Next up is "Monumental Disaster." This episode's all right, I don't have a lot to say about it. The song's pretty good (this time, a parody of the "Davy Crockett" theme) and the story's okay, too. At least this one tries to introduce more characters in the Ghost World, which is more than I can say for the previous episode. I think my favorite part though was when Ezekiel misnamed Scratch as "Stretch." My god, it's like even the show thinks this crossover is a genius idea.
So, I mentioned last time that I did struggle with the casting for this one. More specifically, I struggled with the casting for Ezekiel. There are a ton of one-shot characters in the "Casper" series and yet, not a single one screamed "Ezekiel Tugbottom" to me. So, just like with Howlin' Harriet, I kept him the same. Sally Tugbottom on the other hand, well...you'll see.
Here we go! (Sorry if it's a little short, hopefully the next few will make up for it)
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: Muahahahahahaaaa!
Molly: Can't believe you're all mine
Fatso: Uh, what?
Molly: You and me for all time
Stretch: No way!
Molly: I'm never, ever, EVER gonna be alone again
Stinkie: This stinks!
Molly: It's just you three and me
Fatso: For all eternity?!
Molly: For all ETERNITY!
Stretch, Stinkie, & Fatso: NOOOO!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: It's the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Fatso: We've been cursed!
Stinkie: It's the worst!
Molly: Now you're stuck with me
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're never gonna be apart
Stretch: Is there a way to hit 'restart'?
Molly: Nope!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: We're the Ghost-Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee
Molly: That's me!
Stinkie: Well, that's she. Hee, hee, hee!
Molly & Ghostly Trio: Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Fatso: Oh yeah!
Chapter 15
A History in the Faking
Well, listen to the story I'm about to tell
About a man from Brighton they know so well
He was big and strong, but never mean
He got his biceps from a turnip green
Once a tornado was headed towards town
Ezekiel threw his lasso and wrestled it down
Everyone cheered and started to sing
Ezekiel said: "It ain't nothin' but a thing!"
Ezekiel Tugbottom
Ezekiel Tugbottom
The hero (hero, hero)
Hero of Brighton
Mayor Brunson stopped the record that was playing the old folk song.
"My fellow Brightonians," he said to the citizens gathered around him in the park. "I consider unveiling this statue to be my proudest moment as your mayor."
The politician pulled a rope, yanking off a cloth covering a large statue that depicted a man lassoing a tornado and below it, a plaque that read: "Ezekiel Tugbottom." Unfortunately for the mayor, when he pulled the rope, the cloth ended up falling onto him.
"Okay…" he sighed. "Not as proud as I thought it would be…"
The citizens of Brighton gazed upon the park's new statue with awestruck expressions. Everyone seemed fairly impressed by it.
"I love it!" Patty from Brighton Hills Retirement Center cried.
"So incredible!" Mrs. Roop, Brighton Middle School's history teacher, noted, while hugging her wife, Pam.
The statue even managed to catch the attention of three very depressed-looking men in gray attire.
"It's beautiful." the tallest one observed.
"It's amazing." the one with a buck tooth agreed.
"It's an inspiring, poignant symbol that reminds all of us that one day we will permanently disappear from existence, leaving behind a legacy that only represents a fraction of who we really were in life and thus, we will never truly be remembered…" the biggest one stated solemnly.
The other two nodded.
"Yeah. I was thinkin' the same thing."
"So was I…"
All three of them sighed.
Also among the crowd were Molly McGee and her family, the former of which was more excited to see the statue than anyone.
"Woo! We love you, Ezekiel!" she cheered, holding up her Brighton #1 Fan foam finger (that she personalized herself).
The Ghostly Trio phased out of the coonskin hat she was wearing.
"What's the big deal?" Stretch grumbled. "This guy don't seem all that special to me."
"Yeah, who is he anyway?" Stinkie asked.
Molly was offended.
"Are you kidding me?" she took out a picture book. "Everyone in Brighton knows the legend of Ezekiel Tugbottom!"
"Oh yeah!" Fatso snapped his fingers. "He's the guy who saved the town by lassoin' that big tornado, right? And after that, he said: 'It ain't nothin' but a thing'?"
"Exactly!" Molly confirmed. "Thank you, Fatso. At least one of you managed to stay awake during history class."
Fatso laid back in Molly's picture book. "What? Oh no, I just remember that 'cause of the song we literally just heard. Your history teacher should really consider addin' music to her curriculum. It'd make the class so much more fun, not to mention less sleep-inducin'."
Molly's only response to this was to tilt her book sideways, causing Fatso to fall off.
Mayor Brunson crawled out from under the cloth.
"Now then," he continued. "If you'll move over to the park, the post-unveiling potluck will begin shortly. Everyone's invited! Except you three."
The mayor pointed to the three downcast men, the tallest of which was carrying a stack of plastic cups.
"Cups don't count as a contribution." the mayor insisted. "They didn't count at my eighth birthday party and they definitely don't count now!"
The three of them groaned and walked off.
"Aww…"
"Whatever…"
"This stinks…"
The Trio whooped upon hearing the announcement.
"Potluck?" Stretch repeated. "All right! C'mon, fellas! Let's dig in!"
"Right behind ya!" Stinkie followed him.
"Ain't nothin' like eatin' food made by complete strangers!" Fatso declared.
The ghosts flew off to stuff their faces. But unbeknownst to them or anyone else at the park, a mysterious cloaked figure was watching the day's festivities from behind a tree. And due to their recent discovery of a certain truth, this person wasn't as eager to join in on the fun. They wanted everyone else in Brighton to learn this truth, too, but they weren't sure how to go about it. Because the news they had to share with the rest of the town wasn't exactly the kind anyone would want to hear.
As the Ghostly Trio, Pete, Sharon, Darryl, and the other Brightonians left for the potluck, Molly stayed behind to admire the statue of Ezekiel a moment longer.
"Wow…" she said to herself. "What a work of art. I wonder what the great Ezekiel Tugbottom would say if he could see this now?"
"Well, the nose isn't quite right, but overall, not bad."
Molly jumped upon hearing an unknown voice. Turning to her left, she was surprised to see a tall, bulky phantom floating beside her.
"It really does capture my rugged, yet indomitable spirit."
"Wha?" Molly went. "Who are you? And…why do you look so familiar? Wait a sec…"
The ghost flew up next to the statue and posed beside it. Their facial features were practically identical. That's when Molly figured it out.
"No…way…are you…Ezekiel Tugbottom?!"
"Yes!" the ghost answered. "'Tis I, Ezekiel Tugbottom! Honorary city council member, three-time winner of Farm Times' Golden Husk award, and-"
"Brighton's burliest man from 1871 to 1876!" Molly finished. "It really is you! OMG, I can't believe it!" she took a deep breath. "Okay, Moll. Play it cool. You got this. Don't go full fangirl…but I can't help myself! I'm standing next to Ezekiel Tugbottom! Is this a dream? I mean, obviously I should know by now that meeting ghosts is totally possible, but I never thought I'd meet the ghost of the Ezekiel Tugbottom! Oh no! I'm talking about him in the third-person when he's literally right next to me! How do I stop? I'm still talking!"
Ezekiel chuckled. "Please, Miss McGee, call me 'Tug.'"
"Ooh, nickname status!"
Just then, the Trio returned.
"Hmph. 'Potluck'? More like 'no-luck'!" Stretch remarked. "They ran outta food!"
"That's what we get for lettin' Fatso go first." Stinkie complained.
Fatso had just finished devouring an entire quadruple-decker sandwich.
"Hey, it ain't my fault those three losers decided to only bring cups!"
"You guys!" Molly exclaimed. "Look who it is! Ezekiel Tugbottom himself!"
Ezekiel winked his eye at the Trio, prompting Fatso to do a spit take all over the others. Stretch wiped off some of the chewed-up food in annoyance, but chose to ignore it in favor of expressing his disbelief of Ezekiel's appearance.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You gotta be kiddin' me! This is the guy gettin' all these flesh sacks excited?"
"Indeed!" Ezekiel nodded. "It's so good to see you again, uh…what's your name? 'Scratch'?"
Stretch gave an unamused glare toward the author. "Very clever, Corn."
Ezekiel wrapped an arm around Stretch. "Well, whatever your name is, thanks for coming to the unveiling. Always nice to see a fan." he reached into his ghostly pockets and retrieved a copy of the book Molly had shown the Trio earlier. "Here you go! 'Bottoms Up: Memoir of a Hero.' It's a Tugbottom Press exclusive."
The historical figure summoned a pen from the Ghost World and signed his name on the cover. When he finished, he shoved the book in Stretch's face.
"Thanks for showing your support, Stitch. You too, Smelly and Fatboy. Ha, ha, ha!"
Once Ezekiel was out of earshot, Stinkie swiped the book from Stretch and gagged.
"Blech! I'd say this thing belongs in the trash, but I'd never disrespect garbage like that."
"Ugh! I can't stand that creep!" Stretch snarled.
"Hold on," Molly intervened. "You guys know Ezekiel Tugbottom?"
"Sadly." Stinkie nodded. "In the Ghost World, everyone calls him 'Tug the Tornado.'"
"Ahh…'cause he lassoed a tornado?"
"No, 'cause he's a blowhard." Fatso explained.
"Yeah," Stretch concurred. "He's always goin' around actin' like he's better than everybody else! Sometimes he even outright says it!"
Molly shrugged. "Well, he's not wrong. The guy's a hero, after all."
"Oh brother." Stretch shook his head. "If ya ask me, he's all talk. I betcha he ain't even a real hero."
"Is that so?" Molly smirked. "'Cause I'm more than willing to take you up on that bet. Just watch. I'll take Mr. Tugbottom around town and show him all the struggles Brighton's been having. Once he sees what's going on, he'll step in and fix everything up like the hero he is!"
"Okay, then." Stretch started a stopwatch. "Let the record show it is now 10:02am. We'll just see how long this love fest lasts until ya hit a wall."
Molly cleared her throat to get Ezekiel's attention. "Excuse me, Mr. Tugbottom? Uh, I mean, 'Tug.' Sorry about my friends here. Unlike you, they don't value politeness very much."
The Trio blew raspberries at Ezekiel.
"Oh, that's quite all right." Ezekiel reassured Molly. "I'm sure it's just a result of jealousy, given the huge gap between our popularity levels."
"Hey, would you like me to give you a tour of Brighton? I figured a lot's changed since you've, well, passed on, and maybe you'd like to see how far our little town has come?"
"I would love to!"
And so, Molly brought Ezekiel down to Main Street, where the roads were cracked, trash was blowing around in the wind, and raccoons were riding around in grocery carts.
"Oh my…" Ezekiel worried. "Brighton sure has lost its way since I departed."
Molly nodded sheepishly and a plastic bag flew in her face. "Yeah, we may have hit a few hard times…but we've beaten tough times before. Just like you beat that tornado with your fists!" she punched the air a few times.
"Yes. Yes, I did." Ezekiel boasted, earning groans from the Trio.
"Uh-huh. So, I was thinking, since you are a super generous hero and all…" Molly suggested. "Maybe you could help get the town back in shape?"
"Oh, absolutely!" Ezekiel wrapped his ghost body around a street sign. "In fact, I think what this town needs is a little more…me!"
He used ectoplasm to replace the words "Main St" with "Zeke St." Molly was a little taken aback.
"Oh. Okay…I guess that's one idea."
Ezekiel proceeded to take Molly and the Trio to different Brightonian landmarks. With each one they came to, Ezekiel insisted on modifying it to have more to do with him.
"Let's change this to my face. Why don't we call this 'Tugbottom Field'? Better yet, let's rename the whole place to 'Tugbottom'! Or maybe 'Zekeville'? Which do you prefer? You are writing this down, aren't you?"
Molly sighed. She'd barely spent fifteen minutes with the guy and already she was getting just as annoyed as the Trio were.
"So tell me, Moll…" Stretch bragged. "Where's your hero now?"
"Help!"
Molly, Ezekiel, and the Trio jumped upon hearing a loud fire alarm and a woman crying for help. Both sounds were coming from the Brighton Historical Society building, which had suddenly burst into flames.
"Oh no! Don't worry, I'll save you! Huzzah!" Ezekiel flexed his muscles and dashed into the building.
Molly gave Stretch a winning smile.
"He's right here! See? I was right! Only a real hero would risk his life, or afterlife in this case, to rescue-"
"A self-portrait?" Stinkie finished.
"Huh?" Molly turned around and saw Ezekiel had come back with a painting of himself.
"Whew! That was close." Ezekiel hugged the picture as if it was his own child. "Don't cry, my precious baby. Those flames can't hurt you now."
Molly was stunned. "But…but what about that woman?"
Thankfully, Molly learned the woman who had been screaming for help earlier hadn't been harmed, as at that moment, she jumped out of the second-story window and made a run for it.
"What about her?" Ezekiel responded carelessly. "She didn't even try to save the painting! She deserves to be fired."
"Seriously? Poor choice of words there, pal." Fatso lectured.
Molly sighed and got out her phone. "Hello, fire department?"
After the firefighters arrived and took care of the incident Ezekiel should have dealt with, Molly slumped against a wall, forced to come to terms with her broken pedestal.
"Ugh…well, as much as I hate admitting this, you guys were right about Ezekiel. He's not a hero at all."
Stretch stopped the stopwatch.
"Well? How long did it take this time?" Stinkie inquired.
Stretch checked the time. "Thirty-eight minutes and nine seconds? That's pathetic!"
"Yeah, usually it only takes ten minutes for her to admit she's wrong. Tops!" Fatso reminded them. "Either we've gotten rusty or she's gotten more stubborn."
Molly glared. "If you guys are done gloating, we need to get to the bottom of this whole Tugbottom mystery and find out why the people of Brighton love him so much. Because clearly, there's a part of this story that's missing here. I know, let's head to the library! I'm sure there are a ton of answers we can find there!"
Stretch guffawed. "'We'? Who's 'we'? You think we're comin' with ya?"
"I know you are. The curse will make you, remember? Now, c'mon! To the Tugbottom Library!" Molly paused. "We'll probably need to change its name after this."
When Molly and the Trio arrived at the library, they (or at least Molly) wasted no time doing an insane amount of research, locating every book that even mentioned Ezekiel Tugbottom in the index. But two hours later, and Molly was no closer to learning the truth.
"Ugh, this is hopeless!" Molly whined, shutting another book. "Every one of these paints Ezekiel Tugbottom as a senseless hero! How is it possible that our history has been wrong all this time and I'm the only one that realizes it?"
"You're not the only one, actually." a voice spoke from behind her.
Molly and the Trio turned to see a person wearing a cloak and fedora leaning against the shelf. Underneath the dark, mysterious persona, however, was an ordinary, turtleneck-clad girl.
"Whoa!" Fatso cried. "Who is that totally concealed stranger?"
"It's Libby in a trench coat." Stretch answered blankly.
"Huh. Nobody we know then." Fatso shrugged. "I'm only familiar with Libby Stein-Torres, not Libby Ina-Trenchcoat."
Stretch slammed a book around Fatso's head in frustration.
"What are you doing here, Libby?" Molly asked her best friend. "And how come I didn't see you at the statue unveiling today?"
"Oh, I was there." Libby covered her eyes with her hat. "And let me tell you, something didn't smell right."
Molly panicked, reaching for Stinkie. "Uh, you didn't happen to smell…" she gave him a sniff. "A horrid mixture of onions, garlic, limburger cheese, and…" she sniffed again. "Ugh…burning plastics, did you?"
"What? No." Libby explained. "I was just speaking metaphorically."
Molly dropped Stinkie, relieved. "Oh. Good. I mean, I knew that."
"You know nothing!" Libby slammed her fists on the table. "You have no idea how deep this rabbit hole of yours goes. Enough with these useless tomes of information. It's time for you to visit…the archives…"
Molly and the Trio watched as Libby slunk across the library floor, as if she was worried about being detected by others. Curious, they decided to follow her to the "mystery" section of the library. Once there, Libby found a book labeled "Secret Levers + Secret Doors" and gave it a pull. This triggered the shelf next to it to move, revealing a hidden door.
"Sponsored by the Brighton Women's Historical Society. Where 'history is no mystery'!" Libby plugged.
Molly and the Trio exchanged shocked expressions. They accompanied Libby through the door, down a staircase, and into a room filled with dusty, unread books. Libby then approached Molly with a suitcase.
"The answers you seek are in here…"
She opened the case, where the only thing inside was a book. Molly took it and blew dust off the cover, revealing the title, as well as a picture of a woman wearing a purple dress and earrings.
"'The True History of Brighton'?" she opened the book and found a record hidden between the pages.
Libby swiped it and put it on a record player that, for some reason, she had.
"All aboard, 'cause the truth train is leaving the station! Woo-woo!" she pumped her fist as if she was blowing a train whistle.
Without any hesitation, Molly began to read the book while a song from the record played.
I had to revise the story I've told
As it turns out, he was not so bold
It was his Auntie Maimed who had heroic genes
Ezekiel didn't even like turnip greens!
He never actually hugged that bear
And when he saw that tornado, he froze in terror
It was Auntie Maimed who saved him with a lasso pull
The story of Ezekiel is a bunch of bull!
Ezekiel Tugbottom
Ezekiel Tugbottom
He's no hero (hero, hero)
No hero of Brighton
"Wow…" Molly said once she finished reading. "So…you're telling me it was Ezekiel's aunt who saved all those people from the tornado?"
"And led the charge to rebuild Brighton." Libby added. "This town is what it is today…because of her."
"He wasn't really friends with a bear, was he?"
Libby shook her head sadly.
"See? We told ya that guy was a phony!" Stretch insisted.
"We told ya he was bogus!" Stinkie mentioned.
"We told ya the man of your dreams would be just outta reach!" Fatso said randomly.
"I think your brains are just outta reach!" Stretch remarked, pulling Fatso's nose and snapping it back.
"But I still don't understand…" Molly took out her copy of "Bottoms Up." "If Auntie Maimed is the true hero of the story, why isn't she getting praise instead of Ezekiel? How did Ezekiel even get all the credit in the first place?"
Libby took Molly's book and opened it to the title page. She pointed at the words "Tugbottom Press."
"Maybe because…he gave the credit to himself?"
Molly gasped. "You mean…he wrote his own version of the history and made himself the hero instead of Auntie Maimed?! He's a monster! This injustice will not stand…"
Stretch glanced at the title page. "Y'know, I'm surprised he even knew how to spell."
With her newfound knowledge, Molly was now ready to expose Ezekiel as the lying fake he was. She quickly made her way back to the park and stood on a soapbox next to Ezekiel's statue. She spoke into a megaphone so all the passersby would hear her.
"Citizens of Brighton, this is a monument of falsehood! For the last 160 years, Brighton has put this fraud on a pedestal! That ends today…" Molly held out the book with Auntie Maimed's picture on it. "The truth must be revealed! And that truth is…this man was no hero! He doesn't deserve your admiration! Even those biceps are a lie!"
"How dare you try to destroy my legacy!"
Molly and the Trio looked up and spotted Ezekiel floating above them. He was very, very angry. Suddenly, the sky turned cloudy, thunder boomed, lightning struck, and a chilly wind began to blow. Molly gulped; she clearly hadn't expected Ezekiel to have actual powers. The Trio rose up to defend her.
"Hey! Why don't ya pick on someone who's not livin'?"
"Make like a bee and buzz off!"
"Yeah, leave 'er alone, ya blowhard!"
Ezekiel scowled. "I'll show you 'blowhard'…"
He then took a deep breath and blew a powerful gust of wind at Molly and the Trio, knocking them into his statue. A portal to the Ghost World opened at that exact moment, and the Trio struggled to keep themselves from being blown in.
"Yikes!" Stretch noted. "This guy could give even Ms. B a run for 'er money!"
"Yeah! Also, ya gotta respect 'im for not usin' mouthwash!" Stinkie added.
"Molly! Tell our story!" Fatso screamed.
Unable to hold on any longer, the three ghosts fell into the portal and disappeared.
"Guys!" Molly wailed, before turning to Ezekiel. "You…you big bully! You don't deserve Brighton! We never should have looked up to you and your perfectly-sculpted chin!"
"Is that so?" Ezekiel chuckled menacingly. "I think it's time I live up to my nickname…'Tug the Tornado'!"
Molly's eyes widened in absolute terror as the nasty, egotistical spirit transformed into an enormous, spinning twister.
"Oh corn!" she cried. "I did not see that coming!"
Tornado Tugbottom began to chase Molly throughout the park.
"I wanted to be just like my auntie, but being a hero is hard!"
Molly panted as she hid behind a tree. Unfortunately, this proved to be only a temporary solution, as Ezekiel started to rip the trees apart one by one.
"I figured it'd be much easier to make it up and let history say I was strong, brave, and handsome!" he went on, tearing through more and more trees. "I mean, WHAT MORE COULD PEOPLE WANT?!"
He eventually destroyed all the trees except for one: the one Molly was behind. He ripped it out of the ground, but to his confusion, Molly wasn't there…probably because she had clung herself to the trunk. While he was distracted, she jumped down and opened up the true history book to Auntie Maimed's picture.
"A real hero!" she replied boldly.
Upon seeing the depiction of his aunt, Ezekiel became even more furious. So furious, that he threw the remains of the tree toward Molly. Luckily, she ducked out of the way in time and it ended up hitting Ezekiel's statue instead, much to his dismay.
"Oh no! Nonononono!" he panicked.
To his relief though, the statue remained unharmed.
"Phew…" Ezekiel sighed.
Until a split second later, when it was reduced to a pile of dust.
"NOOOOO!"
He reverted back to his normal form and flew over to where his beloved icon once stood.
"My beautiful statue…" he whimpered.
Molly smirked as if to say: "Serves you right." Ezekiel was none too pleased. He gave Molly a death glare before transforming back into a tornado.
"Look what you made me do…"
But before he could rip Molly to shreds, a lasso came out of nowhere and wrapped around his body.
"Wah!"
The lasso yanked him onto the sidewalk, where he was promptly trampled by the ghost of a bear. And riding on top of said bear, was another ghost with a purple dress, a turban, and hoop earrings. The Ghostly Trio were floating beside her.
"Hey, Molly!" Fatso waved. "We brought help, see?"
Molly couldn't believe her eyes. "Auntie Maimed?"
Auntie Maimed chuckled heartily. "That's me! And I'm glad to be here! By the way, where am I? And what am I doing here? Oh, right! I'm here to teach my naughty nephew a lesson."
She lifted Ezekiel up by his ear.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"He's still trying to do the whole 'hero' thing, is he?" Auntie Maimed asked the Trio. "Well, he always was the type to play make-believe."
"Auntie, please, I can explain!" Ezekiel begged.
"You don't have to. The Trio already told me everything! You've disgraced the family name! You ought to be ashamed of yourself!"
Ezekiel gulped. "I suppose this is when you sing me a rather uplifting ballad to spout off some ridiculous moral about 'honesty' and whatnot."
"Oh no!" Auntie Maimed refused. "It's far too much work! There's lyric-writing involved, you'd have to come up with melodies, not to mention the author is dreadfully under the weather at the moment and doesn't want to put forth the effort. Besides, we had two similar-sounding songs already, which is more than enough. So instead, I'm just going to tell you…STOP!" she yelled in his face. "Furthermore, you should know by now that being a hero isn't about the praise and glory you receive, but about the kindness you give."
Ezekiel folded his arms. "Yeah, yeah…you always say that…"
Molly gasped, grabbing Stretch by the nose. "Look! She's friends with a bear!"
The next day, after Ezekiel's temper-tantrum storm had cleared up, the citizens of Brighton once again gathered in the park. Molly and the mayor were standing in front of the space where Ezekiel's statue used to be. In its place, was a new statue covered up with a cloth.
"It was a dark day for Brighton when that freak tornado destroyed our brand new statue…" Mayor Brunson recalled. "But perhaps it was for the better, as new historical facts have come to light since then. Molly McGee, would you like to do the honors?"
Molly smiled. "It would be my pleasure."
She pulled the rope attached to the cloth and it once again covered the mayor.
"Not again…" he mumbled.
Underneath the cloth was a statue of Auntie Maimed herself. Molly stepped forward with the book Libby gave her and opened it to show the townspeople.
"You see, it was actually Ezekiel Tugbottom's Auntie Maimed who saved Brighton and inspired folks to rebuild the town. She reminds us that being a hero isn't about being the biggest or the strongest. It's about doing the hard work of helping other people."
To demonstrate, Molly helped the mayor out from under the fabric.
"I live for this!" Mrs. Roop squealed, hugging her wife. "History is alive!"
Stretch scoffed. "Yeah, right. It's about as alive as those guys over there." he gestured to the three despondent brothers.
Stinkie floated in front of the one with a buck tooth. "Yikes. You can say that again. Who are these bozos anyway? They look kinda familiar."
"Whoever they are, they are uuuugly!" Fatso noted.
Molly approached Auntie Maimed, who had shown up for the unveiling with her bear. Ezekiel was there as well, probably forced to be there because his aunt believed he would learn something from it.
"Thank you Molly," she acknowledged. "I can rest easy knowing you will carry on my work. I should show my appreciation through a well-thought-out musical number, but the poor writer can't get through a single paragraph without coughing her lungs out."
"Oh, that's okay. Whatever that means." Molly shrugged. "I'll just take a bear hug, if that's all right with you."
"Knock yourself out!" Auntie Maimed offered.
"Yay!"
Molly giddily hugged the bear, which licked her in return. Afterwards, Auntie Maimed climbed back on her trusty steed, waved goodbye, and exited through a portal. Ezekiel was about to follow them, but then he looked back at Molly with a hopeful grin.
"Okay, how's this? We make a second smaller statue of me and put it next to-ow!"
Auntie Maimed's bear bit down on his tail and forcefully pulled him into the portal.
"Okay, okay! Just an idea!"
Molly and the Trio shared a laugh at this, which was soon interrupted by someone slowly clapping behind them. Turning around, they saw it was coming from Libby, who had been hiding behind a tree again. She still had on her trench coat and hat.
"Well done." she commented. "But you know, this is only the beginning of uncovering Brighton's strange secrets. Recently, I've detected supernatural currents in the air…"
The Trio gasped fearfully.
"Uh, thanks Libby, but some other time, okay?" Molly suggested. "I'm still basking in my current victory."
"Oh. I understand." Libby nodded, walking away. "See you later."
"Phew…" the Trio sighed.
"Think she'll ever find out?" Stinkie wondered.
Fatso laughed. "Nah. The only way she'd learn about us is if Molly told 'er! And she'd never do that! Heh, heh…would she?"
"Ugh…I hate foreshadowin'…" Stretch moped.
Ghostly Trio and Molly McGee!
Yep. Auntie Maimed. Probably one of my favorite one-shot characters in the "Casper" series. As soon as I watched her episode, I knew I had to find a place for her in this fic somewhere. Unfortunately, Sally Tugbottom has like less than 1 minute of total screentime in the entire series, so you may not see too much more of her. But who knows? Maybe I'll bring Auntie Maimed back and have her cast in another role. Because screw the rules, I make them!
Speaking of rules, I know it's kind of an unspoken one that only the Trio are allowed to make "fourth-wall" jokes, but I had to make an exception for Auntie Maimed because her character doesn't work otherwise. And yes, if you're wondering, I was sick while writing this. I'm still pretty sick at the moment, but I promise that will not deter me from writing. Don't be alarmed if you see a typo, though. That's probably from either the medication I'm taking making me disoriented or me just being too tired to proofread.
And yes, those three men are familiar, Stinkie. I wonder why...;)
I know, I know. I made it kinda obvious. But to be fair, this fic is mainly for people who have already watched "The Ghost and Molly McGee" in its entirety or at least know how it ends, so I'm not really trying to be subtle about it. But to those who haven't seen the finale, we'll just say they're three random guys who have no bearing on the story for now (as if that makes it any less obvious).
That's all. Review, please!