The Great Cog Scare

Mayhem Manor

Living and running the manor made you grow a tolerance for many things. Being startled by the sudden appearance of ghosts and loud bangs from falling objects were among them. I had to become a heavy sleeper, but the sound that woke me up was bigger than anything I'd ever heard. 

CRACK BOOOM! I jolted upright at the sound as the lantern above shattered and glass rained down around me. Covering my head with my arms I turned to get out of bed, walking in the dark towards the faint light from the window.  

I looked towards the rocking chair, but it was empty. "Grandpa Stub Paws?" I called. 

No answer.

Rain hammered against the outside of the walls. It was pitch black outside so I pressed my face against the glass trying to see anything through the water cascading down it. A bright light dropped out of the sky and splintered a tall tree in the distance. I gasped in fear. What...what was that?

CRACKA BOOOOM! I jumped back from the window, stepping in a puddle on the floor. My nose pointed to the ceiling and rainwater dripped on my face. I hastily rubbed it away and pulled open my bedroom door. I stepped into the hall and saw a small blue figure curled up at the far end of it. I moved towards them. "Hey, are you okay?" 

A light blue bear looked up from between his glowing gloves. "W-where am I?" He looked down at his opaque hands. "What happened to me?" 

I frowned. It was sad when a ghost appeared without knowing they'd retired. It usually meant there was some sort of accident. I forced the corners of my mouth upward, which was difficult between whatever I just witnessed outside and the sad reality of his appearance.

"Don't worry about that," I smiled, crouching next to him. "My name is Spook, what's yours?" 

"Oh, the names' Sno." He replied. 

"Nice to meet you, Sno." I nodded, standing up. "Why don't you come with me? I'm trying to find some more friends."

"Okay." He nodded, standing up and towering over me as most of the ghost-toons did. He watched warily out the window. I didn't blame him.

It seemed all the lights had been broken by the noise. I tread carefully to not cut my paws on the glass. Sno did the same, unaware he was invulnerable to pain. I knew to not inform him, it was best for ghosts to settle into their new forms on their own.

We reached the stairs that overlooked the high ceilings in the den, spawling bookcases with books of all colors and shapes and colorfully painted walls were muted by the darkness as we carefully descended the stairs. 

"What is this place?" He asked, following me closely. 

"This is Mayhem Manor, my home, and yours for as long as you'd like." I smiled, still trying to appear at ease. I hadn't seen anyone else except for Sno, and I desperately needed to start getting candles lit or something. It's easier for newcomers to settle in after they meet other residents, but they were unusually scarce. I could also hear the wind howling outside. 

"Where are your friends? Do they live here too?" He asked.

I opened my mouth to reply and the roof exploded and a bright flash of light tore through the central support beam. CRACKA BOOOOOM! Sno and I both screamed in fright as roofing fell down around us in splinters. Rain streamed into the den, winds whipping at my fur. I heard a groaning noise and looked up to see the main support beam bending dangerously in the wind. 

"SPOOK!" I heard someone scream. I shielded my eyes from the rain and turned to see Bandit, a green horse hovering over the rug. "Basement! NOW!" 

My eyes widened, I'd forgotten about the basement. It was dark and cold and not fun so I covered the door with a rug to conceal it. 

"Okay!" I shouted back. "Come on, Sno!" I waved my hand towards the door and we took off running for it as the sky flashed with light behind us. Sno gasped as Bandit disappeared into the ground. I tore the rug out of the way and pulled with all my might and the door popped open.  I looked down the dusty wooden ladder into a sea of faintly glowing colors. Sno hastily went inside and I followed him swiftly, shutting the door with a big tug. 

I slumped to the ground, exhausted from the effort, and a magenta blur rushed out of the crowd over to me. 

"Spook! Thank heavens you are alright!" Matilda frowned. 

"I'll go find Count Stub Paws and tell him we found her," Bandit said, disappearing through the wall again. 

"I'm glad to see all of you, I was worried," I panted, trying to wring out my fur as the cold began to seep into me. A glowing purple monkey and yellow dog walked forward and began to talk to Sno. He looked greatly relieved. They shook hands and smiled, and so did I.

"No need to worry about us, let's see if we can find you a blanket," Matilda replied. I wrapped my arms around myself to keep warm and stood up, following after her. We searched amidst the colored ghostly glows but only managed to find an old table cloth. While it wasn't the best, I took it graciously and rolled myself up the best I could and laid down on an old, faded armchair. The ghost-toons gathered around, speaking softly to one another. I spent the rest of the night curled up into a little shivering ball, waiting for the storm to end as the sky rumbled and roared above.