Episode 21: Poltergeist Panic
It was just another day in October at Poeshell Elementary school, the students were in their seats learning the best they can from their teachers, some behaving themselves, some didn't. In one room, numbered 249, it was that way, except for one young 4th grade girl, named Carolyn, who at first paid real good attention, taking notes in her notebook, just like almost everyone else. But at one point, she stopped writing even when the teacher, Mrs. Stalyn kept continuing her lecture. Carolyn felt as if there was a mysterious presence around her, something not of this world, yet the rest of the class didn't sense it as she did, she just froze in place with a vacant stare.
"And when we convert this fraction….Carolyn? Are you listening to me?" Mrs. Stalyn asked her, but Carolyn didn't respond as if in some kind of a trance, the teacher soon approached her, Carolyn starting glancing all around as though she heard whispers that only she could hear. "Carolyn, you're supposed to keep your eyes on me and taking notes, now I know you're better than that, so no daydreaming please."
"He's here…..." Carolyn muttered, not paying any attention to Mrs. Stalyn as if looking into the air.
"What do you mean 'he's here'?"
"An old teacher…."
"Well the only teachers in this room Carolyn are me and that lady behind there" she pointed across the classroom. Another teacher in the room, an assistant smaller than Mrs. Stalyn, named Mrs. Pumencia came forward from her rear seat supervising all the events in the classroom. She was in a turquoise dress and adorned with a strange necklace and bracelet around her right wrist, while wearing glasses, her hair was in a bun at the back.
"I think I would believe her suspicions Mrs. Stalyn"
"This is no time for anything deep Mrs. Pumencia, if this has anything to with the spiritual…." her sentence was interrupted as if by some signal, the lights started to flicker, even though there were no one at the light switches, and the electricity was deemed good to go by the janitor just a while ago. The flickering lights, then started to go on and off, at first slow and then picked up speed, the students and teachers were looking all around to see what was happening, the blinds all came down at one point, shutting off any access points, to the outside even though the classroom was at ground level. Just a few seconds after the shades went down, and the lights still blinking at a furious pace, desks, spare chairs, and other articles around the room started moving by themselves, to the fright of the students and teachers.
"Everybody out!" shouted Mrs. Stalyn, the class got up without any disagreement and followed her to the door, but no sooner did they reach the door, Mrs. Stalyn discovered the door knob couldn't even be moved, it was like it was cemented in place. There was no other way out of the room, with all the ghostly activity happening all around, hope was dimmed for everyone, and it wouldn't be a good idea for Mrs. Stalyn to return to her desk to get to the phone to call for help, who knows what could have happened. Just when things couldn't be any darker, in the closet area where the students hang their coats, backpacks and other things, one of the doors swung open violently showing a bright light, blinding everyone. A few seconds later, a large ghostly white hand came out of the light, and reached its way through the crowd until it found Carolyn, grabbed her and then carried her away screaming, help proved useless. As soon as the hand pulled her into the closet the light disappeared.
After a few seconds of contemplating what was going to happen next, as the class was trapped and surrounded by ghostly activity, a black hole emerged up in the air and out popped the Z-Team to the class' delight, Zack was holding up the Shadow Bane and shouted, "The power of the Heavens compels you all!" and in a matter of seconds all the floating articles dropped to the ground, some with a loud thud. The class was only partially relieved, there was still the missing Carolyn.
"Do any of you know how to retrieve one of my students? A girl named Carolyn…." Mrs. Stalyn said with concern.
"What's she like?" asked Minnie.
"Shy, studious, doesn't talk much"
"She went through some kind of portal through the closet!" added Mrs. Pumenica.
"Is there a way we can open the portal to retrieve her?" asked Donald.
"Perhaps I can help with that, I used to be a medium before signing on, besides Carolyn herself is clairvoyant, and that's probably why this menace wants her."
"And why would….whoever this is, want a clairvoyant little girl like poor Carolyn?" asked Jasmine.
"A few weeks ago we mysteriously lost one of our own teachers, one named Mr. Tasm who once taught in this room, but it was rumored he was conducting some bizarre rituals when the kids and faculty weren't around, made even worse that this school was built adjacent to an old burial ground a century ago, those who died from a terrible disease. Mr. Tasm was according to my senses using the tormented souls as a way of creating a distraction to abduct Carolyn and use her essence to give more power to the Dark Master." Everyone except Zack had their eyes widened at listening to Mrs. Pumencia's story.
"Then we'd better hurry and get to Mr. Tasm before he completely drains Carolyn of her essence!" exclaimed Zack, everyone else nodded in agreement.
"I'll see what I can do to open the portal…." Mrs. Pumencia started muttering some strange words, and after a few seconds, the same portal opened bright of light, and then no soon after, a huge ghostly skull emerged, terrifying the class, the youngsters screamed and huddled near Mrs. Stalyn. Mickey and Minnie stepped forward and launched their spells at the skull which pushed it back into the portal until it was out of sight. Without any further delay, the Z-Team jumped into the portal, it felt a bit different from all the Shadow Porting they were regularly doing, the area felt like space itself with stars all around and a single light bright as the sun but it didn't hurt looking at it like the regular sun.
Eventually a hole in the other side opened up, and the Z-Team found themselves in a strange chamber, dark as night, barely lit with some torches, all around there were books on dark subjects matter some skulls, and a cauldron. In the rear of the chamber was a table with some strange objects and a man in his 50s in a brown business suit wearing glasses with his hand on the head of the girl Carolyn herself. He was reading some strange incantation as if putting Carolyn in a trance, while in a pseudo-sweet tone.
"Hold it right there Mr. Tasm!" Zack shouted.
"Yeah, and leave poor Carolyn alone!" Elsa added, the other Z-Team members readied themselves, weapons and claws out should Mr. Tasm pull anything.
"Ah the famous Z-Team, how I so admired your heroics….." Mr. Tasm remarked with a plastic smile.
"Cut the rubbish and surrender quietly!" Mickey exclaimed.
"Hoo hoo, the mouse that roars….." Mr. Tasm chuckled in amusement. "Oh but you see, I love children, they're so delicate and interesting, I'd like to keep them under my control as I teach them…..how to submit to my authority and the power of darkness!" Simba, Nala, Rajah, and Pluto leaped forward growling and snarling at the crooked teacher, but Mr. Tasm wasn't intimidated, he remained calm, just laughing as though they were nothing. "Your vicious animals don't scare me…..I've got the power of ghosts on my side!" and raised his left hand upwards, several ghosts emerged from the floor encircling the animals and then lifting them off the ground, then holding them in a paralyzing grip as they just roared in a bit of pain. Jasmine lashed out her whip towards Carolyn on the side, which Carolyn took without haste, causing Jasmine to pull her away from Mr. Tasm. In a few seconds, Carolyn came out of her trance and looked around, astonished her heroes were here.
"Cool the Z-Team! My heroes!" she replied with a broad smile.
"Save it for later little girl, we have a foe to take care of" assured Aladdin coming down to her level, before rising again, scimitar in hand ready to do battle with the rest of the team.
"You may have gotten the little girl away from me, but I'll still beat you! I received a great gift from the mighty Dark Master, allow me to show it to you all!" as Mr. Tasm spoke, his voice steadily got more demonic, and then slowly transformed in front of everyone, first becoming ghostly transparent, and then progressed into a skeletal form with short squat legs, yet larger than average arms, an elongated neck, and his skull became larger than average and shaped more akin to a gorilla's than human, with eyes still in the sockets. "Now I'll chew on your souls!" Mr. Tasm bellowed in an unearthly roar, the Z-Team were taken a bit aback except for the fearless Zack, and Carolyn, but with the animals suspended in air, it was up to the rest to defeat the now ghostly Mr. Tasm.
Zack and Elsa came forth with their weapons and magic but all just fruitlessley passed through him, while Tasm laughed at the futile attempt, and then grabbed them both with his giant hands, and then raised both to his mouth which he bit down and then raised up revealing to have bitten out their souls, and then swallowed them, dropping the bodies, alive but not full of life, the others were horrified at what just happened, but they knew he had to be defeated, even with their leader and lieutenant out of commission. Then came Mickey and Minne trying their luck but it was the same for those two as well. The remaining except for Aladdin and Jasmine were then swept up with some spirits to join the animals remaining immobilized in the ghostly prisons.
Aladdin and Jasmine were all that were left to defend Carolyn, but all they could do was fruitlessly defend the little girl from the ghostly teacher, but as Mr. Tasm extended his arms out to grab them, the Shadow Bane light up which caused one arm to stop before Jasmine, but Aladdin wasn't so fortunate as he got grabbed and then his soul was swallowed. It was all Jasmine this time and her whip, things were looking bleak for her as her comrades had their souls taken out of their bodies. Though she was able to reach for the Shadow Bane from Zack's hand and readied her whip.
"It's just you and me now princess!"
As soon as he swung a hand at her, she swung her whip at the head of Mr. Tasm and swung forward holding the amulet outward, and then kicked at the rib cage, revealing the heart, then unlatched from the head, and then delivered a whip crack to the exposed heart, Mr. Tasm emitted a ghostly scream when it hit, out of his mouth came in whispy orbs the souls of all his victims who immediately reached their bodies. Once the souls left him, he began to collapse a bit, his long neck collapsed in front of Jasmine. While this was happening, those who had their souls taken risen again, fully alive and well, while those in the ghostly prison were dropped on a rough landing but alright.
"I'll chew on your soul…..I'll chew on your soul…..I'll-" muttered the head of Mr. Tasm.
"Chew on this!" Jasmine smiled, delivering one last whip at the head, and then the phantasm dematerialized out of this world.
"Alright Jasmine!" cheered Aladdin, the rest applauded, Zack approached the now safe Carolyn.
"Now that the evil's all gone let's get you back in the classroom." he told her with a smile. Not wasting a minute, the group shadow ported out, and back into the classroom, now free of all ghosts. Mrs. Stalyn allowed the Z-Team to take the front of the classroom, and give a few speeches to the children all telling the kids to do well, pay attention, do their homework, and other things. The kids in the classroom including Carolyn would all remember this moment for a good long time.