This chapter contains the Changing Portrait Gallery. This story is based on the ride in WDW, but I thought I'd put it in, as I like it. There will also be a reference to the Phantom Manor, can you find it. Also, a doombuggy is also in this chapter, and it will travel through a part it doesn't travel into during the ride and then into a part that doesn't exist in the ride!
Ghost Host: Previously, foolish readers, Kimberly stumbled upon Madame Leota, a mysterious woman trapped in a crystal ball, asking Kim to find a key for her, so she can be set free and help the ghosts go to heaven. Meanwhile, young Mistress Sakura has gotten into a spot of trouble with Ub van der Iwerks in the Endless Hallway. What will happen next?
Chapter 6: Weird Glows Gleam Where Spirits Dwell
Sakura dashed down the Endless Hallway, which seemed to just keep on going. She looked behind her as she ran. Ub van der Iwerks chased after her, cackling madly. Sakura continued to run, not even think of stopping. Ub then suddenly disappeared in a puff of smoke, but his voice echoed across the hallway.
"You cannot escape from this hallway now, foolish girl! It is endless and will consume you!" hissed Ub.
"Oh, boy. I think I'm in trouble," said Sakura and she turned around the proceeded to walk all the way back to the entrance of the hallway, but she had no idea how far it was.
Kim opened a door and found herself in a dark misty room. Flowery decaying wallpaper covered the walls and creaking floorboards creaked by themselves. In a corner stood an empty chair beside a table. Kim inspected the book and saw that the page was open in the D section and a word had been underlined: Death.
"This place gives me the creeps…" thought Kim.
She heard a loud noise behind her and saw a strange mode of transport exit out of a pitch black archway. It was as black as the darkest of nights and was shaped like an old fashioned horse-drawn carriage that used to be used in London in old times. Except there were no wheels on it and just seemed to move across the room on its own accord. There was a silver safety bar on the front of the vehicle and the seating looked like there was room enough for two. The vehicle rode up to where Kim stood and the safety bar rose up. Kim suspiciously approached the vehicle and stepped in it. She then saw a grey word on the front of the vehicle.
"D O O M B U G G Y"
Kim sat in the doombuggy and safety bar lowered down. A ghostly voice spoke up.
"Please keep your arms, legs and other parts inside the doombuggy at all times…"
Kim sat back and waited as the doombuggy headed for another darkened archway and was swallowed by the mouth of darkness.
Kim found herself in a hallway. It was richly appointed with beautiful purple wallpaper, although the pattern seemed to be made of distorted skulls. Kim looked behind her and saw she'd actually come out of a hidden door, cleverly disguised as a portrait of a bearded man pointing at her. Kim turned back to look at the front. Thunder rumbled outside, as rain pattered against the four windows that were placed on the left side of the room. Opposite them were five exquisite paintings.
One of a young woman who lays on a sofa; another of a knight and his horse rearing dramatically on a cliff; a third of another young woman standing in a temple; a fourth of a ship sailing elegantly through the ocean, and a final painting of a young woman posing for the artist.
But as Kim's doombuggy passed the portraits one by one, they went under horrific changes.
The woman on the sofa morphed into a panther from the waist upwards. The knight and his horse were struck by lightning and became skeletons. The woman in the temple fossilised into a stone gorgon. The ship in the ocean gets suddenly caught in a storm and becomes a ghost ship. And finally, the third woman ages into a withered hag. Kim was just surprised by them, but no scared.
The doombuggy turned a corner, and Kim noticed two marble busts like the ones in the graveyard. One was a man and the other was a woman. They both looked very grumpy. Kim failed to see them literally move their marble heads and follow Kim. Kim looked ahead and saw another dark archway with a slope heading downwards. The doombuggy slowly travelled down the slope and entered a round room with a very high and tall ceiling. The walls were made of cold stones and there was only some light of candles kept the room bright.
Eerie looking gargoyles loomed overhead on high ledges. The room was full of junk, a bit like the attic. There were all sorts of items down here. Chests, wardrobes, bookshelves, moldy furniture like sofas and armchairs, a birdcage, a series of broken statues, toys, bicycles and other modes of transportation, ornaments, cleaning tools and even a busted old television with a shattered screen.
"How the heck am I supposed to find a key in this dump," said Kim loudly.
Her answer came when an eerie golden glow came from a trunk. Kim kneeled down beside the trunk. She opened the lid and saw even more junk. A photograph of the old woman in the stretching gallery, several books, an unopened red envelope, and other items. The golden glow came from what looked like a music box. Kim lifted it up and opened the box's lid. The music box popped open and a man and woman danced in the middle, an eerie melody played which sounded like Grim Grinning Ghosts. The golden light faded away and Kim doubtfully searched the box for the key. She then found it, hidden underneath the man and woman in a secret compartment. It was gold in colour, and a green was placed on top of the key.
"Yes!" cheered Kim and returned to her doombuggy, which suddenly floated up into the air and towards the ceiling. A portal opened up and sucked the doombuggy and Kim up into it.
Jody walked away from the crypt, after having had a little bit of fun with Little Leota. He had to go and rejoin Kim and Sakura anyway. But as he left the crypt, he saw the Hitchhiking Ghosts dashing towards him as if a stampede of bulls was on its way.
"Mac, Sakura got herself stuck in the Endless Hallway!" cried Gus, seizing Jody and shaking him violently.
"What? Where's Kim?" asked Jody, a sudden wave of panic running through his mind.
"We don't know and… what happened to you? It looks like you've been through hell and back!" cried Ezra, examining Jody.
"That's not important. We've got to save Sakura," said Jody.
Suddenly, the raven cawed and flew up into the sky. Jody and the Hitchhiking Ghosts watched the raven. Green energy suddenly burst out of the raven's mouth and it morphed into a giant monstrous vampire-like creature. Giant shredded bat wings covered the moonlight and glowing red eyes shone brightly like the sun. With an ear-piercing screech, the creature soared down and grabbed Jody by the back of the shirt with bird-like feet.
"Hey, let me go!" cried Jody.
"Yeah let him go!" shouted Ezra and using his long legs, he sprang up into the air and grabbed Jody's leg. Phineas grabbed onto Ezra's legs, and Gus leapt into Phineas' carpetbag as he was small enough and the bat-like demon took off towards the mansion. Ghosts down in the graveyard screamed and the ghost beside the crashed hearse leapt up so hard in surprise, that he pushed the hearse out of its mud hole and it rolled down towards the fence of the cemetery, crushing gravestones. The Phantom Five stopped singing and gasper, Uncle Theodore's head falling off the column and falling to the ground in shock.
Master Gracey watched from the house, clutching Emily in his arms. He watched the creature soar overhead and with Jody and the Hitchhiking Ghosts in tow.
"Madame Leota!" cried George suddenly. "She must be trying to escape!"
Leaving Emily behind, George dashed out of the room and down to the ballroom where he burst open the doors and ran in. Victoria was attempting to blow out the candles on her cake again and was unfortunately scared by George's sudden entry and she fell into her cake.
"Madame Leota is trying to set herself free!" cried George.
Victoria grimly turned around, cake covering her face and red hair.
"What?" cried Wolfgang who had stopped playing his organ and all the wraiths flying out of the pipes had stopped in midair. Everyone in the room stared at Gracey in shock, except the Ballroom Dancers, who still waltzed away, although several of them had turned their heads for a second.
"Leota is trying to break free from her crystal ball, and if she does, then we're doomed!" cried George.
"But the only way Leota could escape her prison is if she had that key you hid in the mansion," said Wolfgang. "Unless she had someone find it for her."
George's eye suddenly widened and he gasped loudly.
"Kimberly!" cried George. "I think she was too afraid to tell her death to anyone, so Leota probably tried to use that as her advantage to get Kim to obtain the key. We have to find and stop Kim!"
"I'll help," said Victoria.
"Me too," added Wolfgang. "And so can my darlings."
The wraiths flew out of the organ and sped off in through walls, the floor and ceiling.
"We shall too," said a voice and George looked up and two portraits of duellists come alive.
One had a pointed tuff of a beard and a matching moustache. The other had a flourishing brown beard covering his face. The two floated down to George.
"Sewell and Dawkins at your service," said the tuff duellist.
"Wait a second, since when was it ever Sewell and Dawkins?" asked Dawkins angrily.
"Since now!" cried Sewell.
"We'll see about that!" cried Dawkins and pulled a pistol out of his jacket; Sewell doing likewise.
The two aimed their pistols at eachother and fired, their hats flying off their heads. The ectoplasmic bullets flew across the room and disappeared through the opposite walls.
"Will you guys knock it off!" cried the Greek ghost and lobbed a plate at the men.
"Enough!" cried George. "We must find Kim!"
"Okay, we'll get other ghosts to help," said Victoria and she dematerialised.
"Where are those foolish hitchhikers?" asked Wolfgang. "Probably hitchhiking!"
"Not exactly," said George.
"Take that you ex-birdbrain!" shrieked Gus as he smacked the demon on the head with his ball and chain.
The demon couldn't fight back as he had no arms and was carrying Jody with his feet. Ezra kicked the demon in the stomach with his legs, while Phineas madly searched his bottomless carpet bag for a useful object that would help defeat the demon. He brought out a chainsaw, but dropped it down to the ground below, followed by a whip, a grenade and a toaster. He then prized out a classic bomb from a cartoon and lobbed it up in the air. The demon stopped in midair and saw a small round object fly up into the sky. As it was distracted, the Hitchhiking Ghosts freed Jody and a group of paranormal bicyclists flew by and helped the quartet on the back of the bikes and they rode away. The demon realised what was happening, but before he had the chance to flew after the escapees, the bomb exploded in his face, knocking him out of flight and down towards the ground.
On the ground, some stray cats looked starved. They sat on the mansion's well.
"Meow! I want some food!" cried a cat.
"We need a miracle from the sky," said the second.
Just then, the demon landed in the well and the cats meowed in surprise.
"Thankyou!" sobbed a third cat and the stray cats leapt into the well after the defeated demon.
As for Kim, she found herself outside Leota's séance chamber. She entered smiling. Madame Leota smiled back at the young (and foolish) girl.
"Did you find it?" asked Leota sweetly.
"Yep," said Kim, pulling out the key.
"Fantastic. Please place it underneath the ball," said Madame Leota.
Kim moved for the destined place for the key, and Madame Leota's smirked evilly. The key sat in underneath the ball and started to glow again. Leota looked up at Kim.
"Thankyou for helping me, child. I am most grateful," said Leota. "But you are so naïve."
"What do you mean?" asked Kim.
Leota ignored her and closed her eyes, a harsh blast of wind shooting across the room and knocked Kim into the chair.
"Dark spirits from the grave, come forth!" cried Leota.
"Dark spirits?" cried Kim, now alarmed and standing.
"Return to the black, make your way back!" cried Leota.
Kim gasped as millions of horrible ghouls appeared out of no where and flew about the room, before flying into Leota's crystal ball.
"Madame Leota! What are you doing?" cried Kim, and a powerful green vortex suddenly appeared beneath the table and more spirits flew up into the room and then into the crystal ball. Kim was blown off her feet and slammed into a wall.
"Dark forces rule this night. Release from this prison, hear my plight!" screamed Leota and an explosion of energy erupted from the vortex and engulfed the crystal ball and Madame Leota.
The energy had smashed its way through walls and started flying down the endless hallway like a runaway train. Sakura had seen coming from miles away and made a dash for it.
"Sakura!" cried Jody, who appeared at the end of the hallway with Ezra, Gus and Phineas.
"Jody!" cried Sakura and ran into her friend and hugged him.
Jody dragged the sobbing Sakura away with the Hitchhiking Ghosts, as the energy blast ripped through the hallway and destroyed it.
George ran into the séance room and saw the commotion. Sewell and Dawkins appeared, followed by Victoria and Wolfgang. Victoria ran to Kim's aide as George confronted the odd storm before him. Jody, Sakura and the Hitchhiking Ghosts entered soon after.
"Kim!" cried Jody and Sakura and ran to their friend.
"Hey guys," said Kim weakly.
"Are you alright?" asked a concerned and totally freaked Jody.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Kim, a pink streak of embarrassment across her face.
"That's good. But what is happening?" asked Sakura.
"Madame Leota is doing something weird. I shouldn't have trusted," said Kim.
"Yes, you shouldn't have young lady!" snapped Victoria.
"Great Aunt Victoria! This isn't the time!" shouted George.
Then, a figure emerged from the storm. It was a tall skinny woman with curly brown hair, dressed in silver robes. It was Madame Leota, free from her ball.
"I AM FREE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" cackled Madame Leota.
We're reaching the climax to our story! Fasten your seatbelts!