This chapter is set in the ballroom, which is my favourite scene in the rides, despite the fact I haven't actually been on the HM ride, and only on the PM Ride in Disneyland Paris. People say PM is more gruesome than HM. Victoria Boufout and Wolfgang Furlong are characters in the ride, named by cast members. Other characters I have named and given personalities. I do not own the Haunted Mansion, but I would love to, but it is owned by Walt Disney (Rest in Peace). I only own the characters, Kim, Jody and Sakura, and possibly some ghosts that I may add to the story that are not in the rides. I have named some characters and given them a proper role in the story.
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Chapter 2: A Swinging Wake
Ghost Host: Welcome back foolish mortals. We recently found our new friends, Kim, Jody and Sakura arriving at the Haunted Mansion. They became the 1000th, 1001st and 1002nd ghosts. Kim appeared to be afraid to tell how she died, so she kept it to herself. The three stumbled into the stretching gallery where they met me. Lillian rushed them out of the room. We now join our small spooks entering the ghostly ballroom, where there is a party going on. And even better, I'm invited! I'll see you later. But how do I get down from this ceiling?
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The three children, Kim, Jody and Sakura ascended a staircase until they came to the beginning of a curved balcony. The three looked down in awe towards the giant room that lay ahead. It was the mansion's majestic ballroom. Not looking like it had been used for many years, it was now hosting a thriving party for the supernatural and a series of ghosts were in the ballroom.
"Would you look at that!" cried Kim in amazement.
"It is amazing," said Jody.
"It's scary," said Sakura. She suddenly tripped over her foot and fell down into the ballroom.
An elderly granny ghost, who sat in a red armchair, watched the young girl tumble to the floor and she slowly got up and went to help Sakura.
"You poor dear. Are you alright?" asked the old woman.
"Yeah, I think I am," groaned Sakura as she sat up and wraiths spun around her head.
"That was quite a wee fall you took, lassie," said a Scottish sea captain.
"Sakura! You are such a clumsy person at times," said Kim, as she and Jody floated down from the balcony.
"Well sorry!" snorted Sakura, standing up as her friends landed on the floor.
"Oh, you must be the new ghosts in the mansion. You're very young," said the woman.
"Yeah, we all died at fourteen," said Jody.
"Oh," said the old granny and returned to her seat.
"Don't mind her," said a small man sitting on top of the nearby fireplace, his arm wrapped around a bust. "She is over 100 years old."
"Strange. I assumed all of you were over hundred years of age," joked Jody.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm Mickey Naggirihm," said the small man.
"Pleasure," said Kim.
Just then, there was a sudden boom and the back of a hearse smashed its way through a wall. Every ghost in the room looked in the hearse direction in surprise, except the ballroom dancers that just continued to dance.
A woman with bright red hair, screwed up in a bun, left the long dining table and angrily approached a hearse driver stepping out of the hearse.
"What are you doing?" asked the woman.
"I'm dropping off more guests, what does it look like I'm doing?" asked the hearse driver.
"M.T. Tomb, ever heard the phrase "Use the door!"?" asked the woman.
"Well excuse me, Victoria," snorted M.T. Tomb.
"Guys, knock it off!" cried Mickey angrily. "We've got new members to the spook squad and all you can do is argue!"
"You stay quiet small fry!" shouted Tomb.
Everybody in the room starting arguing, minus the kids, the ballroom dancers and the organist, who angrily hammered down on the organ keys and started playing a fearsome tune. Millions of wraiths flew out of the organ and attacked the arguing ghosts, who was shrieked and ran for shelter. One wraith dived for Kim. Jody leapt in the way and smacked the wraith away with his shoe.
"Get lost skullface!" shouted Jody.
"Thanks, Jody," said Kim.
"No problem," replied Jody.
"Will everyone calm down!" cried the organist loudly and started playing a spooky tune.
Victoria approached the children.
"I am truly sorry my dears. M.T. Tomb is very stubborn at times," said Victoria.
"I heard that!" cried Tomb as he helped guests out of the hearse.
"Anyway, children, please come and join us for our party," said Victoria and led the way to the long dining table. Its cloth was stained and shredded, and the plates and glasses were scattered across the table, shattered. There was a large pink birthday cake placed at the end of the table, with 13 candles on it. Victoria took the seat in front of the cake, while Kim, Jody and Sakura took various seats on the table.
Sakura unfortunately found herself between a sneezing king and a drunken man who slumped off his chair, unconscious.
A man wearing a toga stood up and raised a glass of wine.
"A toast to the new ghosts of the mansion!" said the man, and everyone else at the table raised their glasses and drank, except the liquid fell straight through their bodies and splattered on the floor.
Victoria then inhaled and held it for several seconds. Kim looked at Victoria as the woman's face went blue. Victoria then exhaled and blew all of the candles out on the cake. But then the candles suddenly relit themselves. Victoria looked frustrated and blew them out again.
"Victoria, were you only thirteen when you died?" asked Kim anxiously, as the candles relit again.
Victoria looked at Kim, and then looked down at the birthday cake that had a big 13 written on the surface.
"Heavens, no dear. You see, when I was alive, I enjoyed hosting parties and celebrations. Every year I invited the same guests to my parties and we ate, drank and danced the night away. One party, I remember we did a scavenger hunt, but someone then got angry with my party and said to me "Thirteen years from now, you will die!"" explained Victoria. "And it happened!"
"Who shouted at you?" asked Kim.
"I can't remember. I was cursed in 1920, and died in 1932," said Victoria and blew out the ever-relighting candles on the cake.
The organist continued to play the same tune, and Sakura looked at him and turned to the king next to her.
"Is that the only tune that bloke can play?" she asked to the king.
"Achoo! He does play other tunes, but he likes that one best," said the king and sneezed again.
Sakura slipped away from the table and walked past the ballroom dancers and approached the towering organ. The organist was a grey-haired man wearing green robes and a cloak.
"Is that all you can play sir? You must not be very good," said Sakura.
The organist stopped playing and faced Sakura with angered eyes.
"For your information, young lady, I was taught by some of the best organists in the whole of Ireland!" snapped the organist in an Irish accent. "I am the great Wolfgang Furlong and can play any tune you challenge me to perform!"
"Fine. Play the theme tune to the Addams Family," challenged Sakura.
Wolfgang stared at her blankly.
"Something a little older," said Wolfgang, trying to not show any signs of defeat.
"Okay, how about Beethoven's Symphony?" asked Sakura.
Wolfgang smirked, flexed his fingers and hammered down on the organ and started playing the symphony. Within one or two minutes, Wolfgang finished and turned to Sakura who was stunned.
"Beat that!" challenged Wolfgang.
"Right then! You asked for it!" snarled Sakura, leaping onto the seat, squeezing beside Wolfgang and started playing Ride of the Valkyries, which took Wolfgang by surprise. He started playing the French National Anthem.
The two battled in out on the organ, until Victoria came barging over and clobbered Wolfgang with her shoe.
"Don't try and get this young lady into your challenges, Wolfgang!" scolded Victoria.
Sakura sneaked away and rejoined Jody and Kim and three quickly floated up to the balcony and dashed through a door, as some drunken ghost swinging from the chandelier fell down and destroyed Victoria's cake. Sakura saw a glimpse of Victoria attacking the ghost, and Wolfgang trying to pull her off.
"Where should we go now?" asked Sakura.
"There's a staircase over there," exclaimed Jody, pointing to a darks staircase the led up to a dusty cobwebbed door.
"Let's go and see what's up there," said Kim and before Sakura could protest, the other two were already halfway up the stairs.
"Why do I even bother?" sighed Sakura and raced after the other two.
Jody stepped in front of the girls and placed his hand on the rusty door handle. He then pulled down on the handle and opened the door to the awaiting room.
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The Addams Family is a funny family who are actually going to be on tv in several minutes. Ride of the Valkyries is the dun-dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dun-dun dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-duuuunnnnn! Next up, the kids meet a certain woman who's got a big heart.