Chapter 5: Boo Hoo
It was a dark and stormy night in the Mushroom Kingdom.
All the toads were snuggled up tight in their little homes. Having dinner, enjoying the warmth of their fire places, or just listening to the rain.
The Marios' residence was just about the same.
Mario himself wasn't home at the time. He left a while back to run some errands. I could either be for groceries, plumbing equipment, or maybe an excuse to hang out with the princess.
"Ha, baby steps on the last part." Luigi laughed to himself.
Mario could take care of himself, a little rain won't bother the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Just like how a little storm and silly ol' book won't scare Luigi, anymore that is.
The Man in Green was relaxing on the couch, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate while finishing up his book. There was not the slightest hint of fear in the man's eyes. After the heck-scape of the Dark Lands and his imprisonment by a psychotic turtle dragon, the idea of being scared by the little things in life now looks laughable to Luigi.
"I really need to start reading more horror books." Luigi smiled as he finished the last page. "It was actually fun!" He took another sip from his hot chocolate and placed it on the table right next to him. "But….." He glanced on a shelf and walked towards it. "Am I really ready for movies?"
While there weren't many horror flicks in their collection, there are a few noticeable titles.
"Let's see … The Revenge?" Luigi looked at the cover with a pale faced boy. "M-Maybe not that one yet." Luigi kept his calm and looked at the next not so serious looking movie. "Blood Fest XVI: The Blood-mageddon?" The plumber looked dumbfounded by the title and moved on by their last horror film.
"Blood Fest 1: The One that Actually uses Horror instead of Glorifying Violence.' Perfect!"
Luigi would never imagine himself saying 'perfect' after deciding on watching horror, but here he is. He placed the blu-ray into the player and sat down. "Alright, Luigi. Time to watch a horror film all the way through for the very first ti-" As he reached for his drink, he couldn't get a hold of it.
"Huh?" He turned to see the cup was a bit out of reach where he sat. "Weird, thought I placed it right next to me." Thinking nothing of it, he reached out and placed the cup close.
He grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. on. As he set up the movie, he received a text on his phone. He dug it out of his pocket to find that it was from Toad.
'Hey, Luigi. Love this phone thing-y.' Toad added to his text. 'Look; I know you want the whole 'match making' with Mario and Peach to happen naturally, but this idea is for you.'
Luigi looked confused as he scrolled down the text. "Me?" He continued reading, and then formed a blush on his face.
'I for the life of me can't remember if there's another human princess in our world for some reason. But if there is, are you into sporty girls? Again, I am not too sure if we have one unless I'm thinking of someone from your world. I really can't.'
"Sp-Sporty?!" Luigi's face grew completely red as he made a small but strong smile when he said that word in a happy and hopeful tone. "O.K., Luigi. Deep breath. Don't go 'fairy tale' on yourself now. Relationships still act the same in this magical place." Luigi thought about it for a second. "O.K., how to respond to-"
Click
Luigi was caught off guard by a sudden noise. He wasn't alarmed by some sudden jumpscare, but by the T.V. itself. He looked to see the T.V. had shut off all of a sudden. He scratched his head and looked at the remote. He still had it near him and he definitely wasn't sitting on it.
"I knew we shouldn't have gotten this used." Luigi placed his phone next to the remote and walked over to the T.V. He turned it back on, but all it showed was static. "I thought they got rid of that snow stuff with the new t.v.'s." Luigi rubbed his chin. "Should have gotten into tech."
Luigi sat back down and grabbed his phone to call his brother. But the phone did nothing. "What the?!" Luigi was shocked by the sudden dead phone. From what was happening so far, it seems to be just like a horror-
"Oh wait, this is the remote!" Luigi burst out laughing. "Boy, for a second I thought." Then he noticed his phone was no longer next to the remote. Instinct told him to hold his breath as he checked the cushions and even next to the couch, but it was nowhere to be seen. "L-Like it's a…." He then glanced at his hot chocolate, it had moved yet again.
"A-A-A … H-Hooooooorrrrrooo-No, NO!" Luigi shouted to himself. "Right when I finally read a scary story and right when I decide to watch a scary movie, this all just can't suddenly happen all by itself!"
While Luigi tried keeping calm, something caught his eye. It looked white, that's all he could tell. A glimpse of something heading towards the hallway.
"Th-This can't be happening, this can't be happening!" While fear was grasping its hold again, Luigi still mustered the courage to walk towards to what he saw. He grasped a large hammer that hung from the wall and continued on.
"I-I have a hammer! I know how to use one!" Luigi shouted as he leans next to the hallway entrance. "You can do this, you can do this ….. You can do this!" With his determination back, he jumped in. "FREEZE! … What the?"
Face to face, Luigi looked directly at the intruder. A short figure underneath a white sheet.
Shorter than Mario, in fact. And it didn't look human at all. Like as if the being underneath just has a big, round, head.
"...Heh….heh… Bah ha ha ha!" Luigi's fears completely died down as he tossed the hammer. "Oh good one, Toad!" Luigi laughed as we walked towards the prankster. "Same day I told you I was finishing Dracula and the same day I mentioned a scary movie, and right when this storm was coming!"
Luigi grasped the sheet. "But Toad. It's not nice to just break into people's homes like that. Wait, was Mario in on this too?" He then lifted the sheet up. "But seriously. I was this close to-"
Right when he removed the sheet, he was not greeted by the friendly mushroom person. Instead what he saw was a pale white being with sharp teeth and haunting eyes staring right into his soul.
"Boo!"
Seconds, mere seconds it took Luigi's heart to reach right up his neck. The hair on his back raised as he breathed shorter and shorter.
"Yyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Acting quickly, he threw the sheet back at the monster, covering its eyes as he bolted out of the hallway. He tripped on his own hammer and tumbled over to the couch. He looked back to see the now blinded blob floating towards him.
Round body, two stubs for arms, a tail. And a gaping mouth with its tongue sticking out. "It's a…. It's a…"
Luigi heard about this being. Just like the Dry Bones, there as another undead monster that lurks within this Mushroom world. Says to have great powers and knows the fear in man's heart.
"A Boo!"
The Boo glanced towards the source of the voice. Luigi covered his mouth and moved away quietly as the Boo just shook off the sheet. He hid behind the window curtains as the ghost floated around, looking for his target.
"Think, Luigi, think." He took deep and quiet breaths as he watched every move the ghost made. "You already know about the cliques in horror movies. You're right next to a window. You can just climb out and-"
The Boo suddenly vanished. The man held his breath as he scanned the room. From their bookshelf, the books were suddenly flung from their spots, each and everyone one of them.
The picture frames on the walls were next. Each one shook and some fell from the nails that held them.
"Would running actually do something, even if I don't trip?"
What the ghost knew about Luigi, he could not tell. It could still be looking for the cowardly man, or was it just toying with him? Just begging Luigi to try and run.
"Maybe those characters weren't so stupid after all." Luigi glanced at his hammer. While the Boo was able to pick physical objects up, would whacking it still be effective? Has anyone ever tried too before? Does anyone actually believe in ghosts back in his home world, a single scientist maybe?
Those questions could not be answered now. He was alone, alone with a ghost.
"What would Mario do?" Luigi's question to himself made him think, but not just what his older brother would do. Something grew within the man, something that can withstand his fear, even surpass it.
"I can't just rely on him. I have to stand up." Luigi took control of his breathing. "I've faced a dragon. I can do this, I can do this!"
Luigi, now in full control of himself, kept his eyes on both the Boo and his Hammer. The Ghost then decides to float towards his direction. It was right between him and his hammer. Luigi took notice of the floating being and made a quick choice.
"Here we goooooooo!" Luigi jumped from the curtains. What the Boo did next was of no concern now. It looked like it was grabbing its eyes or something, but Luigi ducked underneath the spirit and jumped to his hammer.
"Hammer Time!"
The Book quickly turned around and took direct hit from Luigi's hammer.
"Ha!" Luigi laughed as the ghost actually showed it was hurt by the physical attack. "I'm ready for you now!"
As Luigi was full of courage, the Boo looked like it wasn't done yet. "Bwa ha ha!" It let out a haunting laugh as it turned directly to Luigi. The plumber narrowed his eyes as the Boo placed its small arms on his face, ready for it to make some horrific face to scare the man out of his confidence.
He waited, waited, waited. He waited for a bit to see what the spirit has in store. He waited, waited some more, and….
"Hello?" Luigi tilted his head. Five minutes was it, and yet the Boo remained the same. Just covering its face.
With curiosity, Luigi tilted over, still waiting for any surprise. And what he saw was indeed a bit of a surprise.
The ghost's smile was now a frown and it looked a bit red, like it was embarrassed by something. Or….
"Shy?" Luigi asked out loud. Not sure if he should take his own question seriously.
He then decides to take a quick look around for anything at all. Then the Boo uncovered his face and floated towards again, only to return to his bashful self the second Luigi turned back. He even tested it a few times. Again and again, the ghost only approached him when they're not in eye contact.
"Uhhhhhhh."
(One Hour Later)
"Luigi, I'm back!" Mario happily said as he put his umbrella way. "Peach told this amazing joke to me. You gotta hear it. Why did the Koopa cross the ….." He interrupted himself and he noticed the shy floating blob and his brother staring directly at said blob, shaking.
"Oh thank goodness you're here!" Luigi shouted with joy. "Quick, just keep your eye on this thing while I go use the bathroom. Also I need you to call my phone!"
End of Chapter
Happy Halloween!
