As the friends gazed down at the scene taking place they could not believe their eyes! A party was taking place, one of the strangest parties you've ever seen. There was a long banquet table covered with decayed food and wiltered flowers, spiderwebs hung everywhere. It seemed to be a birthday party and when a birthday ghost blew out the candles on a cake, several other ghosts disappeared. They reappeared to clap and applaude the guest of honor for extinquishing the candles in one breath. These spirits seated around the table were engaged in friendly conversation, talking and laughing merrily and drinking wine or champagne. Several other ghosts were playing on the chandelier overhead.
USAGI
Will you look at that, ghosts partying.
LEONARDO
I've never seen anything like this myself.
RAPHAEL
No way...ghosts having a birthday party?
MICHAELANGELO
This is totally crazy, I don't believe what I see.
Other ghostly couples were dancing or waltzing on the far side of the ballroom while an organist played a haunting refrain on a pipe organ against the wall.
LEATHERHEAD
Look at those ghosts dancing, they pass through the furniture.
NINJARA
How can they do that? We couldn't even do that if we tried.
DONATELLO
I don't like this...
For the time being, the ninja turtles and allies just watched the bizarre spectacle unfolding before them and trying to decide if what they were witnessing was real or fake.
NINJARA
Why did we ever come into this house? <then corrects herself> Oh, right. We came in to escape from the storm to seek shelter.
RAPHAEL
Then the front door closed shut in our faces and now we're forced to take a tour by our ghost host while looking for another way out.
LEATHERHEAD
Speaking of which, have we found that EXIT by now?
MICHAELANGELO
Yes, have we found it?
LEONARDO <checks their surroundings>
Here's another door at the other end of the balcony, come on.
Leo, Don, Mike, Raph, Ninjara, Usagi and Leatherhead entered the door and climbed a short flight of hidden stairs that led upwards towards another door that swung open by unseen hands and they stepped through into a room cluttered with antiques scattered about, piled atop one another or laid out in neatly rows against the walls and corners. The room they were in was an unfinished attic or storage space, the gang were at the highest point of the mansion.
As the mutants looked around the errie attic as though sensing some presence was lurking nearby, watching them...a sudden sound attracted their attentions.
DONATELLO
Listen, I hear a noise. It sounds like a beating heart.
RAPHAEL
Yeah, but it's real loud. <covers ears with hands>
MICHAELANGELO
Ouch, hurts my ears already. <he too covers head>
USAGI
Where is it coming from? I can't see anything at the moment.
NINJARA
Look, over there! <she points>
All heads turned and in an instant, came face to face with an apparition hovering off the floor and glowing mysteriously in a shimmering aura. It was a ghost dressed as a bride in a wedding gown, her face a palid shade of blue-green, her eyes yellow in their sockets, her expression a sad-like smile. Her hair was white and wild, and her face had a daydream-like expression as though this spirit was somewhere else in another dimension so to speak. Her gown was billowing out behind her transparent body as if held by unseen hands to allow her to walk down an imaginary asile to an alter to join her dream prince waiting for her so they could live happily ever after for all eternity.
In one hand was clutched a bouquet of flowers, in the other hand a glowing candle. Meanwhile her heart was glowing red with each beat and could be seen through her wedding dress.
LEATHERHEAD
Ooooooh, she's scary to look at.
MICHAELANGELO
You got that right, dude. Real scary.
LEONARDO
Look at the way her heart glows with each beat, I can see it.
DONATELLO
I see it too, brother.
Suddenly without warning there came a sudden scream or shout from out of nowhere as a frightening apparition or boogyman jumped out from behind some antiques straight into the air before the startled mutants and shouted a familiar phrase "I do!" then dropped back out of sight again. This was followed by three more boogymen ghosts who also popped up and shouted the "I do" words then they too disappeared from view. These ghosts were wearing tuxedo jackets with white shirts and black ties and top hats as they jumped up and down occasionally.
RAPHAEL
Yegads! I hate it when they scare us like that!
NINJARA
So do I, Raph.
MICHAELANGELO
Why do they keep shouting "I do"?
USAGI
Who knows? <shrugs> Probably to make fun of her, I guess. <points out the ghost bride>
MIKEY-LEO-DON
HUH???
LEATHERHEAD
Good grief. <rolls eyes, slaps forehead>
Just then music seemed to come from somewhere in the attic, the source turned out to be a piano against the back wall, a flickering candelabra set atop the instrument and within its illumination could be seen the shadow of an unseen pianist wearing top hat & cape playing a somber version of the infamous wedding march theme. Even as the song was being played, the boogymen ghosts continued leaping up and down, shouting the "I do" words again and again as if they were making fun of the ghost bride who probably was unable to say those words herself, nor get to hear the wedding march song because she was dead. As the gang turned to run out of the door another ghostly manifistation appeared and blocked their way.
He was a cloaked figure with an evil grinning face, a hatbox hung from his hand. With each beat of his bride's heart, his head disappeared from his body and appeared in the hatbox.
NINJARA <totally panics>
We're trapped, there's no way out.
LEONARDO
Hold the candles, I'll try to open this window.
Leo ran over to a dormer window nearby and together with Leatherhead's help they muscled the stubborn window up enough to peer outside into a clear night sky with twinkling stars and full moon shining down from above. The storm had ended, passed on.
LEONARDO
Come on, we're in luck.
LEATHERHEAD
There's a balcony out here.
DONATELLO
It must be the EXIT from this house, we found it.
RAPH-MIKE-NINJARA-USAGI
YAAAAAAAAY! <cheer and slap high fives>
Carefully the friends climbed through the open window and onto the balcony catwalk on the mansion's rooftop where they had a bird's eye view of the grounds far below.
LEONARDO
Watch your step, the rain made everything slippery.
NINJARA
The candles went out again.
LEONARDO
Just leave them, we're outside now. Everything's going to be okay.
LEATHERHEAD
Here's some steps at the far end.
The alligator bodyguard spotted a fire escape leading to the ground below but where it lead to was disturbing to say the least.
NINJARA
But they lead to the cemetary!
MICHAELANGELO
Do we have to go in there?
RAPHAEL
I got a bad feeling about this.
DONATELLO
Come on, it's the only way. Besides, I'm sure we can locate the back gate near the fence so we can escape this nightmare alive.
USAGI
I'm all for that, let's go!
LEONARDO
Follow me, ninjas and stay close.
LEATHERHEAD
Home, here we come!
The martial artist superstars descended the steps to the ground level and passed through the front entrance gates leading into the cemetary and began their walk through the private burial grounds, trying to find their way out of this living nightmare.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter 7
Hosted Fiction
Back to Fan Fiction