Concerning Bycatch: Ch. 16

First Chapter

Index

As soon as she got through the door, Comet had sprinted away from the guard room, leaving the “ghosts,” the courtyard, the white orbs, everything behind. Adrenaline hummed in her head as she tore through the passages, heading straight for the front of the mansion. Nothing had challenged her, not even the little colorful ghosts who had made themselves such a nuisance before. 

Once Comet began to feel more safe, her breakneck pace had slowed, though she kept her weapon out and the lantern high. She saw few ghosts of any kind. Rare sets of glinting eyes peered from the shadows, but they always skittered away, going about their own business. After a while, even these encounters stopped. For the first time in this wild midnight waltz, the castle actually seemed dead. 

Concerning Bycatch: Ch. 15

First Chapter

Index

      Something squealed.

      Novi jolted in her pile of blankets, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Bizarre sounds filled the washroom—a storm of chittering and shrieks. She took a slow breath and turned her head. 

      A bright blurr bounced around the chamber, lighting everything up blue. The washwoman followed close behind, swinging at it with a broom. Novi watched in silence, tension fading. It was a tube-sock ghost, the same kind that had followed her in the halls. 

Concerning Bycatch: Ch. 14

First Chapter

Index

It was his genuine pleasure to hear the old man scream. King boo rose from the grate, eyes aglow with anticipation, then he froze as he saw a very different person backpedaling across the room. His grin grew wider.  

“Well, look who finally arrived,” he drolled. “I had begun to think you weren’t coming.”

The courtyard group watched with exhausted satisfaction as Boolsome’s boos lead the charge, cutting off Luigi’s frantic retreat and driving him into the corner. He recoiled, cowering and protecting his head as they dove at him like a swarm of bees, then fell back, scrabbling, onto the floor. 

Concerning Bycatch: Ch 13

First Chapter

Index

He screamed as he fell. 

The cry rang through the courtyard, off the castle walls and back into the rain. Then all fell silent. 

King Boo hung in the air, frozen halfway to the well. Purple jolts tainted his aura and his crown glowed dully—its last dribbles of power bleeding out through the cracks in the gem, turning the rain to a halo of steam over his head. Soft tremors juttered through him as he stared, half blind, through the glow hanging before his vision. The notion that Mario would come bounding out again fluttered in his dazed mind. But no such thing happened. 

The reds and purples of spilled magic reflected off puddles and lit the faces of the statues. Boos floated aimlessly in the air or lay panting against the ground, burned out by the overflow of magic they had saved him from. The King felt empty, cold, and tired. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he felt tired.  

Concerning Bycatch Ch. 12

First Chapter
Index

As soon as the other ghosts left, Clive shut and locked the door on the far side of the room, closing off any chance Comet had of getting into the halls.

The other door was still open, a straight shot to the sparring room and the courtyard beyond. More than once Comet considered taking it, but what would she do then? Go back to the graveyard? Climb the twelve foot, rain slicked fence?

And what if the ghosts did find Novi? What would happen if Comet was gone when they came back? And so, against all better judgment, she stayed.

Concerning Bycatch Ch. 11

  

 

First Chapter
Index

  
 Mario stumbled up the hall, charging back along the passages he had just traveled.

     He had taken the lead now, navigating by memory to the place where their little group had split up. Henry floated along beside him, looking confused and reasonably concerned.

     "I don't understand, where are we going?" he asked.  
     "To the front door," said Mario, a bit breathlessly.
     "But that's where the boos went!"
     "I know-" said Mario, but the conversation was cut short as he miss-stepped, hissing as he caught himself.

Concerning Bycatch: Chapter 10

First Chapter
Index

The ground under the window had turned to slurry a long time ago. It was a good thing too, or Comet’s landing would have come off a lot worse than it had.

She stayed where she had fallen for a long time, half sunk in mud, looking up at the sky in a shell-shocked way. The gummy ghost had stuck its head out of the window and yelled abuse, but hadn’t seemed keen on following. Eventually it had gone back inside.

When she was sure it was gone Comet had pushed herself up, slowly and stiffly stumbling into the yard.