Welcome, foolish mortals to my first Haunted Mansion fanfic. I only recently went on the Phantom Manor attraction (which I think is awesome!) and I decided it was time I grabbed Master Gracey, Madame Leota and the Hitchhiking Ghosts and threw them into this fanfic. My story is following the adventures of Ghosts 1000, 1001 and 1002. Now I do not wish to copy Aquarian Wolf's story, which I believe is the best HM fanfic I have ever read in my entire afterlife. Please feel free to criticize and give me advice on how to improve my writing, so I can make my futuristic Phantom Manor story a grand ghost story. If you wish to find my novel again after reading the full thing, please search the dusty shelves of the Haunted Mansion library. Now I'm off to join Ezra, Phineas and Gus in their hitchhiking fun! Farewell! Oh and one more thing, I do not know how to do those grey lines that part sections of a chapter. In a review, could someone tell me how to do them, please?
…
A large crumbling building stood before the three spirits. It was the old Gracey Mansion, now full of 999 grim grinning ghosts.
"So this is the legendary Gracey Mansion," said Kimberly, a 14 year old girl with black hair in a pony tail and braces on her teeth.
"Looks pretty dead," remarked Jody, a 14 year old boy with spiky blonde hair, turning dark.
"It is full of 999 ghosts, dummy," said Sakura, also a 14 year old with short brown hair and emerald green eyes.
"Hehehehe, funny!" mocked Jody, folding his new see-through arms and looking grim.
"It said on that sign back there that Master Gracey was looking for a 1000th guest and more," said Kimberly, motioning her head to an aging sign placed on the front gate.
"Well let's get to this Gracey guy before some other spooky kook takes our job!" cried Jody and floated towards the mansion.
"Obviously he dislikes being a ghost," said Kimberly, looking concerned at the teenage boy.
"But as a ghost, you can fly!" squealed Sakura, spinning about in midair, but unfortunately collided with a parked black hearse.
"Sakura..." groaned Kimberly and went to help her friend.
Meanwhile, Jody examined the series of gravestones scattered about the front gardens. As he passed a gravestone with a carved face of a woman on it, he stopped and examined it.
Dear sweet Leota,
Beloved by all.
In regions beyond now.
But having a ball.
"Hmmm… weird," said Jody and waited for Kimberly and Sakura to join them before they entered the mansion, by floating through the front door.
Then suddenly, the stones eyes of the carved woman's face snapped open and watched them disappear. From somewhere within the mansion, looking through the gravestone as if it were a secret security camera was a mysterious woman, her disembodied head floating in a crystal ball full of green mist. She smirked.
"It has begun…" she said and laughed.
…
Happy Haunts Await
Chapter 1: Welcome, foolish mortals…
"So, you three newcomers to the supernatural are interested in become the 1000th, 1001st and 1002nd guests in my mansion?" asked a smartly dressed gentleman, sitting behind a desk in an office.
"Yes, Mr. Gracey," replied Kimberly. "We would be honoured to unite with your supernatural league!"
"Excuse me?" asked George Gracey, raising an eyebrow.
"She said we'd be happy to be part of the mansion's ghosts," said Jody gruffly.
"Ah, right. Well have you brought your death certificates?" asked George.
The three teenagers all squinted at George blankly and searched their clothes for their death certificates.
"Er…I don't think we have them," said Kimberly sheepishly.
"I didn't really mean it. It is just a gag I like to pull on new arrivals. There hasn't been a new arrival here since about sixty years ago."
"Okay," said Jody.
"Anyway, could you please sign these papers so it is clear that you are part of the community," said Gracey and reached down behind his desk and brought out a tower of papers.
"What the?" cried Sakura.
"Oh, sorry. That is my Christmas list!" said George and pushed the paper tower back behind the desk and pulled open a draw and took out three papers.
He handed one to each of them and he also hand them an ink pen. Each one signed their paper and handed them and the pen back to Gracey.
"Thankyou, now there are some terms that you must take into count…" said George and went into a big explanation of rules.
As he blabbed out every rule, Sakura noticed something on the ground in the corner of her eye. She looked down to the carpet and saw a large red spider scuttling towards her transparent foot. She shrieked and leapt up into Kimberly's arms.
"What? What is it?" asked George, looking alarmed.
"There's a spee...a spo…a spar!" mumbled Sakura.
"We don't have a spar here," said George.
"A spider!" screamed Sakura, who was dumped on the floor by Kimberly, who stepped on the spider.
"You're afraid of spiders?" asked George dumbly.
"Ever since I was three," said Sakura nervously, as she stood up and tried to look brave.
"That is how she died. She got so afraid of spiders that she just collapsed," explained Jody.
"Jody!" cried Sakura angrily, kicking him in the shin, except it went right through.
"How tragic. What about you two?" said George, turning to Jody and Kimberly. Kim had turned very pale.
"Well, I fell down a staircase and died while in a coma and Kim… well she doesn't like to speak about her death," said Jody, looking at Kim who was getting watery tears.
"Very well. Welcome to the Haunted Mansion," said George, smiling.
…
Later, the three children strolled down a hallway. Kim walked between Jody and Sakura, looking sad.
"Sorry Kim, but he did ask," said Jody, looking full of remorse.
"It's okay Jody, I'll have to tell someone else apart from you two someday," said Kim, drying oncoming tears with an already wet hand.
"And I'm sorry I freaked out like that, when I saw that spider. You know how I get when I see one of those monsters!" cried Sakura.
"Anyway, where are all the other ghosts. It's pretty lifeless here," said Jody, bored.
"Wait. There's a room up ahead. Maybe we'll find some of our supernatural friends there," said Kim, straightening up and strolling down towards the room.
…
The room was octagonal shaped, with eight towering walls. Sixteen bat-like gargoyles perched on a ledge running around the whole room, each one holding two candles with flickering flames, the gargoyles' stone faces leered down at Kim, Jody and Sakura.
Placed on four of the walls were four small oil paintings. One of a young smiling woman dressed in a summer gown, holding an umbrella. Another of a smartly dressed gentleman holding some papers. A third painting of a smug-faced man with his arms folded, wearing a derby hat. The fourth was a painting of an aging woman holding a rose.
"Nice place," said Jody.
Just then, the door behind them sealed shut. Sakura frantically searched the wall for the door.
"We're trapped!" cried Sakura alarmed.
"What do we do!" cried Kim, randomly grabbing Jody and wrapping her arms around him.
Jody blushed, and Kim looked at him and blushed too. The two let go of eachother and brushed their clothes and hair. A giant eerie voice suddenly boomed out of the walls.
"Welcome foolish mortals to the Haunted Mansion!" said the voice.
"But we're not mortals!" cried Sakura.
"You're not?" asked the voice.
"Yes, we're ghosts," said Kim.
"Oh. One moment…" said the voice and silence follows for several seconds, before he spoke up again. "Welcome, fellow ghosts to the Haunted Mansion."
"Where are you?" asked Jody.
"Up here," said the voice and the three looked up.
They looked in astonishment as the walls literally started to stretch upwards as the ceiling moved upwards as well. The paintings did also. The woman with the umbrella turned out to be balancing on an unravelling tightrope, above a river with a hungry alligator waiting for her.
The man in the tuxedo, revealed to be wearing no trousers but only red and white striped boxers, standing on a barrel that had a lit keg.
The smirking man revealed to be sitting on the shadows of another man, who stood on the shoulders of another, who was up to the waist in quicksand.
And the woman with the rose is actually sitting on a gravestone of her dead husband, with an axe sliced between the head of a bust.
The room suddenly went dark and lightning flashed out of the ceiling which had suddenly disappeared. The next thing the three kids knew, a hanging skeleton appeared above them. As lightning flashed outside, the skeletons skull turned and stared down at the kids. The lightning ceased and the skeleton waved a hand at the children.
"Hi!" shouted the skeleton.
Sakura screamed.
"Not again," said the skeleton, folding his arms. "Every time I try to say a simple hello, people scream and run away! It's because I'm a skeleton isn't it. If I were a big pink bunny they'd like me!"
"Right, and you are?" asked Kim.
"I'm the Ghost Host. And I know what you're thinking, a skeleton being a ghost host. Well actually, Master Gracey is the Ghost Host, I just take his role when he is busy," explained the skeleton.
"Uh-huh. I'm Jody, this is Kim and Sakura," said Jody and Kim and Sakura nervously waved up at the skeleton.
"So, what are we supposed to do in this place?" asked Sakura.
"You're supposed to be scaring people," said a female voice.
The three looked up to one of the paintings and saw the woman with the umbrella emerging from her portrait, an alligator attached to her right leg.
"Who are you?" asked Kim.
"I am Miss Lillian O'Malley Gracey," said the woman. "George's first wife. And you should not be hanging about, we've got a pack of mortals arriving at the mansion!"
"I know that feeling," chuckled the skeleton.
"Move it children, before Uncle Edward wakes up. He can be awfully bad tempered if disturbed!" said Lillian and pushed the kids out of the door which reopened.
"Nice meeting y'all!" called the skeleton from the stretching room.
"What a crazy place," said Sakura, running a hand through her hair.
"You're telling me," said Jody. "Let's go explore."
"Okay. Who knows what kind of crazy people we're going to see here!".
…
George Gracey and Lillian O'Malley are characters named by the ride's cast members. I gave the skeleton a personality and I couldn't refuse putting in the hanging gag. As you can guess, the mysterious woman back is Madame Leota, who will play a bigger roll as the story progresses. Kim, Jody and Sakura are my own characters, and Kim's death reason will be revealed later on. More characters will be introduced next chapter, which takes place in the ballroom. See you soon!