watched the strange spectacle. Was he still out? This was too weird.
The little man finally got a firm foothold on a moth eaten couch. He appeared to have the ghost now. It slowly began to get pulled toward the nozzle of the vacuum.
"I have you now, you little Booligan!" cried the old man.
"Wait a sec, pal." the ghost said. "I'm not Booligan. He's one of the other ghosts here."
"He is?" the man said. "Oh! I'm terribly sorry. Here." He flicked a switch and the vacuum whirred to a stop. "Who are you then?"
"Well, I'm…" Then ghost suddenly flew at the man and smacked him with a well placed punch. The little fellow flew through the air and crashed into a wall, where he slumped to the floor and didn't move. "Idiot proof! Bwa ha!" laughed the ghost. "See you later, idiot! Hee hee hee!" With that, the apparition vanished.
Luigi quickly ran to the old man's side. "Sir! Are you okay?"
"Ouch…" groaned the old man. He got up and brushed himself off. "I'm defiantly losing my touch." He turned to Luigi. "Hey, sonny. What are you doing in a place like this? Don't you know this house is haunted?"
"I do now." Luigi said, picking the strange vacuum off the floor. "Here, you dropped this."
"Oh! Thanks!" The man strapped it to his back again. He looked around the room. "That ghost will be back. And he'll most likely bring some of his friends. What do you say you and I go to my lab and I'll explain a little more, hmm?"
Luigi nodded. The two walked out the door, which was now open, down the stairs, out the front door and into the night. It began to rain as they trudged toward a little shack located just beyond the mansion's gate. Luigi pondered his new companion. Who was this old coot? What's with the weird vacuum? And, what happened to Mario?