Chapter 4:
Misty rattled at the door. She tried to unlock it for all one is worth. Ash and Brock were calling for help, she could hear the desperation and sheer fear in their voices. „It jams, guys! I can't open it. Hang in there!" Misty turned the handle, she beat at the door, but all for nothing. The ceiling was only a few inches away from the boys' heads. They would soon get crushed. „Misty! Hurry up!" Ash pushed the lock case against the door, his Pokémon aided him with joint forces. He was unable to see any way out. „Misty, please," Ash's voice tailed off. They were doomed. The young girl was amazed at her next step. She shouted their names. „Jessie! James! Help me!" Her screams reverberated throughout the long hallway. The Team Rocket-members listened attentively.
„That was the twerpette," Jessie wrapped a towel around her head, not a bit impressed with the awful fear in Misty's voice. She swung in front of her cosmetic mirror, carefully eying a tiny spot on her immaculate face. James was in a fret. He walked to the door and peered into the hallway. „Jessie! James! Come'on guys! You've got to help me," he turned around. „Jess, I think the kids are in serious danger," he pulled a black shirt over his head. „I'm going to take a look, okay?" without waiting for Jessie's response, he scurried down the hallway. „Knock yourself out!" his team mate did not the least consider helping the children. Jessie was too preoccupied with her external appearance. She fished out a lipstick from her travel kit and applied the cerise beauty product.
„James! We need to get them out! The ceiling will crush them in a few moments," Misty got panicky. She turned the handle once more. Her co-actor dug up a wire from his pocket. He asked her to move away so he could burst the lock, but James didn't succeed. „Misty," Ash was lying on the floor. He embraced Pikachu, trying to give his Pokémon shelter. James forced a cam out, the wire was completely twisted. It was impossible to think of going further. „We're bogged down, James," Misty banged her forehead against the solid wooden door. She slid down, eventually burying her face in her hands. „Don't worry, I've got a cunning plan," James bolstered her. „Hey! That's my line," they could hear Brock expressing his feigned outrage from behind the wall. The agent smiled. Even though, Brock and Ash were exposed to deadly danger, they hadn't lost their sense of humour. James took the initiative and called the third member of their trio. „Meowth!" It wasn't long before Meowth turned the corner. „What's up, Jimmy?" James gripped the talking bundle of fur.
„Bare your claws, Meowth! Look sharp!" The cat-Pokémon did as he was told, he turned his claw a few times until they could hear a faint ‚click'. The door burst open, the ceiling came to a deadlock. Ash didn't dare to open his eyes. He and Brock were holding their Pokémon tight. They both had suffered a great deal of anxiety. „Ash," Misty crawled to her best friend. „Ash, I was so worried about you," James noticed a single tear running down her face. The young trainer was still in a state of shock. He was breathing shallowly. „It's over Misty, don't worry about me," Ash smiled at her. Misty bent forward and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. „Ew! Don't do that ever again! Disgusting!" The kids laughed out loud. Misty approached Meowth who was eying up his broken off claw. „Thank you," she cuddled him spontaneously. The cat-Pokémon was visibly surprised at her nice touch.
Finally, even Jessie had decided to spot the reason behind this great clamor. She stood in front of her co-actors, her hair falling loose over her shoulders. „Did I miss something?" she wondered, finding the majority of her crew lying on the floor. „No! Everything's fine," Misty snapped. Jessie flashed her eyes at her. „I hope we didn't disturb your afternoon nap!" James interfered, just before the two redheads would go for their throats. He took Jessie's hand. „Let's leave the kids alone and rehearse the play, okay?" he kissed her forehead. „And I'm going to tell you guys what I found out about this old manor. Let's go to the library", Misty gripped Ash's hand and the three children walked down the hallway. James and Meowth headed for the bedroom, but Jessie retained them.
„Don't you want to know more about this old pile and where that ruby came from?" her eyes flickered. Her partners agreed and they followed the kids inconspicuously.
Misty and her friends made themselves comfortable on upholstered chairs. She opened up a dusty yellowed book. „Listen, guys. The story behind this old manor is very exciting and somewhat scary. It says: „The landlord Nălucă and his daughter Arietta used to reside here in the late 17th century. He had always been a rather egocentric scrooge, pinching and scrimping. His daughter smarted from his severity. Even though Nălucă possessed a fair amount of capital that is hidden somewhere in this masonry, he would never accomplish one of her desires. In 1685, Arietta suffered a fatal accident. She fell down the stairs, breaking her neck. Her father felt repentant for not devoting more attention to her, but being too busy counting his money. He ordered his housekeepers to lock away the treasures and diamonds that kept him from loving his daughter." Brock swallowed hard. „I wonder what Arietta looked like. I'm sure she was graceful and elegant," he seemed thoughtful. Misty hit him with the old manuscript. „She was a kid, Brock. Only ten years old," she was highly indignant. Ash remembered the little girl he had seen a couple of times appearing out of nowhere. Now that he tried to recall her face, he realized that he had never actually seen it. Was this a just blackout or on purpose? Ash shuddered at the thought of it. Suddenly, an uncanny silence encased the library. The kids didn't notice that the eyes of the landlord's portrait had moved.
Jessie, James and Meowth were standing closely by the door, listening out for more information. „I feel sorry for Arietta," James whispered, but his team-mates were miles away. „Did you guys hear what I did? Money? Diamonds?" Jessie laughed up her sleeve. Meowth nodded in agreement. „Let's go treasure hunting!" the cat-Pokémon gave Jessie a high five, grinning mischievously. James felt creepy. The mere fact that this tragedy occurred more than 300 years ago, made his hair stay on end.
Later that afternoon, it was time to shoot a few more scenes of the movie. Brock and James were about to sing the sole song of „Maria's Butler III", „Ghost Busters". The stage designers had surpassed themselves. The kitchen looked like a horrible scene of crime. Broken bottles and plates, ripped curtains and tablecloths and cooking utensils lying on the floor. Lady Maria had been kidnapped by now. Al Capello decided to dress up his camera operator. He had pulled a blanket over Jacob's head, used some fluorescent lighting to create a dramatic twist and had tied him to a rugged rope. Jessie had screamed her mind to the heavens, utterly convinced of her acting skills. Her voice had rattled the glasses and vases, much to the annoyance of the housekeepers. Both, Toni and Dragana showed no sympathy and understanding for this low budget production. They effaced themselves, but still keeping a watchful eye on the events.
„Alright! May I ask James, Misty and Brock to take up space. We need to shoot our musical performance. James, do you know the lyrics by heart?" The Team Rocket-member nodded. He cleared his throat, ready to slip into the role of Johann.
Scene Five:
Where: In the kitchen
Who: Johann/James, Konrad/Brock, Rita/Misty, Frankie/Ash
What: Lady Maria got kidnapped. Johann decides to finish off that bad-tempered ghost
Johann/James: Konrad! Where's my gun?
Konrad/Brock: What business do you have with a gun, Sir?
Johann/James: I'm going to shoot the ghost! What do you think? * dismissive reaction*
Rita/Misty: Don't make me laugh!
Johann/James: What do you mean: Don't make me laugh? It's a foolproof plan, you cheeky little miss.
Rita/Misty: Johann, Johann, Johann. Ghosts are made of ectoplasm. The bullet would simply fire through it. He wouldn't get hurt.
Konrad/Brock: She's right, Sir.
Johann/James: Hmm. The Lady is in serious danger. There has to be a possibilty to incapacitate that apparition.
Konrad/Brock: I've got a cunning plan.
Johann/James: Another one? Your plans tend to aggravate the whole situation, eventually sinking into total chaos. Just remember the time you tried to catch a bolt with an umbrella in order to refloat our alternator. The only thing you caught was a cold and we had to move from a pile of ashes. But anyhow, tell me all about it!
Konrad/Brock: We take this vacuum cleaner and go into reverse. Thus, we're able to suck in the ghost, ask him where he hides the lady, free her from captivity and save the day!
Johann/James: Stupid but brilliant! This could actually work! Konrad, I have to say that you're peanut-sized brain surprises me again and again.
* Johann/James reaches for the vacuum cleaner and ties it behind his back*
* The song fades in*
Johann/James:
If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call?
Rita/Misty and Konrad/Brock: Ghostbusters!
Johann/James:
If it's somethin' weird an' it don't look good
Who ya gonna call?
Rita/Misty and Konrad/Brock: Ghostbusters!
Johann/James: * looks right into the camera*
I ain't afraid o' no ghost
I ain't afraid o' no ghost
Meanwhile, Ash was exploring the old manor on his own. Pikachu stayed right on the heels of his trainer. They wandered aimlessly through the labyrinthine corridors until they reached the westwing. „Hey, Pikachu. Didn't Dragana tell us something about this?" His Pokémon looked at him. „Pika, pika", he replied, carefully nosing the carpet. Ash took a leap of faith and pressed the door handle. He opened the door slightly ajar and peered into the room. It was a definitely a nursery. Even though there were only a few toys lying on the floor, Ash was sure that this kid had a good time. Suddenly, someone slammed the door behind him. He turned around. „Hihihi," there she was again. That little faceless girl. She jumped up and down, finally gripping Ash's hand. „Arietta?" his voice was weak, but echoed through the room. „Follow me," his new acquaintance led him to a bookcase. He ran after her, completely blindsided. „Hurry up!" she squeaked, diving into the book-rack and disappearing immediately. „Hey! Wait for me! Pikachu, I'm sure there's something behind this," Ash began to yank the countless books. His Pokémon followed suit. They were looking for a button or a grasp to activate the mechanism. „Here it is!" the young Pokémon trainer pressed a sticky brown button in the corner of the book-case. The furniture slid open. A torch guttered at the end of another hallway. Pikachu hid behind his trainer. The little girl turned the corner. „Hihihi," she giggled. „Wait for me!" Ash took up the chase.
Misty interrupted the shot. „Wait a minute!" she covered the camera with her hand.
„What's wrong, Misty?" Brock approached her. He could see the fright in her eyes. „Brock! Where's Ash?"