Part 1
Introduction
Far far away, beyond the clouds, beyond
the sky, in the Mushroom Kingdom, beyond the roads, beyond the castle...
is a large mansion. A mansion, on a lonely road where nobody dares to go...
Why, you ask? Because something mysterious lies in there. Some would say
these never exist. If you said that here, you would be doomed for life.
Brace yourselves... I'm going to tell you what they are... GHOSTS. Yes...
Ghosts. But not any ghosts, I mind you. Portrait Ghosts. Remember... don't
say ghosts don't exsist. You've been warned...
Chapter One
One gloomy night in the mansion, King Boo became frustrated. "I can't take it! I've been telling him time and time again about his useless inventions!" he wailed.
"Um... Now, now... Your Majesty... I'm sure he'll listen, eventually. I hope." Blue Boo, King Boo's nephew, said.
King Boo looked up, his eyes glowing with anger. "ELVIN!" KIng Boo shouted as he sat up from his throne. King Boo floated out of the mansion to a small wooden shack. King Boo hammered the door. "OPEN UP!" he cried. There was no answer. "ALL RIGHT! BE THAT WAY!" King Boo called as he banged on the door.
The door fell over and the professor started coughing. "What did you do that for?" the professor asked, clearing away the dust.
"Because you wouldn't open your piece of junk over here!" King Boo said as he pointed to the wooden door that lay on the floor. "And speaking of junk... Why in this mansion's name do you keep inventing these stupid inventions?!" King Boo yelled.
"They're not stupid. They're special..." the professor explained.
King Boo started to shake with anger. "SPECIAL?! YOU CALL YOUR INVENTIONS SPECIAL?!" King Boo yelled. The professor was angry also, and turned away from King Boo. "Don't you even think about turning your back on me, Elvin," King Boo said.
"I can do whatever I want, without a ghost with a crown on his head giving me commands," the professor said.
King Boo grabbed the professor's lab coat and turned him around to face King Boo. The professor tilted his glasses to fit in the right position. King Boo gave the professor a stern glare. "All right, you...make me another invention," he said.
The professor, terrified of his own will, pushed away from King Boo and ran to the only window, which had been cracked by King Boo's threats and yelling, and opened it.
"And where do you think you're going?!" King Boo asked.
"I'm leaving!" the professor said.
"But... Why?" King Boo asked as the red and golden crown on his head glimmered in the moonlight.
"Because... I can't take one more minute of this mansion... And besides, nobody loves me here," the professor said sadly as he gathered his inventions and climbed out the window.
King Boo watched the professor leave as a loud thunder shook. King Boo's eyes narrowed, and the troublesome ghost snapped his fingers. The professor started to realize something was happening... The professor looked around and saw his inventions going back to the wooden shack. The professor shrugged sadly, and continued walking. King Boo set the inventions down in a heap on the floor, and snapped his fingers again. This time the professor felt strange again... The professor looked around and noticed a dark blue aura shining around him. King Boo pointed to the door, and the professor flew backwards, through the window, slamming into the wall and landing on the floor with a sickening thud. King Boo cackled and looked into a severly cracked mirror.
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, how long until the fool falls?" King Boo cackled even louder and left the wooden shack, which was, or is I should say, the Professor's Lab.
The professor, dazed and confused, sitting up with bad scrapes and bruises, walked with pain to his inventions, which lay in a heap on the floor. The professor picked up his two inventions and set them on a dusty table.
"Are you all right?" Fludd asked.
"Yeah... I guess so, but the only thing
bruised is my pride," the professor said sadly. "Just my pride..."
Chapter Two
As King Boo floated through the door, a portrait ghost waited for him, carrying a delicate book in his left arm. For some strange reason, the ghost gave King Boo a stern glare. "What do you want, Neville?" King Boo asked, annoyed.
"You know why I am here." Neville said angrily.
"Actually, no, I don't," King Boo said.
"You know, you shouldn't treat your child that way..." Neville said.
"In case you haven't noticed... he's my kid, not yours... Worry about your own kids, Book-lover," King Boo explained.
Neville ignored King Boo and spoke again. "You shouldn't yell at him every minute..." he said.
King Boo turned around. "Will you shut up?! Worry about your own kids!" King Boo yelled.
This time, Neville became furious. When King Boo turned around, Neville leapt at him, and pushed him onto the floor. "OUCH! What did you do that for?" King Boo yelled. Neville ignored him. King Boo pushed Neville, and this time, Neville ended up on the floor. "And by the way... How could you know I yelled?" King Boo asked.
Neville's eyes narrowed and he pushed King Boo onto the floor. "Because the whole mansion can hear you!" Neville said angrily.
"How about you stay out of my kid's way?!" King Boo shouted as he pushed Neville back on the floor.
Neville pushed King Boo back onto the floor. "You don't know a single thing about parenting!" Neville said angrily.
As the rucuss continued with King Boo and Neville, each pushing one another onto the hard, wooden floor, the door opened from the right side of the room. Four short ghosts stood there, Sue, Henry, Orville, and Chauncey, Neville and Lydia's children, all in horrified shock.
"King Boo's hurting Dad!" Sue whispered to her other siblings.
"We should do something," Chauncey explained. Although he was only five years old, he could speak quite well.
"But what? We just can't go barging on to King Boo!" Henry whispered.
"Come on, guys... This is Dad were talking about!" Orville whispered.
"Right... Let's go teach King Boo a lesson he'll never forget," Sue said.
Chauncey slid down the raling of the stairs. Henry and Orville, followed by Sue, went down the stairs quickly, and caught up with Chauncey. "Okay, We'll charge on three," Sue said.
"One," Chauncey said.
"Two," Orville said.
"Three," Henry said.
"CHARGE!" Sue called as the four rushed to King Boo and their father.
Chauncey jumped and landed on King Boo, and took off his crown. "My crown! You little..." King Boo said as he picked Chauncey up and threw him. Chauncey landed against the wall and landed on the floor.
"CHAUNCEY!" his three siblings cried as they floated quickly over to him.
"Chauncey..." Neville said as he pushed King Boo off of him. Neville floated over to him, and picked him up. "Oh, Chauncey..." Neville said hugging him. Neville looked up at King Boo. and took the crown from Chauncey. "Here is your crown back, and how dare you hurt my son?!" Neville shouted as he threw the red and gold crown at King Boo.
King Boo caught it and placed it back on his head. "Your children are nothing but trouble!" King Boo said as he left the Foyer through the double doors in the middle of the room.
"He must be heading to the Secret Altar..." Neville said.
"Wait untill Mom hears about this!" Henry said.
***
"How on earth am I supposed to make an invention for him? I can't even think of any because of these scrapes and bruises on my body," the professor said.
"You'll think of something sooner of later..." Fludd said.
The professor sighed. "If only I wasn't kidnapped when I was born... then my life would change," he said.
"But you can't change the past," Fludd said.
"Wait a second, Fludd... Maybe, just maybe... Yes, that's it! Thanks, Fludd," the professor said. "I'll make a time machine!"
"Um... Okay... But you know that saying... Don't get to overconfident..." Fludd said nervously.
"Fludd, you worry too much... But... this might take a couple days..." the professor said. "How am I supposed to make an invention for King Boo in less than... I don't know... What do you think, Fludd?" he asked.
"I think three days," Fludd replied.
"Good estimate..." the professor said. "I don't think I can do it with King Boo coming into my lab and constantly yelling at me." Suddenly the professor heard a knock on the door. The professor sighed. "It must be King Boo," he said as he grabbed the doorknob and turned it.
The door opened, and a blue ghost with purple hair stood there. The professor was suprised that a portrait ghost had come to him. "Hey, Slim. What are you doing here?" the professor greeted happily.
"Um... Hi! Ya wanna play a game of pool? I'm bored out of my wits," Slim said.
"Uh... Sure, why not?" the professor asked himself. "But wait... What about King Boo?" the professor asked nervously.
"Taken care of. I told Biff Atlas to keep on the lookout," Slim said proudly.
"Good... At least you're prepared this time," the professor mumbled to himself.
"Come on, we don't have all day," Slim said.
The professor rushed over to the lonely pool shark and walked with him out of the wooden shack. "You know... Why does King Boo always come after you?" Slim asked.
The professor looked up. "Oh... It's because... well... you see... Did King Boo ever tell you why I've lived here?" the professor asked.
"Uh... No, not that I know of," Slim said.
"Well... Brace yourself for one of the
most horrible stories in your life," the professor said as the pair entered
the billlards room. "One of the most terrifying stories in your life."
Chapter Three
"One of the most terrifying stories in my life? Oh boy, I'm all ears," Slim said.
"Okay... Here goes... It all started the night I came home... It was fifteen minutes past midnight... I think. My parents were sound asleep," the professor started.
"Well, that dosn't sound very horrifying..." Slim said.
"Slim, I'm not done yet," the professor replied.
"Oh... Sorry," he said.
"That's all right," the professor replied back. "Anyway, I couldn't get to sleep, because I had this odd feeling inside myself... for no reason. Moonlight streamed brightly through the stain-glassed windows and-"
"One second, were your parents rich?" Slim interrupted.
The professor rolled his eyes. "Yes, Slim, my parents were rich," the professor replied. "As I was saying... Moonlight streamed through the windows. Then suddenly, the moonlight didn't shine anymore, and it wasn't the clouds... It was a clear sky. I struggled to stand up to look around. and eventually I did. I looked around the outside of my crib. Suddenly, a bright red glow filled my room. I turned around to see-"
"Oh, oh, I know! Was it Mr. Luggs?" Slim interrupted once again.
The professor sighed deeply. "No."
"Was it... Sir Weston?"
"No..."
"Oh! How about The Clockwork Soldiers?"
"No..."
Two hours later...
"How about..."
"Slim, some little words of advice... WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?!" the professor yelled. The professor suddenly put his right hand around his mouth. "Perhaps I yelled too loudly," the professor said.
A loud bang rocked the billards door. Slim floated over and opened the door, but nothing was there.
"I...I got to go," the professor said, rushing past Biff and Slim.
"What happened to the most terrifying story of my life?" Slim called down the hallway. The professor ignored him and continued running.
***
"You know... I hate to say this, but I hear King Boo," a voice spoke.
"Oh... You worry too much," another voice responded as they danced in the ballroom. These ghosts were well known as The Floating Whirlindas, a dancing couple who were the local Waltz Champions. Unfortunately, they had given up and no longer competed.
The female Whirlinda sat on one of the elegant chairs and sighed. The male Whirlinda walked up to his wife, concerned. The male Whirlinda turned around and whistled. About half a dozen Shy Ghosts (the ghosts with a mask and pitchfork or Trident) appeared. "Go keep guard," he commanded. The Shy Ghosts looked at each other like they didn't know what he was talking about. "I said, GO KEEP GUARD!" he shouted. Startled, the Shy Ghosts flew through the door and kept watch. He turned around. "Look, maybe you need a rest," he explained.
"No, no, I'm fine," the female Whirlinda replied.
"Well then... I have one more question to ask you," he said.
"And what might that be?" the other asked curiously.
The male Whirlinda bent down and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked.
"Oh... Of course," the other replied
with a laugh as she joined her husband.
Chapter Four
Henry, Orville, and Chauncey sat on the grass covered in wet dew. Henry threw a rubber ball into the air and caught it. "Hey... You know how King Boo is always bossing other ghosts around?" Chauncey asked.
"Yeah," the two replied.
"Well, if he gives up... Wouldn't I make a great king?" Chauncey asked. The other two looked at their younger sibling in shock. "Hah... I thought so." Chauncey said proudly as he stood up.
"And where do you think you're goin?" Orville asked.
"I'm going to go ask King Boo how to be a king," Chauncey explained. Henry threw the ball at Chauncey, and hit him. "OW!!! What did you do that for?" Cauncey asked as he rubbed his head.
"You wouldn't even have a chance to be king. You know I would make a better king," Henry explained. "Just imagine... me. A king!" Henry cried happily.
"Oh yeah... Just imagine... A big idiot sitting on King Boo's throne. Hahahah!" Orville mumbled.
"Oh yeah? I bet I could be a better king than the two of you put together!" Henry said proudly.
"I'm gonna be a mighty king! Causing mischief everywhere!" Henry said, looking up at his two siblings.
"I've never seen a king who's so short," Chauncey said, following him.
"I'm gonna be the main event, like no king was before!" Henry said, climbing on top of a log. "I'm brushing up on looking down, I'm workin on my SCARE!" On scare his two siblings fell off the log and onto the ground. Henry leapt over them.
"Although a rather unispiring thing," Orville said.
"Oh, I just can't wait to be king!" Henry shouted.
"You've got rather a long way to go, Henry, if you think," Chauncey mumbled.
"Free to run around all day!" Henry said, following his twin. "Free to do it all my way!" Henry said as he ran with Orville.
Chauncey followed them. "Look, Henry. I think you'll never be king." Chauncey advised.
"Kings don't need advice from younger siblings for a start!" Henry said. "Oh, I just can't wait to be king!" Henry said, running up to a statue of Slim Bankshot. Orville and Chauncey followed. Henry cilimbed up the statue. "Everywhere you look I'm... standing spotlight!" Henry cried, standing on the statue's head.
"Not yet!" Chauncey called.
"Oh, I just can't wait to be king!" Henry cried as he lept at Chauncey. Chauncey tumpled to the ground.
"Hey! Lemme up!" Chauncey cried as he pushed Henry away. "As I said... I think you'll never make a good king." Chauncey said.
"Oh yeah? Well... I'm going to talk to Uncle and see what he thinks!" Henry bragged as he floated through the double doors of the mansion.
***
The professor continued running and opened the door of the wooden shack. The professor rushed in. A red light shone through the darkness, as the professor peered around his lab. "Where were you?" a voice hissed.
"Who's there?" the professor asked nervously.
The red light came closer until it was in the professor's sight. "I asked, 'Where were you?'" King Boo hissed once more.
"Uh... How long have you been here?" the professor asked.
"Oh, let's see... Hmmm, since about five minutes ago," KIng Boo responded.
"Well... Get out," the professor said nervously.
"Aren't you going to answer my question?" King Boo asked. "I answered yours."
The professor shook frightendly, at the thought that he was going to be killed. "Um... Y-you see, I-"
"Are you scared, Elvin?" King Boo asked, as his unibrow raised in corcern.
The professor shook his head. "No... I-I'm not scared. I just was... uh, I had a visit," the professor explained.
"From who?" King Boo's unibrow raised more with interest.
"Well... um. From... from..."
"From who?" King Boo repeated.
"From... Slim Bankshot, and... you see, he... he... invited me for a game of pool," the professor explained nervously.
"Continue..." King Boo said.
"And... As we were going toward the mansion... he asked a question about... uh... about the story how you kidnapped me," the professor said.
"Did you tell him the whole story?" King Boo asked.
"I only got halfway through... And then... Well... Slim opened the door, and nothing was there... So I ran... and that's where our conclusion... ends here." The professor ended with a gulp.
"Really? Well... Let's see... I guess I'm going to have to keep an eye on you... Permanently." King Boo smiled an evil grin, showing his pure chalk-white teeth, and left a slimy yet sticky glowing green residue as his red crown glistened like it was under King Boo's command and the professor gulped from fright.