Chapter 6- Kitchen Boos
After a brief rest in the laboratory, Luigi returns to the mansion to continue investigating the first floor. He bypasses the library to find the kitchen; the simple wood table in the middle is caked with a thick layer of dust. An icebox stands in the corner quiet after many years of no use. Luigi searches through the open shelves along the walls to find bags of flour and sugar, numerous pots and pans, and several cobwebs. I love the old style, but all of this dust is killing my sinuses, he thinks then sneezes. He moves over to the range to find a pot and opens the lid to find a key. "Interesting." As he reaches into the pot the key turns black as the night. An ebony slime creeps over the key, fills the pot then spills over the side of the pot onto the floor causing Luigi to recoil with a gasp. "What the?"
Deep, hearty laughter echoes in the empty kitchen and the door slams shut with dark thrones sealing it. Out of the oozes numerous, black boos form with bright yellow eyes and red, drooling tongues. They remind the plumber of the bomb boos used to fight Bouldergeist in the Ghostly Galaxy. He quickly pulls out the Dual Scream, "Gadd, Ga-a-a-dd can you hear me?"
"What's going on lad, trouble?"
"There are black boos that just came out of ooze looking at me," Luigi notes trembling.
"This is not hrzt..zr…boy," Gadd's transmission begins to break up and the Dual Scream goes dead.
"Gadd? Gadd?" The plumber frantically calls, but has no luck. "Oh boy," he gulps as he puts away the communicator and grabs the Poltergust's hose, ready for battle. Well maybe this will work, he aims for the yellow eyes and turns on the ghost-catching device, but as soon as he hits the power button the eyes fade away and melt into the shadows. Or not. The boos cackle in their hiding spots making Luigi uneasy. Pots and pans on the shelves begin to shake, clinking loudly together then the doors of the range and icebox open and slam shut vigorously. All of the noise in the room masks the boos' attack as they try to sneak up and ambush him from the shadows. A couple of attacks succeed; the boos' red tongues slide up and across the plumber's back causing pain like electricity singeing his nerves. I can't win in this darkness. He pulls out his flashlight and presses the strobe feature by accident. The blinding bursts of light messes with his vision slightly, but it wrecks havoc upon the dark boos. Their shrills of pain sound like cats being skinned alive or nails screeching down a chalkboard. Quickly the green clad man switches from flashlight to Poltergust and is able to capture all of the shadow boos.
"Phew," he breathes in relief, but as soon as he feels safe, tendrils shoot out of the shadows and wrap themselves around his wrists, knees, torso, and neck then pin him to the floor. The fall knocks the air out of his lungs, but he still struggles against the restraints without much luck. Familiar laughter echoes throughout the room once more. Luigi's eyes dart everywhere for the source of laughter; he sees nothing until he sees movement out of the corner of his eye.
"You may have own the first battle, but you won't win the war," a feminine voice purrs threatening.
All Luigi can see is an outline of a woman with her hands on her hips defiantly. The tendril around his neck tightens, choking him. He struggles for air, lungs begin to burn, and spots dot his darkening vision until suddenly all the tendrils retreat back into the darkness, freeing him. He gasps and his lungs rejoice as cool oxygen quells the burning caused by its absence. The plumber looks back to where the woman had been standing to find no one now, unsurprisingly.
"Just a reminder of with whom you are dealing with mere mortal," she boasts. The lights illuminate the room, signaling that all specters have disappeared.
"Sheesh, she really does not like me, but what have I done to her?" He scratches his temple then turns his attention to the key in the pot. He peers into the large kettle and there it sits, waiting to be plucked from its hiding place. He picks it up and looks closely at it, pondering. "Now where do you go?" Stepping over toward the icebox, he notices another door and tries to open it finding it unlocked. It leads him outside once more to a secluded section of the backyard; the perimeter lined with thick bushes and trees. A thin dirt path leads back to a small cottage which is built in a similar style as the mansion. What in the world is this? He walks up to the front door and tries the key, which is successful.
The foyer of the cottage is small and there are only two doorways, he veers off to the one on the left to fin a modest bathroom. The other doorway leads to a large room with several beds lining the walls. "Maids' quarters, now it makes sense," Luigi pieces together. "Hmm seems pretty tight in here, I can't imagine sharing a room with many people. Heck, just sharing with Mario can be frustrating and that's only one person," he notes aloud, astounded.
"It was crowded was it not ladies," a woman asks.
"Yeah, but very cozy," a second woman retorts.
"And you were never alone," a third woman adds.
Their sudden reply startles Luigi; he looks around the room and spots the three ghosts sitting on a bed across the room from him. All three of the spectral ladies are wearing the same outfit: a white linen dress with aprons. Their hair pulled back into tight buns on the back of their head. "Who are you," the green clad man asks, curious.
"Well I am Elizabeth, this is Jane, and the lady on the end is Rose," the first ghost introduces.
"Hello," Jane and Rose greet with smiles.
"Uh hi," Luigi replies; "so what's your guys' story? How did you end up here?"
"We all worked here," Jane informs.
"It wasn't a terrible job, but it wasn't the best either," Elizabeth adds.
"It was worth it to see Edward everyday," Rose adds dreamily.
"Oh yes, he was a daper man," Elizabeth agrees; "so unfortunate that he betrothed to that strumpet."
"Terrible, despicable woman," Jane hisses.
"What was so wrong with her," Luigi inquires.
"Jealous little cherry," Rose explains. "If she even suspected that Edward was talking to another woman, she thought the woman was trying to steal him away from her clutches."
"Oh, not very attractive," the plumber notes.
"No its not and it only got worse as time passed," Rose continues.
"Much worse," Jane agrees.
"How so," Luigi inquires with interest.
"To the point that we are here," Elizabeth answers cryptically. "Enough about that though, what about you Handsome?"
"Handsome? Me?"
"Yes you," Rose giggles. "What brings you here?"
"King Boo," Luigi simply answers.
"Well I'm not sure who that is, but I will thank him," Rose purrs.
"Thank him? Thank him for what? Scaring me to death? Kidnapping my brother," Luigi asks slightly vexed and confused.
"Thank him for bringing us a new man to feed on," Rose answers as she licks her lips. "We are starving."
"Starving," Luigi gulps, as his face turns pale. "Uh oh." The three ghosts spring off the bed and lunge at the plumber. Luckily, he is able to dive and avoid their attack. After scrambling to his feet, he runs out of the room and locks himself in the small bathroom on the other side of the foyer as the front door is locked and covered in dark thorn vines. "Oh shit, what do I do? What do I do," the green clad man frets.
"Oh Handsome, where did you go," Rose asks hungrily.
"Where are you hiding," Elizabeth purrs.
"Oh man, they're getting too close," he panics as he looks at his ghost catching equipment. He turns his flashlight to strobe then studies the Poltergust's elemental settings, realizing there is a fourth element setting. "That wasn't there last time," he notes.
Suddenly Jane's upper body phases through the door, "There you are Sweetie!" She grabs for Luigi's neck and in response he switches on the flashlight strobe. "Ahh," she screams and covers her eyes, temporarily stunned.
Seizing the opportunity, the plumber sprints out of the bathroom, but does not make it far before screeching to a halt as he is confronted by the other two female specters.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry," Elizabeth asks seductively. "We are just staring to get to know you."
"Why don't you stay around for dinner," Rose invites cordially. "We make a meal to die for!"
"No thanks, I'm full and not a fan of bad puns," he stuns them with the strobe light then switches on the Poltergust set to the new element. Bolts of electricity crackle from the end of the hose and strike the phantoms. They screech in agony as the electricity across their hearts, paralyzing them. After shocking the lady specters, Luigi easily catches and contains them with the Poltergust 5000. He turns to find Jane, but having witnessed the other ladies' fate, she flees back into the main quarters and he follows. Carefully he starts looking for her hiding spot; first he scans for her heart using the Dual Scream, but to no avail as she has it hidden. The plumber then starts shaking and moving furniture to see if he can scare her out; he starts with the beds by the door and moves further into the room. As he approaches the center of the room, a chair sitting by the door rises into the air then spirals through the air toward the back of the plumber's head. After checking underneath another bed, Luigi stands then the chair smashes him in the back with such force he is taken down to all fours with a scream of pain. Despite the throbbing the back, he quickly turns around to field any other projectiles.
Jane materializes at the door, anger flushed in her eyes. "You release them now you bootlicker," she demands as she flings a framed painting from the wall at him. He dodges her assault and she continues to rant. "You have no right to imprison us after all we have been through!" She throws a small table and oils lamp, which he dodges. "How would you like having your life cut short by some psychotic cherry then stuck haunting the place, that you not only died, but worked as well!" All of the beds rattle as they are lifted from the ground along with all the other furniture. "And to top it off your murderer haunts the same grounds!" She throws three of the beds at the plumber, whom is only able to escape by rolling toward her. "My only pleasure in this life is eating and being with my sisters in arms and then you come along to take it all away," she poises the floating objects so they are aimed at the hapless plumber. "Die ghost hunter," she spats then flings her hands, sending the objects on a crash course to the spot where Luigi is sitting.
He rolls out of the way as two small tables crash into the ground; jumps as oil lamps shatter and chairs splinter beneath him the he stops in front of a bed already tossed aside as he spots another coming his way. Instead of running, he stays and braces for impact as the floating bed speeds his way. He is smashed in-between mattresses, the force of the impact surprises him, but the mattresses prevent any damage and act as a shield as other items collide with the bed.
As soon as she has thrown everything she can and sees no sign of the green clad man, she laughs triumphantly. "Got you, you dratted Mary! Now to find your body and free Rose and Elizabeth," she iterates aloud.
Luigi wiggles his way out from between the beds and she spots him.
"Ooo you cussed man, I will enjoy devouring your life!"
He does not reply to her threat, instead he whips out the flashlight and strobes the phantom. She stumbles back stunned then blindly starts chucking small items toward the plumber, including the lit candles perched beside the door. The oil from the lamps thrown earlier ignites instantly and feeds the fire. The heat and sudden light of the fire shocks Luigi causing him to back up a little over the pile of junk heaped up, but he remains focused on the task at hand. He switches on the Poltergust 5000, unleashing electricity upon the specter. Jane screams then floats paralyzed from the shock. Quickly, Luigi flips the Poltergust into its normal mode and begins sucking the ghost into the vacuum container.
"I will not go down without taking you with me," she declares as she struggles against the whirlwind of the Poltergust. She levitates more items from the room, flammable items like books, into the fire causing it to grow. As her strength wanes, she spends her last bit of energy to throw open a closet door that the plumber had not seen before by the door; inside was cleaning supplies and extra lamp oil. She tips the oil over then is trapped inside the Poltergust's containment chamber. The oil spills out profusely, covering the floor.
After catching Jane, Luigi quickly scrambles toward the door, but is stopped as six-foot flames erupt in front of the door. Smoke is filling the room, making it hard to breathe and the flames continue to spread. He looks around desperately for a way out and the only option is the window where the drapes are on fire. Better than nothing, he quickly removes the Poltergust 5000 from his back and throttles it at the window. It crashes through the window, breaking the glass, and lands on the outside of the cottage. The plumber promptly follows as he dives out the window. He grabs one of the Poltergust's straps and drags it through the grass back toward the mansion. Halfway back, the flames reach the main oil container and a loud bang can be heard as the fire engulfs it and the house. Luigi falls back onto the grass and watches the maids' quarters burn for a couple of seconds until the Dual Scream vibrates in his pocket. "Yes Gadd," he coughs as he opens up the communicator.
"What did I say about throwing the equipment," the elderly man scolds. "This is sensitive electronic and mechanical equipment, and if it is not handled properly then it will break when you need it most!"
"Gadd, Gadd," Luigi interrupts.
"What lad?"
"I threw it to get out of there," he points the camera lens to the fire and sends a picture.
"Oh," Gadd stops. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Luigi laughs then coughs.
"Sorry for the lecture my boy, maybe you should come back and take a rest while I look at the Poltergust and empty out the containment chamber," Gadd suggests.
"Sounds good, be there in a second."