Betelgeuse laughed evilly as Lyria backed up against a grave wall. The creatures were beginning to latch on to her clothing and become agitated.
"Come on, Lyria. You can save yourself years of therapy and a early death if you just co-operate. But whatever rocks your boat... I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I have all eternity..."
"You're crazy." Lyria said with fear.
"Hey, no one's perfect."
Meanwhile, as the Mario Brothers drove away, Luigi got this strange feeling in his gut. 'Something's up...' he thought, 'Or maybe it's just Mario's homemade five-alarm chili sauce with extra jalapeño.' he winced at the thought of the leftover nightmare. Mario loved anything that made the eater run for the closest water source, some sources more inconvenient than others...He told Luigi it put hair on your chest.
"Hey, Mario. Do you have this odd feeling in your stomach too?"
"It's probably heartburn, suck it up and be a man! Mario's are tough!" Mario lectured, "Your father didn't believe in pain relievers."
"He was your father too." Luigi reminded sorely, he hated how he never met his parents.
"True, that's why you gotta be tough! Just like Papa." Mario smiled and ruffled his brother's hair, "Or it could be your conscience telling you something."
"Yeah, I didn't like leaving that girl back there..." Luigi sighed, "She could get hurt or mugged or something."
"Luigi, this isn't Brooklyn! The most devastating thing that happens in towns like this is the neighbors' cat getting stuck in a tree!" Mario laughed, "You worry too much. Though I do admit, there was something I didn't like about that graveyard nearby. Gave me goose bumps."
"Didn't she head toward there?"
"Hang on;" Mario whirled the van around, "We're going back."
"What about our jobs waiting for us...there is a serious blockage in a sewer..."
"Forget it! A Mario never leaves a woman behind!" Mario said stubbornly and Luigi smiled. There was no way to talk him out of not doing something.
BG
"Is this the place?" Mario asked as the stopped in front of the graveyard gate. It had been chained shut.
"I think so..." Luigi heard hysterical sobbing, it sounded like a girl. "Mario! She's in there! Quick get your tools so we can break open the gate!"
"Now that's the spirit, tools are your friends! Come on, that kid sounds desperate...HANG IN THERE!" the Mario Brothers leapt from their van and began to snap the chain links binding the gate shut with a pair of industrial sized pliers.
Betelgeuse heard the two with surprise, "Now look what you've done, you got the authorities coming to your rescue...Typical Deetz, always ruining everything..." his spirit sprung from the cat and dove into a pile of rocks.
The Mario Brothers busted in and ran to the grave where Lyria was trapped with in. "Hey kid, you okay!" Mario shouted.
Lyria trembled as a cobra wound around her leg with a hiss. The beetles were now attempting to burrow in her skin. "Please...get me out of here." she begged with tears.
"Don't worry! We'll get you out of there!" Luigi assured tying a rope to his waist, "I'll go rescue her. When I give the signal, you pull us up."
"Excellent, taking control! You'd make Papa proud." Mario beamed slapping his brother on the back, "Show her what you're made of!"
Luigi descended into the pit and his brother watched inventively. All was working out fine; Luigi had now grabbed Lyria and tugged on the rope, waiting to be pulled up by Mario. Mario used his formidable strength but for some odd reason, the two were becoming easier and easier to pull out.
"What in the name of sausage?" Mario said with confusion turning around. A rock monster with yellow eyes stood behind him with a piece of rope in its hand.
"Hey Mario, mind if you help us up?" Luigi and Lyria were soon flung out of the grave and at the feet of the monster. "Oh boy." he gulped.
The monster roared and took Luigi by the foot, "Listen pipsqueak, either amscray or I'll take care of you and your brother." it thundered with a deep, gritty voice.
"Hey, ugly! Leave him alone!" Mario ran toward the creature with a monkey wrench.
The creature laughed at the sight, "Oh! No please! Have mercy!" it mocked, "What are you gonna do, Plumber? Fix me?"
"Oh, I'm gonna fix ya aright." Mario retorted and slide under the creatures legs grabbing a tiny pebble at the back of its foot.
The creature hollered with agony as it crumbled to the ground. "THIS ISN'T OVER LYRIA! I WILL FIND YOU!" Mario watched his brother slam to the ground and a yellow mist rise from the pile of rocks and leap into a near by grave.
"Whoa, Mario! That was incredible! How did you know that?" Luigi admired as his brother helped him up.
"Eh, wild guess. Hey, you alright kid! You look like you saw a ghost!"
Lyria stared at the two, not even knowing where to begin. She opened her mouth only to hear a voice scream: "LYRIA!"
"Hey, is that lady your mother?" Luigi added, "She looks worried...you didn't run away did you?"
Lyria didn't reply and Lydia embraced he daughter with relief. "Oh, Lyria...I was so worried! My God! You are covered with dirt and bite marks! Is that a beetle in your hair! Lyria..."
"Excuse me, M'am. I think your daughter should have a chance to speak, she's had a rough night. With being trapped in a grave and chased by a rock creature and all." Mario slugged his brother.
"Smooth move, she looks like one of those over protective mothers. She's gonna blow her stack!"
"OH NO! IT WASN'T HIM WAS IT! LYRIA! HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I WARNED YOU! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KILLED!" this time it was Nigel rushing to his daughter with a nervous yell.
"Great, this kid has two over protective parents. And you wonder why she ran away." Mario whispered to Luigi.
"I think it's best if we sneak out of here, while they're distracted..." Luigi replied.
"Oh no, you don't! We need to talk with you..." Lydia started releasing her daughter and rushing over. "You are witnesses are you not?"
"Well...not exactly, M'am." Luigi said carefully, "We only saw the beginning and end, not in between."
"All we can tell you is that creature had yellow glowing eyes, like fireflies. Ug, creepy voice." Mario shivered.
The Gosse's exchanged looks of horror. Lyria looked over to the grave she had been trapped in. The tombstone read, "Here lies Betelgeuse." it had been the same grave the ghost leapt into.