Chapter 4: Searching For Info

Disclaimer: Same as before.

After we left my house Toadsworth and I spent most of our time in our yard brainstorming ideas of how to gain more information. We knew that word of mouth alone wouldn't produce solid results and would take too much time anyways. The only valid idea that came to mind would be to contact people via mail. The Paratroopa Delivery Service is fairly fast in their deliveries and with actual writing on paper we can't mix up our information. With that agreed on, I set off to the post office and started writing some letters to my pals.

I sent them off before wandering the town to assess the damage done from yesterday. There were only a few small trees that were knocked down in this area. I walked south from here and eventually found the large tree that blocked the entire road. "This is the worst place for the tree to have landed. The harbor and the train station are blocked off from regular traffic so tourism and trading will be greatly reduced for a while. There's also the problem of the citizens not being able to return to their homes. Even worse is that the sole grocery store is north of there, so the people that are trapped on the south side are going to have to ration their food until it's cleared."

With my initial inspection complete I walked north again and continued onward towards Merlon's house. His ever spinning roof soon met my sight as I walked up to his door. I lifted my left hand to move the panel, but before I could reach it the door was suddenly pulled open. I started to fall backwards until a hand grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me inside. As I steadied myself in his home, Merlon took his time checking me for any injuries.

He was twirling a finger through his own large mustache that protruded from his cloak as he did so. I was flattered that he was so worried about me, but confused as to why he needed to frantically pull me into his home. "Are you okay Luigi?! I didn't hear from you after the disaster of a party and worried that something happened to you. Why couldn't my visions have shown me that the situation would grow this dangerous beforehand?"

"I'm okay Merlon, so don't worry. Me, Toadsworth, and eleven other people were able to escape the castle before it took off. The stress of the event just exhausted me so much that I forgot to check in with you."

"Well I can understand that. It must have been a horrible experience to witness firsthand…" I agreed with him wholeheartedly before speaking up. "I just wonder what happened to Mario… I didn't see him attend the party, but the newspaper from this morning said that he definitely went there. Plus there are plenty of people from around the kingdom that are trapped up there with him." I looked up at Merlon to see what he thought of this.

"There is nothing that we can do for them as of yet, Luigi. I doubt anything can fly as high as that castle somehow did, and even if something could, we don't know where they went." I nodded in agreement, but it didn't help me to feel any better about how things have been going. We bid our goodbyes after chatting for a while longer, and I solemnly made my way back to my house. With nothing else left for me to accomplish I made lunch, and later supper, for the both of us. After we ate I readied our guest bedroom for Toadsworth before falling into a fitful slumber in my own bed.

The next morning seemed unreal. It almost felt like the kidnapping never happened until I saw Mario's empty bed and remembered that Toadsworth was in another room. The biggest difference in this kidnapping was that I didn't know where to go if I wanted to help rescue everyone. It was always different the other times. We always knew which land to go to and how to get closer to our goal. This time I have no clue on where to start. The lack of information is a dramatic difference in how we usually operate and I don't know how to deal with that yet.

I made breakfast for the both of us again before walking outside to grab the daily mail. I jogged back inside to peruse the newspaper and was left disappointed. Nothing new was given to the public regarding the kidnapping. There were only statements that basically stated old information as well as guesses as to what could have happened to the kidnapped people of the Mushroom Kingdom. I threw the paper to the table in my frustration before crumpling it into a ball. Green flames began to lick at the paper before I caught myself and put a stop to it. I threw the singed paper away after that, and was grateful that Toadsworth wasn't awake to see my slip up. I didn't want to worry him after all.

I was bursting with nerves by the time that the second paratroopa dropped off his stash of mail for me. I was hoping for some news regarding any odd happenings in the areas that my friends lived in, but I knew not to get my hopes up. I knew that it would take more than a day to get a reply to most of my letters. The only people close enough to reply right away would've been Goompa and Goompapa that live west of us. As I opened the mailbox I was delighted to see a few letters lying inside.

I quickly snagged them and plopped down into my seat once I ran into the house. "Shit!" In my haste I must've surprised Toadsworth enough for him to spill his precious cappuccino onto his hand. I knew that he'd be pretty pissed, but I couldn't help smirking in response to his swear. He immediately looked at me and glared at my unapologetic expression. I looked back at him without dropping my smirk and it became a full on contest to see who would back down first.

A whole thirty seconds passed before I broke character and proceeded to laugh my ass off at our silly game. He joined in soon after which pleased me to no end. "It's good to have a laugh every now and then." Eventually Toadsworth stood up to walk over to the kitchen sink. This officially ended the contest, so I spread the letters in front of me and covered up my laugh at the slight hiss that Toadsworth made upon contact with the cold water.

I wiped my eyes of the tears that began to form from laughing so hard and went back to business. I turned my attention to the three letters that are lying innocently before me. "One of these letters could actually help me to rescue my brother, the princess, and the other hostages in the castle."

With that thought in mind I took the first letter that I placed on the left of the table. I quickly ripped open the top and pulled out the piece of paper that sat inside. Sadly the thing that awaited me wasn't what I was hoping for. The letter only contained coupons to the item shops that are located throughout the kingdom. "Well that wasn't what I was looking for. I guess they're still useful for later." I pocketed the coupons before picking up the letter on my right.

It looked no different than the first one I picked up, but that didn't discourage me one bit. I tore off the top of the envelope and plucked the second sheet out. 'Hello Luigi. Long time no see! (This is Goompapa who's writing by the way.) Thanks for checking up on us after the latest disaster has struck the kingdom. While I can safely say that my family isn't injured, the same can't be said about our gateway. The only path to Toad Town is through that blasted gate, and it has been irritating me for quite too long now. While it is indeed standing up it's jammed to the point that I can't open it fully. The earthquakes really did a number on the old thing. Aside from the gate I haven't been able to tell if anything new has happened since I told my family to stay home for the time being. I didn't know if it was safe to venture out yesterday, but I thought the kids could play in the grove in our backyard today at least.'

A smudge was placed on the page after that almost as if Goompapa was briefly distracted. The next paragraph looked rushed as if he was pressed for time. 'It seems like my daughter might have found something or someone in the grove that's hurt. She spoke in such a rush before bolting back outside. I'll be sure to update you on any other news if I get any. P.S. Goompa is a little mad that you didn't come with us to go fishing yesterday. The next time you drop on by be sure to spend some time with the old goomba. A little cake will be sure to improve his mood. Hope to see you soon. -Goompapa.'

I lightly laughed at the fact that he was not so subtly telling me to bake some cake for them. "I wonder who the goomba family found in the grove. The surrounding area is too thick for people to travel through normally, so the only way in would be through their gates. But one is busted and the other one is always locked." At this point Toadsworth was back in his seat and drinking the rest of the cappuccino that he didn't spill onto his hand. He just shook his head at my statement and seemed as baffled as I was.

I set the second letter aside so that I could put it in a safe place for later. Then I slit the last letter open and pulled out the multiple sheets of paper. They surprisingly held the notes for some new recipes that I requested from Tayce T. a few days ago. "Well that was anticlimactic. I was hoping for some more information, but I'll take what I can get."

With the letters sorted I put my stuff away and grabbed the materials that I'd need to make a chocolate cake. "It looks like I'll be visiting the goomba family today Toadsworth. I think I'll need to bring a cake to get back on Goompa's good side." Toadsworth only smiled before responding. "Did you miss the get together?" I nodded before saying, "Yeah, I was at Peach's party at the time, but I wrote him a letter to tell them that I was sorry that I couldn't come." With my explanation in place I set out to create a delicious cake for Goompa and his family.